Im's existence was a secret within the entire World Government. Even someone like Kong the Iron Bone only vaguely knew of it but had never seen Im.
As for Sengoku, Garp, and others like them, they were completely unaware, always believing the Five Elders to be the highest rulers!
So, when Lin Xuan directly uttered the name 'Im', how could the Five Elders not be shocked?
After the initial shock, the Great Elder, Curly, demanded in a deep voice, "Why do you know that name?!"
Seeing his reaction, everyone present became even more certain that this 'Im' mentioned by Lin Xuan must be an incredibly important figure.
Silently memorizing the name, everyone's gazes shifted back to Lin Xuan.
However, facing the question, Lin Xuan only responded with a mocking smile. "Want to know? If you manage to defeat us, I'll tell you!"
Curly's face darkened, the scar at the corner of his eye seeming even more menacing. A thick killing intent flashed in his eyes as he stared fixedly at Lin Xuan. "Then have it your way! I hope you'll still be smiling later!"
With his words, the atmosphere on the scene grew tense instantly.
Everyone understood that the battle between the top-tier fighters of both sides was about to begin!
The rest from the World Government side and Lin Xuan's faction consciously stepped back, creating a wide, circular space in the center.
The Five Elders and the five figures including Uchiha Madara stood opposite each other in the arena, locked in a standoff.
Battles of this level were unheard of, not just for the people watching the broadcast worldwide, but even for the top-tier powerhouses present.
Therefore, everyone held their breath, watching the two opposing sides in the arena with nervous intensity.
The entire world seemed to fall into a hushed silence because of this impending battle.
The next moment, Uchiha Obito was the first to move.
Perhaps because he had regained his youthful appearance and was now in front of Nohara Rin, Obito's personality had reverted to its former impulsive state.
He charged forward and immediately unleashed a jutsu.
"Kamui!"
The space in front of the Five Elders twisted violently.
Seeing this, the Great Elder, Curly, instantly stepped forward, his arms coated in Haki, shielding the others.
Witnessing this, Uchiha Obito sneered, his hands quickly forming seals as he released a Fire Release jutsu. It turned out his initial Kamui wasn't an attack, but merely support for his fire technique.
"Fire Release: Blasting Storm!"
Boom!
A serpent of fire shot out and, propelled by the twisted space, rapidly formed a massive whirlwind of flames dozens of meters in diameter, engulfing all five of the Elders!
From behind, Uchiha Madara, seeing Obito attack all five Elders at once as if he intended to handle them all single-handedly, snorted displeasedly again. However, he didn't intervene, merely muttering, "Obito is still too young. These five men became the top rulers of this world; their strength is far from simple."
Sure enough, Obito's mere B-rank jutsu, though somewhat unexpected and amplified by his Six Paths-level power, posed little threat to the Five Elders.
The Bald Monk among the Elders drew the Shodai Kitetsu. Instantly, countless sword slashes carrying a fierce gale swept forth, shredding Obito's attack to pieces.
Simultaneously, two other Elders acted almost in unison.
The first to strike was the Third Elder, Golden Beard.
"Mental Attack!"
Just as Obito was about to launch another attack, his mind was suddenly assaulted. His vision went black, all his senses seemed to vanish, and an intense, terrifying pain surged through him.
What is this? Genjutsu? Obito was shocked. A Six Paths-level powerhouse, and one from the Uchiha clan no less, actually suffering a setback related to illusion techniques? It was unbelievable!
But he quickly realized something was wrong. No, this is different from Genjutsu! It's like... a direct attack on the soul!
Admittedly, some Devil Fruit abilities in this world were utterly unreasonable. Unless one possessed a specific counter, they could be virtually unsolvable.
While Obito's power was immense, he clearly couldn't immune himself to this bizarre mental attack like Hashirama Senju could.
And before he could shake off the effects of the mental assault, the Great Elder, Curly, had already moved into action. Just as Obito was still disoriented, Curly appeared directly in front of him as if teleporting.
Whoosh!
His fist, gleaming with a metallic sheen, smashed towards Obito with terrifying force.
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed as billowing dust erupted in the arena.
Curly's attack didn't hit Obito. At the critical moment, multiple layers of Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall had appeared in front of Obito!
Clearly, this was Hashirama Senju's doing.
However, the layers of wood shattered one after another under the force of Curly's powerful punch.
Curly immediately threw another punch, aiming for Obito once more.
But in that instant, Obito finally broke free from the bizarre mental attack. Without hesitation, he activated Kamui, phasing intangibly.
Swish!
Curly's figure passed straight through Obito, ending up behind him.
Obito inwardly sighed in relief: That was close!
Then, anger surged within him. Not only had he failed to show off by attacking first, but he had almost suffered a major setback. It was utterly humiliating!
He immediately wanted to counter-attack Curly, but he soon found he couldn't.
Because the moment Curly's attack failed, a sky full of thunderbolts descended from above, crashing down towards him!
Evidently, the Fourth Elder, Handlebar Mustache, had made his move!
In this situation, if he tried to attack Curly, he would have to materialize. Materializing meant getting struck by lightning. Left with no choice, he could only temporarily abandon his attack, his figure swiftly vanishing into the Kamui dimension before reappearing near Uchiha Madara and the others.
The onlookers and those watching the broadcast were all stunned.
So many changes had occurred, all within the span of barely a breath. They couldn't even process it all!
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T/N:
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