Jifu Appears

Tobi was quite proud of his space-time ninjutsu.

Its offensive power might have been a little lacking, but its defensive capabilities were absolutely top-notch.

Though even now, he still had no idea how Qi had managed to hit him last time.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru and the others had vanished from the training ground at some point. Neither Tobi nor Qi found this the least bit surprising.

That was what rogue ninja were like. Once someone became a rogue ninja, it meant they would never again have anyone they could truly trust. Not only was it difficult for them to trust others, but others found it difficult to trust them as well. For ninja, someone capable of betraying their organization was capable of almost anything—at the very least, killing temporary companions came without the slightest hesitation.

That was why Qi and Orochimaru had sparred rather than fought to the death earlier. There had been people nearby, and both Orochimaru and Qi had devoted more than half their attention to their surroundings rather than each other.

But now, Orochimaru, Sasori, and Kakuzu had truly left. That meant once Tobi and Qi began fighting, neither would have any more reservations.

Then, both figures vanished from where they stood at the same time, followed by a thunderous boom.

Tobi withdrew his fist. He now stood where Qi had been moments ago, and the ground there had been blasted into a crater by his punch.

At the same time, Qi appeared at the other end of the training ground and stomped down hard.

Ice Deep Forest Emergence! descended at once!

Without the protective barrier, the fragile training ground could no longer withstand such power. In an instant, crystal trees that blanketed the sky and earth burst through every obstacle. As they expanded outward from within, the