First, let's talk about who Tobi is!!
Tobi is a special individual among the White Zetsu, possessing his own thoughts. He is an optimistic and cheerful White Zetsu, also known as Spiral White Zetsu.
I remember when I was watching Naruto, Obito was crushed by rocks and left half-paralyzed (cut vertically, not horizontally). Thinking he was done for, he quickly told Kakashi to inherit his Sharingan and...
His girl!!!
But little did he know, this was all part of a scheme. He was saved by Zetsu, Madara, and Tobi.
Then, when he was feeling down, Tobi stepped in to give him emotional support, cheer him up, and introduce himself...
I don't need to eat, I don't need to poop, I'm cheap, I'm smarter than you, and I'm stronger than you!!
While comforting him, Tobi accidentally let slip: Oh yeah, Kakashi and your girl are in danger in Kirigakure.
Obito heard that and thought, Holy shit!!
He wasn't dead yet, so Kakashi could inherit his Sharingan, but he absolutely could NOT inherit his girl. So...
Obito imagined himself descending from the sky in golden armor, riding a rainbow cloud to save his girl (and Kakashi as an afterthought).
But then he realized his other half was made of paste and couldn't break the rocks.
Tobi saw this and immediately jumped out, saying, Let me break the rules, let me go against the organization's orders to help you!
Then, he made Obito "top up" (pay up) and acted as his "skin," making Obito stronger...
And thus, the one-eyed Spiral Tobi was born!
In the end, as you all know, Obito saw his girl die by his best friend's hand and went full edgelord. Thus, the ruthless Obito was born.
Kishimoto once said that Obito has a dual personality—one is goofy (which I think is his original personality, since he was called the "Number One Unpredictable Ninja"), and the other is ruthless (his edgy, post-heel-turn self).
Because he acted so convincingly, some people confused Tobi with Obito.
Actually, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Tobi still made an appearance. By then, Obito had changed his "skin," becoming stronger and more handsome, while Tobi went off with the White Zetsu army to cause trouble. But then...
He died!!
In the manga, there's a scene where Tobi collapses and disintegrates.
As for Wood Release...
The White Zetsu were created by Madara, who thought he synthesized them from the cells of his bestie Hashirama and the Outer Path statue. So at this point, they already had Wood Release, but it was weak—only good for landscaping and potted plants.
But when fused with Yamato, Tobi could use the True Several Thousand Hands technique.
As for Black Zetsu, Madara also thought he created it using Yin-Yang Release, believing it was his own will incarnate, meant to monitor Obito. But we all know who Black Zetsu really is...
The Number One Filial Son in the Shinobi World!!
So at this point, Black Zetsu hadn't appeared yet, but for plot reasons, he was introduced early.
So you see...
This is why topping up for skins is so important. How else are you gonna get stronger??
Why was Naruto so strong?
Because his rich dad kept buying him skins, changing them left and right!
Finally, let's analyze...
Early on, Tobi was just "Tobi," a friendly, goofy White Zetsu. Later, Obito called himself Tobi (a fusion of Obito and Tobi). During the war, Obito changed skins, and Tobi left... only to die.
Because Tobi's character was rarely mentioned, few people realize that Tobi and Obito aren't the same person!!!
Now you get it, right?
So if you don't understand, just ask. No need to curse... Ever since my follower count went up, weird readers have been popping up, throwing around insults. It's exhausting!!
Finally...
Show some support, will ya??
PS: This isn't a proper chapter. The real update will be tonight. I still haven't finished my graduation project, and the deadline's pressing. My liver hurts!!