"Madara!"
"Tobirama!"
Seeing Madara severely injured and Tobirama captured, Hashirama, outside the barrier, was extremely anxious.
As expected, facing a powerful enemy like Isshiki, ganging up wasn't necessarily effective. On the contrary, the more people involved, the worse the team's coordination. It made it easier for the enemy to pick them off one by one.
If only that fool Tobirama hadn't interfered, Madara wouldn't have given Isshiki an opening for a surprise attack. He could've instantly swapped places with his Limbo shadow. If it happened again, Madara swore he'd bind that foolish, disruptive Tobirama with Wood Release before the fight even started!
He wouldn't let him cause chaos again. Unfortunately, there were no "if onlys"…
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Seeing Tobirama captured by Isshiki, everyone on the ninja world's side was forced to halt their attacks.
Nagato's Six Paths, Minato, and Obito… all stopped, afraid of accidentally harming Tobirama.
Madara quickly retreated, relying on his Limbo shadow to teleport beside Nagato's Six Paths. Panting and healing himself, his face was grim.
Though distracted by Tobirama, Madara felt utterly humiliated this time, especially in front of other ninja world representatives. It made his face burn with shame.
"Madara-senpai, Nagato, hold off for now!"
Minato teleported beside Nagato and Madara, stopping them.
"Sss… That useless Second Hokage? Captured alive? Sensei, what now?"
Obito stared at the captured Tobirama, his eyes filled with disdain and disgust.
Just two more Kamui Shuriken, and he could've sliced Isshiki into spicy strips. But at the critical moment, a foolish teammate like Tobirama had to ruin it. So infuriating. They'd be better off without their help!
No, that wasn't right. Without these seniors' help, Isshiki might've already destroyed the Moon. That meant they shouldn't have let the useless Tobirama help! Fastest speed in the ninja world? More like the slowest!
"I'll negotiate. Hopefully, we can save Tobirama-senpai."
Minato volunteered, precisely because Isshiki only had minutes left to live. At a time like this, they couldn't provoke him further, or he'd surely strangle Tobirama and make him a sacrifice.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"&%%…&…"
Tobirama, tightly choked by Isshiki, his face flushed red, still cursed at Isshiki in incomprehensible gibberish.
Isshiki tightened his grip slightly, nearly snapping Tobirama's neck.
"It's not your turn to speak!"
"Hahaha… Fourth Hokage, you almost won!"
"Now Senju Tobirama is in my hands. Surrender!"
"I am the final victor!"
Isshiki, crazed, finally showed a victorious smile he hadn't worn in ages. With this crucial bargaining chip, he had hope of turning the tables!
"You captured him, so why should I surrender?"
Madara swallowed a gulp of thick blood, glaring at Isshiki with murderous intent, retorting coldly.
If the enemy threatened him with Izuna, Madara might've been slightly concerned. But Tobirama? He didn't care if he was saved or not! At worst, after Tobirama was killed, Madara would find a way to revive him, so Hashirama could feel the pain of losing a beloved brother.
"That's a lie! If you didn't care, you wouldn't have crashed into him earlier!"
"Quick, no more talk."
"If you don't want to die and let this man die, hand over Obito!"
Isshiki roared, threatening sharply. His remaining Byakugan started turning red, showing his current madness and urgency.
"Fine! I agree!"
"As long as you don't harm Tobirama-senpai, I'll agree!"
Minato agreed instantly, without hesitation. Madara wanted to say something, but seeing Hashirama's anxious look outside the barrier, he held back.
"…"
Hearing this, poor Obito felt utterly frustrated.
(Even though I know this is probably Minato-sensei's lie to calm the enemy, Sensei, at least pretend to hesitate a bit? You agreed so fast, my heart hurts!)
"Remember, don't try to trick me with a shadow clone again!"
"If it's another clone, I'll kill this man immediately!"
Isshiki, clearly traumatized by the ninjas' deceit, threatened forcefully. If Minato threw another clone, he'd kill Tobirama!
"I won't."
Minato nodded, then glanced at Obito.
Obito's face soured, already guessing what was coming. But he couldn't refuse, only pleading softly:
"Sensei, go easy!"
