Chapter 254: The Will of Fire
Uchiha Obito, wearing the spiral mask, looked at the young man blocking his path. His voice turned cold.
"Uchiha... Shisui. You're not helping Konoha or the Uchiha clan get through today's disaster, but you're here... waiting for me?"
The explosions in the distance had put Konoha on high alert. Many residents were hiding in their homes with their families, doors tightly shut. Chunin and Genin-level shinobi were rapidly evacuating civilians near the Hokage Tower. At the same time, they were trying to protect others and maintain security.
In a small apartment, a young Naruto, wearing his goggles, hid alone. He couldn't see that on his rooftop, two powerful shinobi were facing off.
Uchiha Shisui took a deep breath. He looked at the single eyehole of the spiral mask, at the clear three-tomoe Sharingan within. He finally confirmed that everything Mercenary Tao had said was true.
He shook his head.
"Itachi has already made his choice. No one can stop today's slaughter. But you... Obito-senpai. Are you really not going to spare even your master and his wife's last remaining legacy?!"
Although the Uchiha clan was prone to extremism, Shisui had never seen anyone this extreme. Just because he had suffered misfortune, he wanted to make everyone else suffer. He had even killed his own kind master and his wife, and now, for the sake of a Tailed Beast, he was targeting their child.
This behavior made even Uchiha Shisui feel disgusted.
His two three-tomoe Sharingan stared quietly at Uchiha Obito. A short sword appeared in his hand.
Uchiha Obito saw Shisui's stance. He knew this rising star of the clan must have gotten some information and was here specifically to protect Naruto Uzumaki.
Based on what he'd seen during the Nine-Tails attack, he had guessed the Jinchuriki was Sensei Minato's child, but he never knew the child's identity. Until a while ago, a piece of information from inside Konoha had revealed Naruto's identity to him.
So, after seeing Nagato get "persuaded" by Mercenary Tao, Obito had reacted instantly. He secretly followed the group to Konoha. He planned to capture the Nine-Tails while the Akatsuki was busy with the [Konoha Crush Plan].
This way, he could get his hands on the most difficult Tailed Beast without anyone knowing. And later, when the war broke out, even without the Akatsuki, he could use them as a diversion to complete his Tailed Beast collection plan.
But he had never expected the Uchiha clan's current strongest... to be waiting here.
The reason Obito's expression was grim was that this proved his actions... had already been anticipated by that Mercenary Tao.
"Does Mercenary Tao really think you can stop me?"
Uchiha Obito looked at Shisui, who was preparing to fight, and laughed mockingly.
"Or perhaps... do you, the current 'Strongest Uchiha,' really think you are the strongest?"
Swoosh!
Shisui instantly appeared behind Obito, his short sword stabbing into Obito's chest. Obito ignored it. The blade passed through empty air.
But Shisui paid this no mind. One after another, figures—impossible to tell if they were clones or the real one—stabbed at Obito.
Obito saw this, his eyes growing colder. He had a feeling his Mangekyo Sharingan ability... was already known.
And in the shinobi world, the number of people who could know that was infinitesimally small.
Pfft!
A wooden spike shot up from the rooftop, impaling several of the figures. More spikes grew from the first, and in an instant, the clones and illusions vanished.
Shisui's real body appeared at the edge of the roof.
His expression was grave. Uchiha Obito's power was terrifying. Even with an intel advantage, that Mercenary Tao clearly hadn't given him the full details. Shisui only knew Obito had the Mangekyo Sharingan ability [Kamui], which allowed him to phase and avoid all attacks, and also teleport himself and others to the Kamui dimension.
It was the most bizarre space-time Mangekyo ability.
And now, Shisui discovered Obito didn't just have the Mangekyo Sharingan; he also possessed the legendary Wood Style—the Kekkei Genkai whose lineage had been broken in Konoha ever since the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, had died.
Obito sneered at the wary Shisui. His body sank down, phasing through the roof and into Naruto's room.
He wasn't in the mood to "play" with these shinobi today, because he, too, was in a bad mood.
Even though he had lost patience with this world after seeing so much of its darkness, and wanted to use the [Infinite Tsukuyomi] to grant the world eternal peace... ...returning to his homeland, seeing familiar people and places, still stirred strong emotions in his heart.
