The masked man stepped out from a swirling vortex, appearing before the Kumo Shinobi. His presence was like a shadow born from the darkness.
Mabui frowned. "What just happened…?"
Darui narrowed his eyes. "It's space-time ninjutsu. Does Akatsuki have someone like this?"
Killer Bee suddenly broke into a rap, dancing without a care in the world:
"Dark night fallin'~ vortex callin'~
Masked man walkin' in the wind so chill~
Eyes so cold, got that deadly skill~
Forest's breath blows wild and free~
Time to shine, Eight Tails Bee~ Showtime~!"
Darui sighed. He really has no sense of danger…
Still, something didn't sit right. Darui's eyes sharpened.
The moment the Raikage left, this guy showed up. Could the attack on the village have just been a trap? A trick to lure our strongest away? That's bad… really bad.
He made a quick decision. "Protect Killer Bee!"
"Yes!"
The Kumo Anbu instantly surrounded Killer Bee, forming a defensive formation.
The Sharingan behind the mask spun slowly as Obito calmly observed.
"Darui. Elite Jōnin of Kumo. The Raikage's right-hand man… and the top candidate to succeed him."
Darui responded, tense but calm. "I'm not worthy of that title. I just happened to take a few steps ahead of my peers. I heard Akatsuki always moves in pairs. Is it okay for you to be here alone? Our boss is already back in the village. Your partner who stirred up trouble there might be in danger."
"...?" Obito paused, just slightly confused beneath the mask.
Then a loud voice shouted, cutting the tension:
"No need to talk to him! He's just a damn Akatsuki thief! Let's take him down!!"
The yell came from a yellow-haired young man with the word "HOT" boldly tattooed on his shoulder.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his ninja sword and charged straight at the masked man!
Darui shouted, "Omoi!! Don't rush in! We don't even know what this guy can do yet!"
But Omoi was too excited to listen, charged ahead, doesn't care about those things.
Whoosh!
Flames burst to life along his ninja sword as he dashed forward.
Obito didn't move. He just stood there, silent, making no effort to defend himself.
"Hah, frozen in fear? Looks like Akatsuki isn't so tough after all!"
Omoi sneered, gripping his blade tighter and swinging with all his strength.
—Cloud-Style: Hot Flame Slash!
Swish!
As his sword cut through, Omoi smirked. "Got him…"
But something was wrong. There was no feeling of impact, no resistance, no blood.
It was like… cutting through thin air.
Whoosh!
Momentum carried Omoi forward and he passed through Obito's body completely.
"What—!?"
e was stunned. Completely confused.
Obito's cold voice echoed from behind him.
"Whether you act reckless or cautious… the result is the same. You just die sooner or later."
Obito turned calmly and placed a hand on Omoi's shoulder.
Whoosh!
A swirling black vortex exploded from his right eye, sucking Omoi in!
Bang!
With a twist of chakra and space, Obito followed up with a sharp movement and Omoi vanished into the swirling darkness, gone without a trace.
In the blink of an eye, the young ninja bearing the "HOT" tattoo had disappeared from the battlefield.
The Kumo Shinobi stood frozen in shock.
Darui shouted, "Where is he?! Where did he go!?"
Obito looked back calmly.
"Don't worry… He's just in another dimension. You'll join him soon."
Darui clenched his fists in regret.
How am I going to explain this to Samui?
Omoi… was her younger brother.
Obito took a step forward.
"Now it's your turn."
Whoosh!
He charged in!
—Storm Release: Laser Circus!
Darui quickly formed hand seals. A barrage of laser beams fused with Water and Lightning Release shot out like a net of energy!
But they all passed right through, every single shot missed!
Whoosh!
Obito's body overlapped with Darui's.
"So it's true... His body can't be touched," Darui muttered.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Obito phased straight through Kumo Anbu's defensive formation and nothing could stop him.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Killer Bee, his hand reaching out to grab him!
Not everyone's Minato… If he gets caught—it's over!
—Lightning Style: Black Panther!
A flash of black lightning surged forth!
"Hm?"
Obito's eyes narrowed as he reached toward Killer Bee's face but his hand passed right through...
BOOM!
The Black Panther struck, exploded, and split into arcs of lightning surrounding the area with a field of crackling energy, sealing off the space around Killer Bee!
Inside the lightning zone, Killer Bee was twitching all over.
