"Let go of him!"
The shout rang out behind him, followed by the hiss of a blade slicing through the air.
Obito slowly raised his right hand, the skin darkening as chakra coursed through it.
Clang!
The blade struck the back of his hand with a crunch yet it was as if the edge had turned blunt. Not even a scratch was left on his skin.
"Nani?!"
A startled cry echoed.
Without hurry, Obito opened the swirling distortion of Kamui in plain view, dragging the Cloud shinobi he'd been gripping with his left hand into the warped space.
"Stop!"
The newcomer roared, lunging again with his sword.
Obito's eyes shifted back to their inky hue as he turned, expression unmoved. He extended his palm calmly to meet the strike.
Clang!
Once more, the blade bit into his hand but failed to cut through. Obito's fingers snapped shut, pinching the sword's edge as if it were nothing.
The white-haired young man strained with both hands on the hilt, but Obito's grip was unyielding. The weapon refused to budge.
"Tch… Earth Release hardening technique…?" the youth muttered, recognizing the unnatural toughness. Sparks of blue chakra began flickering across his body.
"Then I'll counter with Lightning Release—basic shinobi knowledge."
Yet before he could channel lightning chakra into his blade, something else filled his vision: a pitch-black sole.
"Gahhh—!"
Pain exploded across his face. The kick launched him backward, ripping the sword from his grasp.
His body smashed into a wall with a thunderous bang, stone and dust collapsing around him. He crashed through and tumbled into the rubble beyond.
"Cough—cough—haaah…"
The sound of hacking breaths followed.
"Damn… that guy… way too strong…"
The youth staggered to his feet, clutching his face. Blood dripped from his nose.
"Bridge of my nose is broken… it hurts so bad… my head's spinning…"
He swayed, eyes dazed, yet still forced himself upright.
The next second, the young man suddenly stiffened. When he looked up, he saw the masked man's gaze fixed directly on him...calm, faint, and utterly unreadable.
Obito, however, was the one who faltered for a moment.
White hair. Dark skin. Tattoos on his shoulders—"雷" (Lightning) on the right, "水" (cloud) on the left.
No way… It's you. The future Fifth Raikage, Darui.
Obito's eyes narrowed slightly. "No wonder you looked familiar."
Darui froze under that stare, sweat running down his temple.
Don't move… don't move…!
Obito, meanwhile, fell into thought.
I've already turned a future Mizukage into one of my tools… should I do the same with this one?
But as his eyes drifted back to Darui...rigid, nervous, and already drenched in cold sweat Obito quickly dismissed the idea.
Forget it. This guy looks dumb. And worse he's ugly.
He smirked under the mask. Think about it: the subordinates I've collected so far, every one of them is at least pleasant to look at.
That's a good standard. Why ruin it now? Having some ugly fool hanging around in front of me all day would just piss me off.
No. From here on, only eye-catchers qualify.
And don't get the wrong idea... I'm definitely not a racist.
Just then, something caught his attention.
Speaking of… this blonde chick isn't bad.
"—Cloud Rising Dragon!"
A sharp cry rang out as a blonde kunoichi with an impressive figure came flying at him like a cannonball.
Obito tilted his body slightly to the side, effortlessly dodging. His hand shot out, seizing her arm, and with a twist and a heave
"Hmph…!"
She was thrown clean through the air. Yet her reflexes were sharp; she flipped midair, landed lightly on her feet, and slid back several meters before stopping.
"Darui, that wasn't cool at all."
The woman straightened her back, her sharp eyes cutting toward him.
"Samui… ah…" Darui gave a bitter smile.
"Be careful," he warned. "He's strong."
"I know. Anyone daring enough to invade Kumogakure isn't a simple opponent."
Samui's gaze locked on Obito, calm yet burning with defiance. "But still… the way he looks at me is annoying. Not cool at all."
"Ahem…"
Obito coughed lightly, averting his eyes. He had to admit...her words weren't wrong.
His gaze had, indeed, been distracted for a moment by the grand spectacle of the kunoichi's chest.
"Ahem… this young lady, mind telling me your age?"
Obito coughed lightly, trying to mask his moment of embarrassment.
"I've got nothing to say to you."
Samui's voice was cold. She leapt forward, blade in hand, and slashed in a rapid backhand arc.
"—Cloud-Style: Swift Cut!"
Her sword light roared toward him.
Obito's lips curled into a faint smile. He lifted the broad blade he'd stolen from Darui.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Steel clashed again and again as he parried each strike, his movements calm and precise.
Then, in the opening between her slashes, Obito flicked his weapon upward, knocking Samui's short sword from her grasp.
In an instant, the heavy blade pressed against her shoulder, its edge kissing the side of her neck.
"Now," Obito said smoothly, "can you tell me your age?"
"…"
Samui's jaw tightened. She felt the cold weight of steel grazing her skin. At last, through clenched teeth, she spat:
"Fifteen."
Obito's eyebrows shot up beneath the mask.
Wait… fifteen?!
With that scale? That kind of… grandeur? At her age?
His mind moved in a wrong direction. That's some absurd, next-level talent right there.
Massive talent.
"Ahem… girl, are you interested in..."
He was already halfway into spinning some shameless line, ready to fool and abduct her, when his expression suddenly shifted.
Boom!
A firework lit up the night sky in the distance brilliant, urgent.
Obito's pupils narrowed. That was the distress signal he'd arranged with Terumi Mei.
Without another word, he released the blade and vanished in a flicker.
Clang~
The broadsword slipped from his grip and crashed to the ground.
"Hoo…"
Samui let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her shoulders loosened.
"…Whew. Saved."
Behind her, Darui finally allowed himself to exhale, relief etched across his face.
"You… you're really not cool at all. You didn't help me just now."
Samui's tone was icy as her eyes flicked toward Darui, who had already slouched back into his usual lazy posture.
This guy hadn't moved an inch the whole time.
"Don't give me a hard time," Darui muttered with a wry smile. "My head's still spinning. I can barely stand."
Then his gaze narrowed slightly. "By the way… why did that masked guy suddenly leave?"
"Sa… who knows…" Samui exhaled, still unsettled.
Meanwhile, on the other side
The scenery warped as Obito flickered through space with Flying Thunder God. In the next instant, the world in front of him erupted.
A massive fireball surged toward them.
"Tch."
Obito reacted instantly. He swept Terumi Mei into his arms and vanished again, the blazing inferno slamming into the spot they'd just vacated.
BOOM!
Flames engulfed the area, the explosion rattling buildings as firestorms roared across the night. For a moment, the darkness of Kumogakure was lit like day.
On the rooftop of a nearby structure, Obito materialized. He glanced down at Mei, still in his arms.
"You okay?"
"It's not serious," Mei replied, panting softly, her head leaning against his shoulder. "My chakra's just drained. I can't move properly."
"That's fine," Obito said evenly.
"…Sorry. I didn't manage to destroy the intel building. In the end, I had to trouble you to save me…" Mei's voice was low with regret.
"It doesn't matter." Obito shook his head, his gaze shifting toward the source of the fireball. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"After all, your opponent isn't something so simple…"
"Roooaaar!!"
From within the flames, a monstrous silhouette emerged.
A colossal cat wreathed in blue chakra fire stood towering against the night. Its twin tails lashed like whips, scattering sparks.
Twin eyes...one golden, one blue, gleamed like yin and yang, burning with savage fury.
The Two-Tails, Matatabi, roared into the sky.
Obito's Sharingan reflected the beast's form, surprise flickering in his gaze.
"…So it's lost control, huh?"
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