Uchiha Obito landed in the room. A boy was trembling under the bed covers. But with one glance, he knew it was a clone.
He saw Shisui hadn't followed, and knew he must have hidden Naruto away beforehand.
Obito sighed, phasing back to the roof. He looked at Uchiha Shisui, confused.
"Just because of a few words from that Mercenary Tao... you're going to give your life for his orders?!"
Wood Style spikes formed in his hands. If possible, he didn't want to kill Shisui this early. He had planned to harvest the Uchiha's Sharingan at a more... appropriate time.
But now that his goal was known to Mercenary Tao, he had to complete it as quickly as possible. And then... just kill everyone.
Uchiha Shisui remembered Mercenary Tao's words. For the first time, a clear battle intent appeared in his eyes as he looked at Obito.
If the man before him truly was the mastermind behind the Akatsuki, the culprit who had caused the [Nine-Tails Attack], led to the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, and caused the Uchiha to be hated by Konoha...
...then today, he had to defeat this man to resolve his clan's dilemma.
Uchiha Shisui closed his eyes. Uchiha Obito instantly appeared in front of him, the terrifying Wood Style: Cutting Technique thrusting at his body.
But the next moment, Shisui opened his eyes. The tomoe in his eyes instantly connected, shifting into the shape of a shuriken.
Mangekyo Sharingan!
At the same time, a green Chakra erupted from his body. The Wood Style spikes hit the immense green Chakra and instantly shattered.
Uchiha Obito instantly phased and leaped backward.
A giant skeleton appeared, and then, as if enveloped in green fire, the Uchiha's ultimate secret technique... [Susano'o]... began to manifest.
Uchiha Shisui stood calmly on the rooftop. The appearance of the Susano'o was instantly sensed by every Chakra-sensitive powerhouse in Konoha.
It was the sight of a top-tier expert unleashing their power without reservation—a sight Konoha had not seen in decades.
The Uchiha clan's ultimate secret technique from the Warring States period... Susano'o... had appeared again!
Uchiha Obito was also slightly stunned, floating back several hundred meters.
He clutched his mask. His body was currently augmented by White Zetsu, and while his physical abilities were enhanced, his missing Sharingan had not been replaced.
Without twoMangekyo Sharingan, he couldn't use Susano'o. So even with Wood Style, he didn't want to fight Shisui head-on.
Obito immediately began to retreat, but the moment Shisui activated Susano'o, he was prepared for a battle to the death. He instantly blocked Obito's path.
The Susano'o spread its arms, and an intense pressure washed over them.
Obito knew Kakashi was in the village. With his special Kamui ability, no matter how strong Susano'o was, it wouldn't be hard for him to protect himself. He began to lead Shisui's Susano'otoward the main battlefield.
Uchiha Shisui saw this and followed, as if he hadn't noticed Obito's plan. He didn't use [Kotoamatsukami] for two reasons: one, he was saving it to protect Konoha at a critical moment.
That Mercenary Tao, Pain, and Obito... he couldn't tell who was the most dangerous, so he couldn't just use Kotoamatsukami now.
Second, with his Susano'o active, his head-on combat power was nearly unrivaled. He also had the thought of approaching the main battlefield... to constrain the Akatsuki and Mercenary Tao.
After the Hokage Tower collapsed, a large number of Jounin and ANBU instantly separated the Akatsuki members, splitting them up almost without regard for their own casualties.
The medical teams moved in. Someone dug out the heavily injured Hiashi Hyuga.
Nagato, through Pain's eyes, saw Mercenary Tao facing the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The young Uchiha boy (Itachi) was intercepted by Uchiha Fugaku. And Orochimaru was being held back by several ANBU.
That left only Konan and the Six Paths of Pain to fight the nearly one hundred other shinobi.
More Konoha shinobi were gathering, trying to use human-wave tactics and formation-casting to stop him with high-level jutsu.
Pain shook his head indifferently.
Konoha's shinobi were high-quality, but compared to its golden age, the number of powerhouses was surprisingly low.
Those old Kekkei Genkai clans... the Senju, the Kurama, the Gekko... all seemed to have withered.
"Shinobi of Konoha. Feel the pain of war in your own village."
