Tobi

is one of the main antagonists of the series who, among other things, played an integral role in the formation of Akatsuki. Predominantly shrouded in mystery, he has made claims to be the legendary shinobi Madara Uchiha.

Background
Before the era of ninja villages, Madara Uchiha was the leader of the Uchiha clan, the first person to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan (and likewise its "eternal" form), a co-founder of Konohagakure, and a man able to tame even the Nine-Tails. Madara and Hashirama Senju, Konoha's First Hokage, eventually fought over leadership of Konoha at a site that would later be called the Valley of the End. History recorded that Madara was killed during the battle and the Nine-Tails taken from him. Decades after, a masked-individual known only as "Tobi" surfaced. He later identified himself as Madara Uchiha. Tobi claims to have encouraged Yahiko to form Akatsuki as well as the one who "gave" the Rinnegan to Nagato. Until the events of Part II, he has been operating in secret, allowing Nagato to serve as the figurehead of Akatsuki under his direction. While many characters are surprised that "Madara Uchiha" could still be around so many years after his supposed death, they accept Tobi's word on the grounds that only Madara would be capable of the crimes Tobi has committed.

While Madara's resurrection during the Fourth Great Shinobi World War lends credibility to the belief that he is actually dead, it does not appear that he was actually killed during his fight with Hashirama. Similarly, Tobi is also in possession of some of Hashirama's DNA. Tobi is otherwise intimately familiar with Madara's history, sharing his animosity towards Konoha and the Senju and even going so far as to claim that Izuna Uchiha willingly gave up his eyes to Madara in order to form the "eternal" Mangekyō Sharingan. It is, therefore, difficult to say which actions were those of Tobi and which were those of the real Madara. At the very least, Madara is aware of Tobi's existence.

This masked-man is confirmed to have done various things in the past under the name "Madara Uchiha". For the sake of convenience this man shall be referred to as "Tobi".

Twelve years before the start of the series, Tobi discovered that Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, would be going into childbirth, causing the seal keeping the Nine-Tails contained within her to weaken. Tobi found where Kushina was being kept, killed her ANBU bodyguards and midwives, and took her son, Naruto, hostage. Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, took Naruto back from him, in doing so separating himself from Kushina and allowing Tobi to flee with her. As the seal was about to break, Tobi used his Sharingan to put the Nine-Tails under his control. Since Kushina survived the extraction, Tobi tried to have the Nine-Tails kill her. Minato arrived in time to save her and retreat. Tobi, uninterested, summoned the Nine-Tails into Konoha and ordered it to destroy the village.

Minato soon afterwards arrived to help in the village's defence. Before he could contribute much or even tell anyone what had happened, Tobi located him and tried to use his space–time technique to send him away and prevent further interference. Minato was able to use his own teleportation technique to escape, but Tobi pursued him. The two began fighting and Minato struggled to successfully strike Tobi. After several failed attacks, Minato finally hit Tobi with the Rasengan and branded him with a seal for his Flying Thunder God Technique, allowing him to teleport to Tobi whenever he wanted. He then used a Contract Seal on Tobi to remove the Nine-Tails from his control. Wounded and deprived of his best weapon, Tobi fled, stating that the Nine-Tails would be his again someday and that he still had other plans.

Eight years after the Nine-Tails' attack, Tobi infiltrated Konoha to try to rekindle the flames of war. He was found by Itachi Uchiha first, who convinced Tobi to spare the village in exchange for helping to wipe out the Uchiha clan for deserting him decades earlier. Tobi complied, training Itachi and providing assistance. However, Itachi never truly trusted Tobi and kept an eye on him for the rest of his life. Around this time Tobi also met with Danzō Shimura.

Tobi took control of the Fourth Mizukage, in effect making him the "real" Mizukage, leading Kirigakure into the years of the "Bloody Mist". Kisame Hoshigaki was one of the few Kirigakure ninja to know of his manipulation of the Fourth. Kisame helped Tobi in his quest to bring about an end to the "world of lies".

