Chapter 279: Kyosuke Arrives, Facing Dark Owl
Rotation, the so-called "absolute defense," was a technique that was more impressive in name than in practice. In essence, it was a defensive maneuver that used chakra expelled from all the tenketsu points in the body to create a rotating shield that could deflect physical and ninjutsu attacks. It wasn't a bad technique, but its effectiveness depended entirely on the opponent. Against Dark Owl, at her full strength, it was useless.
Though her arm was torn to shreds by the rotating chakra, she seemed to feel no pain. Or rather, the physical pain was nothing compared to the hatred that consumed her. She ignored her bleeding arm and, with a final, hate-fueled blow, struck Saori in the chest.
"Thud."
Saori was sent flying back, coughing up blood, crashing through a series of trees before finally coming to a stop dozens of meters away.
Dark Owl looked at her mangled hand, a low, guttural sound escaping her lips. "Is that all you have...? With this... how could you... how dare you..."
Saori struggled to her feet, a searing pain in her chest telling her that the fight was over. She slammed a fist on the ground in frustration. She would not make excuses. She had been defeated.
She had already been through several battles today. Her body was exhausted, and her dōjutsu power was depleted. She hadn't even had the chance to use her newly awakened ability. But she knew that even at her peak, she would have been no match for this opponent. To defeat this person, she would have to awaken the "Tenseigan." And she had a nagging feeling that her opponent had not even been using her full strength.
I have no choice, she thought. She took a small, pendant-like object, engraved with the kanji for "Kyo," from her clothes and crushed it in her hand.
A sense of relief washed over her. And then, she remembered her earlier vow.
...Life is so unpredictable.
Just as Kyosuke was about to go all-out and finish off Obito, he felt the distress signal from Saori.
What's going on...? He forgot all about Obito, his mind racing. Did Hizashi betray her? No... even the two of them together would be no match for her. Could it be... the village?
He gave Obito one last, long look, then vanished.
Obito: "..."
What the hell...? He waited for a long moment, but Kyosuke did not reappear. He was really gone.
He dismissed his Susanoo and returned to his own private dimension. As he tended to his wounds, he tried to figure out what had just happened. The answer was obvious. The only other person in Konoha who could pose a significant threat was Dark Owl. Kyosuke must have gone to deal with "him."
Good. At least you've made some contribution to the plan. I'll take it from here, he thought with a cold sneer. Did you really think you could hide Kushina from me, Sensei? You underestimate White Zetsu's reconnaissance abilities.
But first, I need to take care of these wounds.
Seeing Saori's strange, unfocused expression, the crimson light in Dark Owl's eyes flickered. She slowly walked toward her.
"It's time to end this," she said, her voice a low growl. "Good. You should be like this. If you had begged for your life, it would have been too boring. I will cut off your head and present it to him. I will watch his face as he weeps in despair."
The thought filled her with a dark, vengeful glee.
"A complete lunatic," Saori muttered.
Just as Dark Owl was about to deliver the final blow, a figure appeared out of thin air, and she froze, as if struck by lightning, then scrambled back in a panic.
It was Kyosuke.
He frowned, taking in the scene before him. It seems I was wrong. Saori must have been on her way to reinforce me... and was intercepted by this person... and that forest... if I'm not mistaken, that was caused by Wood Release... what the hell is going on?
He ignored the retreating enemy and knelt to check on Saori's injuries. He let out a sigh of relief. They weren't fatal.
"Are you alright? Can you stand?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
"Ugh... I don't think so," she said with a wry smile. She pointed a finger at the still-frozen Dark Owl. "Be careful of that one. If I'm not mistaken, 'his' Wood Release is even stronger than yours."
So it was Wood Release, he thought. But who is this person? Was he in the original story?
Is this someone who was secretly helping Obito all along? Or is this another change caused by my presence...? But a Wood Release user of this level... could it be Tobi?
His eyes fixed on the mask. It was the most likely possibility. The only other person who could use Wood Release on this scale and was allied with Obito was White Zetsu's special clone, Tobi.
But then, he saw the eyes behind the mask, and his theory was shattered.
The Sharingan?! And it's a Mangekyo?! How is that possible?
He left a kunai on the ground and, in a flash, teleported Saori to safety. He then returned to the battlefield.
"Who are you? And where did you get those eyes?" he demanded, his voice laced with a cold, murderous intent.
Dark Owl: "..."
But he would get no answer. She was already charging at him, her face a mask of pure, unadulterated rage.
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