Obito's Death?

On the trunk of a large tree not far from the battlefield, a face merged into the bark—nearly impossible to detect—was silently observing Obito. It was Black Zetsu, who had been ordered by Uchiha Madara to monitor Obito from the shadows.

"Those eyes!? To awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan by skipping the ordinary Sharingan entirely! Uchiha Madara is truly something else; he actually saw the astonishing potential hidden within this brat!" A look of disbelief appeared on Black Zetsu's face.

"With Tobi there, he shouldn't die, but it would be troublesome if the Kirigakure Ninja accidentally destroyed these eyes."

The very moment these thoughts flashed through Black Zetsu's mind, the power of Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan activated. The abilities of his two Mangekyō Sharingan were collectively known as "Kamui," and they were connected to a dimension existing in an alternate reality.

This dimension was known as the "Kamui Dimension," and he, Uchiha Obito, was the master of this space.

Through his right eye, he could shift himself or any matter he touched into the Kamui Dimension, a space-time ninjutsu that rendered him completely invincible.

Through his left eye, he could remotely connect his line of sight to the Kamui Dimension. It allowed him to retrieve objects from a distance or tear targets apart by distorting space—an absolute attack that could not be defended against!

The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was a profound realization; some awakeners might need long periods of trial and error to discover their abilities, while others could identify and control their new powers the instant their eyes opened.

Obito happened to be the latter, and what he had just unleashed was the power of his left eye!

A distorted pattern suddenly appeared in the center of the wakizashi Uesugi Shinji was swinging toward Nohara Rin's body, and the once rigid, straight blade began to twist and rotate from its center.

"This is space-time ninjutsu!"

Seeing this, Uesugi Shinji felt a jolt of surprise, and his eyes, usually calm and ripple-free, flashed with a rare, strange light.

Space-time ninjutsu was already extremely rare in the ninja world, and one that could be used directly for offense was unheard of. Even his old rival, the "Yellow Flash" Namikaze Minato, only used space-time ninjutsu for spatial displacement; his methods of attack remained those of a conventional ninja.

Once space-time ninjutsu could be used for direct attacks, no matter how strong a target's defense was, it became meaningless—it was a dimensional strike!

Such an ability would make every ninja in the world both wary and covetous!

Without the sound of metal snapping, only half of the wakizashi Uesugi Shinji was wielding remained; the other half had vanished into thin air.

Although the attack on Nohara Rin had been blocked by Obito's Kamui, Uesugi Shinji's movements remained incredibly swift. He took a step forward, and in the instant Nohara Rin failed to react, he appeared behind her and knocked her unconscious with a hand strike.

Nohara Rin was quite petite, and Uesugi Shinji scooped her up by the waist with his left arm without any effort.

"Let her go!"

Seeing this, Obito was gripped by panic. He channeled his already meager ocular power, glared fixedly at Uesugi Shinji, and activated the power of Kamui once more.

Suddenly, he felt a wave of dizziness, his vision blurred significantly, and more fresh blood spilled from his left eye, carving a tear track of blood down his face.

The greater the power hidden within the Mangekyō Sharingan, the greater the drain on ocular power and the strain on the eyes themselves. This damage was irreversible; for the user, the ultimate result of continuously using Mangekyō ocular techniques was total blindness and the complete loss of ocular power.

There was no doubt that the "Kamui" remote spatial distortion was one of the most top-tier ocular techniques, and for Obito, who lacked sufficient ocular power, it was a tremendous burden. Being able to activate Kamui twice had already overdrawn his reserves and caused significant damage to his left eye.

The moment Obito activated the ocular technique, a sense of extreme danger had already risen in Uesugi Shinji's heart.

Instinctively tilting his head slightly while simultaneously using the Body Flicker Technique to leave his original position at top speed, Uesugi Shinji barely managed to dodge the Kamui strike aimed at his head.

The next moment, when he reappeared, he was already standing beside the spectating Hozuki Mangetsu, raising his arm to toss Nohara Rin to him.

"Watch her. There must not be any mistakes!"

Hozuki Mangetsu immediately caught the unconscious Nohara Rin. By now, he had guessed his teacher's purpose in coming here; clearly, this girl was the true objective.

Uesugi Shinji looked down at the wakizashi he had carried for several years, never expecting it to be ruined by an unknown boy.

In truth, he could have used Ice Release ninjutsu to construct weapons of various forms, but one develops an attachment to weapons used for a long time, which was why he had kept this wakizashi until now.

A mass of mist-white Ice Release chakra rose in his hand, and the half-broken wakizashi was gradually covered in a layer of freezing ice. Uesugi Shinji tossed it into the air, and the ice, along with the broken blade, suddenly shattered into a sky full of ice crystals, shimmering with a faint glow under the sunlight.

This partner, who had fought alongside him for years, had finally returned to the dust.

Uesugi Shinji turned to look at Obito, who was not far away, gasping for breath and swaying on his feet. The strange pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan in the boy's pupils piqued his interest.

The Light Brain in his mind immediately performed a high-speed search of the literature he had read, and in an instant, he confirmed the origin of these eyes. Although he had never seen a Mangekyō Sharingan in person, that did not prevent him from correctly identifying it.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan. I never expected it to appear here. Legend says that only the strongest of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Madara, ever possessed such eyes!"

As he spoke, Uesugi Shinji walked slowly toward Obito. He rarely conversed with enemies during battle, but he desperately wanted these eyes for himself, and his slight excitement made him speak more than usual.

At this moment, Obito was in a state of extreme exhaustion due to the over-consumption of his ocular power; he could barely stand, yet his eyes remained fixed on Uesugi Shinji with hatred.

Shiranui Genma and Ebisu stood guard in front of Obito, their faces a tangle of fear, tension, and hesitation. They had no time to ponder what Uesugi Shinji meant by "Mangekyō Sharingan"; they were only struggling with whether they should turn and run or die a glorious death alongside their comrade.

"Run, you two!"

Just as the two hesitated, Kakashi, lying on the ground, used his final strength to shout. Hearing this, Shiranui Genma and Ebisu exchanged a look, and with heavy hearts, they made their decision—drag Obito away first.

Better to save one than to have the whole squad wiped out!

However, just then, a figure flashed before their eyes. Obito had used his last ounce of strength to dash past them, charging straight toward the terrifying enemy.

"I'll kill you!"

Obito's expression was one of madness; if he couldn't save Nohara Rin, he would rather die here!

Shiranui Genma and Ebisu tried to grab Obito, but their movements were a step too slow.

Kakashi, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu watched as a cold glint flashed before Obito. All three cried out in horror, their eyes wide with agony, but it could not save Obito's life.

Uesugi Shinji's right hand now held an ice blade formed of crystals, and drops of blood slowly dripped from its tip. His left hand gripped Obito's head, lifting the boy's entire body into mid-air.

A terrifying, massive gash ran across Obito's chest, the flesh torn open to the bone, and a torrent of blood surged from the wound.

A large patch of the surrounding ground had been completely stained red by the blood flowing from Obito. Even for an adult, losing this much blood meant certain death!

Obito's expression had frozen, his eyes—once always full of fighting spirit—had lost their luster, and the fresh, red tear tracks on his face seemed to speak of the boy's despair and unwillingness at the moment of death.

"I'll be taking these eyes for now."

As Ice Release chakra slowly poured from Uesugi Shinji's left hand, Obito's body began to freeze. In just two or three seconds, Obito was completely encased in an ice sculpture slightly larger than his own body.