"Oh good, you're here too, we could probably use your help as well," Shikamaru said without taking the time to catch his breath as he looked from Naruto to Kakashi. "Gaara's missing, guards have been taken out, it can only be Akatsuki. Follow me, we're waiting at the gate for the others…"
"Whoa- that's gotta suck, right in the middle of the honeymoon," Naruto deadpanned.
Kakashi blinked, then chuckled.
"If you two dopes hurry up I might be able to salvage it!" Shikamaru called back already moving towards the gate.
"You a dope?"
"Nope, you?"
"Nope, let's go." Naruto took a sudden leap into running, then jumped up to a building top and fell in step behind Shikamaru with Kakashi.
By the time they were at the gate, Kankoru was already there. He spotted the three of them and nodded, "I've sent the fastest messenger we have to the Leaf."
At that moment Temari landed between them, scowling, "Itachi said he'll stay behind and watch over both Lyle and Shirei in case they try to take them while we're busy chasing Gaara's captors."
Sakura came up behind Temari, "I said I'd come," she frowned, "I may not be Itachi, but that doesn't mean I'm useless."
"Well if you're coming hurry, 'cause we're going, now."
toTOtoTOto
"Well it seems like they've almost caught up with us at last, you go on ahead, I'll slow them down."
"As you say," Sasori replied, taking the unconscious Gaara from Tobi's arms, wrapped in the tail was Matsuri, also unconscious. "If you've slowed them more than two hours, you can retreat, I should be far enough then."
"Gotcha," Tobi said as he raised a thumb.
Sasori was just far enough away to be a speck in the distance when Tobi next moved-
naNAnaNAna
"I see him, way over ther- OMPHF!"
Tobi ploughed his whole body into Naruto with a twisiting body slam, he slipped around and threw Naruto into Shikamaru, using the momentum to propel himself at Temari just as she was raising her fan. He kicked her fan out from her hands and slammed a fist into face, sending her back into the ground, then lastly he turned to face Kankoru, Kakashi and Sakura, who all managed to stop in time.
"Hi," he said simply and sweetly. "I'm Tobi, I'll be distracting you now."
Kakashi obviously noticed it first, quickly raising his forehead protector to expose his own Sharingan, "Careful, this guy has the Sharingan too."
"Hmm, I actually expecting you," Tobi mused, "Shouldn't make a difference."
Naruto gave a cough as he slowly started to stir.
"Get off me," Shikamaru groaned as he shoved at Naruto.
Temari moaned as she too started to stir.
"This guy isn't in the data about Akatsuki," Kankoru pointed out.
"Yeah, he must be one of the new members," Naruto said after rolling off Shikamaru onto his back.
Tobi moved again, insanely fast as he pushed Naruto out of the way and rammed himself into Shikamaru. He finally drew a weapon, a simple Kunai, as he drove it into Shikamaru's side and tossed him towards Temari just as she was getting up.
However by now Kakashi was doing hand seals, Tobi looked directly at him, the two drawing eye contact. Lightning Chakara began building in both their hands as Tobi mimicked Kakashi's motions, a moment later they both had charged into each other, Kakashi attempting to use Chidori, however he passed through Tobi and into Kankoru, who suddenly found himself bleeding from the torso, meanwhile Tobi moved through Kakashi and at Sakura who despite valiantly trying to muster a defense in the form of drawing back her fist, was woefully slow against a copied Chidori.
Tobi stood off across from Kakashi again, who was looking away from Tobi's eyes but still trying to watch him. Sakura was attempting to use Medical Jutsus on herself while Naruto was moving around hoping to flank Tobi.
Shikamaru yanked out the Kunai in his side with a wince as Temari helped him to his feet. At the moment he chose to simply watch Tobi, hoping to figure out what techniques he was using beyond the Sharingan Kakashi had already pointed out. Whispering at Temari he kept his glance at Tobi's body. "Get your fan; let's see how he reacts to distance attacks, I think that's why he attacked you and I in the first salvo."
"That or he didn't want to face a woman who's husband was just attacked on their honeymoon," Temari snarled with half a smirk.
"Unlikely, he hit Naruto first, I suspect purely because he was in front, but secondarily because Naruto is known to be a stubborn and surprising ninja, then me, because of my shadows, and you with your fan, next he used Kakashi to take out both our healer and Kankoru, two birds with one attack."
