Madara's slash cut empty air. Though it was an expected outcome, he still couldn't hold it in.
He roared, "That move again, truly worthy of being the most shameless jutsu! Obito brat, other than running away, what else can you even do?"
But Obito took that as praise. After all, if even Uchiha Madara was pissed off by this move, didn't that just prove how strong it was?
It had to be said, ever since awakening the Eternal Mangekyo Kamui eyes, Obito had developed many strange and bizarre abilities, each with terrifying effectiveness. For example, the Fantasy Force could even forge Kaguya otsutsuki's aura well enough to fool Black Zetsu.
But… all of these abilities had limits. Just because he could fake Kaguya's aura didn't mean he had her strength. Fake was still fake.
At crucial moments, he still had to rely on Kamui's intangibility as his safety net.
However…
Obito said calmly, "Madara, I'm not just someone who runs away. At least in this life, I no longer choose to escape. If you think I only run away, then from here on, you'd better be careful."
As soon as his words fell, countless deep-purple Susanoo appeared around him. Because there were so many, each massive in size, even the sky was blotted out.
This was Obito's Phantom Flicker Technique, but this time, splitting even Susanoo into clones.
Madara saw this and took a deep breath, "Brat, not bad. But don't forget, Shisui was my student too. For the techniques he developed, I might even understand them better than you do."
"You think I'll be helpless against this move like before?"
Obito's eyes showed a trace of curiosity, 'Has Madara already found a countermeasure?'
In the next moment, he had his answer.
Madara clapped his hands together, and around him also appeared countless Susanoo clones.
Madara said slowly, "Then let's compete in numbers."
Obito couldn't help but shake his head. Madara's solution really did fit his character, simple and brutal.
The essence of the Phantom Flicker was moving between countless indistinguishable clones, creating the effect of a coordinated assault.
But just like intangibility, this move had a weakness: at the instant of a mutual strike, the real body would be hit.
If someone was strong enough to create a huge number of damaging clones, then as long as they had their own clones tailing every phantom, no matter which phantom became real, they could easily seize that opening at the moment of clash. That way, the advantage of the Phantom Flicker vanished.
Perhaps most people couldn't achieve such a harsh requirement. But Madara was not "most people." In fact, he was a master at "many bullying the few."
However, Obito wasn't just "most people" either. If this were only Phantom Flicker, then yes, Madara's counter could work.
But… Obito still had Kamui and Flying Thunder God. Both could be layered onto Susanoo.
Thinking of this, Obito's lips curved into a faint smile.
Madara's Susanoo clones might match his own in number, but they had one severe flaw. They lacked the deceptive confusion of Phantom Flicker.
On the contrary, Madara's true body position was very obvious.
And Obito was most skilled at dealing with enemies whose real body could be located. Because when his abilities were combined, his specialty was… decapitation.
The next instant, over a dozen of Obito's Susanoo clones vanished.
Then, all at once, they reappeared at Madara's location, surrounding him from every direction.
Madara hadn't expected that after activating Susanoo, Obito could not only use Phantom Flicker in Susanoo form, but also use Flying Thunder God while in Susanoo state.
'Clones using instantaneous teleportation through Flying Thunder God? Damn, could this ability get any more broken?'
Even while complaining inwardly, Madara hurriedly controlled his own Susanoo clones, spreading them evenly toward each of Obito's.
His thinking was simple: let each Susanoo clone rush into Obito's clones.
That way, although each would pass through, if he maintained the state of half-passing-through, half-not, and let each clone overlap with Obito's clones, what would happen then?
He theorized that whether Obito wanted to end his intangibility or teleport to a clone, he'd at least need to keep his body intact.
If his body had something stuck inside it, he would never be able to land an attack.
This way, at the very least, he could cripple part of Obito's ability.
But theory was always weaker than reality.
Once Madara realized Obito's clones could also use Flying Thunder God, he knew his own clones weren't going to be able to keep up.
In the blink of an eye, Obito's phantoms around Madara launched their assault.
Madara, helpless, could only control his Susanoo to raise its leg and sweep across at the incoming clones.
Naturally, that sweep struck only air.
Before his sweeping motion had even finished, the massive leg brushed through one of the phantoms. Yet that phantom suddenly solidified.
Obito, standing on his Susanoo's blade, infused it with the spatial-cutting power from his left Kamui eye, and swung straight at Madara.
But Madara had already anticipated this. His sweeping leg looked reckless, but in fact he had long prepared for the moment Obito exploited his recovery lag. So he could instead seize Obito's.
And so, in an instant, Madara's Susanoo froze mid-sweep in an unnaturally abrupt pose. Almost as if rehearsed countless times, its blade suddenly slashed toward Obito's Susanoo.
Yet if Madara had predicted Obito's move, had Obito not also predicted Madara's?
Obito didn't believe that a battle genius like Madara would foolishly follow his rhythm.
So when Madara suddenly redirected and struck faster than him, he didn't panic.
At the very moment Madara's Susanoo's blade was about to land on him, Obito's Kamui-infused Susanoo blade also came down.
Though it seemed a fraction slower than Madara's strike, Obito's entire Susanoo suddenly vanished from its place and reappeared behind Madara's Susanoo. The blade, already halfway through its swing, continued downward without delay.
This was, Susanoo Flying Thunder God, Second Stage!
This time, Madara had no way to dodge. Obito's Kamui-infused blade sliced into Madara's Complete Body Susanoo as easily as cutting tofu, cleaving it apart.
And yet, even as his Susanoo split open, Madara seemed to have expected it. His true body twisted aside in time, slipping clear of the strike.
Meanwhile, Madara's earlier Susanoo clones arrived right on cue, all striking together, targeting Obito's current position. The clear location of his true body.
Obviously, Obito had predicted Madara's prediction, but Madara had also predicted Obito's prediction of his prediction. It was just that Obito's toolkit was so damn dirty and underhanded, hitting him even once required immense sacrifice.
Madara's eyes burned with uncontrollable excitement.
"Brat, I've caught you! Let's see how you escape this time!"
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