A sudden battle

"Quit skulking around... come out!"

Shihōin Naraku shouted as though he had no idea who had come.

Then, amid the distorted space, a mysterious masked man slowly emerged and stood before Shihōin Naraku.

Obito Uchiha!

Dressed in a black robe, with a single-eyed mask over his face, Obito Uchiha kept his identity deeply concealed.

"Sharingan?"

"Are you Uchiha Itachi?"

As everyone knew, the Shinobi World's current impression of the Uchiha Clan consisted of the defector Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha, the Uchiha orphan in Konoha.

"No, you're not Uchiha Itachi. So who are you?"

Feigning confusion, Shihōin Naraku frowned at Obito Uchiha, but Obito Uchiha maintained his air of mystery and said nothing.

Neither spoke again. Shihōin Naraku held Kurikara with its tip pointed straight at Obito Uchiha, and then they rushed toward each other.

The instant they closed in, a wooden spike grew from Obito Uchiha's palm, aimed at Shihōin Naraku.

With a turn of his wrist, Kurikara swept down from above, its edge flashing through and instantly shattering the lengthening wooden spike. Then Shihōin Naraku spun aside, dodging Obito Uchiha's charge, and drew his blade back before abruptly thrusting Kurikara out again, piercing his heart from behind.

Without even looking at the blade protruding from his chest, Obito Uchiha flipped into the air and swung one hand. A black chain lashed out with a piercing whistle toward Shihōin Naraku's head.

Clang!

Shihōin Naraku pulled his blade free and slashed horizontally. The instant the chain struck the blade, a ringing crash exploded through the air, sending sparks flying.

As the black chain swung, it wound around Kurikara's edge. Obito Uchiha immediately gave it a violent tug, but could not budge Shihōin Naraku at all.

Shihōin Naraku turned Kurikara in his hand and sliced. With a clatter, the black chain was cut into several pieces and fell to the ground.

Still in midair, Obito Uchiha froze for a moment, then reacted, rapidly forming hand seals.

"Fire Release: Blast Wave Wild Dance!"

The instant the surrounding space distorted, it unleashed a sweeping gale, while Obito Uchiha spat out a mass of swirling flames.

The spiraling gale instantly strengthened the rotating flames, which surged right before Shihōin Naraku's eyes. The Fire Release was too fast to dodge.

Obito Uchiha followed close behind, charging toward Shihōin Naraku. The moment the Fire Release struck would be the moment of his victory.

Sure enough, Kakashi Hatake was still that same useless fool. He couldn't even beat Shihōin Naraku!

As the thought flashed through his mind, Obito Uchiha was astonished to see Shihōin Naraku charge straight at him, holding that unusually sharp, straight-edged sword and ignoring the Fire Release.

Courting death!

He actually dared to ignore Fire Release this powerful. At that moment, Obito Uchiha truly saw his chance to win.

Whoosh-

The surging flames swept down and slammed into Shihōin Naraku, but he spread his left hand and abruptly clenched it. Like obedient children, the raging flames not only failed to harm him in the slightest, but swiftly gathered around his arm instead.

"Fire Fist!"

With a punch, Shihōin Naraku blasted the explosive flames from his left hand toward Obito Uchiha in midair.

"Kamui!"

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in Obito Uchiha's right eye spun, transforming into a shuriken-shaped pattern.

This was the Mangekyō Sharingan!

Using Kamui, the Mangekyō Sharingan's unique ability, Obito Uchiha transferred his body into the Kamui Dimension, passed unharmed through the searing flames, and charged toward Shihōin Naraku.

Cold steel flashed. Obito Uchiha watched Shihōin Naraku sweep the straight-edged sword through his heart, but with his body already transferred into the Kamui Dimension, he remained completely unharmed.

At the same time, Obito Uchiha's left hand finally touched Shihōin Naraku's shoulder. The next moment, he activated Wood Release without hesitation.

"Got you!"

"Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"

Shhk!

Countless sharp branches suddenly burst out all over Shihōin Naraku's body, skewering him into a porcupine, with every vital point thoroughly pierced by masses of branches.

Strangely, however, not a drop of blood flowed from Shihōin Naraku's body. Instead, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Got you!"

Swish!

With Kurikara in hand, Shihōin Naraku sent its keen edge whistling through the air, swiftly slicing across the arm Obito Uchiha had used to touch him.

Without a sound, Obito Uchiha's left arm, along with the sleeve of his black robe, was severed at the shoulder and dropped to the ground with a thud.

Whoosh...

Flames ignited all over Shihōin Naraku's body, burning the branches covering him to ash. A gust of wind scattered them all into the night sky.

"Hah-"

Obito Uchiha clutched his shoulder and abruptly retreated, his breathing instantly growing rapid. At the same time, some white fluid flowed from his shoulder.

"Your speed is pathetic!"

Shihōin Naraku casually flicked Kurikara, and a spark landed on Obito Uchiha's pale severed arm on the ground. With a whoosh, flames flared up and burned the arm to ash.

"And what's with that pattern in your eye?"

"Never mind. Once I take you down, I'll know everything."

Holding Kurikara in his right hand, Shihōin Naraku approached Obito Uchiha step by step. As he walked, rings of flame spread rapidly outward like ripples across a lake.

Body Flicker Technique!

Kurikara swept through the night, cutting down through Obito Uchiha's neck before its edge turned and abruptly slashed toward his heart. At this point, Obito Uchiha did not dare leave any opening, transferring his entire body directly into the Kamui Dimension.

Missing an arm, Obito Uchiha was completely on the defensive, taking one attack after another. Having received a transplant of Hashirama Cells from the First Hokage, he should, in theory, have at least healed the wound, even if he could not grow a new arm in such a short time. Yet the place where that pitch-black, straight-edged sword had cut him not only failed to heal, but kept leaking white fluid and even throbbed with intense pain.

Of course, Obito Uchiha did not know that after mastering Sun Breathing, also known as Hinokami Kagura, Shihōin Naraku had infused Kurikara's blade with his own Fire Release. Anyone cut by this blade would suffer reduced healing ability, and their wounds would be accompanied by intense pain.

In fact, this was an ability Shihōin Naraku had developed by drawing on the Bright Red Blade from Demon Slayer!

At this moment, unaware of the exact reason, Obito Uchiha could only do his best to keep Kurikara from cutting him. But he could only maintain Kamui's intangible state for five minutes, so his current situation was extremely dangerous.

Just then, in an opening between evasions, Obito Uchiha risked being slashed and met Shihōin Naraku's eyes with his Sharingan.

Genjutsu activated!

Having received Madara Uchiha's instruction, Obito Uchiha possessed exceptional skill with Sharingan genjutsu. With special methods, he could even use genjutsu to control Karatachi Yagura, Kirigakure's perfect jinchuriki!

In an instant, Shihōin Naraku fell under the genjutsu's control!