"Don't worry, I'll go easy…"
Before Minato finished, and before Obito was ready, Minato knocked him out again, for the second time.
Only an unexpected jab could minimize the pain for the one being struck. Minato understood this truth well, slightly numbing Obito's nerves.
Seeing this, Madara frowned, slightly displeased.
"You're really using your own student to trade for Tobirama?"
Though he knew Obito wasn't exactly a saint and was involved in the Uchiha clan massacre, it was mostly due to being manipulated by Madara's other self and Black Zetsu. At his core, Obito was still a junior Uchiha ninja. Madara didn't want to sacrifice an Uchiha junior for the beast Tobirama he despised.
Minato turned and glanced at Madara, signaling with a micro-expression that Madara instantly understood. Minato had a plan, so Madara stopped interfering or insisting.
The next second, Minato threw the unconscious Obito toward Isshiki.
Isshiki, with only half his body left, hurriedly caught Obito with his other hand, then immediately tested him by crushing Obito's right arm, causing damage.
This was to check if it was a shadow clone. After all, he'd been tricked once before.
The same loss wouldn't fool Isshiki twice, no matter how foolish he was.
Obito's right arm was crushed but didn't burst or vanish, proving it was his real body, not a clone.
Seeing this, Isshiki was ecstatic. After all this, he finally had a suitable vessel in Obito. A real entity!
Now he could live! Though he had less than three minutes left, without interference, it was enough to carve a perfect Kama seal on Obito.
Even without Obito's Kamui interference, his space-time portal could function normally. Isshiki could leave the Moon, find a safe place to carve the Kama seal. As for the hostage Tobirama, he could kill him after the seal was done!
Indeed, Isshiki had no intention of releasing Tobirama. From the start, he only planned to use the hostage threat to trick Obito into his hands, then kill Tobirama as revenge for the ninjas' earlier deception.
If these shameless, cunning ninjas could use tricks, so could he.
But since he hadn't fully carved the Kama seal on Obito, Isshiki didn't rush to kill Tobirama, avoiding any unexpected issues.
Thinking this, Isshiki didn't hesitate. He opened a space-time portal behind him, connecting to his other dimension, preparing to hide there to complete the re-carving ritual.
(Hmm? Strange? Where's my personal dimension?)
(Why can't I trace it?)
Isshiki, opening the portal, was puzzled, realizing he couldn't connect to his other dimension.
He didn't know that his entire other dimension had been devoured by Lux, turned into nutrients for the Origin Dimension, so he naturally couldn't access it anymore.
At that moment of confusion, Obito, held in Isshiki's left hand, suddenly moved!
It wasn't Obito waking up but Spiral Zetsu in his body controlling him!
Minato had only knocked out Obito's real body, not the Spiral Zetsu covering him.
And Zetsu, by nature, barely needed sleep and wouldn't faint. Isshiki, focused solely on Obito's condition, overlooked the hidden consciousness of Zetsu in Obito's body!
"Kamui!"
Zetsu controlled Obito to act, activating Kamui, instantly sucking Tobirama, held in Isshiki's right hand, into the Kamui dimension, successfully saving the frail Second Hokage.
Isshiki, opening his portal, didn't expect the "unconscious" Obito to attack, and it was too late to stop Kamui.
He could only watch Tobirama get sucked into the Kamui dimension. Even his own right arm was half-severed by Kamui!
"Bastard!"
Isshiki was furious. He couldn't retrieve Tobirama from Kamui, but he could still control Obito in his hand!
But since Obito was his only hope for survival, Isshiki, though enraged, couldn't bring himself to kill him.
So he quickly exerted force. Exploiting the moment when Obito couldn't phase while using Kamui, he plucked out Obito's left Mangekyo Sharingan and stabbed it with black rods. Once both troublesome Mangekyo Sharingan were removed and his chakra sealed, Obito was just a lamb for slaughter.
Then, Isshiki rapidly regenerated his right hand, preparing to destroy Obito's right eye. That's when the Yellow Flash appeared!
With Tobirama safe in the Kamui dimension, Minato could attack without hesitation.
Obito's body, inside and out, was covered with Flying Thunder God seals, making teleporting to him the most convenient and efficient.
*SWOOSH!*
Minato teleported beside Obito, but not to save him. Instead, he arrived with a standard Bijuudama!
