Yet this time, he miscalculated. Naruto's punch landed squarely on his chin—the sharp snap of breaking bone unmistakable. He flew backward, skimming across the lake's surface before crashing violently into a rock on the shore, leaving a deep, body-shaped hollow in its wake.
"...He hit me."
"I got him!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, not hearing what Tobi had murmured. "That's right! This fight doesn't end until I knock him around myself."
Tobi struggled to stand, half his face grotesquely swollen, a streak of blood trailing beneath his right eye. "That armor..." he thought. It might have been made from some special material, just like that sword—something he was wearing, not consuming. "I hate that family… I really hate them." He decided not to approach Naruto again.
[Fire Seal Technique – Release!] Naruto's left arm became engulfed in black flames. Forming a tiger seal with his right hand, he threw a punch forward. [Sage Art – Dark Flame Dragon Bullet!]
A towering dragon of fire, twelve men tall, burst forth from his fist, claws outstretched, roaring as it surged toward Tobi. Its roar echoed with the fury of an ancient beast and the crackling of raging flames.
"He used the flames sealed by Amaterasu as fuel... clever move. But still too slow."
Tobi muttered under his breath, activating a swirling vortex in his right eye. "You're going to love this," Tobi said, drawing the fire dragon into his vortex before hurling it back—faster, stronger than before. "You're really going to love this."
Naruto wasn't about to sit still and wait for the attack. Bending his knees, he channeled wind chakra to his feet and launched himself upward, soaring high into the air.
As the fire dragon passed beneath him, its new target appeared to be... Tobi?
Cunningly, Tobi activated his spatial ninjutsu, teleporting to the opposite side of the lake, waiting patiently for the fire dragon's arrival. He intended to pull the flames into his right eye again, then send them flying back at airborne Naruto even faster and stronger.
No problem—Naruto still had plenty of airspace to dodge.
"Don't forget, I've got big techniques too," Tobi suddenly called from directly overhead.
Looking up, Naruto found Tobi floating high above, staring down at him solemnly. Using that deadly black fire dragon as bait, Tobi had captured Naruto's focus, successfully concealing his chakra's disappearance.
Instinctively, Naruto threw an uppercut, but Tobi blocked it with his foot—he'd seen it coming all along.
"You fell for it." Tobi said. Naruto felt a powerful suction dragging him into the space within Tobi's Sharingan. "I'll lock you inside here and deal with you later. At least until I take the Nine-Tails, your life is safe."
Instantly creating a Shadow Clone, Naruto shoved it forward as he was pulled into Tobi's otherworldly vortex.
Plummeting through the void, Naruto braced himself for what awaited. The first enemy he faced was none other than the Amaterasu flame dragon he himself had created.
He formed hand seals and extended his left hand, the legacy mark on his palm surging up his entire arm.
[Fire Sealing Method!]
Naruto's arm seemed to transform into a giant vacuum, sucking in the surging flames and drawing them entirely into his body.
He kept falling, and just before hitting the water, he expelled wind chakra from the soles of his feet, slowing his descent and landing steadily on the water's surface.
The moment his foot touched down, Naruto conjured a Sage Art: Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan and slammed it onto the water's surface.
At that exact moment, Tobi emerged from a spatial vortex behind him, ready to launch an attack—but was struck by the sudden geyser of water.
However, this wasn't enough to stop Tobi's assault. Swinging his Uchiha war fan, he unleashed a powerful gust of wind that blew away the water curtain. Yet he soon regretted it—because what awaited him were six Narutos, each wielding a Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan, surrounding him from all directions.
[Sage Art: Super-Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!]
Flames ignited at each of Tobi's fingertips, and forcefully slapping his palm against the water, he summoned a cylindrical wall of fire.
[Uchiha Flame Formation!]
Five clones were instantly engulfed in flames, leaving only Naruto's original body unharmed. Seeing the opening, Naruto dove underwater to avoid the attack. Just as he surfaced again, Tobi struck him directly in the face with a punch.
The blow packed immense strength; Naruto spun across the water like a top before finally stopping. He plunged underwater again, swimming fiercely toward Tobi.
"It won't work. All of this is pointless. Even if you have the Sharingan, you're still blind. You don't even understand the true power of those eyes, do you? You haven't even awakened Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan either."
"This isn't the Mangekyo Sharingan, you idiot!" Naruto thought bitterly. Could that really be true? If not… then how did he know?
"What an idiot," Tobi mocked.
Naruto glared at him furiously, but suddenly his expression changed, as though realizing something important. Of course, it only lasted for an instant—his emotions quickly under control again. Tobi assumed Naruto was merely surprised he could evade all those attacks.
The Nine-Tails naturally sensed Naruto's thoughts, completely attuned to him. "You think it'll work? Are you sure about what you saw?"
"I can see through genjutsu, so this definitely isn't an illusion. I don't know if it'll work, but if it does, I have to take this chance."
Naruto quickly formed hand seals and created five Shadow Clones. Three charged forward to fight Tobi in close combat. Since these clones could also land strikes on Tobi, he had no choice but to split his attention defending himself.
[Fire Release: Flame Bullet!] Tobi leaped backward, dodging the attack while releasing countless fireballs that surrounded Naruto's clones. Hidden inside the fireballs were shuriken, increasing their destructive power and successfully eliminating Naruto's clones.
"What now?" The sound of a sharp chime echoed through the air. Tobi saw Naruto and his remaining clones all forming massive spirals in their palms. Each Rasengan was surrounded by four razor-sharp wind-chakra blades, making them resemble giant shuriken.
"Now!" Naruto and his clones cried out together. The clones disappeared instantly, while the original Naruto threw the Rasengan forward. [Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!]
Idiot.
Tobi remained in place, activated Intangibility, allowing the rapidly spinning Rasenshuriken to pass through his body.
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