Obito stretched lazily, indifferent as he looked at the group of people before him.
"Minato-sensei, since you're so interested, I'll play with you seriously for a while."
"Let me show you… the price of my descent into hell!"
"Wood Release: Hellish Chaos!"
As Obito spoke, countless sharp wooden spikes suddenly erupted from the ground. Caught off guard, a considerable number of Konoha ninjas who hadn't reacted in time were struck.
But more than the damage itself, it was the Wood Release that left the Konoha ninjas present utterly dumbfounded.
"W-Wood Release?!"
"The First Hokage's kekkei genkai?!"
"How does this guy… have that?!"
Fugaku, Shikaku, and the others were too stunned to even speak.
An Uchiha—actually wielding the Senju clan's Wood Release?!
If this intelligence were spread across the Shinobi World, it would definitely cause an earth-shattering shock.
No wonder this guy would become the second Six Paths-level powerhouse in the future. The secret must lie within his body.
They had no idea what kind of fortuitous encounter Obito had had in such a short time.
Only Minato ignored everything else, continuing to close the distance, determined to catch Obito and get a clear answer.
"Obito, I don't know how you obtained the Wood Release. But you can't stay intangible forever. You have to materialize to attack. You should know that weakness better than anyone."
"Then try me."
Obito raised his hand again, and chains shot out once more, cutting through the air straight for Minato's throat.
But Minato vanished in an instant, and the chains only sliced through an afterimage.
"Hmph, as expected of the Yellow Flash. You use the Flying Raijin well. But unfortunately, you're still not fast enough—always a step too slow."
Before he finished speaking, Minato's kunai came from the side, and Obito's body phased again.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
At the same time, Minato suddenly flipped backward, having already formed hand seals upon landing.
Three figures lunged at Obito simultaneously—Kunai, Taijutsu, and a Rasengan sealing off his escape routes from three different angles.
Obito let out a cold snort and activated Kamui again; the three attacks passed through his body at the same time.
He then raised his foot and kicked the nearest Minato.
The kick connected solidly—but the Minato before him dissolved into smoke.
Obito's pupils contracted slightly—the real body wasn't here!
"Flying Raijin, Stage Two!"
Minato's voice exploded from above.
Obito looked up—and saw the azure Rasengan already inches away.
"Sensei… the same trick won't work on me!"
Having anticipated this, Obito didn't bother trying to outpace Minato's reaction speed.
Instead, he aborted his next attack and pushed his intangibility to its absolute limit, letting the Rasengan pass directly through his body.
Seeing this, Minato quickly retreated to a safe distance.
He wasn't surprised by Obito's reaction. As his student—especially after seeing the Sky Screen reveal Minato's own reaction time with the Flying Raijin—Obito wouldn't be foolish enough to fall for it.
Minato frowned; Obito's ability really was troublesome.
As long as Obito didn't actively attack, no one else could do anything to him.
No wonder he had the confidence to come to Konoha.
Minato had to admit that his student had grown to a terrifying level.
Obito twirled the chains in his hand and laughed loudly, "Minato-sensei… it seems this is all you've got?"
"…Then let me properly assess you."
His body turned intangible again.
But this time, Obito didn't retreat; instead, he closed in on Minato, sweeping his chains horizontally.
Under the moonlight, Minato retreated bit by bit as Obito pressed forward relentlessly. The two consciously moved away from Rin's grave, their clash weaving through the forest.
Each impact produced a sharp clang of metal, as Obito abandoned some of his defenses, adopting a head-on fighting style.
"Sensei! You're always protecting others!" Obito threw a punch, which Minato sidestepped. "Protecting the village, protecting your companions, protecting those who aren't even worth protecting!"
"And?" Minato countered with a kunai, but Obito phased through it.
"That's why you'll end up losing everything!" Obito roared, swinging his chains toward Minato's face.
"You'll die. Your wife will die. And the village you sacrificed everything to protect will end up treating your son like a monster. In the end, nothing will change!"
Minato's movement faltered for just an instant, and Obito seized the opening.
He suddenly accelerated, slamming a chain toward Minato's chest.
Minato took the hit with his Kunai and used the force to retreat.
But while retreating, the Kunai in his hand flew out, heading straight for Obito's throat.
Obito phased through to dodge, and saw a sharp glint in Minato's eyes.
The position where the Kunai landed was exactly behind him.
"Flying Raijin!"
"Too slow!"
Obito spun and punched at the spot where Minato would appear. But Minato vanished instantly, and Obito's fist hit nothing but air, throwing him off balance.
Rasengan!
Minato reappeared at Obito's side and drove a Rasengan into his ribs.
Obito gritted his teeth and phased; the Rasengan passed through his body, and he prepared to counterattack.
But Minato didn't stop—his other hand already held a second Rasengan!
Twin Rasengan Strike!
The first passed through Obito's intangible form, and the second caught the brief moment of materialization and slammed solidly into Obito's shoulder.
BOOM!!
Obito was sent flying, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
However, when the dust settled, Obito stood steadily on the ground; except for some torn clothes, he actually hadn't taken much damage.
"Look at you. All that talk about the Will of Fire, all that talk about bonds between companions. And in the end? In the end, you couldn't protect a thing!"
He raised his hand and lightly brushed the dust off his clothes.
"This world doesn't need shinobis. Doesn't need a Hokage. Doesn't need those hypocritical bonds! Only the Infinite Tsukuyomi can bring true peace to everyone."
"Obito!" Minato's voice suddenly rose, "That's just running away!"
"Then let me run!"
Just then—
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
Using the cover of moonlight, Shikaku, who had been hiding in the shadows for a long time, struck—aiming straight for Obito.
Caught off guard, Obito couldn't even activate Kamui and was bound in place.
CRACKLE—!
Lightning flashed by, accompanied by the sound of chirping birds.
Squelch!
The sound of piercing flesh rang out.
Obito slowly lowered his head and stared at the arm that had pierced through his chest from behind.
Blood seeped out, quickly staining a large patch of his cloak.
Then, Obito's voice—ragged, breathless—rose in the forest, where only the cicadas had been singing.
"Kakashi… is this the same hand… that pierced… Rin's heart?"
*****
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