Uchiha Gunbai's White Flames of World Destruction

Obito, who was engaging Naruto, was the first to realize that it was Uchiha Qiu Yang who had unleashed the Deep Forest Emergence.

He looked up, his cold gaze piercing through the distance.

Uchiha Qiu Yang naturally noticed Obito as well, the corners of his lips lifting in a silent greeting: "Long time no see."

With his Mangekyo Sharingan, Obito could easily decipher the lip movements. When he discovered that Uchiha Qiu Yang's pupils were the Yin-Yang Bagua Mangekyo, his eyes constricted sharply.

He had finally recognized the brat who had narrowly escaped his grasp on the night of the clan massacre.

It seemed this fellow was the "Black Flash of Konoha" with the Mangekyo Sharingan that had been rumored in Konoha all these years; he shouldn't have mistakenly assumed the brat from back then wouldn't dare return to the village.

To think he could now wield such powerful Wood Release—he should have killed him at any cost back then.

Since the forest did not entangle Gamabunta, the toad noticed Uchiha Qiu Yang as well. Looking at the stone statues trapped and immobilized by the forest, he spat out a mouthful of smoke:

"Hey, Jiraiya, this Wood Release seems to be used by your student. This generation of Konoha is quite something, to produce such a formidable genius."

What, the one using this technique is Uchiha Qiu Yang??

Jiraiya, who had also assumed this was Yamato's technique, squinted in the direction of Gamabunta's gaze and truly spotted Uchiha Qiu Yang at the highest point, his hands clasped in the Wood Release seal.

Moreover, looking at Yamato, who was beaten to a pulp not far away, he didn't look like he had the capacity to pull off such a high-level Wood Release at all.

It really could only be Uchiha Qiu Yang.

--Whether this genius will destroy the Ninja World like Uchiha Madara or protect it like the First Hokage depends entirely on the direction you guide him--

At this moment, Jiraiya finally grasped the weight of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy. Furthermore, looking at him, he was certain his student would never turn against Konoha like Uchiha Madara.

He was ninety-nine percent sure of it.

Though he couldn't fathom how Uchiha Qiu Yang could use the First Hokage's Kekkei Genkai Wood Release, as his teacher, he felt nothing but joy at his student's growth:

"Ahahaha... how many times have I said it? The student of this Sage of the Toad from Mount Myoboku is bound to be a genius of extraordinary talent."

On the other side, Kitsuchi jumped down from the stone statue that could no longer be freed, discovering that many of his subordinates had been swallowed by the sea of trees and were nowhere to be seen.

He quickly formed seals to raise the ground within a fifty-meter radius under his feet, shouting for the surviving subordinates to get up quickly.

"Phew... saved."

Sakura knelt on the ground, gasping for fresh air. The Rock Ninja who had been dragging her hair had been prioritized by the forest and was now buried deep within it.

Judging by the way his screams were fading, Sakura guessed he was likely doomed.

Strange, could this Wood Release distinguish between friend and foe?

Just as she wondered, she heard a voice behind her that nearly startled her: "Hey, Sakura... no, Sakura, I remember you know medical ninjutsu, right?"

It was Uchiha Qiu Yang. Seeing that the Deep Forest Emergence had served its purpose, he had teleported behind Sakura and asked her from a height.

"Oh, hi... I am a disciple of the Fifth Hokage Lady Tsunade, and I know medical ninjutsu."

Sakura replied with her head bowed.

This Uchiha Qiu Yang is just like Sasuke, a genius and so arrogant... he wouldn't be interested in me, would he! Hehe...

The little person in her mind was dancing with joy, though she maintained a pitiful and fragile expression on her face.

Uchiha Qiu Yang had little patience for this girl who "only looks for Sasuke when things are fine and Naruto when things go wrong." Hearing her answer, he reached out, grabbed her, and prepared to send her to treat Nadeshiko.

"Hey, you damn Uchiha Qiu Yang, be nicer to Sakura, konoyaro!"

Seeing the person he liked treated this way, Naruto was furious, shouting at Uchiha Qiu Yang to put Sakura down.

But just as he rushed toward him, Uchiha Qiu Yang used the Flying Thunder God to take Sakura to where Nadeshiko was lying.

"Please help them with the treatment."

He set Sakura down and was about to flash back to the battlefield when he caught sight of the terrified little face huddled inside his cloak.

She was like a puppy that had lost its home, waiting for its master's comfort.

Uchiha Qiu Yang couldn't help but smile reassuringly at her before using the Flying Thunder God to return to the standoff.

Uchiha Qiu Yang's blatant disregard for the battlefield as he zipped around with the Flying Thunder God was more than Obito could take:

"Your name is Uchiha Qiu Yang, right? I shouldn't have let you go back then."

The strength Uchiha Qiu Yang displayed had severely hindered the Akatsuki's plan to capture the Tailed Beasts and might even obstruct the progress of the Eye of the Moon plan.

And that Mangekyo Sharingan technique capable of freezing space posed too great a threat to his Kamui intangibility.

Obito had made up his mind: no matter the cost, he had to take this guy's life today.

Hearing his words, Uchiha Qiu Yang closed his eyes and sneered:

"What do you mean 'let me go'? You simply didn't have the ability to catch me. Have you forgotten, hmm??"

Clang—

Uchiha Qiu Yang opened his eyes, which had transformed into the Mangekyo Sharingan: "Teacher Jiraiya, and Naruto, you hold off those invading Rock Ninjas. I'll trade a few blows with this guy first."

