Blade flashes and wooden shadows crossed.
Sakumo's swordsmanship was steady and ruthless, every move carefully calculated. Obito's Wood Release was unpredictable and ever-changing. Although his space-time abilities were restricted and no longer activated as swiftly or freely as before, they remained his most troublesome weapon, allowing him to evade fatal attacks or reposition whenever danger struck.
Yet as the battle continued, Sakumo keenly sensed something amiss.
Obito used his intangibility once again, letting Sakumo's blade pass through his body as though it had struck a phantom.
Based on his earlier pattern, Obito would usually counterattack immediately after becoming tangible again, or pull back to regroup.
This time, however, Obito vanished outright after turning intangible... and never reappeared.
Sakumo kept his sword ready, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings.
Aside from the remaining wooden stakes of Hellish Rampage, still slowly writhing in the distance, there was no trace of Obito.
"Did he run?"
Sakumo frowned slightly. He remained on guard, but had already reached a conclusion.
"Space-time jutsu really are a pain."
He could not tell whether Obito had used Kamui to flee far away or was hiding and waiting for an opportunity.
But since his opponent had chosen to disengage, he undoubtedly had a reason.
Sakumo did not pursue blindly. With his surroundings unknown and his opponent's abilities so strange, charging deeper in could put him at a disadvantage. He sheathed his sword and decided to follow his original plan: find the other Hokage first.
Several miles away lay an area resembling a mass grave, piled with countless broken weapons and shattered pieces of armor.
Obito Uchiha emerged from the Kamui Dimension.
He had not simply been trying to escape Sakumo's pursuit.
While repeatedly using Kamui's intangibility to evade attacks, he had suddenly realized something he had overlooked.
Even here