"Kurozetsu!"
The moment Kazama appeared, Kurozetsu instantly invaded Sasuke's body.
"Mental fusion, huh? Damn it!"
Kazama, who had been about to strike Kurozetsu, had no choice but to halt his attack immediately. Kurozetsu had now merged with Sasuke, becoming one with him. Any attack aimed at Kurozetsu would hit Sasuke instead.
"Kid, we knew you'd be a tough one to deal with, so we came up with this plan!"
Seeing Kazama powerless to act, Kurozetsu, possessing Sasuke, burst into mocking laughter.
"If we could keep our tracks hidden, we'd use Sasuke to turn him into a weapon for Akatsuki. That was Plan A!"
At that moment, Obito stepped forward, standing in front of Kazama.
"But now I've found you, so it looks like your Plan A has failed," Kazama shot back.
"Exactly," Obito replied, his voice calm and steady despite Kazama's sudden appearance.
"That's why we've moved to Plan B: have Kurozetsu possess Sasuke to throw you off and stop you from taking him. Then, I'll deal with you myself!"
As he spoke, Obito pulled out a chain and wrapped it around both of his wrists.
"The same trick you used against the Yondaime, huh?"
Kazama smirked to himself, recognizing the move. Obito's Kamui was tricky, no doubt, but since Kazama knew about his abilities, he'd already prepared a counterstrategy.
"Betsutenjin!"
Kazama didn't waste time dragging out the fight with Obito. Instead, he unleashed his strongest genjutsu, aiming to take control of Obito's mind. But to his shock, Betsutenjin—a technique that had never failed him before—didn't work.
"No wonder you got Kakuzu and Hidan to tear each other apart. So it was Betsutenjin!"
Obito sneered at Kazama's stunned expression.
"Kazama, did you really think we'd lure you here without being fully prepared? Your Betsutenjin is tough to counter, but when you used it on Kurozetsu earlier, it lost its edge. I've already fused with Kurozetsu's cells. Right now, me, Sasuke, and Kurozetsu—we're all immune to your Betsutenjin. The only thing waiting for you now is death!"
In a flash, Obito charged at Kazama. His movements were lightning-fast, but to Kazama, who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, they were crystal clear.
Kazama hurled a kunai marked with the Hiraishin seal straight at Obito.
"Useless!"
Obito activated Kamui, phasing right through the kunai.
"Kid, your Mangekyo Sharingan is mine!"
Just as Obito was about to grab Kazama, Kazama's body vanished. In the next instant, he reappeared above Obito.
"Rasengan!"
Obito, forced to solidify to attack, was blasted to the ground by Kazama's Rasengan.
"How is this possible?!"
Obito wasn't the only one in shock—Kurozetsu, watching from the sidelines, was equally dumbfounded. He had clearly seen Obito on the verge of victory. So how had Kazama turned the tables and exploited a flaw in the blink of an eye?
What's more, Kurozetsu knew Kazama had never met Obito before and shouldn't have any knowledge of his abilities. Yet, from the way this fight was going, it was obvious Kazama understood Obito's powers perfectly.
The realization sent a cold sweat down Kurozetsu's spine.
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