On the other side of the battlefield, Ryūjin and Obito were still locked in a fierce fight.
Clang!
Their ninja tools collided once again, sparks flying as steel struck steel. For a brief instant, Obito was forced to materialize.
Boom!
The ground behind him suddenly exploded open. A Shadow Clone that Ryūjin had planted there earlier shot out of the earth and grabbed Obito's ankle.
"Headhunter Jutsu..." the clone whispered.
Obito recognized the technique immediately. Back then, Ryūjin had used the same move to bury Minato Namikaze in the ground.
But this time, it meant nothing to him.
"Shinra Tensei!"
With a single thought, Obito activated the power of the Deva Path. A terrifying repulsive force burst outward, blasting the Shadow Clone away and leaving a massive crater in the ground.
The Double Suicide Decapitation Technique was forcefully interrupted before it could accomplish anything.
Poof!
The clone that had been thrown into the air turned into smoke and disappeared.
"You think a move like that can deal with me? You're seriously underestimating me."
Obito snorted, his tone filled with disdain and irritation. Using such a low level technique against him, was Ryūjin really that arrogant?
Ryūjin only sneered. He had never expected the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique to defeat Obito in the first place.
Obito was no ordinary enemy. Even if he had been buried in the ground, it would not have mattered. As long as he could still use his Dōjutsu, nothing would change.
The real purpose of that move was something else entirely.
Ryūjin had used the opportunity to leave a Flying Thunder God Technique seal on Obito.
And it had worked.
The moment the Shadow Clone touched Obito's body, the mark had already been placed. From that point on, the battle had already begun to shift.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two clashed again at terrifying speed. The instant Obito materialized, one of Ryūjin's Shadow Clones activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and appeared beside him in a flash.
A kunai shot forward toward Obito's throat.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The repulsive force erupted once more, sending the Shadow Clone flying away.
"Already on guard? Obito, you've improved since the last time we met."
Ryūjin sounded slightly surprised, but his eyes remained calm.
"You really think I wouldn't notice the seal your clone left on me?" Obito sneered coldly. "You're the one underestimating me."
If he did not know that Ryūjin possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique, he might not have suspected anything at all. But because he knew, the moment that clone touched him, he had already checked his body.
Still, even after discovering the mark, Obito did not panic.
So what if he was marked?
With Kamui and the Rinnegan, it would not be easy for Ryūjin to land a real attack.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Another violent clash pushed both of them backward.
Then suddenly, the sky darkened.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Countless thin needles appeared above Ryūjin and rained down like a storm. They were so dense that they looked like a black cloud covering the sky.
In the blink of an eye, the deadly rain descended toward him.
"Magnet Release, Iron Sand? Sasori of the Red Sand?"
Shock flashed through Ryūjin's eyes for the first time.
There was no mistake. Those countless needles were made of Iron Sand, a technique created by the Third Kazekage and later used by Sasori through his human puppet. The oppressive pressure alone was enough to confirm it.
But when had Sasori teamed up with Obito?
There was no time to think.
A faint smile appeared on Ryūjin's lips.
With a single thought, golden particles burst out around him.
Magnet Release, Gold Dust.
A thick layer of golden sand instantly formed above his head like a shield.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The Iron Sand needles slammed into the gold dust barrier again and again, but not a single one managed to break through.
"Nani? Magnet Release, Gold Dust!"
Obito's eyes widened in disbelief. Even with the Sharingan and the Rinnegan, he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
He had expected Ryūjin to be troublesome, but this went far beyond that.
How could he also use the Fourth Kazekage's Magnet Release?
"That's impossible!"
A hoarse and aged voice suddenly rang out.
At the same time, a hunched figure appeared in the distance using the Body Flicker Technique.
Sasori of the Red Sand.
Beside him floated a human puppet, the Third Kazekage.
The puppet hovered silently in the air, its presence alone radiating danger. As the strongest Kazekage in Sunagakure's history, the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release allowed him to control Iron Sand, and even after being turned into a human puppet, that power still remained.
Obito had chosen Sasori for one simple reason.
Ryūjin was too dangerous.
Even after transplanting the Rinnegan, Obito still could not feel completely confident. The power of the Rinnegan was terrifying, but it was not his original eye, and he had not fully adapted to it yet.
So he searched for a partner.
And Sasori was the perfect choice.
The Iron Sand controlled by the Third Kazekage puppet could launch continuous large scale attacks for minutes without stopping. Even Kamui had a time limit. As long as Ryūjin was forced to defend constantly, he would eventually be overwhelmed.
To make sure the plan worked, Obito had already collected all of Ryūjin's Flying Thunder God kunai during the battle. Without those kunai, Ryūjin would not be able to teleport freely when the real attack began.
As for Sasori, who had spent years wandering the ninja world in search of powerful shinobi to turn into puppets, Ryūjin was the perfect target.
Their cooperation was simple.
Obito would create an opening.
Sasori would strike from the shadows.
Together, they would break through Kamui and kill Ryūjin in one move.
But while the plan sounded perfect, reality was cruel.
Because no matter how much Obito had calculated, there was one thing he never expected.
Ryūjin could also use Magnet Release.
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