Three miniature missiles trailed thick smoke, twisting at unnatural angles in midair.
The missiles shot straight toward the black ninja crow high above.
It was their only means of sending word.
If the crow was shot down, the mass of reinforcements from South Street would never arrive.
Without reinforcements, they would not just be working overtime for nothing today. They might die on this desolate beach.
Chakra erupted beneath Chikage's feet.
A vivid blue cloak of lightning enveloped him, arcs tearing through the soil beneath his feet.
He launched himself off the ground and shot into the air.
His Fine Steel Baton, wreathed in dazzling lightning, sliced through the howling wind.
Clang, clang, clang!
The baton struck the sides of all three missiles precisely where their fuses were housed.
Flames burst before Chikage's eyes, and the shock wave sent the hem of his clothes snapping.
All three missiles broke apart in midair, scattering metal fragments everywhere.
Just as Chikage hung in the air with nothing to push off, the space behind him suddenly warped.
The air twisted into a black vortex.
A figure wearing a single-holed Spiral Mask silently emerged.
Gripping a pitch-black iron rod, Obito thrust it viciously toward Chikage's back, right behind his heart.
The timing was devastatingly precise.
Obito had calculated that Chikage would be unable to adjust his position in midair after destroying the missiles.
The keen instincts of the Senju Sage Body flared to life.
Every hair on Chikage's back stood on end.
Through sheer strength in his waist and abdomen, Chikage forced himself through a half turn in midair.
The black rod skimmed past his heart.
Its sharp tip pierced his close-fitting armor and slashed a bloody line across his left shoulder.
Blood immediately seeped out.
Chikage's expression darkened, and he raised a hand