Shindai and Kannazuki were locked in a fierce battle against Kakashi and Obito.
Naruto and the five-man team hiding nearby watched in awe.
Naruto stared wide-eyed, exclaiming, "This... is this what a jonin's strength looks like?"
Sasuke also kept his gaze fixed on Shindai. "Never expected that guy who acts so harsh all the time would actually be this powerful."
"Big brother Shindai has always been known as a hero, so of course he's strong. However, I'm more worried about how they'll resolve this now. Obviously big brother Shindai is really angry this time—he seems... lost control. Otherwise, according to everyone's usual descriptions about him, he should be using dishonorable tricks instead. But this time he's being so wild."
Shikamaru observed the fighting scene with concern.
Choji ate his snacks faster and faster, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as he stared.
Hinata was also watching with intense concentration.
Kakashi, at a disadvantage in Ninjutsu, opted for close-range Taijutsu to deny Shindai time to form hand seals.
Shindai's Taijutsu ability in close-range fighting was notoriously terrible. Sure enough, Kakashi kicked him away again.
Shindai tried to leap skyward, but Kakashi and Obito blocked his ascent—engaging an opponent from below was a losing battle.
Tobi used a Fire Release technique to drive back Kannazuki, who was covered in iron sand blades, then drew a chain and hurled it at Shindai.
Shindai tried dodging, but Kakashi used Water Release techniques—massive water bullets shot toward Shindai, blocking his movements.
Shindai blocked these water bullets with iron sand, but his left calf got entangled by the chain and Tobi slammed him heavily onto the ground.
During this attack gap, Shindai completed his hand seals.
[Supernova Shindai!]
Seeing the sphere in Shindai's hands, Kakashi's and Obito's hair stood on end.
They exchanged glances—they had really angered Shindai this time.
Kakashi and Tobi simultaneously ran toward Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha, arriving beside Kushina Uzumaki and Rin Nohara.
Kakashi whispered urgently, "No choice anymore—you get ready anytime."
"I know!"
Tobi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, standing ready to deploy Kamui and transport Shindai's Supernova Shindai into another dimension.
Just as Shindai wanted to throw his Supernova Shindai, he saw Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha over there, which made him stop mid-motion.
Kakashi and Tobi both exhaled in relief—they had succeeded.
But immediately their hearts tightened again—even though Shindai dispersed the Supernova Shindai, he formed new hand seals and released another jutsu.
[Magnet Release – Negative Polarity Shift]
Shindai instantly inverted the magnetic field, creating a powerful shockwave reminiscent of Deva Path's Shinra Tensei.
Kakashi and Obito tried to brace against the impact, but were still sent flying.
Fortunately, Kushina Uzumaki braced herself against a tree trunk and grabbed hold of Obito's chain, pulling both him and Kakashi back to safety.
Just as Kakashi and Obito landed after the shockwave, a surge of iron sand emerged behind them. The iron sand molded itself into Kannazuki's form, and its blade slashed toward Kakashi's neck.
Obito shoved Kakashi aside with force, but took a slash to his own arm in the process.
Moments later, Obito collapsed to the ground. Iron sand had seeped into Obito's body, paralyzing him and leaving him unable to fight.
Meanwhile, Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha had just regained consciousness from the earlier shockwave. When they saw their current situation, panic surged through them, and they began to struggle—until Kushina Uzumaki's voice cut through the air.
Kushina whispered softly, "It's us."
Pakura and Hikaku were confused—what was going on?
"Just go along with us. This time, we want to knock some sense into Shindai!"
Pakura and Hikaku turned their gazes toward Shindai at the same time. Looking at Shindai's bloodshot eyes, he did seem somewhat disoriented.
But this daze was likely something Kushina and the others had orchestrated. So she wasn't talking about snapping him out of it—what exactly did she mean then?
With Kannazuki's body turned into iron sand, the Ninja-Ware embedded within him now passed into Shindai's hands.
Shindai retrieved a card and inserted it into the Ninja-Ware.
[Identification successful. Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!]
A blazing fireball imbued with Scorch Release flared to life in Shindai's palm.
Kakashi's entire team turned to look at Pakura. Pakura looked uneasy—it was a Scorch Release jutsu she had sealed into the card at Shindai's request.
Shindai split the large fireball into four smaller ones. Kannazuki dispersed into iron sand, floating behind Kakashi, Obito, Pakura, and Hikaku—cutting off all escape routes.
Just as Shindai was about to launch his attack, Kushina Uzumaki pulled out two kunai and lightly held them near the necks of Pakura and Hikaku—one on each side.
Seeing this, Shindai immediately froze.
Shindai snarled in anger, "You're truly despicable!"
Kushina disguised her voice and said, "To a ninja, being called despicable is practically a compliment. Your choice is simple: you die, they live."
Shindai took a small step forward, and the kunai edged closer by a fraction.
Three seconds. If you haven't decided by then, we all die. Our target is only you—their survival means nothing to us. If they hold no value to you, hesitate all you want. Besides, this fight isn't over after that… and right now, you've got no hope of winning.
Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha immediately understood what Kushina Uzumaki meant by "clearing Shindai's mind."
Although they strongly disapproved of this approach, deep down, both women also wanted to see what Shindai was thinking.
Shindai glared furiously at Deva Path — Kushina Uzumaki disguised as Deva Path — though at the same time, a strange feeling stirred in his heart.
Kushina had already begun counting down, giving Shindai no chance to think.
When Kushina counted to 'two,' Shindai pulled out a kunai and stabbed himself in the heart.
At this moment, Kakashi, Kushina, and Hikaku sprang into action immediately. They had expected Shindai to make his move when the count reached 'one,' though they never anticipated such swift action.
Kakashi used the Shifting Body Technique to reach Shindai's side and grabbed his hand. Kushina restrained Shindai with Adamantine Sealing Chains, while Hikaku controlled Shindai's body using the Eight Trigrams Sealing Array Imprint.
But even before Kakashi arrived, a yellow flash streaked past — Minato Namikaze had already intercepted Shindai.
Obito, lying on the ground, laughed heartily, saying, "Haha, Shindai, you've been tricked by us!"
Shindai stared blankly at Kushina and the others now revealed, feeling as though his head were about to explode.
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