Personality
Prior to identifying himself as Madara, Tobi is happy-go-lucky and goofy, something that annoys most of the other members. Deidara, who believed all the members of Akatsuki should be serious and calm, was not pleased with Tobi's childish personality, and frequently attacked the latter in a comedic fashion when annoyed. Apparently, Tobi is very committed to keeping his identity secret, as he has been seen keeping up his goofy appearance even when no-one was around (at least during the anime's filler arc). Kisame, on the other hand, appreciated Tobi's ability to brighten up a gloomy organisation such as theirs. Once he publicly takes up the Madara mantle, however, he largely abandoned this childish persona, using it only to distract the Eight Man Squad during Sasuke's battle with Itachi. However, Zetsu continues to call him Tobi.

Tobi's true personality is considerably calmer and much more serious, but he still has a habit of joking around and disrespecting those around him. He is extremely arrogant, insulting even the strongest ninja and treating Akatsuki members as mere tools rather than comrades. During his duel with Konan, he looked down on her abilities as a ninja and showed some degree of contempt for her, until she destroyed his right arm and caused considerable injury to his face and eyes. While speaking derogatorily about Nagato, he still recognised his power as the strongest in Akatsuki and for possessing the Rinnegan. There are only a handful of exceptions that he admires, the most prominent being Hashirama Senju, whom he also despised the most. Despite his arrogance, he is not above giving praise to his enemies, like Kakashi for his speed or Minato for being able to wound him. However, he is fast to return to his egotistical persona, as he claimed to Konan that it was he who truly won the battle against Hashirama Senju, by "looking at the future".

Tobi has shown great ability in manipulating others to do his work for him. Minato believed that he was using Nagato's ideology against him in order to control him. He was able to turn Kisame into one of his most loyal followers under the promise that he would release him from his pain by creating a "world without lies". He similarly befriended Sasuke in order to get him to join Akatsuki by telling him about Itachi's past even though he has an apparent interest in Sasuke and his abilities. Tobi has admitted that he took a gamble, as Sasuke may have chosen to follow Itachi's wish and returned to Konoha instead. He appears to have a somewhat twisted outlook with respect to this, often avoiding responsibility by claiming that people acted voluntarily, though in reality they were coerced or manipulated by him.

Tobi has set his goals in getting Sasuke on his side to serve Akatsuki's goals. As such, he was pleased that when Itachi died, no one would be able to prevent him from telling Sasuke the truth of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Tobi expressed disappointment when Sasuke failed to retrieve the real Killer B, and was worried that he may not be easy to control. He even threatened to kill Sasuke and his entire team if they ever dare betray him and Akatsuki. However, whenever Sasuke enters deeper into the darkness of revenge, Tobi shows delight, the most prominent being when Sasuke's hatred fully develops Susanoo, and when he sacrificed Karin to pierce Danzō's heart. Despite this, Tobi claims to A and Kabuto Yakushi that he is willing to hand Sasuke over to them, when the situation is right.

Tobi possesses an extreme hatred towards the Senju clan, especially Hashirama Senju, and the Senju-led Konohagakure, as he is a descendant of the elder brother who was passed over being the successor of the Sage of the Six Paths. Tobi admired Hashirama the most for his power, but still hated him. This hatred led Tobi to a life dedicated to revenge. Tobi believes that all Uchiha are destined to walk the same path of revenge against the Senju and Konohagakure, and that Naruto, who has inherited the Senju's Will of Fire, is fated to battle Sasuke, who has inherited the Uchiha's hatred, even if Tobi himself must force them to do so. Tobi also seems to admire the Sage of the Six Paths, or at least just his power as he has gone to extreme lengths to obtain the Rinnegan, the Ten-Tails, and the powers of the Senju clan producing Izanagi, and has been planning decades in advance to achieve these goals.

Despite his calm demeanour and intelligence, Tobi has shown a habit of taking very risky gambles to advance his plans, such as revealing Itachi's wishes and his own involvement in the Uchiha clan massacre to Sasuke, sending him to fight against the five Kage, involving himself with the equally dangerous Kabuto (although in this case Kabuto blackmailed Tobi into having no alternative) and even attempting to complete his Eye of the Moon Plan despite not having the full chakra of the Eight and Nine-Tails.

