"Can I really use Space-Time Ninjutsu in reality? No… no, this is wrong—I've fallen into that genjutsu again! "
Uchiha Obito stared in shock at the figure of Uchiha Fugaku.
After a fleeting moment of disbelief, the realization struck him—he'd been caught in that genjutsu once more.
"Release!"
Obito poured his chakra into the Sharingan of his right eye, trying to dispel the illusion.
The Uchiha clan's Sharingan could break genjutsu, and though his Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't specialized for illusions, its power far surpassed that of a regular Sharingan.
Fugaku's genjutsu was formidable, but Obito believed his Mangekyō could dispel it.
Yet, to his dismay, the illusion held firm.
Despite unleashing his full power, the genjutsu's barrier remained—unyielding, like an impenetrable wall of steel. No matter how much chakra he forced through his eye, he couldn't break free.
He couldn't shatter Fugaku's genjutsu.
"Such… overwhelming power."
Beneath his mask, Obito's expression darkened. Even he couldn't undo it—proof of just how terrifying Fugaku's genjutsu was.
Had Fugaku's eyes borne the twin tomoe of the Eternal Mangekyō, Obito might have believed him an Eternal Mangekyō user.
He had underestimated his opponent.
Even knowing that Fugaku had killed Uchiha Shisui, Obito had never truly taken him seriously.
Now he was paying the price.
"With your current power, my genjutsu is unbreakable! "
Fugaku didn't move in for the kill.
Obito was currently protected by Izanagi—within its duration, he could revive endlessly no matter how many times he was killed.
"True, I can't break your genjutsu… but that doesn't mean I don't have a way out! "
A sharpened branch materialized in Obito's hand. Without hesitation, he drove it into his own body.
"No!"
Realizing Obito's intent, Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
"Eight Gates Technique—Sixth Gate, View Gate… OPEN!
Seventh Gate, Wonder Gate… OPEN! "
A surge of blue steam erupted around Fugaku, his speed skyrocketing.
He blurred forward like a streak of azure mist, his fist striking at Obito—
—but it passed harmlessly through empty air.
Obito had phased into Kamui's intangibility. In this state, he couldn't harm others, but he could still harm himself.
Squelch!
The sharp branch pierced his torso, sprouting jagged offshoots that tore through his body. His internal organs were shredded beyond repair.
Even with Hashirama's cells enhancing his vitality, Obito collapsed instantly, lifeless.
With his death, the illusory realm of True Genjutsu shattered, and both Obito and Fugaku reappeared in the real world.
Even with his newly awakened Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku needed a brief moment to recover before casting again.
Seizing that chance—
"Kamui: Intangibility! "
Obito phased out of the material plane, his body becoming incorporeal.
Kamui's intangibility activated faster than its teleportation function. Fearing another genjutsu trap during transit, Obito chose to remain intangible.
"True Genjutsu—! "
Fugaku had recovered, but his illusion couldn't take hold—space-time ninjutsu created an overwhelming barrier between them.
Whoosh—
Obito's intangible form darted away.
"Shunshin!"
Fugaku flashed forward, blocking Obito's path and slashing at him with a kunai.
But the blade passed through Obito's ghostly body, and he slipped away.
Fugaku had anticipated this.
Relentlessly, he pursued, flickering through the battlefield with Shunshin, leaving Obito no room to breathe.
Kamui's intangibility had a time limit; as long as Fugaku kept the pressure on, Obito would eventually be forced back into corporeal form.
Whoosh, whoosh—
One fled.
One pursued.
Their chase spilled out of the forest and onto a bustling street.
"A fight! Someone's fighting! "
Civilians and off-duty shinobi alike stopped and stared.
"That's Fugaku-sama, the Uchiha clan head! "
Many recognized him immediately.
But confusion rippled through the crowd.
"Why is he fighting in the streets? And who's his opponent? "
All eyes shifted to Obito.
"Red clouds on black robes… a spiral mask… that's the Wood Release user! "
"Alert the Hokage! Now!
Everyone, give chase! "
Gasps swept the onlookers—
The Wood Release bloodline user had resurfaced in Konoha!
A threat on par with—or even greater than—Orochimaru's last infiltration.
"That's the infamous Wood Release user? But… he's running? Clan Head Fugaku's got him on the defensive! "
Rumors had painted Wood Release users as beings whose power eclipsed even most Kage.
Even Mangekyō-wielding Shisui and eleven elite jōnin had fallen before this man, with only Shisui escaping—gravely injured and one eye lost.
Yet here he was, driven into flight by Fugaku, an elite jōnin.
"…Something's not adding up."
Even those who recognized the masked man were puzzled.
Could this truly be the same terrifying Wood Release shinobi?
Whoosh—
Obito phased through a wall and vanished inside a locked house, hoping to buy time to teleport away.
"Susano'o!"
Fugaku, sensing his plan, acted instantly.
Black skeletal armor erupted around him; a massive hand slammed down, obliterating the structure.
He had already confirmed the house was empty.
BOOM—
Debris engulfed Obito, burying him beneath the rubble.