Chapter 59: The Psychological Warfare
The next moment...
Uchiha Obito reappeared in the distance, quite far from Uchiha Naoki. Moreover, he was in a fully defensive posture to avoid being instantly attacked and killed upon appearing.
But!
This time, nothing happened!
Seeing this scene, Uchiha Naoki couldn't help but tease, "Surprised? Shocked? You specifically defended yourself this time, but I didn't attack you at all!"
Facing Uchiha Naoki's playful expression, as if watching a monkey, Uchiha Obito gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. "You've toyed with me multiple times, you bastard... Just you wait!!!"
But!
"Have I?" Uchiha Naoki smiled slyly upon hearing this and stomped the ground. "Lava Burst Shot!"
BOOM!
A pillar of crimson lava immediately shot out, directly submerging Uchiha Obito, whose lungs were nearly exploding from rage. Seeing this, Uchiha Obito's eyes contracted sharply, but he couldn't dodge in time.
Whether he admitted it or not, Uchiha Naoki was truly toying with him.
"Ahhh!!!"
Another scream. Izanagi's time had arrived.
But!
Even so, Uchiha Naoki didn't dare to let his guard down. What if Uchiha Obito could last a little longer?
Whoosh!
The next moment, Uchiha Obito attacked again from behind Uchiha Naoki. Undoubtedly, Uchiha Naoki elementalized to evade and retreated into the distance.
Through his Observation Haki, Uchiha Naoki suddenly sensed the disappearance of a strange fluctuation.
"Izanagi's power has dissipated. That Sharingan... is finally blinded." After landing, Uchiha Naoki guessed internally.
"Uchiha Naoki..." Uchiha Obito looked at him, the eyes visible under the mask burning with hatred, as if he wished he could burn Uchiha Naoki to death on the spot. "Don't think you've won!!"
"I admit I underestimated you just now, and before. I thought I had paid enough attention to you. I naively believed that as long as I controlled your lava ability, you wouldn't pose much of a threat. But I ignored that your very existence is the most dangerous thing."
His body slowly distorted and vanished. Uchiha Naoki immediately felt the spatial distortion approaching.
Uchiha Obito's voice continued, "But next time, don't even think about leading me by the nose. I won't give you any more chances!!"
In a flash before his eyes, Uchiha Naoki returned to the shinobi world. Uchiha Obito naturally didn't dare to trap him in the Kamui dimension. What if, while confronting other enemies in the future, the body he transferred was attacked by Uchiha Naoki from inside? Wouldn't that be the end?
"Meteor Shower!"
The moment he appeared, dense flames shot forth from Uchiha Naoki's body, aimed at Uchiha Obito.
"Give it up! Do you think the same trick will work on me again?!" Uchiha Obito immediately created a shadow clone and phased his body again, allowing the meteor fire rain to pass through him. "This time, I won't be as careless as before, giving you the chance to severely injure me!!"
His Sharingan spun rapidly. No matter how dense the meteor shower, it couldn't harm him in the slightest. Having a shadow clone at his back also ensured that Uchiha Naoki's previous tricks couldn't be repeated, preventing attacks from behind.
"See, Uchiha Naoki! All your attacks are useless against me. Give up these futile attempts!" Uchiha Obito was half proud, half sarcastic. "As long as I face you calmly and composedly, you will no longer have any advantage!"
"I admit you performed so well earlier that you led me by the nose. But I will never repeat the mistakes I've made. You have no chance!"
He tried to see solemnity and tension on Uchiha Naoki's face. That way, he could salvage some dignity and comfort his wounded pride.
But!
"Is that so?" Uchiha Naoki smiled. "Are you sure you won't make mistakes again?"
These words threw Uchiha Obito into panic, nearly causing him to phase the wrong target and injure himself.
"No, no! This guy is deliberately disturbing my mental state to find my flaws! Uchiha Obito, calm down!"
He forced himself to remain calm, facing Uchiha Naoki, this formidable enemy, with an absolutely rational attitude.
"Clearly, his strength isn't higher than mine, but he possesses such terrifying intelligence-gathering abilities. That's why he could push me into a desperate situation and even force me to use Izanagi to save my life."
"It's also because the information he holds is too fatal to me that my mental state was disturbed, allowing him to lead me by the nose!"
"Because his intelligence is so comprehensive, even my Kamui, Mangekyō genjutsu, and Izanagi—my three trump cards—are greatly diminished before him."
"He's not better than me. It's just that I underestimated him before, and he had the intelligence advantage, which made me so disgraced."
Uchiha Obito kept rationalizing to himself. He had fallen into such a disadvantage not because he was weaker, but because his opponent's intelligence was too overpowering. As long as that intelligence advantage was neutralized, he wouldn't fear Uchiha Naoki.
Seeing Uchiha Obito like this, Uchiha Naoki laughed again. Even with his eyes closed, Uchiha Obito felt completely seen through.
"The look in your eyes tells me you're a bit unconfident. What? Is this how the successor of Uchiha Madara, the dignified mastermind behind the shinobi world, behaves?"
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Obito's eyes contracted again. Though he immediately calmed down and maintained his composure, he couldn't help but ask, "What Uchiha Madara? I don't understand what you're talking about!"
Uchiha Naoki wore a mocking expression. "Fine, then I'll say something you can understand!"
"One of Kamui's abilities: Phasing! When attacked, transfer the corresponding body part to the Kamui dimension, nullifying the attack!"
"Ability Two: Allows you to switch between reality and the Kamui dimension, enabling you to absorb and release objects."
"But the drawback is that when absorbing, releasing, or attacking the opponent, your body materializes and cannot move. And the duration of phasing is limited!"
Sensing Uchiha Obito's violently fluctuating emotions again, Uchiha Naoki asked leisurely, "I wonder how long you can last?"
Without giving Uchiha Obito a chance to speak, he smiled playfully. "I'd guess... no more than five minutes!"
These words shocked Uchiha Obito. "How do you even know this?!" His eyes were extremely dark. "Who are you?! Why do you know so much about my abilities?!"
His mind was in chaos again! Uchiha Naoki's already mysterious figure became even more bizarre and unpredictable in his eyes. For no reason, a trace of fear flowed through his heart.
But Uchiha Naoki didn't answer him. Instead, he suddenly declared, like a demon, "Then, hold on like a man for six minutes!"
Uchiha Obito, upon hearing this, realized that at some point, the density of the fire rain in the surrounding sky had increased several times over. The scorching, fist-sized rocks poured down toward him like a torrential downpour.