"Splurt!"
The blade sliced through flesh, precisely wedging into the gap beside his right shoulder blade. Baishi's gaze turned vicious as the Lightning Release Chakra remaining in his body instantly surged into the blade.
Boom!
Savage Lightning exploded from the joint. Baishi had actually used Lightning Release to blast his own right arm off!
Blood sprayed like water from a high-pressure hose, warm liquid splattering across Obito's face.
The weight in Obito's hand suddenly lightened. Kamui's twisting force had only shredded the severed arm. The real Baishi had already used the blast's recoil to hurl himself back against the edge of the birthing bed.
"Madman." A flicker of astonishment crossed the single eye beneath Obito's Mask.
To avoid being sucked into the Other Dimension, he had severed his own arm without the slightest hesitation?
Baishi knelt on one knee, his left hand pressing hard against the right shoulder that continued to spurt blood. His face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat had completely soaked the lining inside his Mask.
Pain. Agony that tore through his soul.
But Baishi's heart remained cold as ice. This was a simulated world. As long as he could steal Minato's fortune and max out his bond with Kushina, what did one simulated body matter?
He slowly rose to his feet and held his remaining left arm across his chest. Like a blood-soaked asura, he stood firmly in front of the birthing bed.
Behind him, Kushina stared at the empty right sleeve, her pupils contracting violently.
The thick smell of blood rushed into her nostrils. It was blood shed to protect her.
"Go... quickly..." Kushina's lips trembled, her voice choked with tears. "You can't beat him... Don't worry about me anymore..."
"Shut up." Baishi's voice held no fluctuation, only a cold hardness that brooked no argument. "The mission I received was to defend this place to the death. As long as I have even one breath left, he won't get past me."
The implication was obvious: I'm not doing this for the mission. I'm doing it for you.
Obito shook the scraps of flesh from his hand, his patience completely exhausted.
"Touching last words. Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish."
Obito formed hand seals and twisted his wrists. Two pitch-black Yin-Yang Release Black Rods slid from his palms.
Whoosh!
The air rippled. Obito abandoned Kamui's long-range pull and directly used Intangibility in conjunction with the Body Flicker Technique to close in and attack Baishi!
The Black Receiver let out a shrill sound as it tore through the air, thrusting straight toward Baishi's throat.
Baishi formed seals with one hand. He pushed off violently with his feet, and his body slid half a step to the left at an unbelievable angle.
The Black Receiver missed against his Mask, throwing off a string of sparks.
But Obito's taijutsu was just as deadly. His right leg swept across like a battle-ax toward Baishi's waist and abdomen.
Baishi gripped his short blade backward with his left hand, bracing the back of the blade against his side to withstand the blow.
Bang!
The enormous impact made Baishi's throat turn sweet. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the inside of his Mask. His body slid backward uncontrollably, Military Boots plowing two deep furrows into the stone floor.
Another half-step, and he would crash into Kushina's birthing bed.
Obito's second Black Receiver stabbed out like a venomous snake, aimed directly at Baishi's heart!
He couldn't dodge.
In Baishi's current severely wounded state, there was no way he could evade this fatal strike.
If he dodged to either side, the Black Receiver would pass through him without obstruction and pierce Kushina behind him.
A hint of resolve flashed in Baishi's eyes.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, thrusting his chest toward the pitch-black iron rod!
"Splurt!"
The muffled sound of flesh being pierced echoed through the cavern.
The Black Receiver avoided his heart and violently pierced through Baishi beneath the left collarbone, pinning his entire body in place!
The cold iron rod lodged in his bone, bringing waves of excruciating pain.
Obito let out a cold laugh and prepared to pull out the Black Receiver.
At that moment, a blood-covered left hand seized the wrist holding the Black Receiver!
"Got you."
A beastlike ferocity shone from beneath Baishi's Mask.
He had taken the blow head-on not to defend himself, but to lock Obito's physical form in place!
Kamui's Intangibility required Obito to become tangible at the instant he attacked. Now that his Black Receiver was embedded in Baishi's body and Baishi had clamped down on his wrist, Obito could not become intangible at all!
"Lightning Release: Chidori Current!"
Baishi squeezed out the last trace of Chakra in his body. Savage blue arcs surged through his left hand and poured madly into Obito's body.
The high-voltage current instantly numbed Obito's right arm. His leather glove burned black, giving off the nauseating smell of roasted meat.
"Get away from me!" Obito shouted as he violently kicked Baishi in the abdomen with his left foot.
The tremendous force sent Baishi—and the Black Receiver—flying together, slamming heavily into the rock wall beside the birthing bed.
Baishi slid to the ground and vomited mouthful after mouthful of blood. The blood dripped from his chin, landing squarely on Kushina's pale cheek.
Scalding hot.
Kushina stared blankly at the Mask dyed red with blood.
That figure was clearly battered beyond recognition, yet he stood like an insurmountable mountain, firmly blocking the way before the abyss.
"Why..." Kushina's voice completely broke down, tears gushing forth like a burst dam. "Who are you...? Why would you go this far for me...?"
Baishi leaned against the rock wall and struggled to raise his head.
He did not answer. Instead, with his only remaining left hand, he gripped the Black Receiver embedded in his chest and tried to pull it out.
But he truly had no strength left.
Obito shook his right hand, which had been burned black by the electricity. His Scarlet Sharingan radiated murderous intent to its utmost limit.
"Persistent as a bug. But the game is over."
Obito no longer paid attention to Baishi, who was barely breathing in the corner. Minato could return at any moment; he could not waste another second.
He strode to the birthing bed and placed his left hand directly against Kushina's lower abdomen.
The Sharingan spun wildly, its ocular power stabbing into the core of the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style like a sharp blade.
"Release!"
Boom—!
A violent gale swept through the cavern.
Red Chakra that was incredibly sinister and filled with an aura of destruction erupted from Kushina's body like a volcano!
The savage Chakra rapidly condensed in midair, transforming into the enormous head of a demonic fox with nine tails.
The Nine-Tails had been forcibly extracted!
Terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire cavern. The stone walls began to crack, and rubble pattered down.
Kushina let out a shrill scream. Her vitality rapidly drained away like water from a spring being sucked dry.
Obito raised his head and looked at the Nine-Tails roaring in midair. A feverish, cold laugh came from beneath his Mask.
"The Nine-Tails is mine."
In the corner, Baishi stared fixedly at the enormous demonic fox head, blood still pouring from his chest.
His Chakra was completely depleted.
His body had been battered to its absolute limit.
The Nine-Tails was about to break free completely.
Facing the destructive power of the Tailed Beasts, what could an ANBU expendable who could barely stand do to stop it?