Whizz!
Relentless attacks pierced through Obito's body again and again!
The intensity of the assault was overwhelming!
He dared not—no, he could not—deactivate his intangibility mode.
His only hope was to gamble on Naruto's chakra running out under such constant pressure.
But as the countdown for his intangibility mode ticked closer to its limit, Obito's heart sank deeper into despair.
Crack!
Five minutes later, the limit was reached. A Rasengan struck Obito's white mask with a thunderous impact!
Crack!
A fissure appeared on the surface of the mask, and then it shattered, revealing his face beneath.
"Damn it!"
Obito staggered back a step, forcing his strained eyes to activate Susano'o.
Boom! But with a deafening heartbeat, the excruciating pain radiating from his eyes brought him to his knees on the ocean's surface, blood gushing uncontrollably.
Recalling the lesson from Hidan's earlier demise, Obito wiped the blood away with his hand. Flames ignited in his palm, burning the blood to ashes.
Sizzle!
His eyes, however, had grown dim, their power waning. The Susano'o he managed to summon was barely a skeletal frame—far from enough to withstand Naruto's attacks.
"Wood Release: Hell's Chaos!"
Snap! From Obito's right shoulder, a chaotic mass of wood erupted, spiraling out in all directions!
Another earth-shaking clash ensued.
Huff... Huff... Huff...
When the dust settled, Obito crouched on the ocean's surface, gasping for air.
As the shimmering distortion of heat mirages faded, Naruto's Sage Mode also reached its limit. Accompanied by Konan, he stepped onto the ocean surface, standing face-to-face with Obito.
In Obito's blurred vision, the two figures overlapped repeatedly. He squinted, attempting to use Kamui.
Whizz!
The Kamui vortex appeared in front of Naruto and Konan but failed to hit its mark.
Naruto spoke in a low voice, "As I thought, your eyes can no longer see clearly."
Indeed, the prolonged strain of this battle had taken its toll on Obito's eyes. His vision, especially in his left eye—already weakened from Kakashi's frequent use without Hashirama cells—was now critically impaired. Even long-range Kamui attacks were no longer precise.
Obito's gaze flickered. At this point, there's no retreat. Naruto's chakra is nearly depleted. If I sacrifice one eye to activate Izanagi, I can gain twelve minutes of invincibility. That's my chance to turn the tide.
Seeing through Obito's intentions, Naruto pointed a finger at him and said, "Stop, Obito. Look beneath your feet."
Hmm?! Obito glanced down at the ocean below him.
Behind Naruto, Konan raised her hand with a wave.
Whoosh!
The ocean before Obito split apart, revealing a sea of explosive tags hidden beneath the surface!
Hiss!
Obito sucked in a sharp breath. "This... this ocean was disguised with explosive tags?!"
"Dance of the Shikigami."
Konan's voice was cold and unyielding. Her technique allowed her to transform paper into any object, including disguising 600 billion explosive tags as an ocean.
Moreover, this technique wasn't limited to just solid ground; she could even turn paper into water. Its intricacy was such that not even the Sharingan could detect it.
Konan spoke icily, "I prepared these 600 billion explosive tags specifically to kill you. They can detonate continuously for ten whole minutes—more than enough time."
"Even if you activate Izanagi to survive this, the technique's duration will inevitably run out. Do you really think you'll have enough time left to defeat Naruto?"
Naruto added, "Even without these explosive tags, I still have a forbidden jutsu I haven't used yet. Though the cost would be immense... So, what will it be, Obito? Are you ready to go down with me?"
As he spoke, Naruto removed his mask. His youthful face bore a smile reminiscent of Madara's: calm, confident, and slightly menacing. "Honestly, I'm eager to see this through. After all, we're both rogue ninjas with no ties to this world. I'd be happy to fight to the end."
Obito clenched his fists tightly. The threat of 600 billion explosive tags, combined with Naruto's unknown forbidden technique, forced him to reconsider.
Madara was likely free now. Even if Obito chose to go down fighting, it would only give Madara the opportunity to reap the rewards.
"Konan, you win this time."
His clenched fists relaxed. Obito stood up and said, "Consider this your victory, Naruto Uzumaki."
Whizz!
The vortex from his right eye swirled, engulfing him as he began to teleport away.
Before leaving, Obito said, "We won't meet again anytime soon. But the future... we'll see whose hands it truly belongs to."
Whizz!
And with that, Obito vanished—his battered body and near-blind eyes retreating into the void.
Naruto exhaled deeply, finally able to relax.
Konan turned to him and asked, "Naruto, was that forbidden jutsu you mentioned real? You've already used most of the techniques from the Kirigakure scroll, haven't you?"
Naruto gave a nonchalant smile. "Well... let's just say it was a bluff." Exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave, and he stumbled forward.
"Naruto!" Konan quickly caught him, her eyes filled with concern. "You haven't rested since last night, have you? After using thousands of shadow clones to train, you immediately rushed to Kirigakure..."
Naruto, his voice weak, said, "Sorry for troubling you, Konan-nee..."
Konan's voice softened. "Don't worry about that. Just rest now. I'll handle everything."
Zzz... Zzz... Naruto's breathing slowed as he fell asleep, a small bubble forming at his nostrils.
Konan smiled tenderly but quickly composed herself as she noticed Orochimaru and Mei Terumi approaching. Her expression turned cold again. "Mizukage, I'll have to trouble you to stay in Amegakure for a while longer."
Mei glanced at Naruto, who was sleeping soundly in Konan's arms, and said, "It can't be helped, I suppose. Does Amegakure have hot springs? I got covered in mud while deflecting the aftermath of the battle, and I feel absolutely filthy."
Konan replied coolly, "We do, but there's a fee. If you don't mind, feel free to go."
Naruto, exhausted from the grueling battle, slept on.
But while the tree longs for stillness, the wind does not cease. Another storm was brewing in the ninja world.
Elsewhere...
"Up ahead, I've spotted Sasuke's trail!" Neji called out, his Byakugan locking onto a distant figure.
"Got it!" Sakura Haruno quickened her pace. As she ran, a blue diamond-shaped mark glowed on her forehead.
"Finally," she thought to herself. "Three years of storing refined chakra in this seal... At last, the Strength of a Hundred Seal is complete!"
Behind her, Shikamaru spoke with a grave tone. "Sakura, we're all here with the resolve to see this through. Letting Sasuke roam free is a threat to the village. I just hope you won't hesitate when the time comes. Can you do it?"
Sakura's emerald eyes flickered with determination. "I will."
Shikamaru nodded. "Good. Then we'll all do our best to support you."
Meanwhile...
Sasuke and Kimimaro were running when they glanced back.
Kimimaro remarked, "Those are your former comrades, aren't they?"
"Hmph." Sasuke sneered. "A bunch of irrelevant fools who delude themselves into thinking they matter."
The two sides came to a halt.
They faced each other, the tension thick in the air.
A clash was imminent.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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