Tobi seems to enjoy sitting down and taking his time with things, especially when telling stories, just like he told Itachi's story to Sasuke and his Eye of the Moon Plan to the Kage and the samurai.

Since the start of his battle with Konan, Tobi has become noticeably more aggressive and sadistic. After retrieving the Rinnegan, he went so far as to use Fū as a sacrifice for Summoning: Impure World Resurrection to revive Torune to test out Kabuto's abilities, as well as threatening to kill Kabuto, should he betray him, despite Kabuto previously being the one with the upper hand through blackmail.

Appearance
Tobi has worn masks of varying designs over the years. In the past he wore a flame-patterned mask, accompanied by long hair reminiscent of Madara Uchiha. When he later switches to an orange, swirl-pattern mask he cuts his hair back considerably. Both of these masks only show his right eye. On the few occasions where Tobi's face has been partially uncovered, it can be seen that he is elderly, as might be noted from his pronounced under-eye bags and creases. Under his Akatsuki cloak, he wears a black long-sleeve top that also covers his neck and chin, a pair of black gloves, and a pair of dark blueish/black pants along with the standard Akatsuki shoes and white stirrups. On his waist, he wears a thick black belt with armour-like metal plates attached to it. Before revealing his false identity as Madara, he wore Sasori's ring on his left thumb.

After his fight with Konan, Tobi changed his appearance once again. His mask changed to a light purple one that covers the entire upper-half of his head with a design that more resembles the Ten-Tails' single eye, consisting of a ripple-pattern with three tomoe around the centre, two of which make out the mask's eye-holes while the third is painted on. He also returned to wearing his Uchiha robes complete with the Uchiha crest on its back, belt sash, gloves and a purple bandanna that tapers off down to his back, as well as wielding a war fan near identical to Madara Uchiha's, with the exception of being purple instead of orange.

Abilities
It has yet to be seen whether or not Tobi lives up to Madara Uchiha's reputation; he is rarely seen in battle and, when he is, the fights do not last long enough to make a fair judgment. Tobi has admitted that he is not as powerful as Madara was before being defeated by Hashirama Senju and he is further handicapped by the Nine-Tails' sealing into various jinchūriki, depriving him of a powerful weapon. Nevertheless, he has been able to fight toe-to-toe with Minato and defeat a highly-skilled ninja like Konan. Tobi was shown to be an Earth Release user, being able to hide and move underground.

Prior to outing himself as Madara, Tobi's only apparent claim to fame was his speed. He is physically strong enough to stop a slash from Suigetsu's Kubikiribōchō with a single arm without getting hurt and break Torune's neck with a single move. He also possesses an immense level of endurance as he was able to quickly recover after being hit by Minato's Rasengan. His chakra is high enough to allow him to summon the powerful Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. His intimate knowledge of the ninja world allows him to recognise a technique and effectively counter it. Tobi also has knowledge of fūinjutsu used to create jinchūriki, including when they're most vulnerable and how to extract a tailed beast. He has excellent tracking abilities, being able to find others with ease.

Tobi has displayed knowledge and ability in the surgical field. In particular, Tobi was able to remove and preserve Itachi's eyes after his death and later successfully transplant them to Sasuke as well as somehow implanting the Rinnegan into his own left eye after losing his Sharingan.

Throughout the series Tobi has lost several limbs. The loss does not seem to cause him any pain however, and a white substance is shown flowing from the wounds instead of blood. It was later shown that he is able to recreate his limbs through an unknown method. Overall, due to being imbued with the First Hokage's cells, Tobi has managed to extend his life to the point where it is believed by others that he may have become immortal.

Space–Time Ninjutsu
Tobi is almost completely impervious to damage. When struck, attacks pass right through him, though he sometimes pretends to be hurt or cry out in pain to toy with his opponents. It was speculated by Kakashi that he uses a space–time ninjutsu to instantly send himself or even parts of his body to different locations or some sort of void and then instantly bring them back. The only time Tobi's solidity can be confirmed is when he interacts with others, leaving him susceptible to counter-attack when he does so. In his battle with Konan it was revealed that he can only make himself continuously intangible for about five minutes. He also seemingly has the ability to make whatever he's touching at the time, intangible as well.

