The blazing fireball consumed Enkō until nothing remained but fragments that could not so easily be burned away—splintered bones, and twisted, half-melted blades and kunai. These remnants were scattered across the charred, blackened crater left in the earth.
"Well done."
Kyoichi approached with Rin still firmly in his grasp. Glancing at the ashes smoldering in the pit, he smiled and gave Kakashi and Obito his praise.
And so—
The original three-man squad destined for death at Kannabi Bridge had perished, every one of them. Only Kyoichi, the temporary fourth member, remained. In contrast, the one who should have "fallen" in this mission—Uchiha Obito—was still alive, staring daggers at Kyoichi with his twin tomoe Sharingan, eyes brimming with murderous intent.
"That afro's already been killed by me. Now… let Rin go. Immediately."
Obito's glare locked onto Kyoichi.
If Rin weren't still his hostage, Obito would've already thrown himself into battle, ready to decide life and death here and now.
"Let Rin go? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
Kyoichi looked back at him in puzzlement, utterly unafraid of those twin tomoe eyes. If Obito had already awakened the three tomoe, he might not have dared such direct eye contact. But just a two-tomoe Sharingan… He had no fear of its genjutsu.
In fact—
Obito was unleashing a genjutsu at this very moment.
As a true Uchiha, even though he had lost his parents early, he had still received the proper training of his clan. Fire Release, genjutsu, and Uchiha-style shurikenjutsu—he had learned them all. But many of these abilities required the Sharingan to be truly mastered, to bring out their full potential.
Genjutsu was the most typical example.
Though he had received the clan's complete genjutsu education, Obito had never once used it in actual combat. Not because he lacked talent, but because most of the Uchiha's genjutsu were tied to their eyes.
Ninety-nine percent of Uchiha genjutsu were ocular techniques.
Thus, no matter how diligently an Uchiha studied genjutsu, without awakening their eyes it could never go beyond theory, unable to be applied in reality. But the instant one awakened the Sharingan… all those barriers vanished.
Obito was precisely this case.
Once he opened his eyes, not only did his chakra's quality and quantity soar, but his physical ability grew sharper as well. Techniques he had once studied but been unable to wield now came fully under his control.
Genjutsu among them.
Against Enkō, Obito never had the chance—his opponent avoided eye contact with meticulous care. But now… Kyoichi looked him straight in the eye, unguarded.
Obito did not hesitate.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"
A binding illusion—one that drags the target into a genjutsu space, impaling them with massive iron stakes that pin their body in place. The victim's consciousness is trapped, struggling futilely within the illusion, while in reality their body is paralyzed and unable to move.
In an instant—
The world shifted.
Endless crimson darkness stretched on in every direction.
There, within that illusionary space, Obito and Kyoichi stood face to face.
And from Kyoichi's body protruded two enormous iron stakes, one through his left chest, the other piercing his right ribs.
"Uchiha genjutsu, is it? No hand seals, just a glance to ensnare someone… Truly terrifying."
Kyoichi lowered his gaze to examine the stakes pinning his "consciousness body." The pain they brought was real enough. But after all, the so-called consciousness body was no more than a projection of the mind's form—there were no vital points here, no true body to damage.
What mattered was not where the stakes pierced, but how many.
The number of stakes represented the strength of the technique.
Two stakes—already impressive within the Uchiha clan. Even among those with fully developed three-tomoe Sharingan, many could manage only two. Three stakes marked a genuine expert. Four… only a rare handful in the entire clan could achieve such mastery.
Which meant—
Obito was a genius.
If nothing else, in genjutsu his talent was unquestionable.
"This is the price of underestimating the Uchiha—huh?!"
Obito's eyes went wide.
From the shadows, a pitch-black hand suddenly seized the kunai in his grasp. Impossible! His target, bound by the Shackling Stakes, should have been frozen in place, unable to move. Yet Kyoichi stood before him unfazed, intercepting his sudden strike as if the illusion had no hold over him at all.
"Underestimate the Uchiha? How could I dare?"
Kyoichi's tone was mocking, but not dismissive.
"In this bloodline-obsessed world, who dares underestimate the Uchiha? But… a mere two-tomoe Sharingan does not represent your clan. If you want to lecture me in the name of the Uchiha… wait until you've awakened the Mangekyō."
With a sudden squeeze, Kyoichi's hand crushed the kunai—finely forged steel reduced to scrap as easily as if it were clay. Then, with the same motion, he swatted Obito aside like trash, sending him tumbling through the fallen bamboo leaves.
At the same time—
He pivoted and drove his left foot backward in a brutal kick—
Meeting a flash of white steel head-on!
The gleaming short blade, the White Fang's legacy, cut through the sole of Kyoichi's sandal. But it could not bite into the inky-black flesh of his foot. Instead, the overwhelming force transmitted back through the blade hurled Kakashi away, slamming him into a giant bamboo stalk with a resounding crash.
"Kh—!"
Obito rolled through the leaves and forced himself upright, coughing harshly before steadying his breath.
Lifting his head—
His gaze fixed on Kyoichi once more, dead serious.
This time,
He did not attempt genjutsu again.
If the Shackling Stakes had failed, then the rest of his arsenal—none of it would succeed. Not until his ocular power advanced, not until he mastered higher-level techniques… Against this enemy, genjutsu was useless.
"You… how did you break my Shackling Stakes Technique?"
Though he knew full well he might never receive an answer, Obito could not stop himself from asking.
***************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell