Frightened Away

"This... how is this possible?"

Watching the enemy appear within the Kamui Dimension, a look of disbelief crossed Obito's face beneath his mask for the first time.

For as long as he could remember, ninjas capable of space-time ninjutsu in the Ninja World had been as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Aside from himself, historical records of the Ninja World only credited Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage who died in the First Great Ninja War, and Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, with the ability to use space-time ninjutsu.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had earned the moniker "Yellow Flash" precisely by relying on the Flying Thunder God Technique, a space-time ninjutsu.

Only space-time ninjutsu could counter space-time ninjutsu, which was why Obito, having awakened his own space-time dōjutsu, had dared to challenge his former master.

He had assumed that with Minato Namikaze—one of the only two people who knew space-time ninjutsu—gone, he could finally rest easy.

Even if there were enemies he could not currently defeat, there was absolutely no one who could stop him.

In the original timeline, Obito had dared to stir up chaos across the Ninja World under the guise of Madara Uchiha, standing toe-to-toe with anyone and even declaring the start of the Fourth Great Ninja War in front of the Five Kage, all while relying on the Kamui dōjutsu. It could be said that the existence of the Kamui Dimension was his greatest trump card.

But now, facing someone who could freely enter and exit the Kamui Dimension, Obito panicked; such a situation was entirely beyond his expectations.

Even when facing his master, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, who possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had never felt such fear and helplessness.

Although he had been defeated by Minato Namikaze on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, that was because Minato's tactical experience had completely crushed his own, combined with Minato's unparalleled precision in seizing the right moment in battle, which allowed him to win that clash of space-time ninjutsu.

However, that only meant Minato Namikaze had surpassed him, not that the Flying Thunder God Technique was superior to Kamui. In his heart, Obito had always believed his dōjutsu was the strongest space-time ninjutsu in existence.

But now, that situation had changed. The enemy before him clearly possessed space-time ninjutsu, and his abilities were a complete counter to his own.

This mysterious masked man not only potentially possessed the Sage's Eye but also wielded space-time ninjutsu; he was, without a doubt, the most unsolvable enemy he had ever faced. Since when had such a terrifying existence appeared in the Ninja World?

In this moment, Obito's understanding of the Ninja World began to feel alien.

The mysterious person who had entered the Kamui Dimension through the spatial rift was naturally Hyuga Lan, and behind him, the Third Kazekage Human Puppet also passed through the portal.

"I told you, you cannot escape."

Lan's tone was colder than before, seemingly offended and angered by Obito's earlier bravado.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Third Kazekage Human Puppet flew into the air and summoned a massive amount of Magnet Release: Iron Sand.

The Iron Sand coalesced into a gigantic black block, its surface undulating as if ready to unleash a thunderous strike upon Obito and his companions at Lan's command.

As its creator, Sasori naturally knew this was the precursor to the Third Kazekage Human Puppet unleashing its strongest Magnet Release technique, the Iron Sand World Method.

Knowing the power of the Iron Sand World Method, his brow twitched violently. Facing this move in such a confined space would be disastrous.

Just as the battle was about to erupt, Pakura suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood. Her already pale complexion turned even ghastlier—a sign of deep poisoning.

The Kaguya Clan Head, who had been poisoned alongside Pakura, was in no better shape; wisps of deathly aura appeared on him, a clear indication that his time was running out.

Both Pakura and the Kaguya Clan Head were of great use to him, so saving them could not be delayed.

"Hand over the antidote!"

Faced with Lan's demand, Obito and Sasori did not immediately agree, seemingly weighing their options.

"I will say this one last time: hand over the antidote immediately. Otherwise, you die!"

As he spoke, he channeled his chakra, and the power of his Tenseigan surged, the golden light from his eyes nearly warping the space before him.

Such terrifying ocular power left Obito and Sasori horrified, and they both averted their gazes, not daring to look directly at the source of that power.

In the air, the chakra fluctuations radiating from the Third Kazekage Human Puppet also intensified, threatening to trigger a war without further discussion.

Obito, already wary of Lan, grew increasingly tense. Now, inside the Kamui Dimension, his intangibility was useless, and even with the forbidden technique Izanagi at his disposal, he had no confidence in defeating Lan.

Furthermore, the Third Kazekage Human Puppet's ability to control Magnet Release: Iron Sand was the ultimate counter to puppet masters; a master like Sasori understood this better than anyone.

In a two-on-two situation, they had absolutely no confidence in defeating Lan's side. Thus, faced with Lan's aggressive pressure, they chose to concede the moment Lan prepared to strike.

"Sasori, give him the antidote."

Obito gritted his teeth as he spoke, the decision clearly causing him great distress.

In the dense forest.

A spatial vortex appeared, and Obito and Sasori stepped out. No sooner had they emerged from the Kamui Dimension than they fled without pause, racing toward the direction of Pain.

Not long after they left, a golden vortex suddenly appeared in mid-air, opening into a stable spatial passage.

The Third Kazekage Human Puppet emerged first, and two clusters of black sand flew from its body, rapidly forming a pair of wings on its back.

As the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, now bearing the black sand wings, hovered at the exit of the passage, Hyuga Lan stepped out with Pakura slung over his shoulder, landing on the puppet's back. As for the unconscious Kaguya Clan Head, he was held in Lan's other hand.

As Hyuga Lan scanned his surroundings, his gaze met those of Obito and Sasori, who were looking back.

Seeing how quickly Hyuga Lan had emerged from the Kamui Dimension, the two were terrified and immediately accelerated their escape. Lan's piercing gaze made them feel as if needles were pricking their backs, and they did not dare to stop for even a second.

Watching Obito and Sasori scurry away like clowns, Lan did not pursue them. His chakra was severely depleted, nearly exhausted, and he was merely forcing himself to maintain a facade of strength.

Taking a deep breath, Hyuga Lan suppressed the sensation of weakness racking his body and commanded the Third Kazekage Human Puppet to carry him in the opposite direction of the two.

Seeing that Hyuga Lan did not follow, Obito and Sasori felt a wave of relief.

It seemed that compared to dealing with them, Pakura and the Kaguya Clan Head were far more important in his eyes.

However, the feeling of being spared because they were deemed insignificant left a bitter taste in their mouths; with their strength, they had never encountered such a humiliating situation.

At this moment, Obito had already marked Lan as a mortal enemy, the kind that had to be eliminated as soon as possible.

Although he did not know Lan's specific identity, since Pakura was his subordinate, he could eventually uncover Lan's background by targeting her and following the trail.

When Pain saw Sasori and Obito return looking somewhat disheveled, he could not help but look surprised.

Had those two actually been bested?

When Pain learned from Sasori that their failure was due to encountering a mysterious powerhouse who might possess the Rinnegan, he felt a jolt in his heart.

How could there be anyone else with the Rinnegan?

Nagato had always considered himself a god precisely because he possessed the same Rinnegan as the Sage of Six Paths.

He firmly believed he was the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths, destined to shoulder the heavy responsibility of saving the Ninja World.

Now, hearing suddenly that his Rinnegan was not unique, he found the information truly difficult to accept.

Where could another pair of Rinnegan have come from?

It wasn't as if the Sage of Six Paths had a brother, was it?