Is it Obito? No! It is Tobi, bitches!

Don’t let him sense your thoughts, or else, he’ll really break the Fourth Wall this time.

…

"I LOVE YOU RIN! I WILL WIN THIS FOR YOU!!"

“You are crazy,” Hayate unsheathes his sword from his back.

Meanwhile, Tobi simply twirls his chains like some random biker gangster in the 80s. “I am going to beat you with the power of love!” It is so cringe it can be weaponized, and look… Hayata seems uncomfortable already.

The cringe-no-jutsu is so overpowered it can stand side by side with talk-no-jutsu. Tobi reckons it might even work against aliens or whatnot.

Tobi as usual is being Tobi… unhinged and totally out of control.

Though he may appear loose on the outside, Tobi is nothing but tense. He’d very much love to impress the girl of his dreams, and certainly… he had his priorities right.

Hayate Gekko. From what Tobi knows, Hayate is a very competent swordsman on top of mastering the Clone Technique to the extreme… There are a few ninjas who master General Skills to the peak like Shisui Uchiha of the Body Flicker.

It is almost an urban legend, but they do exist. It is just that at this point in time, Shisui is yet to be born. The closest Tobi’s generation has to someone mastering a General Skill to the extreme and perfectly weaponizing it is Hayate.

General Skills in terms of ranking techniques are at Rank D max, but that doesn’t mean they are inferior. It is not the techniques that make the ninja, but the other way around.

Tobi has a fair recollection of Hayate in his memories of the future past, and he has come to understand that Hayate’s method of Clone Technique is to use it in combination with his kenjutsu allowing him to execute mirage-like swordsmanship.

In fact, if Tobi is to follow the natural turn of events, Hayate’s opponent now should be Guy and not Tobi. At that same match-up, Guy has lost miserably because he can hardly discern the weakness of Hayate’s Clone Technique.

Now, it is different. Tobi has defeated Guy, and it is now Tobi who stands in this arena participating in the Showdown Test as part of the Chunin Exams.

“Hayate, you are going down, six feet under!” Tobi gestures with his thumb down, it is clearly an act of provocation, but Hayate doesn’t buy it.

Hayate's eyes narrow as he assesses Tobi's stance, the chains and sickles swirling around him like a deadly dance. He grips his sword tighter, focusing his chakra for the impending clash.

The air is tense with both combatants’ fighting spirit as the Jonin announces the start of the match. "Begin!"

With a swift motion, Hayate charges forward, his afterimage following in perfect synchronization. It is not that he is fast, just that his sword is leaving a trail of his mirage. Tobi responds with a flurry of chain attacks, aiming to ensnare Hayate and restrict his movements.

But Hayate moves with grace and precision, deflecting the chains with his sword and closing the distance between them. “Is that it? Aren’t you a Uchiha?”

Tobi grins maniacally, twirling his chains faster in an attempt to counter Hayate's onslaught. "You're not bad, Hayate! But let's see how you handle this!"

Body Flicker Technique!

With a sudden burst of speed, Tobi lunges forward, the chains extending toward Hayate with deadly accuracy. But Hayate remains unfazed, his sword flashing in a blur of steel as he parries each strike with ease.

"You'll have to do better than that, Obito!" Hayate retorts, his voice filled with determination.

Tobi's grin widens as he unleashes a barrage of attacks, his chains whipping through the air with ferocious speed. But Hayate remains calm, his movements calculated as he waits for the perfect opening.

And then, in a split second, he sees it. With a swift motion, Hayate ducks under Tobi's chains and delivers a devastating kick to his side, sending him crashing to the ground…

The crowd erupts into cheers as Hayate gains an advantage.

But it is all a ruse.

Hayate’s frown says it all, “I didn’t feel it connect…”

At the last second, before Hayate’s kick connects, Tobi has increased his chakra output on his Body Flicker Technique and jumps backward, visually deceiving everyone that he has been kicked.

Tobi grins sheepishly as he snaps his chains that have slithered by Hayate’s foot.

And snap!

Hayate’s feet have been snared and the next thing he knows is that he has been swung to kingdom come right at the arena’s walls causing cracks to spread from where he landed. Thankfully, he is able to cushion his crash at the last second… but… “That seriously hurts…”

And then Tobi’s kick lands on his face. Or it should have been.

Tobi realizes he has hit a Clone.

Right at the moment of recovery, Hayate has performed a seamless Clone Technique in conjunction with a Substitution Technique. Shurikens fly at Tobi, but he persistently deflects and dodges them.

Using his wall-walking technique, Tobi runs away from Hayate’s line of sight but it is an open terrain. There is only so much that Tobi can do.

