As for Uchiha Itachi, the Tsukuyomi world was indeed terrifying. 72 hours of mental torture—Naruto wasn't sure he could endure it.
But with Solar Flare in hand, until Itachi found a countermeasure, Naruto really wasn't afraid.
As long as the Sharingan requires the user to keep their eyes open, Solar Flare will always be its natural enemy.
While the effects of Solar Flare still lingered, Naruto suddenly burst forward and threw a powerful punch straight at the masked man—Uchiha Obito.
"Are you done yet?" Obito muttered, immediately activating his phasing ability.
"You really think I can't kill you?"
Provoked over and over by Naruto, Obito finally snapped.
He thought he'd finally figured Naruto out: no secret techniques, no space-time jutsu—just a mere taijutsu user.
He assumed Naruto must've gotten lucky earlier.
Obito didn't understand "ki"—so he didn't realize that every time he tried to attack, Naruto could predict him in advance.
Seeing no signs of special jutsu or chakra techniques, Obito concluded that Naruto's previous hits had been a coincidence—just brute reflex.
As long as he stayed cautious, it should be no problem to take him down.
Wood Clone + Phasing + Kamui + Sneak Attack.
Obito once again used his illusory phasing trick and moved behind Naruto for a sneak attack.
Same trick. Same move. Same setup.
And just like before—as soon as he launched his strike, Naruto's punch landed squarely in his chest.
Obito flew through the air like a ragdoll, a perfect arc in the night sky, blood splattering inside his mask.
> No... Impossible! I inherited everything from Uchiha Madara. I'm invincible!
But it didn't stop there.
Naruto anticipated the trajectory and landed in front of Obito just as he came crashing down. His right fist was already charged.
"Rapid Fire Punch Combo!"
Fist after fist, blow after blow.
Moments ago, Obito was casually slaughtering elite Uchiha like weeds.
Now, he was the one being pummeled.
Bones shattered under Naruto's blows. Obito barely managed to phase just in time to avoid complete annihilation.
But even so, inside his mask, one of his three-tomoe Sharingan eyes turned completely gray—destroyed.
"Tch. Still not dead?" Naruto muttered, frowning at the battered Obito as he struggled to stand.
That entire combo had been executed flawlessly, using ninety percent of his full power.
If this had been a normal Root shinobi, they'd be pulp.
Naruto had even wanted to see whether smashing Obito into mincemeat would break through his so-called ultimate illusion techniques.
But Obito, frustratingly, was just half-dead again.
> Damn, this guy's body is tough.
And it was true—Obito's physical resilience was insane. Even in the main storyline, he endured getting beat over and over and didn't die until Kaguya turned him to ash with her Truth-Seeking Bones.
Right now, Naruto had only cost Obito one life. Unless he killed him again, he couldn't finish the job. And Obito had plenty of backup Sharingan.
> Should've just blasted him with a Kamehameha.
Even if Obito had the IQ of Yamcha, he should've figured it out by now: Naruto could predict his attacks.
This second fight helped Naruto better understand his own strength in the ninja world.
Yes—he was strong. Really strong. But not invincible.
He had used 90% of his power and still failed to kill Uchiha Obito.
That meant his training wasn't enough. He needed to keep getting stronger—stronger and stronger.
> So how strong is strong enough?
At the very least, strong enough to one-shot a Tailed Beast.
Yes. A new power benchmark: Tailed Beast level.
From the corner of his eye, Naruto glanced at Itachi, who had already regained his vision and was standing there, doing absolutely nothing.
That guy had a few screws loose, but his combat instincts were terrifying. He knew how to read situations and calculate risk. More importantly—he wasn't truly on Obito's side.
Itachi was clearly watching to see how strong Obito really was, using Naruto as a test subject.
> Heartless bastard.
Naruto's masked voice rumbled coldly:
"I'm done playing. See you next time."
"You think you can just leave?" Obito growled, his lone eye filled with venom.
Naruto didn't even bother replying. His body slowly floated upward, defying gravity.
Flight Technique!
Obito's eye twitched.
> He can fly?
> Super Lightweight Boulder Technique from the Third Tsuchikage?
> Is he from Iwagakure?
Thousands of possibilities flashed through Obito's mind.
Even though he had Kamui, Madara's jutsu, top-tier secret and forbidden techniques—even Orochimaru, the best scientist in the ninja world, didn't have a wider arsenal—Obito couldn't fly.
Flight was something only exceptional ninja had.
Mobility like that was second only to space-time techniques.
> This guy is going to be a major threat.
Obito labeled Naruto a top-level danger in his mind.
Seeing Naruto slowly rise into the sky, Obito itched to kill him—but was too wary of being tricked again. After two losses, he feared losing another "life."
Itachi, meanwhile, was still standing there, clearly not planning to help.
All Obito could do was watch helplessly as Naruto ascended.
Naruto, no longer hiding, rocketed into the sky using full-speed flight.
> That bastard! He was faking it!
Obito seethed. Ever since Naruto showed up, he'd been on the losing end.
From the sky, Naruto let out a loud, dismissive "Hmph!"
Before Obito could respond—
Whoosh! Naruto vanished into the night sky.
That final cold snort felt like a slap in the face.
> Weren't you just saying I couldn't escape? Does your face hurt yet?
Even though his face was hidden by a mask, Naruto's voice dripped with disdain—grinding Obito's nerves.
"Tch…" Obito growled. "Itachi, this mess is yours now."
Too ashamed to stay, Obito phased out and disappeared.
His dignity had taken a serious hit.
Still, there was one upside: the field was covered in Uchiha corpses.
So many eyes.
As Obito left, Itachi—still wearing his ANBU gear—stood silently atop a streetlamp.
He gazed up at the sky, Fugaku's words echoing in his mind:
> "So in your eyes, the lives of Konoha citizens matter… but Uchiha lives don't?"
He remembered the moment his blade pierced those children.
A wave of revulsion toward himself washed over him.
His hands were stained in blood.
Blood that would never come off.
> Was I wrong?
> No—I saved the village. I prevented a war. I saved lives.
> The Uchiha were the ones who were wrong.
> ...Sasuke will arrive soon.
PS: Access advance (40+) chapters at
https://www.patreon.com/c/NanamiTL