Fighting Two Opponents

"Damn it!! That brat caught up!"

The Bald Man sprinted along the tree trunks, glancing behind him from time to time.

When he saw Obito catching up, panic flashed in his eyes.

"Leave him to me!!"

The bearded man abruptly stopped.

Then he formed several hand seals with one hand, and lightning began flashing along the blade of his Ninja Tachi.

"Lightning Release: Thunderclap Strike!!"

The bearded man gripped his sword with both hands and swung hard.

The lightning on the blade shone even brighter, stretching out into a long serpent.

The lightning serpent's head hurtled toward Obito.

Unfortunately, it failed to strike his body and passed straight through him instead.

Boom!

The lightning serpent's head slammed into the trunk of a large tree behind him.

The tree burst apart with a deafening crack, spraying wood chips everywhere.

Its trunk toppled to one side, blocking Obito's path.

"Damn it! What the hell is going on with this guy..."

The bearded man's face filled with shock, his eyes widening.

He had never seen anything so unbelievable. His attack had done absolutely nothing to his opponent?

But just now, it had clearly struck that Sharingan brat.

Was it genjutsu?

The bearded man immediately ruled out that possibility. Genjutsu could not be this realistic, and his mind was perfectly clear.

Was it an afterimage?

That was not it either. The Sharingan brat had not dodged at all. He had simply ignored the attack and sped up his pursuit instead.

"Damn it... damn it!!"

A trace of fear rose in the bearded man's heart.

That fear came from his ignorance of the Sharingan brat's abilities, as well as the immense pressure the boy exuded.

Although the boy was only around ten years old, the bearded man could clearly sense that he was far stronger than the two of them.

"Lightning Release: Thunderclap Strike!!"

The bearded man unleashed his signature move again.

He swung the Ninja Tachi in his hands, slashing toward Obito.

Lightning flashed along the blade, forming a long serpent that roared toward Obito.

This time, Obito did not charge straight ahead.

Before the lightning serpent's attack reached him.

Obito channeled chakra into the soles of his feet, bounded up a tree trunk, and leaped into the treetop.

He sprang from treetop to treetop, rapidly pursuing the two ninja.

A thunderous explosion sounded behind him!

As another large tree was struck by the lightning serpent, Obito had already reached a position directly above the two ninja.

"He's above us! Watch out!"

The bearded man's face was tense, his forehead covered in sweat. He gripped his Ninja Tachi with both hands, ready to defend, and stared fixedly upward.

The Bald Man also stopped running and stood back-to-back with the bearded man, guarding against any surprise attack Obito might launch.

Rustle~~

At last, the dense foliage above them shook violently.

An Obito dropped headfirst through the branches and leaves.

His arms were crossed in front of him, with several kunai held between his fingers.

With a flick of his hands, the kunai whistled through the air toward the two ninja.

A series of metallic clangs rang out.

The bearded man swung his Ninja Tachi, knocking down each kunai that flew toward him.

As the kunai scattered across the ground, the burly Bald Man gripped his sword with both hands and assumed an odd stance.

"Cloud Style: Mask-Breaking Slash!!"

As the Obito above them dropped toward their heads, preparing to attack.

The burly Bald Man gripped his Ninja Tachi tightly with both hands and swept it into an impenetrable wall of blades before him.

Swish, swish, swish~~~

Sword light flashed relentlessly. The descending Obito gained nothing from his attack and took several slashes on the spot.

But before the two burly ninja could celebrate.

Poof!

White smoke burst out, and the Obito they had cut down vanished into thin air.

"Damn it!! A Shadow Clone!!" The burly Bald Man's expression changed sharply.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!!"

At some point, Obito had emerged from behind a large tree just over five meters in front of them.

The instant he appeared, he had already finished forming his hand seals.

He held one palm upright before him and tilted his head back slightly. His puffed cheeks contracted as a great torrent of flames erupted from his mouth.

The flames swiftly gathered into a huge fireball that roared through the air, rolling toward the two ninja.

"Watch out!!"

The burly Bald Man cried out in alarm, warning his companion.

Both men hastily leaped up and climbed the trees beside them to evade the fireball.

Whoosh~~~

The fireball struck the trunk of a thousand-year-old tree, sending an explosion of flames spraying outward.

But almost as soon as the two burly men leaped up, the bearded man launched a counterattack.

"Lightning Release: Thunderclap Strike!!"

He unleashed his signature Lightning Release move once again.

As he swung his Ninja Tachi, the lightning along its blade transformed into a long serpent and surged toward Obito.

"Hmph~~ You're dead. At this range, there's no way you can dodge my Lightning Release!"

A cold sneer curled the bearded man's lips. He knew they had won this exchange.

Obito was still recovering from casting his Fire Release Ninjutsu.

And with Lightning Release Ninjutsu unleashed instantly at such close range, the lightning serpent could overwhelm an enemy in practically no time at all.

Everything unfolded just as the bearded man had predicted.

Obito had only just lowered his hands and had no time to get away.

His pupils widened as he watched the lightning approach in terror, but his body failed to react.

Crackle~~~

At last, the lightning serpent struck Obito, piercing straight through his abdomen.

Yet the expected spray of blood never appeared.

Poof!

A cloud of white smoke burst out. This Obito, who had cast the Fire Release Ninjutsu, vanished into white smoke once again.

"What! How is this possible!"

The bearded man's face filled with shock, his eyes wide.

"I'll throw those exact words right back at you! You're dead! At this range, there's no way you can dodge!"

Obito's voice rang out behind the bearded man.

Obito raised his right palm slightly. At some point, a spinning sphere of blue chakra had already formed in it.

Air currents swirled around the glowing sphere, making its tremendous power obvious at a glance.

"Rasengan!!"

Obito thrust his right palm forward, driving the Rasengan into the bearded ninja's back.

Boom!

The bearded man screamed, blood bursting from his mouth under the impact.