Tobi also shows the ability to travel long distances within relatively short timespans. While he is usually seen using this ability on himself, avoiding attacks rather than relying on his imperviousness, he can teleport anyone. When he teleports Karin and Sasuke, he sends them to what is a separate dimension. They are forced to stay there until he chooses to release them. The chakra signatures of those that have been teleported completely vanishes. His right eye appears to be the basis for this transportation. It was shown that his body is tangible when he absorbs people, making it possible to attack him, as seen when Konan and Torune managed to injure him when he tried to absorb them. Konan also states that he must solidify before he can absorb himself and that it takes longer to absorb himself than it does someone or something else.

Sharingan
Like Itachi, he seems to be able to keep his Sharingan active at all times with minimal drain on his chakra levels. With his Sharingan, Tobi was able to apply a powerful genjutsu that allowed him to completely control the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, as well as forcing Konan into revealing the whereabouts of the Rinnegan.

Possessing both Uchiha and Senju DNA, Tobi is able to use Izanagi: a technique the Uchiha deemed a kinjutsu since the user's Sharingan is stricken with blindness and sealed away forever. His usage of the technique during his battle against Konan led to the sealing of his left eye.

Tobi has yet to be seen using or activating a Mangekyō Sharingan. He does, however, possesses high knowledge about the Mangekyō Sharingan and its various techniques. His understanding gives him a great advantage against other users, stating Kakashi's Kamui would have had no effect on him and somehow extinguishing Itachi's Amaterasu.

Tobi had used his standard Sharingan to fully control the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. First, he focuses on the Nine-Tails' eyes, and the Sharingan will appear over them, and then the Sharingan's tomoe disappears as the pupil enlarges. After that, he can then use the Summoning Technique to transport the Nine-Tails to anywhere he wants it. However, Minato Namikaze was able to remove his control over the Nine-Tails.

Rinnegan
After he took Nagato's body, Tobi removed his Rinnegan and implanted it into his left eye, replacing the Sharingan lost due to the usage of Izanagi. As wielder of the Rinnegan, Tobi can potentially master all five nature transformations. He can possibly use all the abilities of the Six Paths of Pain, since they are all Rinnegan abilities. With the Rinnegan implanted, he can also summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. He created his own Six Paths of Pain, made from the revived jinchūriki, with them having both the Sharingan and the Rinnegan as he does.

Equipment
Tobi has been shown with a diverse range of weapons over the years. During the Fourth Great Shinobi World War he began carrying a war fan that Madara Uchiha was famous for during his life. During his fight with Minato, he used a long chain attached to braces on his wrist, which together resembled shackles. He used this in conjunction with his ability to become intangible, firstly allowing the adversary to harmlessly pass through his body, before solidifying once again as they emerged from the other side, only to restrain them in the trailing chain.

Intelligence
As the leader and mastermind of the Akatsuki, Tobi is a master strategist and tactician. He is an observant and sharp thinker, capable of reading through several forms of deception. Even when on rare occasions where Tobi is caught off-guard he is capable of creating counter-strategies while maintaining a calm and composed demeanour. He has shown the ability to create complex, long-term plans centred around his goal of the Eye of the Moon Plan. He is also shown to be a flexible tactician, using alternate means to attain a goal when the original plan failed. During the Fourth Shinobi World War Tobi was confident in his original strategy (which did not include Kabuto's contribution) of fighting the Allied Shinobi Forces by making use of the unique abilities of his White Zetsu Army.

He is also shown as a master manipulator. For years he was able to command the Akatsuki from the shadows and later assume the guise of Tobi, a goofy and apparently harmless man in order to better observe his enemies. He is able to convince characters into working for him in direct or indirect ways such as Kisame, Nagato and Sasuke. Likewise, he was able to manipulate the entire ninja world into a war due to their fear of Madara's power.

