When Minato, Kushina, and Mito brought Obito to the heart of the battlefield, his steps somewhat heavy beneath layers of pale golden sealing chains, the sight before them made all three pause.
The evenly matched battle they had expected, or even one in which Asura held the upper hand, had never materialized.
Instead, they found an almost entirely one-sided suppression.
Clad in protective Wood Release armor, the Wood Clone pressed one knee against Asura's chest, pinning him firmly to the pale, hard ground.
The Wood Clone's golden hair was slightly disheveled, and his Wood Release armor had suffered several more breaks.
But the red light in his Six-Tomoe Rinnegan burned even more fiercely, carrying an unmistakable resolve.
One hand tightly gripped the collar of Asura's white robe, while the other held the Wooden Sword. Its cold edge rested firmly against the skin of Asura's neck, pressing down slightly and leaving a faint white mark.
"Listen," the Wood Clone said, his voice low and slightly breathless from battle, yet unusually clear. "If you keep holding back like this and refuse to show me what you can really do... I might actually kill you."
Those words were no empty threat.
Though the Wood Clone had expended a tremendous amount of chakra, his determination to sever fate had not wavered in the slightest. The Yin-Yang Release chakra coating the Wooden Sword also proved that he truly could inflict a fatal wound.
Yet there was not a trace of panic or anger on the face of the Asura he had pinned down.
Asura did not even try to struggle. He simply lay calmly on his back, his brown eyes gazing up at the Wood Clone's resolute face.
"I see no reason why I must fight you to the death, Naruto."
Asura spoke, his voice