Taoyao, now missing an arm, glared fiercely at Obito.
She didn't regret her decision—even at the cost of a limb.
Only by destroying that damn ninja tool could she prevent him from entering Sage Mode. That was the only way to survive.
Obito seemed to understand her intent.
He gave a faint smile.
"Sorry... I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."
He spread his arms, the smile still on his face.
The natural energy that had leaked from the destroyed ninja tool instantly surged back into his body.
Crimson markings spread from his eyes down to his neck.
His forehead lifted slightly. It was clear that Obito's mastery of Sage Mode wasn't at the level of the Four Great Sages, but—
Even so, it was more than enough to deal with the enemy before him.
"H-How is this possible..."
Taoyao's face turned pale.
With warriors like Simu, Jiraiya, and others showcasing the brilliance of Sage Mode, its terrifying power had once again appeared before everyone's eyes.
All of Konoha's enemies remembered the fear of being crushed by the First Hokage.
And now, aside from Simu and Jiraiya, even Sleepy Ye had learned Sage Mode.
This plunged Taoyao into despair.
Obito ignored her.
His body was infused with both the power of the Uchiha and the cells of Hashirama.
He was, at this moment, the ninja closest to Uchiha Madara.
He possessed both the eye of the sage and the body of the sage.
Of course, he still fell far short of Madara himself—
But even so—
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
As Obito finished forming hand seals—
The towering trees around them immediately responded. Countless branches twisted and lashed like serpents, violently tearing into all nearby enemies.
Taoyao, weakened from losing an arm, couldn't match Obito in Sage Mode.
Flames erupted from her mouth in the form of fire dragons—
But each was blocked by thick, growing wood. With every attempt, her dragons grew smaller, weaker.
Sensing an incoming presence, Obito's face darkened.
"Damn... that guy Kakashi beat me to it."
He stopped holding back.
Dozens of branches around him converged simultaneously, violently entangling and crushing the enemy in front of him.
These wooden limbs wrapped around the Guardian Twelve Ninja like a giant fist slowly closing in.
The surrounding ninjas tried to help—
But in the sea of trees, they could barely move, let alone intervene.
Then, in a flash of thunder, a massive Pteranodon dropped from the sky.
It was Kakashi, reborn and clad in black.
Obito pointed at himself proudly.
"Well? Isn't my Sage Mode impressive?"
"I soloed the entire palace."
Kakashi gave the surroundings a cold glance and said flatly:
"Too slow."
"…What did you just say?"
Obito's eyes instantly grew cold and dangerous.
Kakashi, wearing his usual deadpan expression, shoved his hands into his pockets and replied:
"Your fighting efficiency is trash. There was no need for that kind of large-scale ninjutsu."
Obito snapped back.
"You don't know anything. That was the First Hokage's jutsu!"
Just as the two were about to start bickering again, Kakashi's expression suddenly changed.
He was in front of Obito in an instant.
Before Obito could react, thunder erupted in front of them—
Blond hair, a towering body, and a terrifying aura of lightning!
The intruder's speed was so extreme—
Even Kakashi and Obito could barely react in time.
Kakashi could only coat his arms with Armament Haki and throw them up to block.
The attacker's eyes were ice-cold, and his hand—charged with lightning—pierced forward with terrifying force.
"Hell Stab: Four-Finger Thrust!!"
The moment the four fingers touched Kakashi, an explosion of lightning erupted.
A pillar of thunder shot out, sending Kakashi flying like a cannonball!
He blasted through a dozen massive trees, and even the city wall behind them crumbled before he finally stopped.
As the thunder faded, golden hair floated in the air—
The Third Raikage, Ai, had arrived!
Upon seeing him, several Revolutionary Army fighters charged forward without hesitation.
But Ai only sneered.
In the next instant, his burly figure vanished—
Then reappeared among the fighters.
They didn't even see him move.
Just a flash of lightning—and a monstrous force tore them apart.
In mere seconds, six powerful Revolutionary ninjas lay dead at his feet.
The others froze in place.
Ai sneered.
"What's wrong? Afraid to move just because you saw someone strong? So this is the Revolutionary Army? Pathetic."
He was about to attack again when a rustling sound came from the rubble.
Kakashi and Obito climbed out of the ruins at last.
"So... the Third Raikage came here in person. No wonder the nobles had the guts to provoke us."
Bright red blood flowed from the corner of Kakashi's mouth.
His arm—used to block the earlier strike—was twisted at a grotesque angle.
Even with Armament Haki reinforcement, Ai's attack had shattered bone.
Kakashi clenched his teeth.
He grabbed his arm, twisted it forcefully back into place, and began healing with the regenerative powers of his Zoan fruit.
Ai's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You've got guts. Worthy of being his student."
He had already seen through their identities—Kakashi and Obito.
Obito clenched his fists.
"You bastard... I'm going to kill you!"
Watching Kakashi take a blow for him felt worse than being hurt himself.
He instantly activated a jutsu.
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"
The earth split open—
A massive wooden dragon burst forth, roaring as it charged at the Third Raikage.
Such a powerful technique could crush even elite jōnin.
But Ai only smirked.
Lightning cloaked his arms again as he raised his palm like a battle axe—
And shattered the wood dragon with one brutal blow!
Then, Ai stepped onto the splintered remains of the dragon and launched forward at even greater speed—
Charging at the two of them like a living bolt of lightning.