Naruto wanted to show off and retort, but Jiraiya made the decision for him: "Hmm, the Mangekyo Sharingan can indeed only be countered by the Mangekyo Sharingan."

No, their eyes now should be the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan...

Qiuyang glanced at the Uchiha Gunbai held in Obito's right hand without leaving a trace, then suddenly teleported behind him, thrusting a kunai directly at him.

"Hmph, so you hid a Flying Thunder God mark inside when you unleashed Deep Forest Emergence?"

Knowing that Qiuyang possessed a dojutsu capable of countering his Kamui intangibility, Obito did not use his phasing ability. Instead, he swung the Uchiha Gunbai to parry, engaging Qiuyang in close-quarters combat.

He was confident that with the strength bolstered by his own Hashirama Cells, he would inevitably defeat this freak, Qiuyang.

Seeing that Obito was not using Kamui, Qiuyang dared not recklessly use his right eye's "Frost of Frozen Void" to lock down space, as locking onto Obito, who possessed a massive amount of chakra, required a significant expenditure of ocular power.

He could only afford to fix the space and prevent its use when he detected that Obito was about to phase.

However, Qiuyang gradually discovered with surprise that his taijutsu was showing signs of being inferior to Obito's. This left him with a bitter smile, giving him a more intuitive understanding of Obito's true strength.

Should I activate Susanoo to play around?

No, if he used Susanoo, the distance between them would inevitably increase, and if Obito phased, his "Frost of Frozen Void" would likely not be fast enough to catch him.

Since that was the case, he would try another method!

Qiuyang threw the kunai in his hand at Obito, then rapidly formed hand seals.

"Too naive. Do you think I would give you the chance to use ninjutsu at such close range?"

The moment Obito dodged the kunai, he closed the distance, pulling another kunai from an unknown location with his other hand, aiming directly for Qiuyang's throat.

But just before contact, Qiuyang suddenly flashed a wicked smile and vanished into a blur, leaving only an afterimage behind.

Obito immediately sensed Qiuyang's true position; he had reappeared exactly where the kunai he had just dodged was located.

Not good, it's the Flying Thunder God: Second Step!

Obito was so furious he could have ground his teeth to dust—

Damn it, he had been defeated by Minato using this very move back when he instigated the Nine-Tails Incident. He never expected that after all these years, he would be careless and fall for it again.

Qiuyang successfully completed the seals:

"Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."

Countless massless dark particles surged from all directions, enveloping both Obito and Qiuyang.

The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, a genjutsu developed by the Second Hokage specifically to counter the Uchiha Clan Sharingan, could drag the target into a dark space that absorbed all light, causing them to lose their visual senses entirely.

Of course, Qiuyang, as the caster, could easily perceive the individuals within this dark space.

One had to admit that the Second Hokage was truly impressive, having perfectly countered the strengths of the Uchiha Clan.

After the dark space formed, Qiuyang did not initially use his right eye's dojutsu to restrict Kamui, but after several strikes passed harmlessly through his opponent, he realized the truth—Obito's reaction speed was apparently faster than his own attack speed.

He decided to stop holding back and used his right eye, "Frost of Frozen Void," to continuously freeze Obito's Kamui space, successfully wounding the old schemer.

With his vision restricted by the darkness, Obito was frustrated to the point of madness. After sustaining a new wound on his right hand, he viciously grabbed Qiuyang's arm and activated Kamui to twist and displace it.

Qiuyang was horrified and used "Frost of Frozen Void" to lock the distorted space, then reached out and grabbed forward.

The two were at a breaking point, and the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was dispelled after he was struck.

"Haha... you bastard, you're really something!"

Qiuyang laughed maniacally, holding the stolen Uchiha Gunbai in his left hand, while his right hand was bleeding profusely, a chunk of muscle tissue having been torn away by the Kamui distortion.

But soon, granulation tissue began to grow at the wound at a speed visible to the naked eye, followed by the reconnection of meridians and blood vessels...

This bastard, he really did fuse with Hashirama Cells, didn't he?

Obito looked at Qiuyang with wariness, realizing that his plan to leave this man behind today was no longer achievable.

"Jiraiya, Naruto."

The two, who were fighting the Iwagakure ninjas on the raised land, heard him and hurriedly commanded Gamabunta and Gamakichi to jump back to Qiuyang's side.

Seeing that the masked man had actually been wounded by Qiuyang, Naruto asked in utter shock how Qiuyang had managed it.

Qiuyang ignored Naruto and raised the Uchiha Gunbai in his hand, clearly feeling it resonating with his left eye.

"Let me teach you how to use the Uchiha Clan's strongest ninja tool, the Uchiha Gunbai! Watch closely, it only takes one move..."

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."

While exhaling flames, Qiuyang injected the ocular power of his left eye, "Yushenji," into the Uchiha Gunbai, then gave it a light swing forward...

Woo... woo-woo...

The originally red flames transformed instantly into the World-Ending White Flame, howling like vengeful spirits as they swept toward the Iwagakure ninjas hovering five meters in the air.

"Not good, dodge!"

Except for Kitsuchi, who reacted quickly and managed to escape, the others had no time to react; they, along with the high platform created by Earth Style, were annihilated in mid-air.

Not a trace remained...

These ninjas, whose hands were stained with the blood of the villagers from the village beneath their feet, had ultimately received divine retribution.

Qiuyang retracted the Uchiha Gunbai and gripped it in his hand:

"This is the power of the Uchiha Gunbai."