Due to his advanced age Tobi possess an immense and close knowledge of the workings of the ninja world which allows him to almost immediately identify most forms of ninjutsu and counter them if necessary, as well as assess an opponent's strength's (Kakashi for his speed, Shikamaru for his intelligence, etc). He also has great knowledge of the history and abilities of the Sage of the Six Paths.

Kazekage Rescue Arc
After the death of Sasori, Tobi and Zetsu collect Sasori's ring. Tobi expressed interest in joining Akatsuki, believing that finding the ring would grant him membership. They then found Deidara's arm and the ring it wore, believing Deidara to be dead too. When Deidara appeared and demanded that Tobi give him his arm back, Tobi refused, prompting Deidara to comically try to choke him to death with his legs.

Three-Tails Arc
Tobi was accepted into Akatsuki as Sasori's replacement and Deidara's new partner. He was assigned to capture the Three-Tails, and Deidara accompanied him. In the anime, during their search, they stopped to get a bite to eat at a dango shop. Deidara anxiously waits for Tobi to remove his mask so that he could see what he looked like underneath, but Tobi turned away, hiding his face. When they finish eating they split up. Tobi eventually found the lake and saw Team Three using the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier. He concluded that the technique was to seal the Three-Tails, and went after Deidara to inform him of his discovery. He returns with Deidara and watches as he kills two ANBU.

When they locate the Three-Tails, Tobi tried to convince Deidara to fight it in his place. The beast began chasing him, and Deidara used one of his bombs on it while it was distracted. The rest of the battle went unseen. Later on, Tobi started talking about how his technique was flawless, and now he understood why he had been assigned to the mission. Deidara retorted that he wouldn't have got far without his clay. Tobi later fell asleep on top the Three-Tails after making another cheeky comment, much to the anger of Deidara, who "woke him up" by detonating a clay bomb next to him.

Itachi Pursuit Arc
Akatsuki later receives news that Sasuke Uchiha had defeated Orochimaru. Deidara, angry that he had not got to kill Orochimaru, brought Tobi with him to kill Sasuke instead. When they track him down, Tobi greets Sasuke as a distraction while Deidara attacks with his bombs. Sasuke survives the blast and proceeds to run his sword straight through Tobi, apparently disemboweling him. Tobi gets up immediately after collapsing, complaining about the speed of the attack. Tobi provides support to Deidara, but Sasuke keeps the advantage for the battle's duration. Deidara ultimately resorts to using C0 in an effort to kill Sasuke at the loss of his own life. Zetsu reported to the remaining members of Akatsuki that Tobi had been killed too, prompting Pain to remark that he was easily replaceable.

Pain and Konan meet with Tobi (now thought of as Madara) in Amegakure. Tobi remarks that Sasuke is developing nicely. Noting that Itachi will die soon, Tobi instructed Pain to capture Naruto Uzumaki, the host of the Nine-Tails. He later appeared to distract the 8-Man Squad as Tobi while Sasuke fought with Itachi. The Konoha ninja had no success in striking him with their attacks, so Shino Aburame volunteered to fight Tobi one-on-one. With his bugs, Shino was able to box-in and catch Tobi, but Tobi was able to escape from this as well. Zetsu then arrived to inform him that Sasuke had killed Itachi. Tobi pointed out that he had known that this would be the outcome, and went to see Sasuke. He reaches Sasuke before the Konoha-nin can and takes him away.

Tobi tended to Sasuke's wounds and, when he woke up, offered to tell him about Itachi. Tobi tried to befriend Sasuke by removing his mask and revealing his Sharingan, something that triggered Itachi's Amaterasu in Sasuke's left eye against Tobi. Tobi retreats into the darkness while he puts out the flames, returning with his mask back on to muse about how Itachi never ceased to amaze him. After Sasuke asked what he was talking about, Tobi revealed that Itachi had most likely set it up so that the sight of his Sharingan would trigger the Amaterasu he had sealed within Sasuke. After Sasuke complained that he was making no sense, Tobi revealed that it was to protect him, and, when Sasuke still didn't believe him, Tobi introduced himself as the man who had helped Itachi assassinate the Uchiha clan. He told Sasuke about the Uchiha clan's history, Itachi's secret life, and the lengths he had gone to keep Sasuke and Konoha out of harm's way, as well as denying any involvement in the Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha. Sasuke, regretting that he had killed Itachi now that he knew the truth, resolved to destroy Konoha for forcing Itachi into the life he had lived.

