Genjutsu activated!
In a lull in the battle, Obito Uchiha seized the most dangerous moment, directing his Sharingan at Shihōin Naraku's eyes and casting a genjutsu that instantly brought him under his control.
Elementalization!
The instant he fell under the genjutsu, Shihōin Naraku activated the Mera Mera no Mi's full-body elementalization!
"I won!"
Obito Uchiha casually flung a large shuriken. With a whoosh, it sliced through Shihōin Naraku's body, then embedded itself in the ground in the distance.
"Huh?"
At the sight of this all-too-familiar scene, Obito Uchiha's not-so-bright brain nearly crashed.
Little flames sprang up wherever the large shuriken had struck Shihōin Naraku's body. Then his body returned to normal, without even the slightest damage to his clothes.
Considering that projectile weapons were useless, and that Wood Release had also failed earlier, Obito Uchiha approached. After all, Shihōin Naraku was under his genjutsu and could not possibly wake up.
Meanwhile, inside the pitch-black genjutsu space, Shihōin Naraku looked up and saw three rotating tomoe appearing on a Scarlet Full Moon.
"Genjutsu?"
"Too bad my soul was born strong!"
Shihōin Naraku loosely curled his right hand, and a long, straight-bladed sword appeared in his palm. A smile touched his lips.
"Besides-my soul and mind have long since become the sharpest blade in this world!"
His powerful soul and mind began stirring the chakra within Shihōin Naraku's physical body. At the same time, inside the genjutsu space, Shihōin Naraku raised his hand, gripped Kurikara tightly, and slashed viciously at the Blood Moon overhead!
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
The howling sword light instantly became a blade soaring skyward, shattering the dark clouds filling the sky and cleaving the heavens. A black line appeared within the scarlet genjutsu space, extending all the way to the Blood Moon above.
The pitch-black sword light shooting skyward devoured the last remaining light within the genjutsu space and struck the high-hanging Blood Moon with wild momentum. There was no sound, only silence. Before anyone knew it, the Scarlet Full Moon had been cut into two equal halves.
Immediately afterward, the genjutsu space was completely torn apart. Warm moonlight spilled down, and Shihōin Naraku returned to reality.
It took many words to describe, but it had all happened in an instant.
Beneath the night sky, Obito Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan spun at incredibly close range. Space gradually distorted, and a faint pulling force acted upon Shihōin Naraku's body.
In the distance, a half-black, half-white Venus flytrap monster watched them, with two ANBU members bound by thick branches beside him.
As focus gradually returned to his eyes, Shihōin Naraku smiled. When Obito Uchiha sucked someone else into the Kamui Dimension, he had to cancel his intangibility and become solid.
In other words, he was now vulnerable to attacks just like an ordinary person.
"How is that possible?!"
Obito Uchiha could not understand why Shihōin Naraku had broken free of the genjutsu so quickly. Terrified, he tried to stop drawing him in. Only then could he become intangible again and pass through all attacks.
"Fire Release: Shiranui!"
Squelch!
A spear formed from crimson flames instantly pierced Obito Uchiha's body, making him cough up a mouthful of blood.
"Aaagh!"
"I'll cut you to death!"
"Hinokami Kagura: Flame Dance!"
With Kurikara in hand, Shihōin Naraku instantly entered limit-breaking mode. His speed was now beyond even Obito Uchiha's Sharingan's ability to track. He crossed the tiny distance between them in a flash, and the blade blazing with searing fire slashed diagonally down across Obito Uchiha's body.
"Aaah!"
Excruciating pain shot into his brain. Obito Uchiha howled wildly as blood and white fluid sprayed through the air.
That slash cut Obito Uchiha clean in two, while flames still burned fiercely on his body, threatening to reduce him to ash.
In the distance, Zetsu watched the scene with eyes stretched wide in horror. In one brief instant, the situation had reversed!
Obito Uchiha was about to be hacked to death by Shihōin Naraku!!!
Absolutely not. He could never allow this to happen!
Obito Uchiha was tied to so many future matters. Nothing could be allowed to happen to him!
"Spore Technique!"
Clumps of pale, White Zetsu-like growths rapidly swelled over Obito Uchiha's body. The spore-like things wrapped around his two severed halves.
"Aaah!"
A scream rang out, but White Zetsu still did not give up, enduring the agony of the burning flames as he helped Obito Uchiha.
Slash!
The sharp blade swept soundlessly through the dark night, slicing off a large clump of the spore-like material and sending it falling to the ground.
Crack!
Shihōin Naraku looked down as cracks appeared in the ground. A large number of White Zetsu suddenly emerged from below, lunging at him one after another. The remaining White Zetsu merged into the mass of white spores on Obito Uchiha's body, covering him in layer upon layer as they struggled to suppress the flames on him. Even when their pale bodies caught fire, they did not stop.
At the same time, Zetsu activated Wood Release from a distance, sending densely packed, thick branches coiling toward Shihōin Naraku.
By now, Zetsu could no longer worry about hiding his strength. Going all out, he unleashed tremendously powerful chakra, and huge trees rapidly grew to encircle Shihōin Naraku.
Shihōin Naraku darted and spun, dodging the thick branches as Kurikara, burning with beautiful flames, hacked apart every branch that came near.
Boom!
The next second, the fiercely burning flames exploded, igniting every tree nearby.
Wood Release was not weak, but Shihōin Naraku's flames were stronger!
For the first time in a thousand years, Zetsu panicked to this extent.
How could powerful Wood Release fueled by Hashirama Senju's cells possibly be ignited by ordinary flames?!
Riiip...
"Hurry up!"
Black Zetsu no longer maintained his gloomy facade, roaring angrily in a hoarse voice. The White Zetsu fused with him violently tore outward, splitting them into two individuals as the tissue connecting them rapidly broke apart as though it had been stuck together.
Black Zetsu's half-body frantically unleashed Wood Release to stop Shihōin Naraku from approaching.
White Zetsu instantly pounced onto the now completely unconscious Obito Uchiha, enveloping the spores repairing his body before quickly sinking underground and disappearing.
Only then did Black Zetsu finally breathe a sigh of relief and sink underground after him.
Clack!
A mask cracked in several places fell to one side, flames burning on its surface.
Boom!
All the burning trees burst apart, then quickly went out under Shihōin Naraku's deliberate control.
Clang!
Kurikara slid into its sheath and disappeared. Shihōin Naraku scanned his surroundings. "Looks like they really ran away."
"Whatever. I wasn't planning to kill Obito anyway."
Shihōin Naraku walked toward his two long-unconscious subordinates, paying no mind to whether Obito Uchiha even had a chance of waking up after those vicious slashes.
If he really died, Shihōin Naraku would not care either.
"They aren't badly hurt. Their chakra was drained, though."
Finding that his subordinates were not in serious trouble, Shihōin Naraku felt somewhat reassured.
"Looks like Black Zetsu deliberately spared these two to restrict my movements, or at least keep me from chasing them down."
Before you continue