Simultaneous Time Travel: What Villain? I'm the Protagonist!

Nagato stopped tapping, a resolute glint flashing in his Rinnegan eyes.

"Good idea," Nagato said slowly. "The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is indeed a crucial part of our plan. Sending 'Uchiha Madara' to investigate will both test his abilities and verify his identity. If he really is Uchiha Madara, this will be a piece of cake for him. If he isn't..."

"If he isn't, he'll either give himself away or refuse the mission," Sheng Ren chimed in. He knew that once Obito went to Konoha, countless surprises awaited him.

Konan looked at Nagato with concern: "But won't this alert him? If he really has ulterior motives, we might have to break ties with him prematurely."

"A break was inevitable," Nagato's voice was icy. "Could someone who even hides their identity be our ally?"

Sheng Ren nodded in agreement: "Moreover, even if he refuses or fails, we have a reasonable explanation—the information about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is indeed important, and sending him is because we value his abilities. If he can't even complete this mission, then he doesn't deserve to continue using the name 'Uchiha Madara'."

Without further hesitation, Nagato used his ring to issue an order to Obito, who was far away outside the base.

A moment later, Obito's reply came: "Understood. I will go to Konoha to investigate the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

His tone was calm, and there was nothing unusual about it.

But Shengren knew that Obito's heart must be churning with turmoil at this moment.

"Well then, I should go too." Sheng Ren stood up. "There are still many things to take care of in Xingren Village."

Nagato nodded: "Go."

Sheng Ren smiled, said nothing more, and disappeared into the rain.

In a dense forest outside Konoha Village.

Wearing a spiral mask, Obito hid in the shadows of the trees, gazing at the distant Hidden Leaf Village. This place, once his home, had now become a battlefield he had to be wary of.

Nagato's order disrupted his original plans. He had intended to manipulate everything from behind the scenes, waiting until the Ten-Tails was resurrected and the Infinite Tsukuyomi was ready before making his official appearance. But now, he had to personally risk his life to enter Konoha and investigate the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

"Black Zetsu, why do you think Nagato suddenly sent me to Konoha?" Obito asked in a low voice.

Black Zetsu's voice came from the ground beneath his feet: "A test, an undeniable test. Nagato has already become suspicious of 'Uchiha Madara's' identity, and this mission is to verify his suspicions."

"Then what should I do?" Obito asked. "If I refuse, it's tantamount to admitting I'm hiding something. If I accept, the risk is too great; once exposed..."

"You must go," Black Zetsu said decisively, "but you can't go in your true form. Use the Transformation Technique to disguise yourself as an ordinary ninja, infiltrate Konoha and gather some superficial information. The key is not how much information you can gather, but whether you can complete this mission and prove your worth."

Obito was silent for a moment, then nodded: "That's the only way."

He formed hand seals, and his body began to transform, quickly turning into an ordinary Konoha Chunin. This was one of several carefully prepared disguises, one that could withstand scrutiny.

What he didn't know was that a strange phenomenon had occurred in Konoha before he arrived.

In Konoha Village, dozens of ninjas who had practiced visualization techniques all had the same dream at the same time.

In their dreams, they saw a mysterious figure wearing a spiral mask infiltrate Konoha, attempting to approach the Nine-Tails and reenact its attack. Although they couldn't see the figure's true face, the eerie scene sent chills down the spines of all the dreamers.

The dream came abruptly and left quickly. When everyone woke up, they only remembered fragments of the dream, but the sense of crisis was deeply imprinted in their hearts.

The first to become alert was Uchiha Shisui.

As an elite Jonin of Konoha, and having mastered visualization techniques, he was exceptionally sensitive to these collective precognitive dreams. What alarmed him even more was that the masked man in his dream closely matched the characteristics of the "masked man claiming to be Uchiha Madara" that Sheng Ren had previously mentioned.

"Could it be... that person is really coming to Konoha?" Shisui immediately stood up, put on his ninja uniform, and prepared to report to the Third Hokage.

Konoha Village, Hokage's office.

After seeing Shisui off, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, returned to his seat, picked up the report, and frowned.

The report came from the Anbu and mentioned several ninjas who had practiced a special meditation method and had a precognitive dream about a masked man infiltrating Konoha.

"What do you think?" The Third Hokage put down the report and looked at the two advisors standing in front of him—Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.

Koharu Utatane pondered, "This isn't the first time. Ever since that visualization method quietly spread in Konoha, similar anomalies have been constantly appearing, and this time, all the dreamers have practiced the visualization method."

Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement: "While it can indeed increase a ninja's chakra reserves, this kind of collective mental connection... is too dangerous. If someone is manipulating it from behind, the entire Hidden Leaf Village could be in danger."

"Hiruzen, what do you think?" Koharu Utatane asked.

The Third Hokage stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the bustling Konoha Village outside: "First, strengthen vigilance, especially around the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Second, have the Anbu secretly investigate the source of the visualization technique's spread and find out who is behind it. Finally..."

He turned around, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and said, "We need to contact Xingnin Village, that Shengren. According to intelligence, the visualization technique originated from Xingnin Village. He must know something."

Outside Konoha Village, Obito, disguised as a Konoha Chunin, had quietly approached the village's defensive barrier.

He chose a relatively secluded route, where fewer ninjas patrolled and the barrier was relatively weak. Using his knowledge of Konoha's defenses, Obito quickly found a loophole to exploit.

"Divine Might".

With a whisper, Obito's body began to contort, disappearing into thin air as if merging into water. The next moment, he appeared inside the barrier, in a deserted alley.

"Illusion Technique: Naraku's Appearance Technique!" Several figures leaped out from the shadows and blocked Obito's path.

Obito felt a chill run down his spine, but his reaction was incredibly fast. The instant the Konoha ninja launched their attack, he had already completed the hand seals.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"

A crimson Sharingan appeared beneath the mask, its three tomoe spinning rapidly. The two Konoha Anbu members at the forefront froze instantly, their eyes becoming vacant—they had fallen into the Sharingan's genjutsu.

But this is only the beginning.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Obito took a deep breath and unleashed a massive fireball, forcing back the three other ninjas who were trying to surround him. The flames illuminated the dark alleyway and revealed his location.

"The intruder is here!"

More Konoha ninjas surged in from all directions. Obito could sense that at least twenty Jonin-level ninjas were rapidly approaching, including a familiar face—his former best friend, Kakashi Hatake.

"Damn it, how could we have been discovered so quickly?" Obito thought with suspicion and uncertainty. His infiltration plan should have been flawless; Konoha's defenses couldn't have reacted so quickly.

Unless, someone leaked his whereabouts beforehand.

"Hahaha," Sheng Ren couldn't help but burst into laughter as he sensed this scene through the mental network. Now that Obito has been trapped, the next step is Kirigakure.