Obito used his Sharingan to barely track the movements.
But Kakashi had already reacted.
Transforming into a Pteranodon, he grabbed Obito with both talons and soared into the air.
Obito stretched out his palm, unleashing the Wood Style: Stormgun again!
However, this kind of attack didn't faze the Third Raikage at all.
With a casual horizontal chop, the giant tree in front of him was split in two.
Then, like lightning, he appeared above Kakashi and Obito, raising one leg high before slamming it down like a thunder axe.
"If this is the so-called legendary Wood Style, then I'm thoroughly disappointed."
A flicker of disappointment passed through his eyes.
For a battle maniac like him, the chance to fight against the legendary God of Shinobi should've been glorious.
He had hoped to finally taste the true power of the Wood Style.
But this brat clearly couldn't unleash it fully.
Feeling Ai's contempt, Obito was instantly enraged.
Immortal chakra surged out wildly as he met Third Raikage Ai's strike head-on with a punch.
Kakashi's expression darkened.
The terrifying thunder axe pierced straight through the attacking wooden arm and severed Obito's right arm in one clean slash!
If Kakashi hadn't pulled him away at the last second, it would've been Obito's torso that got cleaved in half.
"It's up to you, Kakashi!" Obito roared through clenched teeth.
His injury had created the opening Kakashi needed.
And Kakashi never wasted such opportunities.
Terrifying lightning wrapped around his reinforced claws as he aimed straight for Ai's chest.
Just after finishing his attack, Third Raikage Ai was in no position to dodge.
He could only stare as Kakashi's claws struck his chest.
But he didn't even flinch.
At the moment of impact, Kakashi realized he wasn't hitting a person.
He was hitting a solid block of compressed steel—an Iron Body honed to the absolute limit!
Lightning erupted on impact, blasting Ai into the ground and carving out a large crater.
Even so, there was no joy in Kakashi's eyes.
Because Third Raikage Ai stood up immediately.
He looked at the faint red mark on his dark chest and sneered arrogantly.
"If Hanyu Simu's disciple only has this much power…"
Lightning exploded again around his body.
"Then I'll take your lives without mercy!"
At that moment, Kakashi and Obito truly realized the gap between them and the peak of the ninja world.
Even if Obito had just awakened Sage Mode…
Even if Kakashi possessed an ancient Zoan Devil Fruit…
They still couldn't leave a scratch on this man!
It wasn't their fault.
Their strength was already at the peak of Jōnin.
They were only one step away from Kage-level.
But Ai—this Third Raikage—could not be judged by common standards.
His defense and offense were among the highest in the world.
Unless one possessed an overwhelmingly destructive jutsu, hurting him was impossible.
"Damn it… I've embarrassed our teacher," Obito muttered bitterly.
Kakashi stayed calm.
"If Lord Raikage kills us, aren't you afraid of provoking Konoha?"
By now, everyone in the ninja world knew how fiercely protective the Fourth Hokage was.
The last time Rin was taken, Kirigakure had nearly been annihilated.
It took the death of a Mizukage, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Three Tails, and countless shinobi to calm Konoha's fury.
Ai chuckled coldly.
"Why do you think I'm here? It's because the Four Great Nations are preparing to launch a joint attack on Konoha!"
"Right now, all of Konoha's forces are tied up on the borders. No one has time to care whether you two live or die."
If not for that, Ai would never have used the Skysend Technique to infiltrate enemy lines alone.
He wanted to strike down Simu's two disciples before war officially began—crushing them before they could grow stronger.
After all, the name Black Shinigami had already spread across the ninja world.
Konoha's current strength was terrifying enough.
If its younger generation matured, no other nation would stand a chance!
Kakashi glanced at Obito and sighed.
"You're just holding me back. I'll distract him—go now."
But Obito shook his head without hesitation.
"No. I'll hold him off. You transform into a Pteranodon and get out of here."
Hearing that, Kakashi smiled faintly.
"Forget it. Then let's face him together."
He turned to look at the Third Raikage and said flatly:
"Let's see if we can tear off a piece of that flesh."
"No problem."
Ai looked at the two of them, a brief flicker of nostalgia in his eyes—perhaps recalling the fallen Third Raikage Bee.
"What a touching display of friendship."
"But you'll still die by my hand!"
As Raikage, Ai had to crush Konoha's new generation before they could take root!
He shot forward like lightning, appearing before them in an instant.
"Hell Stab: Three-Finger Spear!"
Terrifying thunder surged like a raging river, stabbing toward the two like a long, glowing lance.
Just when Ai thought he had skewered them, a puff of smoke erupted from behind them.
The next moment, a massive wave of blue chakra surged up, forming a giant skeletal frame that enveloped Kakashi and Obito.
Susanoo.
The lightning spear slammed into the chakra ribs—but only cracked them. His fingers got lodged between the bones.
Third Raikage Ai narrowed his eyes.
He recognized this technique—Uchiha's ultimate defense: Susanoo.
But then his gaze passed over the two brats—and locked onto the figure standing behind them.
A man draped in a white robe adorned with six black tomoe.
In his hand, a round white fan.
His face was hidden behind a mask, but beneath it, scarlet, hypnotic eyes glowed ominously.
Snow-white hair spilled down like a waterfall.
Just one glance made Ai feel dizzy.
Genjutsu.
He immediately looked away, not daring to meet the eyes of this mysterious man.
When did Konoha produce such a monster?!
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