Obito scanned his surroundings.
He realized he wasn't mistaken… this wasn't an illusion!
He had genuinely been pushed back to the forest outside the Land of Fire!
"This... what just happened?"
"What is going on..."
Sweat beaded on Obito's face beneath his spiral-patterned mask.
A cold shiver ran down his spine!
Honestly, if the Shinobi World wasn't a place filled with bizarre occurrences, he would have thought he'd encountered a ghost!
It was just too strange!
"Damn it, did I fall for some kind of technique?"
'The only thing that should be able to instantly relocate someone is Yondaime Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique.'
'But Yondaime is dead, and the sensation of this technique was different from Flying Thunder God. It felt like I was being physically pushed...'
Obito leaned a hand against a tree, growing more confused the longer he thought about it!
With his knowledge, he mentally ran through every technique in the shinobi world but still couldn't decipher the truth behind what had just occurred!
"Damn..."
"Who was it..."
"Has my location been exposed?"
With a sense of dread, Obito gritted his teeth and pressed on.
He would figure it out once he reached Konoha!
Meanwhile, in Konoha Village.
"Ayame, the usual! The deluxe set!"
At Ichiraku Ramen, Takumi sat calmly with Naruto and the others.
Ayame, overjoyed, piled extra toppings into Takumi's noodle bowl.
"Whoa, that's way too deluxe!"
"Aren't you worried about going bankrupt, treating Takumi like that?"
Seeing the mountain of fish cakes, ham, quail eggs... heaped in Takumi's bowl, Naruto, Choji, and the others watched enviously, practically drooling.
Ayame walked over, her face flushed, "What do you all know? Takumi-kun is Konoha's biggest star right now. If we don't feed him well, how will he protect you all in the future?"
The logic was sound, and Naruto and the others were left speechless.
"Sigh, back when Sasuke was here, he was the one showing off. Now even Sasuke is out of commission?"
Choji shook his head regretfully, slurping a mouthful of ramen.
"Yeah, I wonder what curse Sasuke is under. Why, of all people, did that needle have to hit him?"
Kiba also shook his head, expressing sympathy.
"But thankfully, Takumi saved everyone. The fact we can all sit here eating ramen normally is thanks to Takumi!" Ino said, her voice full of admiration.
The group ate happily.
Not far away, in a shadowy alley, a strange, pitcher plant-like creature quietly emerged from the ground.
"So that's Takumi?"
"To be this popular..."
Black Zetsu and White Zetsu spoke one after the other.
Before arriving, they had imagined Takumi would be some aloof figure, like Pain or Itachi, stern and unsmiling.
They never expected he was just a regular kid!
Just... very handsome...
"Target is confirmed. But where is that Obito guy? Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
Black Zetsu looked around, puzzled.
There was no sign of Obito.
"What's going on? Is he still searching elsewhere?"
Black Zetsu frowned and sank into the earth.
He then proceeded to search the entirety of Konoha Village, section by section.
Yet, he found no trace of Obito whatsoever!
"This... what happened?"
"Has Obito not even arrived yet?"
Zetsu was baffled, completely unable to figure it out!
Obito had been ahead of him the whole time!
He assumed Obito had already located Takumi and was merely waiting for the perfect moment to strike!
But what was the situation now?
The man was simply nowhere to be seen!
"Did... something happen to him on the way?"
Zetsu was flummoxed. With Obito absent, he didn't dare act recklessly.
"Let's go look for him outside. Maybe he got lost," White Zetsu suggested.
"Don't talk nonsense! This is Obito's hometown, how could he get lost!" Black Zetsu retorted angrily.
"Then let's check the rivers or caves. Maybe he fell in somewhere," White Zetsu offered.
"..."
That evening, back at home.
Takumi checked outside the window, and found no one was there.
During the day, he had thrown Obito at least thirty or forty kilometers away. Even if Obito ran, the earliest he could arrive was tomorrow.
"Better run a simulation first to see when Obito will get here!"
Sitting on his bed, Takumi immediately opened the system interface and commanded.
'System, start fixed-point simulation!'
[Ding! Starting simulation. Please select the duration!]
'One day!'
[Duration confirmed. Please select your intended actions/state.]
'Take the initiative! Let's see if I can defeat Obito head-on, or if I can manage to throw him out again.'
[Simulation in progress, please wait...]
[Generating scenario...]
[You remain on your bed, vigilant of your surroundings. At 8:40 PM, Kurenai returns home.]
[You spend some intimate time with her in the living room before returning to your room to sleep.]
[The next day at 7:50 AM, you wake up on time. After freshening up, you head out to scout.]
[You position yourself on a rooftop, keeping watch over the village's back and side entrances.]
[You know Konoha's main gate is guarded by the two famous 'Gate Guardians', making it unlikely for an intruder to use it.]
