Vision of Truth II: Shield and Sharingan (Naruto)

The Truth About Tobi

"Stop telling me that there's a light at the end of the tunnel
Every time I believe those words it's nothing but trouble
I hate to sound so cynical
But I'm done chasing miracles
This fall it ain't worth the climb
Glass half empty all the time

I'm so sick of waiting on the sun
My silver lining never comes
So sick of feeling not enough
Does hope hurt more than giving up?
I know that I can't be the only one" 

- "Waiting on the Sun" by Citizen Soldier

Chapter 25: The Truth About Tobi

After avoiding me for a week, Tobi finally pulled me into his room with no explanation. We stared at each other in silence for a minute before I broke. I crossed my arms and lifted my eyebrows. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Does Katsumi still believe she can change the world?" Tobi asked in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

I blinked. That was what this was about? "Well, I don't have unrealistic expectations, but I do believe I can make a difference... especially if I work together with my friends."

"And you can do that in your village?"

I hesitated. "Well, yeah. If change doesn't start there, then where?"

"You cannot trust them," Tobi said in his deep voice. "You cannot trust anyone. You will never achieve anything if you play by their rules."

"I never said I would! I have no problem breaking their rules if it means keeping in line with my principles."

"Your principles hold you back from progress."

I rolled my eyes. "What progress can be made if no one has principles? I do not want to live in that type of world."

"You would not want to live in this world if you knew what I knew."

"Then tell me what you know."

"Fine."

His ready agreement surprised me, and I did not know what to say for a moment. He patiently waited for me to find my words. "Really? You'll give me information?"

"A small amount of information, but it will be enough. You will realize the truth." He lifted a gloved hand to his mask. "I will show you show I am."

"You said you were Madara. Oh, you mean you'll show me your face." Now I was interested.

Tobi's hand gripped the side of his mask. "I am not Madara."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean you're not? Why not tell me your real name?" Then it hit me. "Oh, Itachi thinks you're Madara."

"That is one reason. The other is that I did not want you to know my identity."

I frowned. "That doesn't make any sense. I told you I don't know of any other Uchihas, and you have to be one."

"That is not entirely accurate." Before I could process what he meant, he had removed his mask. I instantly took in all of his features.

The right side of his face appeared scarred in a weird swirling pattern not unlike his mask. From this side, the red eye of the Sharingan stared at me. The left side of his face appeared perfectly unharmed except for the presumably missing eye covered by his eyelid. I found this odd. If it was his right side that had been damaged, why was his left eye missing? It was almost as if someone had surgically removed it. Or used medical ninjutsu... My eyes widened, and I gasped.