"Sneaky intruder... come out!"
Shihouin Naraku shouted as if unaware of the person's identity.
Then, from the distorted space, a mysterious masked man slowly emerged and stood before Shihouin Naraku.
There he was!
Wearing a black robe and a one-eyed mask, Obito Uchiha had concealed his identity thoroughly.
"Sharingan?"
"Are you Itachi Uchiha?"
As was widely known, the current prominent figures of the Uchiha clan in the shinobi world were the defector Itachi Uchiha and the orphaned Sasuke Uchiha of Konohagakure.
"No, you're not Itachi Uchiha, so who are you?"
Shihouin Naraku feigned confusion as he stared at Obito Uchiha with a furrowed brow, but Obito remained mysterious and silent.
Neither spoke again. Shihouin Naraku held Kurikara firmly, its blade pointed directly at Obito Uchiha before they both rushed toward each other at tremendous speed.
As they approached, a wooden spike grew from Obito Uchiha's palm, aiming for Shihouin Naraku.
With a flick of his wrist, Shihouin Naraku slashed Kurikara from top to bottom, instantly severing the elongated wooden thorn. Then he spun to avoid the oncoming Obito Uchiha, and while resheathing the blade, he stabbed forward with Kurikara again, targeting his opponent's back.
Obito Uchiha didn't even glance at the blade piercing toward his chest. He flipped and leapt into the air. With a wave of his hand, a black chain whipped out with a shrill whistle, lashing toward Shihouin Naraku's head.
"Clang!"
Shihouin Naraku drew his sword and cut hit orizontally. The moment the chain and blade collided, sound exploded in the air, and sparks flew.
The black chain swung around and wrapped around Kurikara's blade. Obito Uchiha pulled suddenly but failed to move Shihouin Naraku at all.
Holding Kurikara firmly, Shihouin Naraku twisted the blade. With a loud noise, the black chain was severed into several pieces that fell to the ground.
Obito Uchiha, suspended in mid-air, was momentarily stunned before quickly recovering and forming hand seals.
"Fire Style: Explosive Wind Dance!"
The surrounding space distorted as a violent wind swept outward. Simultaneously, a massive stream of rotating flames spewed from Obito Uchiha's mouth.
The swirling storm instantly intensified the rotating flames, which attacked Shihouin Naraku with extreme speed—too fast for him to dodge.
Obito Uchiha followed closely behind, rushing toward Shihouin Naraku. The moment the Fire Style technique landed would be his moment of victory.
As expected, Kakashi Hatake is still that loser, unable to even defeat Shihouin Naraku!
As this thought crossed his mind, Obito Uchiha was surprised to see Shihouin Naraku holding his razor-sharp blade, completely ignoring the Fire Style technique as he charged directly toward him.
Suicidal!
To disregard such a powerful Fire Style technique—at this moment, Obito Uchiha truly believed victory was within his grasp.
"Whoosh!"
The raging flames swept down and engulfed Shihouin Naraku, but he extended his left hand and suddenly clenched it. The raging flames, like an obedient child, not only caused him no harm but quickly gathered around his arm.
"Fire Fist!"
An explosion blasted from Shihouin Naraku's left hand as he delivered a punch toward the airborne Obito Uchiha.
"Kamui!"
The three tomoe in Obito Uchiha's right eye rotated and transformed into a dart-like pattern.
This was the Mangekyō Sharingan!
Utilizing the Mangekyō Sharingan's unique ability, 'Kamui,' Obito Uchiha transferred his body into the Kamui dimension, passing through the blazing flames unharmed as he rushed toward Shihouin Naraku.
With a flash of cold light, Obito Uchiha watched as Shihouin Naraku slashed at his heart with the blade, but even though his body had been transferred to the Kamui dimension, he remained completely uninjured.
Simultaneously, Obito Uchiha's left hand finally made contact with Shihouin Naraku's shoulder, and in the next moment, he unleashed Wood Style without hesitation.
"I got you!"
"Wood Style: Cutting Sprigs Technique!"
"Puff!"
Countless sharp branches suddenly erupted from Shihouin Naraku's body, turning him into a human pincushion, with every vital area completely pierced by the branches.
Strangely, no blood flowed from Shihouin Naraku's body. Instead, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Got you!"
"Swish!"
Shihouin Naraku gripped Kurikara tightly as the sharp blade whistled through the air, swiftly slicing through the arm that Obito Uchiha had used to touch him.
Without a sound, Obito Uchiha's left arm, along with the sleeve of his black robe, was severed at the root and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Whoosh..."
Shihouin Naraku's entire body erupted in flames, burning the branches covering him to ashes, which were carried away by the wind and dissipated into the night sky.
"Ugh!"
Obito Uchiha clutched his shoulder and suddenly stepped back. His breathing instantly became rapid as white fluid oozed from his injured shoulder.
"Your speed is pathetic!"
Shihouin Naraku casually swung Kurikara, and a spark landed on Obito Uchiha's pale severed arm on the ground. With a whoosh, flames ignited and burned the severed limb to ashes.
"Also, what's with that eye pattern of yours?"
"Forget it. Once I capture you, I'll learn everything."
Shihouin Naraku held Kurikara in his right hand and stepped closer to Obito Uchiha. As he walked, circles of flames spread out rapidly like ripples on a lake's surface.
Body Flicker Technique!
Kurikara flew across the night sky and sliced toward Obito Uchiha's neck. The blade turned and slashed toward his heart. At this moment, Obito Uchiha dared not expose any vulnerability and transferred his entire body into the Kamui dimension.
Having lost an arm, Obito Uchiha was completely on the defensive, merely enduring the onslaught.
Although he shouldn't be able to grow a new arm quickly, having transplanted cells from the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, his wound should at least have begun to heal.
But the place where the pitch-black blade had cut him did not heal. Instead, it continued to ooze white fluid and caused severe pain.
Obito Uchiha certainly didn't know that after mastering the Breathing of the Sun, also known as the Flame God Kagura, Shihouin Naraku had infused his own Fire Style into Kurikara's blade. Those cut by this sword would find their regenerative abilities reduced and their wounds accompanied by excruciating pain.
In fact, this was an ability Shihouin Naraku had developed by referencing the red sword from "Demon Slayer"!
Unaware of these details, Obito Uchiha could only try his best to avoid being struck by Kurikara. However, he could only maintain Kamui's intangible state for five minutes, placing him in a perilous situation.
Seeing a momentary opening to dodge, Obito Uchiha risked being struck again as his Sharingan met Shihouin Naraku's eyes.
Genjutsu activated!
Obito Uchiha, trained by Madara Uchiha, possessed exceptional genjutsu abilities with the Sharingan. Through special methods, he could even use genjutsu to control Kirigakure's perfect Jinchūriki, Yagura!
In an instant, Shihouin Naraku was caught in the genjutsu!
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