Hayate stabs his sword to the ground and takes potshots at Tobi with his shuriken.

Seeing that Hayate is about to perform a jutsu, Tobi rushes to him, using his chain and sickles as a grappling hook, but Hayate is faster. With a Tiger Hand Seal, Hayate has performed a Shadow Clone Technique.

Not just a Clone Technique but a legitimate Shadow Clone Technique.

“I’ll get him,” The Shadow Clone runs to Tobi with a sword at the ready, while the real one runs off, and takes potshots of shuriken and kunai.

Tobi cannot afford to get hit even once… because the truth is… he is just a Shadow Clone, and the real him is somewhere else fucking around maybe with Orochimaru or Danzo. However, the more important thing here is that the others don’t realize he is just a Shadow Clone himself, since that will be super scandalous.

After almost getting nicked in the face by a shuriken, and a sword slash by Hayate’s Shadow Clone, Tobi cannot help but swear. “Oi! That’s playing dirty! Hayate, come and have some!”

With difficulty, Tobi begins playing tag with the intention of never being it.

But then again, even Tobi has his limits.

With vengeance, Tobi outmaneuvers the Shadow Clone, jumps backward, uses Body Flicker to the left, and then performs a series of hand seals without pause.

Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

Tobi spits the giant ball of flames right at the Shadow Clone’s face. With the current circumstances, Tobi has to finish this task since he is already so low on chakra very quickly. Using the flames as camouflage, Tobi rushes at Hayate… and with his sickle, he traces Hayate’s throat.

But Hayate seems to always have a card under his sleeve. “Transparent Escape Technique,” he smirks almost condescendingly…

This cheeky bastard.

In front of Tobi, Hayate fades and obscures his form.

But Tobi won’t just let him go yet! With his chains, Tobi lashes it 360 degrees around him, brutally gouging the earth while at it. He really is pushing his physical limits as his grip on his sickles reddens, and thus… Hayate is forced to reveal himself.

“At my 7 o’clock, huh?” Tobi hurls a shuriken and then follows up with his sickles in order to engage in melee combat. “Let’s see what you got!”

Hayate smirks as he emerges from his Transparent Escape Technique, his eyes gleaming with determination. "You're persistent, I'll give you that, Obito. But persistence alone won't win you this fight."

He swiftly dodges the incoming shuriken, his movements fluid and precise. With a flick of his wrist, he deflects Tobi's sickles, the clash of metal ringing out in the arena. "You're skilled, I'll admit. But skill can be overcome by grit." Hayate stubbornly resists.

Tobi grins confidently, his eyes blazing with determination. "Maybe so, but I've got something you don't, Hayate."

Hayate raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? And what's that? And don’t you dare say the power of love…"

Tobi's grin widens as he channels his chakra, a surge of power coursing through him. "Oh shucks, you guessed it basically right!"

"I can respect that,” Hayate nods, a hint of forced respect in his eyes. “But don't think for a second that I'll go easy on you."

With renewed vigor, the two ninja clash once more, their sword and chains flashing in a whirlwind of steel. Each strike is met with a counter, each dodge with a feint. It's a battle of wits and skill, neither willing to back down.

When Hayate calls forth a Shadow Clone, Tobi will strike it down. If Tobi attempts to create space for himself, Hayate pressures him. It is a repeating cycle of who is at an advantage, and who is not.

As the fight rages on, the crowd watches in awe, marveling at the sheer intensity of the match. Every move is calculated, every strike precise. It's a dance of death, with neither willing to yield an inch.

But in the end, there can only be one victor. And as the dust settles, it becomes clear who that victor will be.

With a final, decisive blow, Hayate knocks Tobi to the ground, his chains falling limp at his side. The crowd erupts into cheers as Hayate stands victorious, his chest heaving with exertion.

“I win,” Hayate declares, “You lose… and I still have a lot in my tank. I can still afford a Shadow Clone and two. But you? You are drained both physically and mentally.”

Tobi grins, “Nah, I have plenty of morale and you won’t beat me in this area… Moreover, being a ninja is all about deception.” The heaving and haggard breathing stops as if it has been all a lie… and yes, it is a lie!

With a crisp snap, Hayate’s sword shatters.

“I win,” Tobi rises with impeccable speed and squeezes his chains. “Take this!”

From under Hayate, chains spring up like snakes and coil around him. Tobi has buried a few segments of his chains underground in preparation for creating this trap… And Tobi is fairly excellent at making traps!

With a good swing, Tobi punches the immobilized Hayate right on the jaw… knocking him out!

Victory goes to Obito Uchiha!