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In the vast forest north of the Land of Fire, two thousand figures moved rapidly through the treetops.
Their toes lightly touched the tree trunks, and with each leap, they covered dozens of meters.
Behind them, only leaves stirred by the strong wind remained.
Sweat constantly dripped from their faces.
No one spoke.
The air was filled only with the whistling of the wind and the rustling of branches and leaves as they passed.
At the front of the team, Kakashi Hatake's figure was the fastest.
"What exactly happened to the village?"
They had been rushing back since receiving the order.
The order contained only a brief sentence: Kumogakure invasion, return to help immediately!
No matter how these Kumogakure shinobi got past the border, for the village to issue a recall order for help, the number of invaders must be huge.
He tightened his grip on the short sword left by his father. His figure rose again, shooting from the top of a giant tree toward the distance.
Behind him, two thousand Konoha shinobi, not a single one falling behind, charged across the rolling forest toward the eye of the storm.
At the same time, in Konoha, the streets leading to the shelter were in chaos.
In the nearby alley, the appearance of Hiruzen and Orochimaru blocked off all exits.
The alley was dimly lit, with only the Sharingan glowing with an ominous red light through the mask's eyeholes.
Obito's movements stopped as he looked at the two who had him surrounded, one in front and one behind. He said in a distorted voice, "So, the one on the city wall was a shadow clone."
Looking at the Sharingan showing beneath the mask, Hiruzen's expression was serious as he questioned, "Who exactly are you? What is your purpose in sneaking into Konoha?"
Obito beneath the mask let out an aged laugh.
"Who I am? It doesn't matter."
"What matters is that I've come to take what I want."
His gaze passed over the two of them, landing on Uzumaki Kushina, who was protected by Anbu not far away.
Just then, boom!
The nearby wall exploded!
Through the scattering debris, Tsunade, who had rushed over after hearing the noise, burst out in rage. "Whether you're human or ghost! If you dare to make a move here, you'll die!"
Before her words finished, the ground beneath Tsunade's feet cracked, and she had already rushed in front of Obito.
She threw a punch, aiming straight for his face!
This punch was enough to split mountains and break rocks!
Obito merely stood there, not dodging or avoiding.
Just as the punch was about to connect, a strange scene happened.
Tsunade's fist passed directly through Obito's head, slamming heavily into the wall behind him!
Rumble!
The entire wall was turned to dust.
"What?!"
Tsunade's beautiful eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.
It missed?
No, it passed through him!
"Genjutsu?" Hiruzen immediately made a judgment, forming hand seals. "Release!"
But the masked figure in front of him remained standing there, unchanged.
It wasn't genjutsu!
"Interesting," Orochimaru said, his vertical pupils full of curiosity. "A space-time ninjutsu that can make the body pass-through? What an incredible jutsu."
"Roar!"
Enma roared.
Hiruzen no longer waited, summoning his old partner. The Adamantine Staff instantly extended, sweeping across!
This time, Obito moved.
His body became pass-through again, allowing the Adamantine Staff to go through him.
The next moment, he appeared like a ghost in the center of the chaotic street!
"This is bad!" Hiruzen's face changed drastically, immediately understanding the opponent's plan.
The masked man kicked a burning barbecue stall!
Crash!
Charcoal and hot oil splattered everywhere. The wooden stall instantly caught fire, and the flames, helped by the wind, shot up high. Thick smoke billowed!
"Ah!"
Nearby civilians screamed in terror, scattering and running.
"Bastard! Save the civilians first!" Tsunade roared, giving up the chase and turning to rush toward the area affected by the flames.
With a wave of her hands, she pushed the flames to the other side, while at the same time picking up a terrified child and throwing him to a safe zone.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, flung several long snakes. They coiled around several fallen villagers and dragged them away from the fire.
Just as the trio's attention was pulled away by the civilians, Obito's figure had vanished from its original spot.
On the other side, Kushina, surrounded by Anbu, protected her lower belly with one hand and clutched a kunai with the other, watching her surroundings carefully.
The moment Obito disappeared, she suddenly felt a spatial wave behind her.
Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately turned and stabbed out with the kunai!
To capture Kushina, Obito had to come out of his pass-through state.
And the moment he became solid, the kunai was already at his face!
"Hmph."
Obito let out a cold snort, raising his left hand and deflecting the kunai with the back of his hand.
His right hand, meanwhile, transformed into a claw. Spatial distortion appeared in his palm as he reached for Kushina's shoulder, preparing to pull her into the Kamui dimension!
Kushina's pupils shrank.
Her body, slightly slowed by pregnancy, had already put her at a disadvantage in this exchange, making it impossible to dodge!
It looked like he was about to succeed!
"Now!" Hiruzen roared.
His long combat experience allowed him to immediately grab the opportunity.
Whoosh!
The Adamantine Staff instantly surged forward, arriving later but striking first, aiming directly for the masked man's ribs!
This strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless!
It blocked off the masked man's escape route!
Obito's expression changed slightly. He now had to choose: either take Hiruzen's strike and forcefully capture the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, or give up the attack and become pass-through again to dodge?
The attack arrived in an instant.
No time to think. His right hand, which had touched Kushina, instantly let go, and his body once again became pass-through!
The Adamantine Staff passed through his body without stopping, striking empty air.
Kushina, meanwhile, was pushed back by the strong wind created by the staff and was steadily caught by another Anbu who arrived with Body Flicker, escaping the danger.
Damn it!
Obito's face was grim as he slowly straightened up.
He glanced at the unharmed Kushina, then at the three master and student figures who had locked onto him again.
The best opportunity had been lost, and Kamui's time was almost up!
If he kept fighting, there was no chance of winning.
"Enough." He spoke in a rough voice. "The game ends here."
"Today, I merely came to greet you all."
He suddenly formed hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A giant fireball burst out, whistling toward the chaotic crowd!
"You wouldn't dare!" Hiruzen and Orochimaru formed hand seals at the same time. "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Two water walls shot into the sky, blocking the fireball. Hot steam instantly filled the area.
In this vast white mist, only the masked man's last words remained.
"This false world will eventually come to an end in the dream of Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Then, his body, along with that crimson Sharingan, was sucked into a whirlpool, disappearing without a trace.
The steam faded away.
The street was a mess, with civilians crying out.
Looking at the vanished masked man, Hiruzen's face was grim. The veins on his hand gripping the Adamantine Staff bulged.
Tsunade stomped her foot in anger, her face filled with frustration.
Only Orochimaru had an expression of interest on his face. His long tongue licked his lips. "He has to become solid the moment he attacks, huh. Hehehe, an interesting weakness."
He glanced at the huge earth wall in the distance, muttering to himself, "How will that person view this rat?"