Uchiha Gunbai's White Flames of World Destruction

Obito, who was fighting Naruto, was the first to realize that Qiuyang was the one who had unleashed Deep Forest Emergence.

He looked up, his cold gaze fixed on Qiuyang in the distance.

Qiuyang naturally noticed Obito, too. He raised the corner of his mouth in a silent greeting: "Long time no see."

With his Sharingan, Obito could of course read Qiuyang's lips. When he saw the Yin-Yang Bagua Mangekyo in Qiuyang's eyes, his pupils abruptly contracted.

He finally recognized the brat who had narrowly escaped from him on the night of the clan's massacre all those years ago.

So the "Black Flash of Konoha" with the Sharingan who had been making a name for himself in Konoha all these years was this guy. Obito shouldn't have mistakenly thought that the brat would never dare return to Konoha.

Now he could even use such powerful Wood Release. Obito should have killed him at all costs back then.

Since the trees hadn't ensnared Gamabunta, he noticed Qiuyang as well. Looking at the stone statue in front of him, trapped and unable to move amid the trees, he let out a puff of smoke and said, "Hey, Jiraiya, that Wood Release seems to be coming from your student. Konoha's current generation is pretty impressive—there's a genius this powerful."

What? Qiuyang was the one using that technique?

Jiraiya had also assumed it was Yamato's technique. Following Gamabunta's gaze, he squinted into the distance and spotted Qiuyang at the highest point, hands clasped in a Wood Release seal.

And when he looked at Yamato, who was being beaten to a pulp nearby, he saw no sign that he could use Wood Release with such flair.

It really could only be Qiuyang.

"Whether that genius becomes someone like Uchiha Madara and destroys the Ninja World, or someone like the First and protects it, depends entirely on how you guide him."

Jiraiya finally began to understand the weight of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy. And from what he could see, his student definitely wouldn't turn into someone like Uchiha Madara and betray Konoha.

He was 99 percent certain of it.

Although he couldn't understand how Qiuyang could use even the First's Kekkei Genkai, Wood Release, seeing his student grow stronger could only make him happy.

"Ahahaha... How many times have I told you? A student of the Sage of the Toad of Mount Myoboku is bound to have extraordinary talent."

Meanwhile, Kitsuchi jumped down from the stone statue, which was now impossible to escape from, and saw that many of his subordinates had vanished beneath the sea of trees.

He quickly formed Hand Seals, raising the earth within a fifty-meter radius beneath his feet, and shouted for the surviving subordinates to hurry up and climb onto it.

"Phew... I'm saved."

Sakura knelt on the ground, greedily breathing in the fresh air. The Iwagakure ninja who had just dragged her by the hair had been caught in the thick of the forest and was now buried beneath it.

Judging by how his screams had gradually faded, Sakura guessed he was probably done for.

Strange. Could this Wood Release tell friend from foe?

As she wondered about that, a voice suddenly came from behind her, nearly making her jump. "Hey, Sakura... no, Sakura, I remember you know Medical Ninjutsu, right?"

Qiuyang had seen that Deep Forest Emergence had served its purpose, so he used Body Flicker to appear behind Sakura and asked her from above.

"Oh, hi... I'm Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage's student. I know Medical Ninjutsu."

Sakura replied with her eyes lowered.

This Uchiha Qiuyang is just like Sasuke—talented and arrogant... Could he be interested in me? Hehe...

The little person in her head was celebrating wildly, but on the outside she put on a pitiful, delicate expression.

Qiuyang had little patience for a girl who said "Sasuke" when things were fine and "Naruto" when they weren't. As soon as he got his answer, he reached out, hoisted her up, and prepared to take her to treat Nadeshiko.

"Hey, you jerk, Qiuyang! Be nice to Sakura, you bastard!"

Seeing the person he liked treated that way made Naruto's lungs feel ready to burst. He shouted at Qiuyang to put Sakura down.

But the moment he rushed up to Qiuyang, Qiuyang used Flying Thunder God to take Sakura back to where he had left Nadeshiko.

"Please treat them."

He set Sakura down and was about to teleport back to the battlefield, but then he caught sight of a frightened little face peeking out from inside his cloak.

She looked like a puppy that had lost its home, waiting for its owner to comfort her.

Qiuyang couldn't help giving her a reassuring smile before using Flying Thunder God to return to the standoff.

Obito could no longer stand Qiuyang's brazenly teleporting back and forth across the battlefield with Flying Thunder God.

"So your name is Uchiha Qiuyang? I shouldn't have let you go back then."

The strength Qiuyang had shown had already made Akatsuki's plan to capture the Tailed Beasts much harder. He might even hinder the progress of the Eye of the Moon plan.

And that Mangekyo ability that could freeze space posed far too great a threat to Obito's Kamui intangibility.

Obito had already made up his mind. No matter the cost, he had to kill this guy today.

Hearing him, Qiuyang closed his eyes and gave a scornful laugh.

"What do you mean, you let me go? You just weren't capable of catching up to me. Have you forgotten? Hm?"