The next second, after dropping the Bijuudama, Minato teleported away!
Spiral Zetsu: (O_o)??
Isshiki: (o_O)??
(You didn't come to save but to kill? Is there a teacher like this?)
*BOOM—!*
The Bijuudama activated, exploding massively, engulfing thousands of meters around it… To prevent the hard-won vessel Obito from dying, Isshiki was forced to shield him, using his body and back to dodge and absorb the Bijuudama's direct damage!
(Damn Namikaze Minato, isn't he afraid his own student will die too?)
(Damn it! This guy's truly insane!)
Isshiki cursed inwardly, unable to comprehend Minato's actions anymore.
If Minato wanted to kill his student so badly, why pretend to be a good teacher earlier? Isshiki genuinely thought their teacher-student bond was like father and son! It was all fake!
But now, having barely escaped the previous Bijuudama's blast range and preparing to open another space-time portal to return to Earth, the Yellow Flash appeared again! Teleporting beside Obito—beside Isshiki.
Another Bijuudama gift package arrived.
*BOOM!*
The Bijuudama exploded massively again, and Minato even used a clone to deliver it, giving Isshiki no chance to retaliate!
Isshiki had no choice but to protect Obito and endure the blast again.
The same scene repeated over the next few dozen seconds. Every time Isshiki tried to escape with Obito or carve the Kama seal, Minato's clone would instantly teleport with a Bijuudama.
No chance given—drop the Bijuudama and flee, or let the clone explode with it!
It was as if Minato became the villain determined to kill Obito, while Isshiki became the hero protecting "Obito." The scene was so absurd that even Hashirama, outside the barrier, was dizzy and confused.
But the more rational Madara and Nagato's Six Paths saw Minato's intent. Minato had just fully used Obito to replace Tobirama as the hostage, and it worked!
Though it seemed like trading one hostage for another, there was a difference between hostages!
Tobirama, as a hostage, couldn't be a vessel for Isshiki. Isshiki could kill him out of revenge or anger. But Obito was different! He was Isshiki's only hope for survival. Isshiki wouldn't let Obito die easily! Once Obito became the hostage, not only would Isshiki not kill him, he'd desperately protect him!
In short, whoever had a need was the weaker party. Isshiki, needing Obito, could no longer use him as a hostage; instead, Obito became a burden, a target Isshiki had to protect!
When Minato launched unpredictable area attacks like Bijuudama, Isshiki could only endure to protect Obito, taking Minato's attacks head-on…
Simultaneously, Isshiki's two original advantages—super speed and space-time portals—vanished due to Obito's presence. Minato could rely on the Flying Thunder God seals on Obito's body to appear before Isshiki instantly, disrupting all his actions…
It was like Minato left an indelible Flying Thunder God seal on Isshiki's body! In fact, it was more useful than marking Isshiki directly, as Kama could absorb all ninjutsu, including Flying Thunder God seals… But Kama couldn't erase all the seals on Obito's body.
Minato himself wasn't sure how many seals he'd left on his beloved student Obito. Certainly, a lot…
Unless Isshiki was willing to chop Obito into tiny pieces, only then could he possibly destroy all the Flying Thunder God seals. But that would mean Obito's death, and Isshiki's reincarnation plan would collapse entirely.
He couldn't bear it!
So he could only resign himself to Minato appearing and disappearing before him, repeatedly forced to take the damage from Minato's Bijuudama blasts.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Tch! Clever tactic."
"Minato, you're getting craftier, huh?"
"Who'd you learn from?"
Seeing Minato toy with Isshiki using "hostage Obito," Madara couldn't help but be impressed. Compared to this, his earlier mess looked even more embarrassing.
"I didn't learn from anyone. To protect the world and the village, facing an alien enemy like this, nothing should be spared."
"Of course, we must choose the most effective and ruthless way to fight. I think Obito will understand me!"
Madara gave a faint smile and shook his head:
"You're really not afraid your student will die in an explosion?"
"I have the Rinnegan too. If Obito dies accidentally, I'll find a way to revive him. Dying for the village, he'd be a hero."
Minato answered seriously, having chosen this tactic, he was mentally prepared.