He made a casual grab. An ANBU was pulled into his hand. A black rod pierced his heart, and he was tossed aside.
Pain, with his Rinnegan, was already a taijutsu master, not to mention his stealthy abilities like [Bansho Ten'in]. Ordinary ninjas couldn't resist.
Suddenly, a giant shadow fell over the ground. Pain looked up to see a giant toad descending from the sky.
The Six Paths of Pain leaped back. Jiraiya, at the critical moment, had finally returned to Konoha with his summons.
This made Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a small sigh of relief.
But this reaction from Sarutobi made Kaito Shirogane's eyes turn cold.
"You're fighting me, and you still have time to look elsewhere...?"
"Tsk. It seems I've been playing with you for too long."
Kaito had lost interest in fighting Sarutobi. The Hokage was experienced and "slippery." Realizing Kaito's strength, he kept using Body Flicker, Substitution, and Clones to dodge, trying to wear Kaito down.
Kaito knew that if this continued, this "old-timer" would never outlast him. But that kind of fight... was boring.
The purple Satsui no Hado flooded his eyes. Since Sarutobi was choosing such a half-assed fight, he would show him what an unsatisfied beast would do.
Kaito suddenly raised his left leg high, an exaggerated movement unlike any normal taijutsu.
This wide-open stance seemed to signal an exaggerated tactic.
Sarutobi instinctively retreated again. Fighting this Mercenary Tao, he felt more and more helpless. He had landed several hits, but the opponent had no reaction.
Neither shuriken nor ninjutsu could harm him. Instead, every time he attacked, he would be hit by a mysterious Fire Style attack.
This forced him to use every trick to create distance and gather intel.
The next moment, that high-raised foot stomped down.
BOOM!
The ground shook. Cracks spiderwebbed out. A moment later, the ground shattered, and a huge cloud of dust rose.
Purple light flashed in the air.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The terrifying sound of fists pummeling flesh. Sarutobi's heart jumped. He immediately formed a hand seal.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Whoosh!
The wind blew the dust away. The tall man was enveloped in a purple, flame-like aura. It flickered demonically.
He half-turned his head, meeting Sarutobi's gaze. His pupils were completely white, his face split in a cruel smile.
And in his hand... his old friend, Mitokado Homura, whose strength was once close to his own, had been impaled by the man's fist, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.
Homura's kunai was buried in Kaito's abdomen, but Kaito didn't seem to feel it at all. He casually ripped his arm out.
A gush of blood and organs flowed out, and with it, Mitokado Homura's life.
This Konoha Elder, who had also fought on the battlefield, could only clutch his chest in his final moments. His body grew cold. He twitched, and his consciousness faded to black.
He had chosen to trade his life for one last blow. This choice made Kaito think slightly better of him, so he didn't obliterate the corpse, "kindly" leaving it intact.
[You have killed Konoha Advisor, Mitokado Homura. You have gained 1000 Dimensional Points.]
[You have obtained 1 E-Grade Singularity.]
[Your reputation with Konoha has decreased. Current: Hatred (92/100)]
Sarutobi stared, stunned. His own student, Orochimaru, slowly relaxed his combat stance. The ANBU and shinobi who had been surrounding the enemy... were now just piles of limbs. Six or seven ninjas had been brutally killed in that single instant.
Sarutobi watched as Mercenary Tao tilted his head, his eyes glowing with a cold purple light. He looked like a demon. An Asura.
"You... bloodthirsty beast..."
Kaito smiled cruelly and moved to charge the others, but Sarutobi blocked his path.
This Third Hokage, who had been worn down by politics for too long, now had a look of resolve and calm.
"You want a fight. You want my life, don'D'you..."
Kaito stopped. He sensed the burgeoning fighting spirit. This was the best nourishment for his Satsui no Hado.
The two of them then sprinted toward the Hokage Monument.
Shimura Danzo, watching from the shadows, had a complex expression. But in the end, he just turned. With a wave of his hand, he and his Root shinobi began walking toward the Uchiha compound.
Hiruzen... you've finally gotten old. You've gotten soft.
(End of Chapter)
~~~
Guys We cross the 100 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 200 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
~~~
Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 2 extra chapters
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter