Chapter 272: Tobi
"Wh-what is that monster?!"
"It's Shukaku! Our Hidden Sand's ultimate weapon! Hahaha, Konoha is finished!"
"Excellent! Finally, this moment has arrived! Let Konoha Village be destroyed quickly!"
"Hurry! Take advantage of this to crush them in one strike!"
Shukaku's mountain-like massive body appearing in Konoha's center instantly caused drastic changes in the battlefield situation. Konoha's ninja and villagers who hadn't evacuated in time fell into tremendous panic.
Meanwhile, the invading Hidden Sand and Sound ninja erupted in frenzied cheers. However, they seemed to overlook something—would an out-of-control Tailed Beast really distinguish friend from foe?
After earth-shaking roars, Shukaku suddenly opened its giant maw. The chakra it had just recovered, which should have been used for escape, was forcibly extracted, rapidly condensing in its mouth into a purple-black sphere emanating destructive fluctuations.
A Tailed Beast Bomb.
On the battlefield, some middle-aged ninja who'd experienced the Nine-Tails' rampage, or even older veteran Konoha ninja, saw that sphere and their faces instantly turned deathly pale as paper.
That hellish night over ten years ago seemed to reappear before them—it was this very same thing that had nearly leveled Konoha and taken the life of their beloved Fourth Hokage. Bone-deep fear and despair once again seized their hearts.
"Made it!"
Just as Shukaku began condensing the Tailed Beast Bomb after its roar, a golden figure appeared on Konoha's utility pole.
Naruto felt a wave of lingering fear—if not for mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, even with his speed under Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he had no confidence he could arrive in time.
His hands rapidly formed seals, intricate space-time barrier runes quickly constructing and deploying before him.
Flying Thunder God Guiding Thunder, ready once more!
"Go ahead, Shukaku."
In the shadows of Konoha's outskirts, Obito wearing a spiral mask coldly issued the command.
The Tailed Beast Bomb energy in Shukaku's mouth grew increasingly violent and unstable. That destructive beam was about to spray toward Konoha's residential areas!
However.
"Just who are you?"
A cold voice suppressing rage abruptly sounded behind Obito.
Simultaneously, a powerful, terrifying ocular power carrying completely different will boldly descended! Precisely interfering with and impacting the Sharingan genjutsu maintaining control over Shukaku!
"Wuaaoh?!"
The originally stable rotating three-tomoe pattern on Shukaku began violently flickering, becoming extremely unstable! Under this sudden ocular power interference and will confrontation, Shukaku's massive head suddenly jerked upward!
The cannon mouth originally aimed at Konoha was forcibly redirected toward the sky!
BOOM!!!!!!!
A deafening explosion resounded through the clouds! That Tailed Beast Bomb containing destructive power shot straight into the sky, ultimately detonating with a thunderous explosion at an extremely high altitude above Konoha!
Blinding white light instantly illuminated the entire sky, a massive fireball rolling and expanding.
Destructive energy released freely in the firmament, transforming into brilliant fireworks that would cost lives, enveloping all of Konoha Village in swaying light and shadow and slowly falling dust.
Obito turned his head. The crimson Sharingan beneath his spiral mask narrowed slightly, locking onto this uninvited guest who could actually interfere with his genjutsu. The opponent also wore a mask concealing their face, identity a mystery... Who was this?
However, the masked figure opposite him—Uchiha Shisui—though having vaguely suspected this mysterious person was extremely likely the mastermind who'd orchestrated the Nine-Tails' rampage years ago, pushing the Uchiha Clan toward the abyss.
But he had no time to investigate deeply right now. The urgent priority was immediately stopping that Shukaku going berserk in Konoha's center!
"Wahaha~? What a scary look!"
A deliberately comical, intentionally weird tone came from beneath the orange mask. Obito even exaggeratedly spread his hands, using flamboyant gestures to conceal his true personality and intentions.
"But you see, this path—is closed, okay~?"
Though his words were flippant, Shisui sensed that the instant the opponent's words fell, powerful ocular power had already been applied to distant Shukaku once more! That was a final genjutsu suggestion—destroy everything around you!
He couldn't delay any longer!
Shisui's eyes sharpened. The short blade on his back instantly unsheathed, transforming into a cold light, stabbing straight for Obito's heart!
However, the blade passed through the opponent's body without any obstruction, piercing only an insubstantial phantom with no sensation of hitting solid flesh.
"What?!"
Alarm bells rang in Shisui's heart. Without hesitation, he used the momentum to rapidly retreat backward, creating distance from his opponent.
Was it genjutsu? No... he couldn't have failed to notice. Then could it be... some kind of space-time ninjutsu? Or perhaps also a Mangekyo Sharingan ability?
"Geez~ I haven't even done anything yet—why are you immediately pulling knives and weapons?" Obito still used that unpleasant flippant tone, even pretending to shrug helplessly.
"Could you be from that Ember organization? Amazing! To be honest, I'm currently working hard to perform well and join a super~ incredible organization."
"I wonder what the benefits are like in your organization? If the treatment is good... I might consider job-hopping... Haha, just kidding! Please definitely don't tell our boss I said that, okay?"
His words remained full of comedy and goofiness, but Shisui didn't underestimate him in the slightest, much less have patience for meaningless conversation at such a critical moment! He had to finish this quickly and eliminate this dangerous obstacle!
Without the slightest hesitation, the Mangekyo Sharingan beneath Shisui's mask suddenly rotated, focusing!
"Amaterasu!"