After Obito's maniacal laughter, he suddenly noticed something amiss in his hand.
"Only one?" He looked up, only to see Nagato's left eye tightly shut, blood streaming down his face. His right eye, however, remained intact, and the Rinnegan had not been taken.
"At the last moment, he used the counterforce of his Wood Release to tilt his body slightly, allowing his right eye to evade your attack," Zetsu emerged from Obito's side, explaining calmly.
"Nagato!" Konan rushed to support Nagato, whose bloody tears painted a heart-wrenching picture. Her eyes were filled with pain and concern.
Nagato raised a hand to stop Konan from acting further. "Konan, you must protect me at all costs from now on."
"The battle over there isn't finished. I cannot let Yahiko fall into their hands."
Konan froze for a moment before quickly realizing his meaning. Tears welled up in her eyes as she almost choked on her words. "Nagato, Yahiko is already dead. You don't need to do this."
"What you need to do is protect yourself first so that we can fulfill Yahiko's and our shared dream."
But Nagato, who usually followed Konan's advice, stubbornly shook his head this time. "Don't worry, Konan."
"A god does not fail!"
"Still pretending to be strong, are we?" Obito sneered, temporarily stowing away the Rinnegan he had taken. Picking up his kunai once more, he continued, "It seems that even after obtaining the First Hokage's cells, your strength has indeed improved. However, dealing with three Kage-level shinobi from the Cloud Village at the same time is still too much for you, isn't it?"
"The battle over there isn't over yet, is it?"
"In that case, I just need to repeat my strategy one more time, and your other Rinnegan will be mine," Obito said confidently. Although he had miscalculated the situation with the Deva Path, assuming that the Six Paths were being overwhelmed by the Cloud shinobi who had learned of their abilities, it didn't matter to him.
All he needed to do was exploit Nagato's predicament of fighting on two fronts and seize the remaining Rinnegan.
Whoosh!
A massive gust of wind swept through as the Four-Tails launched another Tailed Beast Ball, while Obito charged toward Nagato. At the same time, Black Zetsu was poised to interfere with his Wood Release.
Damn it!
Nagato clenched his fists. He would have to use Almighty Push again. But if he unleashed such a powerful Almighty Push, the Planetary Devastation on the other side would break apart once more. The Raikage would seize the opportunity to launch a high-speed assault, plunging him back into the same perilous situation as before.
Was there truly no way to break this deadlock?
Perhaps he could use the Preta Path to absorb the Tailed Beast Ball?
Raising both hands, Nagato placed them against the inky black Tailed Beast Ball, slowly absorbing its chakra.
"You've chosen an even more foolish tactic," Obito mocked. "The Preta Path can't move while absorbing chakra. During this time, you're completely defenseless."
"So, I'll take that second Rinnegan now."
"Nagato!" Konan cried out in alarm as Obito's fingers drew closer and closer to Nagato's eye. She struggled desperately, but Black Zetsu's Wood Release held her firmly in place, rendering her unable to help.
But just as Obito was about to deactivate his Kamui phase...
A sudden burst of black flames appeared on his body. Obito's eyes widened in shock.
Amaterasu!
If those flames touched him, he would be doomed!
He didn't dare deactivate Kamui's intangibility. All he could do was watch helplessly as the last Rinnegan slipped just out of his grasp.
Amaterasu passed harmlessly through Obito's intangible form and set a massive tree behind him ablaze.
But the attack didn't end there.
Following Amaterasu came a swarm of clay creatures—parasite bugs, white ants, rock worms, spiders, and more. It was as if an army from another dimension had arrived, turning the entire battlefield into a sea of white.
"Your ability is indeed impressive," a familiar voice rang out.
"But surely, there's a time limit to it, right? You can't stay intangible forever."
"Luckily, I have plenty of clay. Let's see whose limits come first—your ability or my art."
Deidara stepped onto the battlefield, a smug grin on his face.
Konan had sent out a distress signal earlier, prompted by Nagato's warning after seeing the Four-Tails under Sharingan control.
Nagato, in his overconfidence, believed that no scheme or trick could stand against his power. But Konan, haunted by Yahiko's death, had grown more cautious and suspicious.
The current situation bore an uncanny resemblance to that fateful day.
Even if her fears turned out to be unwarranted and she was mocked later, Konan would rather err on the side of caution. She would never allow history to repeat itself.
Now, Deidara was the first to arrive, followed closely by Itachi, whose face was unreadable, and Kisame, who wore a complicated expression.
Damn it!
Another unexpected disruption to his plan!
Obito cursed inwardly. Ever since Deidara joined the Akatsuki, things had been going awry.
"Kisame, are you betraying me too?" Obito tried to sow discord, addressing Kisame directly.
Kisame remained silent for a moment before speaking. "I'm starting to think that the Akatsuki's ideals are the correct path."
"It seems you're the one who's gone astray."
"Kisame, I always regarded you as my most loyal subordinate. I never thought you'd be so easily swayed," Obito sighed.
In response, Kisame unsheathed Samehada, answering Obito's lament with action.
"Well then, until next time," Obito said, preparing to retreat. His actual combat abilities weren't very strong; he relied on Kamui's near-invincibility and his ability to intimidate others. In a direct fight, he couldn't defeat even one of the three opponents before him.
"Don't even think about running!" Konan hurled a swarm of explosive tags at Obito.
"If he tries to teleport away, he'll have to deactivate his intangibility. As long as we keep attacking, he won't escape!" Konan shouted.
Her long-standing interactions with Obito hadn't been for nothing. She had meticulously recorded and analyzed every detail of his abilities, gaining a thorough understanding of Kamui.
"That's simple enough," Deidara said, sending his clay army charging at Obito.
At this moment, the Four-Tails stirred. Under Obito's control, it launched an attack despite its heavily injured state.
"Leave it to me. I'm quite adept at dealing with Tailed Beasts," Kisame said, stepping forward. Samehada emitted a series of eager clicks, as if excited for the feast of high-quality chakra.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Shockwave!"
As Kisame created a massive surge of water, Itachi turned his attention to Zetsu. A colossal Fireball Jutsu roared forth, radiating intense heat.
"Close your eyes, or you'll fall victim to genjutsu," Black Zetsu quickly warned White Zetsu.
As Kaguya's will incarnate, Black Zetsu was immune to genjutsu. But White Zetsu wasn't so fortunate.
"Three against three. Let's finish the fight we left incomplete last time," Deidara said, his gaze locked on Obito.
With so many allies present, and continuous bombardments, perhaps they could finally end Obito here and now.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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