Chapter 55: The Decisive Battle Begins
After all, his opponent was Uchiha Obito. Uchiha Naoki naturally didn't dare to be careless. He was well aware that Obito possessed the heaven-defying technique, Izanagi. Facing what would be his toughest battle yet, he couldn't afford to relax.
In addition to formulating tactics based on his intelligence advantages, he needed to continuously strengthen his own power. His Sharingan, Observation Haki, Devil Fruit abilities, and Armament Haki—none could be neglected.
Of course... he also needed to stock up on high-quality soldier pills. These were like the compressed biscuits of his previous life. The taste was indeed terrible, but they effectively restored stamina. With the help of Life Return, he could quickly recover from weakness and re-enter the fight. As long as he could significantly improve his endurance, he wouldn't be so passive when facing Obito's 'Izanagi'.
Three Days Later...
After placing the last explosive tag into his Kamui dimension, Uchiha Obito also vanished into a spatial vortex. "Perish, Uchiha Naoki!"
With the detailed intelligence brought back by 'Zetsu' some time ago, he was confident he could completely handle Uchiha Naoki. No matter how mysterious Naoki's abilities were, he couldn't prevent his own death.
It was worth noting that Uchiha Obito had put on the 'tiger-striped' mask he wore during the invasion of Konoha, which looked even more chilling.
...
Amegakure, Beneath the Waterfall at the Edge of the 'Lake Sea'...
Uchiha Naoki, who was training his body, suddenly sensed something. He opened his eyes and stood up from under the waterfall.
The next moment, the space in front of him distorted.
Uchiha Obito, dressed just as he was during the Konoha invasion, descended before Uchiha Naoki.
Seeing Uchiha Naoki's calm and composed demeanor, Uchiha Obito was slightly surprised. "You don't seem surprised by my arrival."
Uchiha Naoki couldn't help but laugh. "Should I be surprised to see the murderer who wants me dead appear before me?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Obito narrowed his eyes. "How do you know I want to kill you? I don't recall showing any flaw that would allow you to sense my killing intent."
Uchiha Naoki sneered. "If I were really that (chídùn - slow, obtuse), I would have died long ago in Konoha Village. Back when I made an enemy of you in Konoha, and after I joined Akatsuki, I also discovered the 'Zetsu' you sent to monitor me. Then, through a series of missions, you found my growth rate a bit too fast, a bit beyond your control, so you feared I would mature and become a threat to you."
He looked directly at Uchiha Obito. "For someone who cannot be controlled, what do you think is the best solution?"
Uchiha Obito replied without hesitation, "Kill him!"
Uchiha Naoki immediately smiled and spread his hands. "So, why should I be surprised by your arrival?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Obito's eyes narrowed further. "I see." His tone was icy, filled with murderous intent. "I thought I had already overestimated you, but it seems I underestimated you. You actually deduced my thought process perfectly. Indeed, killing you is an extremely correct decision!"
At this, he suddenly smiled, very arrogantly. "Don't worry, I will make good use of your Sharingan. So, you can die in peace!"
Uchiha Naoki's smile grew brighter. "Interesting!" But then his expression sharpened. "Then let's see who kills whom!"
It was only the end of Konoha year 56 now! Uchiha Obito's peak strength in the original story, during the Konoha crush in year 64, was still more than seven years away! Even though he was strong, he wasn't so powerful that Uchiha Naoki couldn't handle him.
Moreover, half a day ago, the tadpoles had brought him a special product from the One Piece world—'The Power of Fruit Awakening.' Although it was only a fragmented version, it still increased his fruit development progress from 61% to 68%.
After the fruit awakened, besides improvements in basic attributes like strength and reaction speed, the more important aspect was the greater freedom in controlling the fruit's power. This meant more concentrated destructive force!
Additionally, after awakening, the fruit could directly affect the surrounding environment, creating a terrain advantage.
If Uchiha Naoki's strength when fighting Yugito Nii could be considered decent at the Kage level, then after awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan, obtaining intermediate Armament Haki, and completing the Three-Tails capture mission, his strength had already reached the Five Kage level. Now, after the fruit awakening and further development progress, his strength could be said to be approaching the Third Hokage's peak. Suppressing the Fourth Mizukage alone was no problem.
If Uchiha Obito wanted to kill him, he had to be prepared to be killed himself.
"Fire Style: Blazing Wild Dance!"
Uchiha Obito made the first move, starting with a Fire Release technique enhanced by Kamui's power. The scorching flames followed the twisted path of spacetime, spiraling and lashing out like a whip of fire. Extremely fast! The moment the flames were released, they were already descending upon him, claws bared, giving him no chance to form seals to counter.
"So strong, Uchiha Obito!" Uchiha Naoki's body elementalized as he charged directly into the flames. "Magma Style: Crimson Canine!"
Sizzle!
A lava hound erupted from the center of the spiral, forcibly tearing through the flames and landing before Uchiha Obito.
However!
"I admit your strength is quite good, but it's a pity..." Uchiha Obito immediately phased his body, allowing the superheated lava hound to pass through him harmlessly. "It has no effect on me!"
But the moment the hound completely passed through him, it abruptly turned around. Obito quickly formed hand seals and slammed the ground. "Sealing Technique: Spirit Seal!"
A terrifying black curse seal flew out from the ground, emitting an extremely oppressive aura. It then rose like a net, about to envelop Uchiha Naoki.
Hiss!!
Facing this oppressive curse net, Uchiha Naoki instinctively felt resistance.
"Lava Burst Shot!"
Majestic lava erupted from the ground beneath Uchiha Naoki, propelling him, who was about to be touched by the curse, skyward, avoiding this strange attack.
"Tch, what quick reflexes!" Uchiha Obito gritted his teeth. "No wonder he could defeat the Fourth Mizukage!"
This sealing technique was specially chosen by him to restrain Uchiha Naoki. If it succeeded, the target's chakra would be completely sealed, and their physical strength slowly drained. Most importantly, the technique was irreversible. No matter how strange Uchiha Naoki's abilities were, he still needed chakra to activate them. Therefore, as long as Naoki's chakra was sealed...
"Meteor Shower!"
Having just dodged the curse seal attack, Uchiha Naoki scattered a sky-full of fire rain, precisely striking every part of Uchiha Obito's body.
"Hmph, a ridiculous notion!" Facing the attacks coming from all directions, Uchiha Obito snorted disdainfully. Was Uchiha Naoki questioning his mastery of the phasing ability?
His Sharingan eyes darted up, down, left, and right, rapidly tracking each incoming attack and making split-second responses. He avoided every single attack, not taking a single bit of damage.