The Power of the Mangekyō

Obito stood where he was, not moving a single step.

It was not until the sound of air splitting reached him and the tips of the kunai were nearly touching his clothes that Obito raised his right hand.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The three metallic impacts almost overlapped.

His index and middle fingers flicked out in succession, sending all three kunai off course.

He formed no hand signs, nor did he hold any Ninja Tools to block with.

The kunai grazed past his clothes and embedded themselves in tree trunks and mud, their rings still humming and trembling.

Sarada had calculated those trajectories over and over before attacking.

Yet Obito had not even spared them a proper glance before intercepting every landing point.

At that moment, Sarada's close-range Taijutsu had already reached him, a spinning kick shooting straight for Obito's face.

Obito raised his left hand, closed his fingers around Sarada's ankle, and tugged her outward with the momentum of her charge.

Pulled off balance by her own force, Sarada could only twist her waist midair to bleed off the impact, flipping several times before landing again.

Her soles scraped the mud as she slid back half a step. Once she steadied herself, she did not charge again, her palms already damp.

The casual look vanished from Boruto's face, and the hands behind his head had long since dropped.

Obito had dealt with three kunai and a spinning kick without even swaying his shoulders, yet every move had struck precisely where Sarada was most uncomfortable.

Boruto stared at the uncle who never stopped talking nonsense, pushing the blade of grass against his tongue without laughing again.

That sort of reaction could not be faked. It had to be honed through one real, bloody battle after another.

Obito flicked his fingertips and