"Lightning baptism~ friendly assist~ legs too weak~ forced to quit~ lowlight moment~ Killer Bee's got bromine constipation~ stupid guy~ b*****d~~!"
Outside the lightning zone, Obito looked at Darui through his mask.
"The Third Raikage's black Lightning Style… It has stronger paralysis than normal lightning. You're the only one who can still use it today, thanks to that thunder tattoo of yours."
Darui replied, "Even if your body can't be hit normally, you have to become solid when you attack. If we catch that moment, we can stop you. We won't let you touch Master Bee!"
Obito nodded slightly. "Impressive. You figured that out quickly."
Darui frowned. But that also means… as long as he doesn't attack, we can't touch him. Catching that moment isn't easy. If we fail even once, Bee's done for…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ninja swords, kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, bright flashes of ninjutsu Kumo Anbu launched a full-scale assault!
But it was useless. Kamui made all attacks pass right through Obito!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Obito struck with his sword, phasing through one Anbu, then reached for another.
"That's it! The moment he attacks, he becomes solid now!!"
Another Anbu seized the chance and slashed!
But the blade went right through Obito and stabbed straight into his comrade's chest!
"What !? He tricked me! He pretended to attack, baited me into acting, then let my own sword do the work!"
"Ahhh—!!"
Crack!
Before the Anbu could react, Obito appeared behind him and snapped his neck with one move.
Darui's heart sank. This is bad. He's too dangerous…
The only way to protect Master Bee is to get him out of here. Even if we all die as long as Akatsuki doesn't capture the Eight Tails, it'll be worth it.
After weighing the pros and cons, Darui made a quick decision.
"Mabui! Use the Heavenly Transfer Technique to send Killer Bee away!"
Mabui hesitated. "But—!"
Darui insisted, "I know the risks. But if Killer Bee enters Version 2 mode, the dense tailed beast cloak will protect his body from being torn apart by the high-speed teleportation. He'll survive… though he'll definitely be seriously injured."
Mabui frowned. "Is that really necessary? Even if the enemy's ability is strange, if we work together with Master Bee, we can handle him…"
"It's not that simple!" Darui snapped.
"Look at him, he hasn't even gotten serious yet! He's completely calm!"
"Akatsuki has already failed twice trying to capture Master Bee. Now, they even attacked the village just to lure the Raikage away. This time… they're determined to win."
Still seeing Mabui hesitate, Darui shouted, "Hurry! The Black Panther lightning zone is about to fade!"
"…I understand."
Mabui gritted her teeth and began to form the signs for the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
Obito glanced coldly in her direction. "Don't even think about it."
Swish!
A sharpened wooden stake shot from his sleeve and pierced straight through Mabui's chest!
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Cruel hand seals followed twisted wooden spikes burst from her chest and back.
Thud!
Mabui collapsed, lifeless, in a pool of blood.
Darui's eyes widened in horror. He trembled. "Th-That's… Wood Style!?"
Obito spoke coldly behind his mask.
"You guessed right. But the only reward… is death."
Swoosh!
Obito suddenly appeared in midair with a swirl of Kamui. With a sweep of his sleeve, sharp wooden spikes rained down!
—Wood Style: Cutting Technique!
"Uaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"
Screams of agony echoed through the forest...
In a pool of blood, Darui cried out, "Bee! Run!!"
"Stupid guy! Stupid guy! Master Eight Tails Killer Bee is about to become the real killer bee!!!"
Under his sunglasses, Killer Bee's eyes burned red with fury. His rap turned into a roar of rage!
Boom!
His body swelled with surging chakra. A bull's head and octopus tentacles emerged, the full form of the Eight Tails!
—Tailed Beast Transformation!
Obito narrowed his eyes. "So, you're finally showing yourself…"
Whoosh!
Dark, heavy chakra gathered in the Eight Tails' mouth, compressed and ready to fire!
—Tailed Beast Bomb!!!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Obito calmly said, "Tailed Beast Bomb or anything else… they're all meaningless before my eyes."
He phased right through the attack with Kamui.
Behind him, mountains vanished in a blinding flash of destruction.
"The Eight Tails… second only to the Nine Tails… still not enough."
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Five flames lit up at Obito's fingertips. He crouched and slammed his hand to the ground
—Uchiha Flame Formation!
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TO BE CONTINUED
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