"You really are cautious, senior."
This was the first time Obito had faced such a cautious opponent in battle. Both attacks so far had been probes.
"You're no slouch either. I take back my earlier assessment of your strength. Even a Kage would be in danger facing you alone."
Obito caught the implication in Sakumo's words. Fighting one opponent and fighting several were entirely different propositions.
The Fourth Raikage was strong, and so was Killer B, but they were at their strongest when they fought together.
The Third Raikage had held off the Iwagakure forces alone back then, but if his nephew Blue B had still been alive, he might well have escaped unscathed.
Rather than feeling belittled, Obito grew even more wary.
He knew that once an opponent like Hatake Sakumo got serious, there would be no more unnecessary probing. Every exchange that followed could strike straight at a vital point.
"To receive such praise from Konoha's White Fang is quite an 'honor.'" Obito's voice betrayed neither pleasure nor anger, and his grip tightened around his kunai.
"But, senior, you have no comrades here, and no reinforcements. Now, let me see just how much you can do on your own!"
As souls, neither of them needed to breathe or eat. Without physical bodies weighing them down, their ability to move depended entirely on their will.
"Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs!"
Obito Uchiha rapidly formed hand seals.
This time, rather than merely releasing wooden spikes from his arm, he directly controlled the enormous trees of Hellish Rampage, which were still slowly writhing.
The spikes on the surfaces of those grotesque, towering trees suddenly began to tremble. With sharp hisses, countless wooden spikes shot indiscriminately in every direction like a torrential downpour.
The attack covered such a vast area that it blocked