The hopes and responsibilities of the ninja world, let him and his student bear them. Taking some risks also aided Obito's redemption, so the village might accept him again later…
"That's good. With the Rinnegan, life and death are no longer irreversible!"
"But when Isshiki is truly cornered, he might still choose to drag Obito down with him."
"Do you have another plan?"
Minato nodded: "I do, but I can't guarantee its success."
"Oh?"
"You'll both see soon."
"By the way, I'll send you two out first. You're not needed here for now."
"But please, Nagato, maintain the barrier."
"Alright!"
Nagato's Six Paths nodded in agreement. Whatever the outcome, this battle had benefited him greatly. He'd seen high-level tactics and grown familiar with Isshiki's fighting style and abilities; this information was invaluable for him as the leader of Parallel World 5!
Then, Minato's real body teleported, sending Madara and Nagato's Six Paths back beside Hashirama outside.
As for the useless Tobirama still in the Kamui dimension, Minato could only fetch him after everything was settled.
What if Obito and his Kamui Sharingan vanished mid-battle? Then he could only hope Tobirama could hold out longer; until Minato revived Obito or found another Kamui Mangekyo, at least don't starve.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
On the other side.
Inside the Four Red Yang Formation barrier, Isshiki was still tormented and battered by Minato's clone Bijuudama blasts, leaving him in shambles.
He wasn't afraid of standard Bijuudama himself, being strong enough to crush mini Bijuudama bare-handed.
But he couldn't stand Obito trembling in his arms! This forced Isshiki to take most of the damage himself, trying desperately to protect Obito.
Isshiki swore he'd never cared for an Otsutsuki like this in his life! And now, not only was he experiencing it for the first time, but the other party was a lowly native ninja…
In normal circumstances, this humiliation and anger would've broken Isshiki. But facing Minato's relentless lightning attacks, he didn't even have time to feel humiliated… He kept dodging and enduring, with no chance to care.
Each Bijuudama explosion drained some of Isshiki's vitality, accelerating the decline of his already thin lifespan. In less than a minute, two more minutes of his life were gone.
His remaining time was just three minutes, now less than one. With so little time, Isshiki couldn't carve a perfect Kama seal on Obito!
Finally, Isshiki, entering the countdown to death, lost all chances of revival. He knew he was finished!
Even if Minato stopped attacking, he didn't have enough time to carve a perfect Kama seal on Obito. He was truly doomed!
At this moment, boundless despair and rage consumed Isshiki's last shred of sanity…
"Namikaze Minato! You ninjas, you despicable lowly creatures, you'll all die sooner or later!"
"The main family will never let you native scum go!"
"The family will avenge me, kill you all…"
"As for this guy, let him die with me!"
Isshiki, with no hope left, stopped fleeing and dodging, showing terrifying madness, mocking and cursing Minato and the others from afar.
He was certain everyone here would die with him eventually! As long as he and Kaguya didn't bring back the chakra fruit, the Otsutsuki clan would never spare this planet!
Finally, Isshiki turned his gaze to Obito in his hand.
Obito's body was filled with black rods, his chakra sealed. Even with Zetsu controlling him, he couldn't resist. Whether Minato truly wanted to kill Obito, Isshiki no longer cared to think about.
Obito, who'd disrupted his space-time portals and driven him mad with frustration and obsession, would die with him! Otherwise, Isshiki wouldn't have killed a single native ninja. He feared being mocked by other Otsutsuki after death.
The next second, Isshiki raised his right hand, preparing to crush Obito's head with one blow, ensuring he wouldn't survive!
But at that moment, Minato appeared again, teleporting in front of Obito with Flying Thunder God. This time, he didn't bring a Bijuudama but stood directly before Obito.
Isshiki frowned, assuming Minato sent another shadow clone to stop him, so he decided to crush the clone too!
*PUFF!*
Isshiki's fist pierced the black rod defense barrier in front of Minato, then Kurama's chakra cloak, and finally punched through Minato's entire chest!
But the white mist of a shadow clone Isshiki expected didn't appear. Shocked, he realized the Minato he'd pierced was not a clone but the real body!
"You—!!!"
Isshiki's face was full of shock. In the end, he'd actually killed the vile Fourth Hokage?!