Everyone stared at the massive sphere suspended in the sky, their mouths agape in shock.
"Pain... was it really necessary to make it that big?" Konan muttered.
Pain's body was trembling slightly—clearly, the jutsu had taken a huge toll on him.
He looked up at the sphere and replied calmly, "Uchiha Obito is too powerful. I had to go all out. Although my Planetary Devastation is large, it's still far inferior to the moon created by the Sage of Six Paths."
The Akatsuki members exchanged glances after hearing Pain's not-so-humble comparison.
Internally:
"Damn, does our leader always have to flex like that?"
---
Elsewhere...
"Shit! Don't tell me Sensei actually got sealed!" Shisui exclaimed, panic written all over his face as he stared at the unmoving sphere.
He was truly alarmed. If Obito really had been sealed, what were they supposed to do now?
Rasa clenched his fists nervously. "Uchiha Obito… please don't die!"
After all, ever since he met Obito, his income had been steadily rising. He was confident that if things continued, he could fund the entire Sand Village.
But without Obito… their little four-man team would crumble. No Obito, no team.
Even if Rasa kept digging for gold, it wouldn't be the same. Because let's be real—Obito and the others weren't just bandits. They were powerful bandits who openly robbed entire gold mines with brute force.
But alone?
Rasa wouldn't dare do that in a hundred lifetimes. The average gold mine owner wasn't someone to mess with.
If he got caught? Beaten to death would be a merciful outcome.
The thought of their ninja world gold-digging gang collapsing sent Rasa into a full-blown panic.
"Obito, don't die! I'm coming to save you!" Rasa shouted, stepping onto a wave of golden sand and launching himself toward the massive sphere.
Shisui and Kakashi were stunned.
"Since when did Rasa care so much about Sensei?" Shisui asked, puzzled.
Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know. But he's not wrong. We can't let Obito be sealed. Let's go."
Shisui nodded, and the two raced after Rasa.
---
Pain noticed the three charging toward Planetary Devastation. His eyes narrowed.
"Stop them," he ordered.
Without hesitation, the Akatsuki members dashed toward Shisui and the others.
"You guys go ahead—I'll hold them off!" Shisui called out, and a green Susanoo arm materialized around him, halting the Akatsuki's advance.
The others froze when they saw Susanoo again.
"…No way. Why does every Uchiha have a Mangekyō Sharingan?!" Biwa Juzo groaned, visibly annoyed.
He was seriously developing a trauma at the mere sight of that cursed dojutsu.
"Oh? Another pair of Mangekyō Sharingan?" Orochimaru's eyes lit up with excitement.
Shisui (internally):
"Crap. He's targeting me."
Shisui noticed Orochimaru staring into his eyes like a hungry predator. Without hesitation, he struck first—casting an illusion while Orochimaru was distracted.
Caught off guard, Orochimaru froze mid-step, completely immobilized.
Seeing this, the rest of Akatsuki finally remembered: the Uchiha clan were master illusionists.
Until now, they had mostly relied on brute force—Fugaku and Obito hadn't used genjutsu at all, so everyone had forgotten how dangerous the clan's illusions could be.
But Shisui brought that threat right back.
Unfortunately for him, Orochimaru's mental strength was formidable. Within moments, he broke free of the illusion.
Shisui's eyes widened. This isn't a normal genjutsu… it came from a Mangekyō. And he still shrugged it off?
Clearly, Orochimaru wasn't to be underestimated.
Shisui narrowed his gaze and took a battle stance.
"Everyone, be careful! Don't look into his eyes!" Konan warned.
Suddenly, five Akatsuki members launched attacks at once:
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
"Lurking Snake Hands!"
"Iron Ore Showers!"
"Paper Style: Paper Prison Jutsu!"
"Go, Beheading Sword!"
"Damn it! One versus five?! You people have no shame!" Shisui cursed as attacks rained down.
He used Body Flicker to dodge what he could, but when escape wasn't possible, he gritted his teeth and summoned the skeletal frame of Susanoo to block the hits.
"Hurry up and save Sensei! I can't hold them much longer!" he shouted desperately.
Shisui's chakra was running low—he could no longer maintain a complete Susanoo. Fighting five Kage-level opponents in his state was overwhelming.
---
Meanwhile, in the distance...
Hearing Shisui's cry, Kakashi and Rasa sped up their hand signs and launched attacks at the enormous sphere.
But no matter how much they attacked, the sphere barely showed a scratch.
"Tch... just give up. Planetary Devastation isn't so easily broken," Pain sneered.
"Damn it… is there really nothing we can do?" Rasa muttered, disheartened.
Kakashi sighed. "We should regroup with Shisui and get out of here."
Rasa's eyes flickered with frustration. But it seemed they really had no choice—Obito might be gone.
The two turned and rushed to support Shisui.
---
Back on the battlefield, Shisui was on the brink of collapse.
"Your eyes... are mine!" Orochimaru hissed, lunging forward.
His snake-like arms shot toward Shisui's face. Panic flashed in Shisui's eyes—he didn't have time to dodge.
But just as Orochimaru was about to grab them—
A hand clamped down on Orochimaru's arm.
He froze.
It was Kakashi.
"Just in time," Kakashi muttered, breathing hard. If I'd been a second later, Shisui would've lost his eyes.
"Damn it! So close!" Orochimaru roared in frustration, unwilling to give up the prize.
But Kakashi wasn't about to give him another chance.
He immediately hurled a barrage of shuriken at the five enemies, forcing them to retreat and break formation.
"RUN!" Kakashi shouted, then turned and sprinted away without hesitation.
As he looked over his shoulder, he spotted Shisui and Rasa already fleeing at full speed.
Kakashi: "…"
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