Obito's outburst lit the fuse; Kakashi surged forward as well.
Their movements weren't pretty—just fists and feet colliding in a flurry, like they'd slipped back to their academy days.
But even though Obito had received elite tutelage from "Madara," his taijutsu still lagged behind Kakashi's. He promptly changed tactics: as Kakashi's punch came in, Obito turned intangible with Kamui (Space–Time Distortion), letting the blow pass through, then re-materialized and smashed a counterpunch into Kakashi's guard.
"Kamui intangibility, huh?"
Kakashi noted the minute distortion in space. On his next strike he spun up his own Kamui (Space–Time Distortion), timing it to cancel Obito's intangibility the instant it would have saved him.
He'd understood the hint Natsuki had dropped earlier—the key to beating Obito was the timing of Kamui. With that, Kakashi had the confidence to win—and to drag Obito back from the brink.
Since blows were already flying, Natsuki and Sasuke weren't about to spectate. They attacked at once.
Sasuke's Susanoo (Susanoo) pounded away with colossal fists at Gakidō (Preta Path) and Ningendō (Human Path), forcing the two bodies to keep dodging. Sasuke's defense was outrageous; until they found a way to crack it, evasion was their only sane choice.
Natsuki moved to strike—only for Sasuke to slide in front of him with a swift cut.
"Natsuki, we finally get to fight side by side! Leave this woman to me—I've been pinning her down already!"
"Ou! Then I'm counting on you!"
Natsuki answered without a shred of hesitation, then directed his Stone Colossus and the Senju Kannon (Thousand-Armed Kannon) to hammer Gakidō (Preta Path).
Preta Path could absorb chakra and swallow ninjutsu, sure—but these were physical blows. Taking them head-on was suicide, and against two hulking constructs, he didn't dare try.
Shino unleashed his kikaichū, a dense black tide surging toward Konan. He couldn't finish her quickly, but he could pin her down.
Seeing the opening, Neji rose into the air, lifting a hand to summon gravity.
Tendō Pain floated up as well, answering with Banshō Ten'in (Universal Pull).
Gravity against gravity—two invisible oceans colliding in the sky. Space between them warped visibly under the strain. A few stones—flung astray by other clashes—drifted between the two and were powdered by the twisting space before they could fall.
Throats bobbed across the watching ranks.
A true sage's battle: no thunderous roars—just quiet, terrifying force.
When Neji's pull didn't budge his opponent, he flipped polarity to repulsion. Tendō responded instantly with Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push). The twin waves of force met and detonated—an airburst that rolled out as a concussive shock front.
Natsuki blinked. "Ya! That's some power."
Spectators staggered back, more rattled than ever.
Elsewhere, the brawls were just as heated. Sasuke quit playing whack-a-mole and, with a casual sweep of Katon (Fire Release), threw up a rolling sea of flame that drove Chikushōdō (Animal Path) and Ningendō (Human Path) into panicked leaps.
That was when Sasuke struck. Chokutō Kusanagi flashed—Chidori Eisō (Chidori Sharp Spear) lanced out and drilled through Animal Path's torso. With a backhand rip, he tore open its shoulder—tendons snapping like twine.
Animal Path stumbled, then cratered under a thunderous punch—out cold, out of the fight.
"Got one!"
Sasuke couldn't help a little grin—and then glanced Natsuki's way. Natsuki was already at Gakidō's side, tapping the fallen body with his boot. He'd finished that one first.
Honestly, it made sense. Natsuki could boot Tendō across a plaza; Preta Path had no Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push) to bail him out. Against Natsuki's raw physicality, a chakra sponge was just a sandbag.
"Ya, tottekoi." Natsuki dusted off his hands, picked a comfortable perch, and popped sunflower seeds—spectating while the battlefield churned.
Sasuke, moving even faster now, dispelled Susanoo for mobility, flickered with Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker), and put Ningendō down hard.
Without Jigokudō (Naraka Path) to summon the King of Hell, broken Paths stayed broken. Even if Nagato strained himself, these bodies weren't coming back.
Thinking of that, Natsuki fished out several bound Kuro Zetsu clones that Pain had netted earlier. These were Nagato's "media"—his scouts and levers in the dark. Natsuki yanked them out like weeds.
Others rushed over to help; seven Kuro Zetsu clones were mass-hypnotized and trussed in short order.
Konan's paper clone struggled under Shino's evolved insects; their carapaces shrugged off most cutting and their numbers smothered defense. But Paper Style was Konan's hallmark—she wasn't easy prey. And the real Konan never left Nagato's side, which meant this was just a disposable shikigami. If it died, it died. What really rattled her was watching the Paths fall one by one and Kuro Zetsu get collared. For the first time, she felt… lost.
Konoha was this strong? Even the Rinnegan (Samsara Eye) couldn't tip the scales?
First, that immovable wall named Natsuki. How were they supposed to pass him?
Then Hyūga Neji—wielding twin sage eyes and the Tenseigan (Reincarnation Eye) she'd never even heard of.
And the others were monsters too—Sasuke, the Aburame, and more. How were they ever going to seize a jinchūriki from this lot?
Back on the Obito–Kakashi front, with Kamui intangibility being counter-timed, Obito started eating a straight beating. Still, years in the shadows hadn't been for nothing; his ninjutsu was slick, his tricks plentiful.
Kakashi, for his part, pulled his punches. He wasn't afraid of hurting Obito—but he had to stop him. The conflict tore at his hands, and without meaning to, he kept shaving power off his blows. Against an Obito going all-out, that dropped the exchange to a true fifty–fifty.
Some habits die hard—Kakashi always finds the 50–50.
Seeing Natsuki's reckless intensity out of the corner of his eye only made Kakashi's chest ache worse. How was he supposed to go for the throat?
Overhead, the clash of sages went from breathtaking to unfair. Gravity and repulsion tugged and slammed, warping space and kicking off blast after blast—enough to make even Natsuki watch that duel first.
Hiashi frowned. "Neji's Tenseigan (Reincarnation Eye) is newly awakened, while the opponent is long-seasoned in the Rinnegan (Samsara Eye). He's at a disadvantage. Let him be safe…"
Tendō Pain seized the instant between Neji's pull and push—where polarity flips and the flow stutters—and exploded with power. The shock smashed Neji from the sky.
Hiashi and several branch members leapt to catch him, fear spiking—only for Natsuki to arrive first, bracing Neji as he dropped.
He had him.
（End of Chapter）
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