Chapter 277: Never Surrender
His sure-kill strike had been thwarted. With a silent sigh, Kyosuke attacked again.
With two intact Sharingan, Obito's Kamui was not only faster and more dangerous, but he could also freely use the azure Susanoo that had only made a fleeting appearance in the original story. Defeating him in this state would be no easy task. But if he didn't run, Kyosuke was confident he could take him down.
But the thought had barely formed in his mind when Obito turned and fled.
Kyosuke, without a moment's hesitation, used his full-powered Body Flicker to intercept him, forcing him out of the Kamui dimension.
Obito looked at Kyosuke's impassive face and, maintaining his intangible state, continued to run.
Is he afraid of Minato's return? Kyosuke thought, carefully guarding against another Kamui attempt. By now, Minato would have taken Kushina and Naruto to a safe location. He would be returning any moment. Obito must have realized this and decided to retreat.
Kyosuke knew Obito's Kamui ability as well as Obito himself did. The technique had a strict time limit. The continuous, intangible state could only be maintained for five minutes.
And in five minutes, the real battle would begin.
3... 2... 1... Now!
The moment the five-minute mark was reached, the two of them, still running at full speed, attacked each other.
Obito let the kunai pass through his body and, in the instant his right eye's ability reached its limit, turned and used his Susanoo to block Kyosuke's fatal strike. At the same time, he activated his left eye's ability.
"Kamui."
An invisible pressure crushed down on Kyosuke, the space around him warping and collapsing. Just as he was about to be sucked into the Kamui dimension, a triumphant smile appeared on his face.
"Flying Thunder God Technique?!" Obito's eyes went wide. A searing pain erupted from his chest. He looked down and saw the tip of a sword protruding from it. He had no time to think. He activated his intangibility and fled.
"Cough." Blood trickled down from beneath his mask. His eyes scanned Kyosuke's body and finally settled on the kunai at his feet.
So that's how it is. He threw the marker kunai behind me, then used a frontal assault as a feint...
As expected of you, Kyosuke. The gap in our combat experience is greater than I thought. But... He took a deep breath, and the light in his eyes flared. The azure Susanoo appeared, and the trees around them began to grow and twist.
"You are still no match for me!"
Seeing that Kamui alone was not enough, he decided to crush Kyosuke with raw power. With the boost from the Hashirama cells, he was confident of his victory.
But before he could attack, Kyosuke let out a soft sigh and vanished.
"Secret Sword: Swallow Reversal."
Three images of his blade flashed past Obito's body. If not for Kyosuke holding back, the single strike would have been enough to end his life.
"Gah!" He coughed up a mouthful of blood, the Susanoo dissipating around him as he crashed to the ground.
"Give up," Kyosuke said, his voice filled with a strange, conflicted emotion.
"Give up? Hahahaha," a distorted, raspy voice came from behind the mask. "Years of war have bred an endless cycle of hatred. You, me... we are all the same."
"It is because of that hatred that I exist. I will bring peace to this world, in my own way."
"And you tell me to give up?!" He looked up, his voice a low, eerie whisper. "Did you tell the Iwa to give up? To not kill Nagisa and the Second Elder?"
At his words, Kyosuke's expression darkened, and a wave of killing intent washed over him. "Do not push your luck. My patience has its limits. I will ask you one last time. Will you give up?"
He pointed his Kusanagi Sword at Obito's throat.
He had held back several times during the fight, out of a lingering sense of camaraderie. But if Obito continued on this path, he would have no choice but to kill him. He had already placed a Flying Thunder God marker on his body. There was no escape.
But it seemed his efforts were in vain.
Give up? Obito asked himself. The answer was the same.
Never.
"If I give up, who will bear my hatred? Who will bear Rin's hatred?!"
"Who will end this endless cycle of war?!"
"I've had enough of this false world!!!"
"AHHHHH!!!"
With a desperate, agonized roar, the third stage of his Susanoo erupted from him.
"Come on. The real fight is just beginning," he said, his voice a cold, dead monotone.
"So that is your answer," Kyosuke sighed, the last trace of hesitation vanishing from his eyes, replaced by a chilling, murderous intent.
But just as they were about to clash again, Kyosuke's head snapped to the side, a look of horror on his face.
"Saori... no!!!"
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