Obito Uchiha Appears

"Then, a pleasant transaction."

As Minamoto Takuya spoke, he withdrew his hand. "Honestly, I'm not like Hanzo, who enjoys using the people important to others to threaten them."

He wasn't lying. He looked down on such tactics, but unfortunately, they worked far too well. Combined with the other side's lack of cooperation, he had no choice but to imitate Hanzo.

The Water Prison Technique required physical contact from its caster, so when Minamoto Takuya withdrew his hand, the Water Prison Technique was immediately released.

Nagato was stunned again when he saw this. He had thought the other party would wait until after taking the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path before releasing the Water Prison Technique. He hadn't expected him to release it now.

Why did this Masked Man feel a little... honest?

Nagato thought strangely to himself, but at last, he felt relieved. He had no intention of going back on his word either.

If this was the kind of person he was, then he probably wouldn't break his promise. Once he took the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, he would leave immediately.

Although Konan was inside the Water Prison Technique, she could still hear the conversation outside.

She gave Minamoto Takuya a complicated look. At this point, she had no intention of attacking again. Their earlier exchange had made her understand that she was no match for him.

If she attacked again now and angered him, he would probably no longer bother honoring their agreement. Not only would she lose her life, but Nagato likely wouldn't escape this calamity either.

She merely returned silently to Nagato's side and helped him to his feet.

"You can take the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path now, if you have a way to do so," Nagato said. After all, the statue was dozens of meters tall. It didn't look like something that could be taken away easily.

"That's not something you need to worry about." Minamoto Takuya spoke casually, then walked toward the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Before long, he arrived before it and reached out to touch it. It felt somewhat like stone.

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, Nagato's shout rang in Minamoto Takuya's ear. Another Masked Man had abruptly appeared behind Minamoto Takuya, reaching out toward him.

Although Minamoto Takuya had been fighting them before and was their enemy, Nagato had a fairly good impression of him. That was why he warned him upon seeing this.

In truth, that warning wasn't necessary.

Because Minamoto Takuya had been guarding against Obito Uchiha's sneak attack the entire time.

Had he really let Konan go just now because he was honest?

Of course not!

According to his usual cautious approach, he would have taken the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path first before releasing Konan.

But the problem was that he knew Obito Uchiha had definitely been hiding in the shadows. If he didn't release Konan, Obito would certainly save her at the first opportunity. Then he would have to face three people.

So without question, Minamoto Takuya was gambling—gambling that Nagato would honor the agreement. Based on the other party's characterization in the Original Work, that was highly likely.

And now, he had undoubtedly won the gamble. He had even left a rather favorable impression on Nagato. The warning just now proved it.

What a good person. Minamoto Takuya sighed inwardly. If not for all these events, perhaps Nagato's group of three truly would have grown into people who pursued the light. What a pity...

They weren't the protagonists!

At that moment, Minamoto Takuya gripped a kunai and suddenly turned, stabbing it toward Obito Uchiha.

However, his kunai passed completely through Obito Uchiha's body. This was Kamui!

Of course, this technique had no name at present. Obito Uchiha had never named it. It was only after Kakashi Hatake mastered this technique that he gave it a name. Obito Uchiha had no objections to it and continued using the name Kamui.

Minamoto Takuya naturally knew how Kamui worked, but since this was his first contact with Obito Uchiha, he could only act this way to avoid making him suspicious.

The instant Minamoto Takuya saw the kunai pass through Obito Uchiha's body, his other hand formed two seals.

In an instant, streams of water emerged over his body, circling him like Water Blades.

"Water Release—Water Blade Rotation Technique!"

Obito Uchiha did not possess Kakashi Hatake's Mangekyō Sharingan, which meant he lacked the ability to use Kamui at long range. If he wanted to pull Minamoto Takuya into Kamui Space, he had to touch him with his hand.

The process of touching him required him to materialize. As long as Obito Uchiha dared to materialize, Minamoto Takuya dared to use the Water Blades to cut his hand straight off!

Sure enough, Obito Uchiha's hand paused when he saw this. He had no doubt whatsoever about the sharpness of those Water Blades.

Once he materialized, his hand would definitely be severed. Would a severed hand still count as part of his body? Could it still assist his Mangekyō Sharingan in using Kamui to pull the other party into Kamui Space?

Probably not!

He was somewhat surprised. The other party's reaction had been so fast. He hadn't expected the other party to know about him from the start, because if he had, he wouldn't have first tried to stab him with that useless kunai.

Obito Uchiha's current strength relied almost entirely on Kamui and the Wood Release he had gained after merging with Tobi. Moreover, so little time had passed that he had barely had any time to grow stronger. Thus, his raw strength was inferior to those true Kage-level fighters.

Even so, with Kamui, he could still exchange a few moves with Minato Namikaze. Though he had been beaten rather badly, it still showed just how overpowered Kamui was!

Minamoto Takuya considered this. Because the other party had had so little time to develop, his long-range offensive ninjutsu was most likely still at the Chunin level. At most, its power could rival that of a Jonin due to White Zetsu cells.

Therefore, as long as he prevented himself from being dragged into Kamui Space and guarded against the other party's Wood Release, his chances of success would rise greatly.

I have to widen the distance!

The moment Obito Uchiha hesitated, Minamoto Takuya concentrated a large amount of chakra beneath his feet and used the Body Flicker Technique to pull away from him.

"Oh my, so I wasn't the only oriole waiting behind the mantis." Minamoto Takuya retreated while looking at Obito Uchiha mockingly.

Nagato and Konan's eyes immediately narrowed. Nagato in particular had at least discovered Minamoto Takuya, yet he had completely failed to notice Obito Uchiha.

And it wasn't just this time. The last time, when the other party had appeared directly inside the Akatsuki Organization's base, it had been the same.

Perhaps the other party had never left at all and had been secretly watching them the entire time.

Previously, he had said he wanted to cooperate with them. Now, it was hard to say he had no other motives. Did he even know about this trap?

Obito Uchiha also cursed inwardly, berating Nagato and Konan for being so useless. He truly hadn't wanted to reveal himself.

After all, once he appeared, it would prove that he had been watching them all along, watching helplessly as they were schemed against and their friend was killed. Cooperation afterward would become troublesome.

It wasn't that the other party wouldn't be wary of him without this incident, but the severity would be completely different!

But he had no choice. Could he really just watch as Minamoto Takuya took the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path away? That was impossible.

So he could only act. He even regretted acting a little too late.

If he had acted when Konan was trapped by the Water Prison Technique and rescued her, perhaps he could have earned a good reputation. But now...

Who could have expected the other party to ignore convention and release Konan directly after making the agreement?