Chapter 145: Almost Over
"So close…"
The space twisted, and Obito emerged, looking at Kakashi lying on the ground, his life or death uncertain. After some hesitation, he chose not to kill Kakashi while he had the chance.
What Obito longed for was to defeat Kakashi in a fair and square fight.
Tendō Pain, Naruto, Konan, and Obito gradually gathered together.
"Four of them… This is bad." Tsunade looked at Sasuke standing before her. Even with the Eternal Mangekyō activated, she doubted Sasuke could take on all four at once. "Sasuke, if it's too much, then retreat!"
"No way. I still have to revive the Uchiha Clan in the Hidden Leaf Village." Sasuke rejected her suggestion. After killing Uchiha Itachi, protecting the village had become his new goal.
"I'm here too." Might Guy slowly got to his feet.
"Guy, don't push yourself."
As the strongest medical ninja—and the one best at fighting among them—Tsunade could instantly see the state of Guy's body.
Though the Eight Inner Gates technique could grant the user immense power for a short time, the physical toll was beyond what most could bear. Using it once typically meant half a month of recovery.
"Don't worry, Lady Hokage." Guy clenched his fist. "Now's the time for me to celebrate youth and swear to protect what's important with my life!"
"Formation of the Eight Inner Gates—open!"
Blood-red steam erupted from Might Guy's body. Activating the full formation of the Eight Inner Gates, Guy's power skyrocketed a hundredfold. But as the price, he endured intense pain with every breath. When the technique ended, he would die from complete chakra depletion.
"Guy, think this through—you'll die!"
"It's fine, Lady Hokage." Guy gave a thumbs-up. "Youth doesn't last forever. That's why I must leave behind a brilliant moment while I still can!"
With those words, Guy vanished from sight.
It was a speed that surpassed the peak of taijutsu—on par with space-time ninjutsu.
"Evening Elephant!"
In an instant, he appeared beside Tendō Pain, who was floating in mid-air, and punched him down to the ground.
"It's not over yet!" As he slowly descended, Guy continued pounding the air with his fists, directing shockwaves toward where Pain had landed.
Dust filled the air.
"Did he hit him?" Tsunade stared solemnly at the area where Pain had crashed.
Pain rose back into the air as if nothing had happened, though his Akatsuki cloak was now in tatters.
"Are you alright?"
Konan flew to his side on paper wings.
"I'm fine. That guy isn't someone you can handle. You deal with the others."
Konan glanced at Guy. Though unwilling, she nodded and returned to Naruto and Obito. "Leave that man to the leader. The three of us will handle Uchiha Sasuke."
"Even with the Eternal Mangekyō, handling three opponents at once is too much for Sasuke," Tsunade remarked as she watched him become entangled in combat with the trio.
On the other side, though Guy didn't know how to float using chakra, his taijutsu had surpassed normal limits—allowing him to essentially step on air.
He charged through the air toward Pain.
"Shinra Tensei!"
"Won't work!"
The expected scene—Guy being repelled—didn't happen. Instead, Pain was once again sent crashing to the ground.
Guy landed on the ground, gasping for breath. That last move had cost him a great deal of energy just to break through Shinra Tensei.
"To be able to break through Shinra Tensei… you're truly the strongest opponent I've ever faced."
"Heh… You too, Pain." Guy forced himself to straighten his back.
Pain slowly extended his hand toward Guy. This time, he didn't bother flying back up—it would've been embarrassing to be knocked down from the sky a third time.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
"What?!"
Guy looked down at the ground beneath his feet as pieces of earth began to float upward, wrapping around him.
"Guy!" Tsunade shouted toward the sphere forming in the sky.
"To think you'd force me to use this technique… Impressive. But this is the end." With Guy sealed, Pain finally relaxed and ascended again to resume his posturing. "Today, the Hidden Leaf Village will become history!"
"Damn it!" As the Nine Tails and Susanoo clashed and struggled, Sasuke glanced at Konan and Obito flanking him from both sides.
Though the Totsuka Blade could trap a person in an eternal illusion, it could only be used once in a short period. Sasuke had to save it for Pain.
"Night Guy!"
Suddenly, the floating sphere shattered.
"Impossible! He broke through the Chibaku Tensei seal?!"
Encased in the crimson head of a dragon, Might Guy delivered a devastating kick to Pain.
The dragon's head clamped onto Pain midair and slammed him into the ground, dragging him along and sending up clouds of dust.
"What?!" Obito stared in shock. "When did that guy become this strong?!"
Obito, Kakashi, and Guy had been classmates at the Ninja Academy. Unlike the prodigy Kakashi, both Obito and Guy had been at the bottom of the class.
In fact, Guy had dropped out halfway through the academy.
Only now did Obito recognize Might Guy.
"Damn… I hope Nagato's alright." Worried for Nagato's safety, Konan said to Naruto, "Naruto, we need to retreat for now!"
"Not so fast!"
With Pain defeated, Sasuke no longer had to worry about who to use the Totsuka Blade on.
"Totsuka Blade! That Uchiha Itachi—he didn't just give you his eyes, he gave you gear too!" As a fellow Uchiha, Obito knew full well the power of the Totsuka Blade. "Uchiha Sasuke! You really love this village that your brother destroyed for your sake, huh?!"
Sasuke suddenly froze. "What did you say?!"
"The truth of the Uchiha Massacre—your brother destroyed the clan to protect you!" the Jar Merchant suddenly said, appearing right after Obito's words.
As they prepared to retreat, the Jar Merchant and Boruto made their entrance once more. If they were going to escape, they would all flee together. Only that way would the Hidden Leaf hesitate to pursue them.
"Edogawa Jar, Edogawa Boruto—you're still alive?!" Konan was shocked to see the two suddenly appear.
In her mind, these seemingly unremarkable two should have died long ago.
Underneath Obito's mask, a pleased expression crept onto his face. These two were his allies, after all. Once they escaped the Leaf, they would begin the mission to capture the Nine Tails. Having more help was definitely welcome.
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