Temari nodded as she dived for her fan. As she did, Tobi seemed to vanish, whether it was speed or technique Shikamaru couldn't tell. Tobi charged Temari, and as she opened her fan to attack, Tobi used a Kunai to attack not the fan itself, but the wooden frame that held it together, when she swung it the fan ripped itself into several pieces but still blew Tobi back with a force he rode to once again attack Naruto-
"SHIT!" he exclaimed as he saw Tobi coming. He quickly formed a Ransengan and attempted to hold it in front of him to attack Tobi, once more he moved through both Naruto and his attack, and pushed off a tree behind him to kick Naruto in the back onto his face- and more importantly, into his own Ransengan. Naruto screamed out in pain as the Ransengan exploded around him and basically shredded his vest and most of the shirt beneath it, leaving countless scrapes and scratches across his face and upper body.
Despite his injuries, Naruto pushed off the ground and attempted to swing both fists locked at Tobi, once again he appeared to simply pass through him, throwing him off balance, which Tobi used to his advantage, giving him a small push Naruto's momentum carried him around and with Tobi's push- back into the ground face first again.
Tobi jumped up and away from everyone into a tree branch where he looked down at each of them…
"You might want to get Kankoru some help, I don't believe Sakura will be in any shape to heal him once she's finished with herself…"
"Don't underestimate me," Sakura spat through bloody teeth. She reached into her bag and pulled out a soldier pill. She took the pill and moved over to Shikamaru next. In a softer voice she spoke again, "Please tell me you've figured out this guys trick." She then started on healing Shikamaru's wounds.
Kankoru however stood up despite his wounds, chakara strings rising up from his fingers to the puppet on his back. Kankoru used his puppet's arm to launch a poisoned blade-
Shikamaru saw it this time.
Tobi reached out and caught the projecting arm, as he drove he hand down in a chopping motion, the arm shattered. Kankoru gasped, but sent the puppet forward anyway. Tobi jumped down, and bounced off the puppet's head at Kankoru.
Kakashi moved himself in the way but suddenly found himself turning back at Tobi behind him and still moving towards Kankoru.
"Sakura, the moment he finishes attacking Kankoru, space should revert, move yourself between him and Kakashi and you should be right at his back before he can react."
Sakura nodded, launching herself to the stretched space between Kakashi and Tobi, who struck Kankoru in the face and sent him flying into the trees behind. Tobi started to turn towards Kakashi, but as he did he saw Sakura's fist impacting his mask-
As space finished reverting, Sakura was close enough to touch Kakashi even though she'd looked like she was a couple feet away before. Tobi pushed off the ground and launched himself back into the trees as his mask fell in two pieces to either side.
Kakashi gapped at the matured face behind the mask. Metal piercings on the bridge of his nose and a pair holding an eye patch over his left eye.
Tobi chuckled, "I see you recognize this body Kakashi, don't worry, I assure you he was quite dead when I took it."
"Obito…" Kakashi blurted.
"-Is dead, and has been since shortly after you acquired his eye. This body is my tool," he gave a small bow and motioned with one arm to from head to feet of the body. Next he turned to Shikamaru, "You figured that only a little quicker than I anticipated, it was the puppet's arm I suppose?"
"You somehow warp space, so you either stretched the arm or condensed your hand to apply the same pressure over a smaller space," Shikamaru nodded.
Naruto muttered something incoherently into the ground.
"What was that," Tobi asked as he turned toward him.
Naruto grunted and pushed himself off the ground, spitting up dirt and blood. "I said, you cheated. It looked like we were passing through you, but you were stretching or contracting the space so we missed. Kakashi moved in a straight line at you, but you twisted it so you weren't still in a straight-line path."
"Your technique renders my shadows kinda moot, since you can stretch space to that you're beyond the limit of my shadows, so that means you wanted to take me out before I figured out your technique, you're still worried I might find some sort of counter to it like having Sakura hit you on the revert."
Tobi gave a short applause. "You're walking exposition. You figure things out then blurt them to the others," Tobi smiled, then stared out at the 4th wall with a small nod. Quickly he looked back to Shikamaru. "I wanted you hurt, and unable to focus, I'll admit, I underestimated Sakura's abilities, and her willingness to let Kankoru suffer longer to in the hopes healing you might end things faster." He chuckled, "As you can see, it wasn't enough, I still have the advantage, and I only have to stall you another hour and you'll never see Gaara again shy of a direct assault, which I'm sure you don't feel ready for yet."
A/N (Spoiler):
Spoiler to clarify, Tobi's body's being control the same way Pein control's his alternate bodies- however it's not Pein, which leaves only Manadara…
Don't worry, my version of Tobi still has a few more secrets yet to be discovered…
End A/N (End Spoiler)