Obito's figure solidified again. Looking at Tsukimi, who stood on high alert, he couldn't help saying:
"Tch, your reactions are quite a bit faster than I expected."
Tsukimi wasted no words, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan locked firmly onto Obito's movements.
She stood in front of Yahiko and the other two. "Save your breath. As long as I'm here, don't even think about laying another finger on them!"
Obito sneered mockingly. "Heh, big words. Whether you can protect them depends on what you're capable of!"
Before he had finished speaking, his figure flashed as he charged at Tsukimi with speed surpassing that of an ordinary jonin.
At this point, Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato had not turned dark after suffering extreme trauma, so their strength was actually far below what it was after Pain appeared in the original story.
Nagato in particular possessed tremendous potential, and his strength had increased dramatically when Obito had nearly swayed him last time.
But after Yūto beat some sense into him, his half-darkened state ended, and the power he had gained disappeared.
That was hardly surprising. After all, as the saying went, turning dark made you ten times stronger, while redemption made you a few notches weaker.
The three tomoe in Tsukimi's eyes spun rapidly as she gave her all to catch every subtle movement Obito made.
Yet Obito's speed and strength far exceeded her estimates!
Obito had transplanted cells from Hashirama, the First Hokage. This had not only granted him immense chakra and regenerative power, but also raised his basic physical capabilities to a monstrous level.
His taijutsu might have seemed lacking compared to a monster like Yūto, but that was only by comparison.
Against the vast majority of elite jonin, including Tsukimi with her current Three Tomoe, Obito's taijutsu was absolutely overwhelming.
For a time,