Invasion of Pain Arc
Tobi convinced Sasuke and the other members of Taka to start working with Akatsuki, the two groups having Konoha's destruction as a mutual goal. Before they could do that, however, he stated that Akatsuki needed the two remaining tailed beasts. Since Pain was still working on capturing Naruto, Tobi sent Taka to capture the Eight-Tails. After Taka left, Tobi spoke with Zetsu, discussing Akatsuki's actions up to that point. He went on to say that, although they had lost five talented ninja in Akatsuki, all of their efforts had brought him closer to "making Sasuke his".

After Taka captured the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, Killer B, Sasuke gave it to Tobi for Akatsuki to seal. During the extraction process, it was revealed to be a fake. Tobi remains silent while Kisame - recently made aware of Tobi's identity as the previous Mizukage - commented that Sasuke had been fooled in his attempt to capture the jinchūriki.

Five Kage Summit Arc
Zetsu informed Tobi of Nagato's failure to capture Naruto, his betrayal of Akatsuki, and his sacrificing himself to revive the Konoha villagers he killed. Irritated by the constant setbacks as well as Nagato's wasting the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique which was intended for Madara Uchiha, Tobi sent Kisame to capture Killer B. Then he went to confront Sasuke, who was taking Taka to Konoha. Tobi told them they are wasting their time, Nagato having already destroyed the village, but convinces Sasuke to go to the Kage Summit to kill Danzō, the new Hokage and a conspirator in the Uchiha's assassination. Tobi instructs Zetsu to lead Taka to the Land of Iron, but when they arrive he has Zetsu reveal their presence to the Kage.

While Sasuke fought the Kage, Tobi met with Naruto, who was also in the Land of Iron. He tried to figure out how Naruto was able to cause Nagato to have a change of heart, but was caught by Kakashi Hatake and Yamato. Rather than fight, Tobi told them about the Sage of the Six Paths, the truth of the Uchiha clan, and Sasuke's descent into darkness because of it. They doubt the validity of what he told them, but he persevered, saying that Naruto and Sasuke are destined to fight some day before disappearing.

As Sasuke was about to be killed by the Kage, Tobi rescued him. He sends Sasuke away, sending Karin with him to heal his injuries. Tobi voiced his disappointment that Sasuke was not more of a match for the Kage, having hoped to take them hostage to facilitate with his plans. He was nevertheless happy by the development of Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan in awakening Susanoo. He then explained his Eye of the Moon Plan to those in attendance, concluding by asking for their support by giving him Killer B and Naruto. They refused, so he declared the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War before disappearing.

Tobi intercepted Danzō while he was fleeing the Summit. Danzō has his bodyguards, Fū and Torune, fight Tobi while he prepared himself. Although forced to remove his arm during the battle because of Torune's nano-sized, venomous insects, Tobi was easily able to dispose of the two. Tobi then teleported Sasuke and Karin to their location, showing Sasuke that he keeps his word by giving him Danzō. Tobi observed the battle and was glad when Sasuke is finally able to fully develop Susanoo. When Sasuke emerges victorious, Tobi approaches the dying Danzō to take Shisui's eye, which was implanted in Danzō's right eye-socket. Danzō activated the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique in an attempt to take Tobi and Sasuke with him, but they are able to get out of range in time. He collects Danzō's body and suggests that Sasuke take some time to rest.

At his lab, Tobi discovers that Danzō destroyed Shisui's Sharingan. Cursing him, Tobi gets a new arm and makes plans to retrieve Nagato's Rinnegan to prepare for war. Before he can leave, Zetsu meets with him and tells him that Sasuke is in trouble. He returns to Sasuke and, finding him with Naruto and the rest of Team 7, again advises that Sasuke come with him to rest, noting that they can capture some other time. Before they leave Kakashi tries to attack Tobi with Kamui, but Tobi informs him it won't work. They return to the Mountains' Graveyard where Sasuke declares that he wants Itachi's eyes, his own eyes succumbing to blindness after his repeated battles. Once completing the procedure he tells Sasuke to rest.