Shing—

Qiuyang opened his eyes, revealing the Mangekyō Sharingan. "Teacher Jiraiya, Naruto, hold off the invading Iwagakure ninja. I'll trade a few blows with this guy first."

Naruto was about to defiantly object, but Jiraiya made the decision for him. "Right. The Sharingan can only be countered with the Sharingan."

No, their eyes should be the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan...

Qiuyang glanced at the Uchiha Gunbai in Obito's right hand, then suddenly teleported behind him and stabbed with a kunai.

"Hmph. You hid the Flying Thunder God Mark in the trees while you were using Deep Forest Emergence, didn't you?"

Knowing Qiuyang had a Mangekyo ability that could counter his intangibility, Obito didn't phase through the attack. Instead, he swung the gunbai around to block and engaged Qiuyang in close combat.

He was confident that his own strength, bolstered by Wood Release as well, would let him defeat the freakish Qiuyang.

When Qiuyang saw that Obito wasn't using Kamui to phase through attacks, he didn't dare casually use the "Frost of Frozen Void" in his right eye to lock down space. Freezing someone with as much chakra as Obito would consume a tremendous amount of ocular power.

He could only freeze the space when he saw Obito begin to phase through it, preventing him from doing so.

But as the fight went on, Qiuyang was surprised to find that he was gradually losing the taijutsu exchange. He could only laugh bitterly at how outmatched he was, now having a much clearer sense of Obito's strength.

Should he bring out Susanoo for fun?

No. If he used Susanoo, they'd inevitably be farther apart. If Obito phased through attacks, Qiuyang probably wouldn't be able to react with "Frost of Frozen Void" in time.

In that case, he'd have to try another method.

Qiuyang threw the kunai in his hand at Obito, then swiftly began forming Hand Seals.

"Too naive. Do you think I'll give you the chance to use a jutsu from this close?"

Obito dodged the kunai and immediately closed in. A kunai appeared in his other hand from who knew where, its point aimed at Qiuyang's throat...

But just before it struck, Qiuyang gave a sinister smile and vanished from the spot, leaving behind an afterimage.

Obito immediately sensed Qiuyang's real position. He had appeared where Obito had dodged the kunai.

Damn, Flying Thunder God: Second Step!

Obito gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked—

Damn it! He'd been defeated by Minato with this move during the Nine-Tails Incident. He couldn't believe he'd been careless enough to fall for it again after all these years.

Qiuyang finished forming the Hand Seals.

"Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."

Countless weightless, dark particles surged in from every direction, enveloping both Obito and Qiuyang.

The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was a genjutsu developed specifically by the Second Hokage to counter the Uchiha Sharingan. It dragged those caught in it into a dark space that absorbed all light, robbing them of their sight.

Of course, as the caster, Qiuyang could easily sense anyone in that dark space.

The Second Hokage really was something, countering the Uchiha's strengths to a tee.

Once the dark space had formed, Qiuyang initially didn't use his right eye's ability to restrict Kamui. But after several attacks passed right through Obito, he understood: Obito's reaction speed was faster than his attacks.

He stopped holding back and repeatedly froze the space Obito used to phase through with "Frost of Frozen Void," successfully injuring the slippery bastard.

Obito's vision was already blocked by the darkness, and now Kamui was restricted as well. He was so frustrated he could barely stand it. After his right hand took another wound, he viciously grabbed Qiuyang's hand and used Kamui to twist and warp it.

Qiuyang was horrified. He locked the warped space with "Frost of Frozen Void," then reached forward and grabbed.

The two clashed in an instant, and the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique was dispelled as soon as Qiuyang was attacked.

"Haha... You're something else, you bastard!"

Qiuyang laughed wildly, holding the Uchiha Gunbai he'd snatched in his left hand. Kamui had twisted away a chunk of muscle from his right hand, which was now gushing blood.

But soon, new tissue sprouted from the wound at a visible rate, followed by nerves and blood vessels...

That bastard had fused with Hashirama Cells after all, hadn't he?

Obito watched Qiuyang warily, realizing that he could no longer kill him today.

"Teacher Jiraiya! Naruto!"

The two of them had been fighting the Iwagakure ninja from atop the raised earth. Hearing Qiuyang call, they quickly directed Gamabunta and Gamakichi to leap back to his side.

Seeing that the masked man had actually been injured by Qiuyang, Naruto was shocked and asked how he'd done it.

Qiuyang ignored Naruto and raised the gunbai in his hand, clearly sensing it resonating with his left eye.

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

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique

As he spat out flames, Qiuyang channeled the power of "Yushenji" in his left eye into the gunbai, then gave it a light wave...

Woooo... Wooo...

The flames, originally red, suddenly turned into White Flames of World Destruction. Howling like vengeful spirits, they swept toward the Iwagakure ninja five meters above the ground.

"Not good! Get out of the way!"

Apart from Kitsuchi, who reacted quickly enough to escape by sheer luck, the others had no time to respond. They vanished in midair along with the high platform made by Earth Release.

Without a trace...

These ninja, whose hands were stained with the blood of so many villagers from the village below them, had finally suffered divine punishment.

Qiuyang lowered the gunbai and held it in his hand.

"This is the power of the Uchiha Gunbai."