Confining the Jinchūriki Arc
Tobi is soon afterwards confronted by Kabuto (who has become more like Orochimaru in appearance). Remembering Kabuto was an Akatsuki spy who betrayed the organization, Tobi prepares to kill him. However, Kabuto blocks him with coffins containing the five deceased members of Akatsuki (Sasori, Deidara, Itachi Uchiha, Nagato and Kakuzu) brought back through Summoning: Impure World Resurrection. Kabuto expresses interest in joining Tobi in the Fourth Shinobi World War, promising he can supply Tobi other "pawns" he has besides the five Akatsuki members before him. As simple payment for his services, Kabuto asks to be given Sasuke to continue Orochimaur's research in developing techniques.

Tobi asks what would happen if he didn't accept, to which Kabuto responds by summoning a sixth coffin containing Madara Uchiha. Horrified that Kabuto is aware that Madara is actually dead, Tobi agrees to an alliance, though he forces Kabuto to accept a few conditions. First being that Sasuke will not be turned over until after the war. And secondly, Kabuto will be watched at all times while at the hideout. Though Kabuto's summons were returned, Tobi was still uneasy about the sixth casket, while leading Kabuto into his hideout so he can assess his battle strength and reformulate his war plans.

Tobi later infiltrates Amegakure and is immediately confronted by Konan. He asks her where to find Nagato's corpse so that he can take his Rinnegan. He tries to buy back her cooperation by informing her of his involvement in Yahiko's creation of Akatsuki and Nagato's receiving the Rinnegan, but she doesn't believe him. Konan turns to paper and engulfs Tobi. He believes that she is trying to catch him when he materializes, but, however, Konan had instead mixed in explosive tags with her paper. Tobi is able to warp the explosion away - saving both of their lives - at the cost of his right arm and having the upper part of his mask broken.Tobi asks why Konan and Nagato would place their faith in Naruto. She replies that Naruto is the light that will defeat the darkness that is Tobi. Konan then splits the lake beneath Amegakure, revealing six hundred billion explosives. She detonates them all over a period of ten minutes, longer than the five-minute period that Tobi can remain intangible for.

He sacrifices his left Sharingan to use Izanagi and survive the attack (removing the upper left side of his mask to do so). Konan, believing he is dead, lets her guard down, allowing Tobi to stab her from behind with a pipe. Konan frees herself and prepares to attack again. Before she does so, the endless rain over Ame stops, surprising Konan and Tobi. Konan proclaims that Naruto is "a support holding the bridge that leads them to peace". Taking up the mantle of "darkness" that crushes the light, Tobi grabs her by the throat and places her under a genjutsu to force her to reveal Nagato's location. He adds that she will die when the illusion ends.

When Tobi finds Nagato's body, he sees that he is smiling even in death, which Tobi interpreted as his continued betrayal. After closing Nagato's eyes, Tobi teleports the body away to the pocket dimension. Tobi returns to his hideout and replaces his blinded Sharingan with one of Nagato's Rinnegan, and gets a new arm, mask, and outfit. Kabuto complemented him on his efforts to gain new eyes, but Tobi rebuffed the statement, claiming that they were his to begin with. Upon Zetsu informing him of the intel they had received from Kisame on the current location of the jinchūriki, Tobi decides to go capture them. However, Kabuto offers to go instead if he is allowed to see the White Zetsu Army, which he offers to make stronger in exchange for one of the clones to experiment on. Tobi complies. Much to Tobi's displeasure, Kabuto fails in capturing either Naruto or B, but does bring back Yamato. Tobi contemplated using the Rinnegan's Human Path to extract intel from Yamato, but the cost would be Yamato's life. However, Kabuto convinces him that with a genjutsu and the proper drug, they can extract what they need. Tobi has his Zetsu Army strengthened by Kabuto using Yamato.

Shinobi World War Arc
With their forces amassed, Tobi gives the order to mobilise, signifying the start of the war. Despite voicing his concerns over Kabuto's control of the revived shinobi, he decides to move the conspicuous White Zetsu Army underground, while leaving White Zetsu behind to harbour Sasuke. In the preceding confusion, Kabuto captures Anko Mitarashi but Tobi suspects that he had led her to their hideout intending to have him and the Allied Shinobi Forces destroy each other. Confident that he is still in control, Tobi nevertheless demands her death, yet Kabuto refuses on the grounds that she can help strengthen his technique, which is in their best interests.

To alleviate his unease, Tobi demands that Kabuto demonstrate the technique whilst revealing how to defeat it, before bringing out Fū and Torune, who have been kept under genjutsu since their capture. Breaking Torune's neck, he tells Kabuto to use Fū as a sacrifice to resurrect the former, so he may observe. After doing what is asked of him, Kabuto remarks on how he couldn't acquire DNA from either Shisui Uchiha or Jiraiya, noting that Tobi is in possession of both from Danzō's right eye and the Six Paths of Pain's blood-stained weapons respectively. After Tobi tells him to remember his place, he is shocked when Kabuto declares that there are no risks to the user whatsoever, before being told how to stop the technique. Once satisfied, Tobi allows him to leave but verifies with Black Zetsu that some of White Zetsu's spores have been placed on Kabuto.

Later informed by Zetsu that Naruto and B are headed to the field, Tobi decides to finally join the fray, going to the location of the First Division and summoning the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. As the Statue decimates the enemy, Tobi seeks out the Benihisago and Kohaku no Jōhei, which contain the Gold and Silver Brothers. Darui and Shikamaru conclude he plans to make use of the brothers' Nine-Tails chakra and attempt to stop him but, complimenting them on guessing his intentions, Tobi has the Statue attack whilst he escapes with both items. Elsewhere, he voices his belief that his Eye of the Moon Plan will be realised the next day.

As dawn breaks on the following day, Tobi stands behind his own Six Paths of Pain comprised from the deceased jinchūriki, with each having a Rinnegan and Sharingan in place of their left and right eyes respectively. Aware of Naruto's ability to sense negative emotions from Kisame's intel and how he would most surely go after the White Zetsu Army, Tobi merely noted that everything was going according to plan, before setting out together with his Six Paths. As the five Kage resume their battle against the real Madara, Tobi while in pursuit of Killer B and Naruto, is head-butted by the latter immediately upon their encounter with one another.

Video Games
Tobi, using his Madara persona, is playable in Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, as Tobi's Awakening Mode, and in Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Impact.

Trivia

 * Tobi can be translated as, or as . The latter translation connects Tobi with Taka through the Japanese proverb , meaning that an extraordinarily gifted child can be born from ordinary parents.
 * Tobi's mask made a cameo appearance in the ending omake of Naruto: Shippūden episode 129 along with Baki's face and Haku's mask.
 * Tobi appears to have a liking for dango as seen in Naruto: Shippūden episode 99.
 * According to the third databook:
 * Tobi's hobby is accompanying "Deidara-senpai".
 * Tobi's favorite phrase is given as.

Quotes

 * (To Kisame, about his Eye of the Moon Plan) "It will be a new world… A world of truth, not lies."
 * (To Minato, about his reason for attacking Konoha) "Oh, you know… it's fun, it's part of my plan… to start a war… to bring peace…"
 * (To Pain and Konan)
 * (To Pain and Konan) "Soon… all our goals will be achieved… and when they are, everything will be as it should."
 * (To Naruto while talking about Sasuke) "The Uchiha is a clan destined for revenge…"
 * (To the Five Kage) "The concept of hope is nothing more than giving up. A word that holds no true meaning."
 * (Thinking to himself) "The moment people come to know love, they run the risk of carrying hate."
 * (To Konan) "There is no peace! There can be no hope! Nagato only believed in Naruto to try to comfort his own pitiful existence!"