[Even the powerful Six Paths of Pain infiltrated through the back gate, let alone a lone operator like Obito.]
[Sure enough, at 1:20 PM, you detect Obito's presence.]
[He uses his Kamui's dimensional portal to bypass Konoha's defensive barrier directly.]
[You seize the sack and charge forward using your hypersonic speed once more!]
[You successfully get the sack over his head again and prepare to push him out!]
[However, this time, Obito is prepared. After pushing him less than 500 meters, his body vanishes with a 'poof' of white smoke. You realize it was just a clone!]
[The real Obito, observing from the side gate alongside Zetsu, has witnessed the entire event.]
[Zetsu couldn't clearly make out what happened, but Obito, with his Sharingan, was able to track your movements.]
[He feels a mixture of extreme shock and profound confusion.]
[A few seconds later, stunned by the revelation of the clone, you become somewhat flustered.]
[You retreat back into Konoha, return to Kurenai's house, and try to plan your next move.]
[The experienced Obito tails you the entire way.]
[He uses his Kamui to phase directly through the walls, materializing out of thin air in your room.]
[You are caught completely off guard and immediately activate your Demolition and Emperor Fist abilities.]
[But the hax-level Kamui allows him to evade all your techniques.]
[Your fists pass harmlessly through his phased body. The massive blast from your explosion is absorbed by his Sharingan.]
[You attempt to use your hypersonic speed, but the room is too confined to utilize it effectively.]
[Obito, having already identified your vitals, activates Kamui and sucks you into his pocket dimension.]
'Ah, damn...'
'So it doesn't work a second time...'
Takumi let out a sigh of disappointment.
After all, this was the same person who, at just sixteen, masterminded the death of Yondaime Hokage and the Kyubi Attack.
He had to admit this guy's combat awareness was truly on another level!
The hypersonic trick was useless against him now!
'This is bad. If I don't acquire a new ability by tomorrow, I might have to run.'
Takumi quickly ran through the possibilities in his mind.
Obito was definitely coming for him.
And it was highly likely Black Zetsu was already in Konoha, hiding somewhere and watching his every move.
So even if he tried to flee, Black Zetsu would likely relay his location to Obito.
While he could potentially evade Obito temporarily, he didn't want to spend his life on the run!
It seemed his ability to repel Obito tomorrow hinged entirely on whether tonight's simulation could grant him a skill capable of dealing with him.
He didn't even have the mental space for any more intimate moments with Kurenai.
Taking a deep breath, Takumi silently issued the command in his mind.
'System! Begin a new simulation!'
[Ding! Drawing talents for you!]
The system's roulette wheel began to spin.
Three seconds later, the pointer came to a stop.
[Ding! Draw successful!]
[You have drawn the talents: Spirit Summoning (Black-Gold), Stubborn Focus (Black), Thief (Black-Gold)]
Seeing these three talents, Takumi's pupils constricted sharply.
His heart began to pound violently!
'Th-this... am I seeing things?!'
'It was a Double Black-Gold talent draw!'
Takumi felt like his hair was standing on end!
This was the first time since binding with the simulation system that he had drawn two Black-Gold talents simultaneously!
However...
After the initial shock subsided, Takumi quickly regained his composure.
'Spirit Summoning?'
'Thief?'
'What the hell kind of talents were these?!'
'They seemed completely unrelated to my immediate goal!'
"System, show me the detailed descriptions immediately!"
Upon his command, the system panel displayed the detailed descriptions.
[Spirit Summoning: An ability that transcends conventional understanding, operating on a level comparable to the Six Paths Techniques and the Impure World Reincarnation, yet possessing none of their inherent flaws. It does not cost the user their life, unlike the Rinne Rebirth Technique used to summon souls from the Pure Land. It also does not require a living sacrifice to act as a vessel for the summoned soul, unlike the Impure World Reincarnation.]
[This is the most fundamental, direct form of spirit summoning. Black-Gold represents the highest possible talent rank. Upon reaching the maximum potential of this ability, you will be capable of summoning the soul of any deceased individual, even those originating from outside the Shinobi World.]
[Thief: As the name implies, you possess preternatural skill in theft. Treasures, secret artifacts, confidential documents… no matter the item or its location, if you desire it, you can acquire it. (Black-Gold is the highest talent rank. If you wish to steal something, there is nothing in this world beyond your reach.)]
[Stubborn Focus: You possess an unparalleled capacity for single-minded concentration. You will devote your entire being to a chosen task, becoming utterly absorbed, immune to distraction or the opinions of others. Black indicates an extremely high talent level, signifying that outside of essential needs like eating, sleeping, and basic bodily functions, your focus remains locked on your chosen pursuit every waking moment.]
'What in the actual...'
After reading the descriptions of these three talents, Takumi's mind was flooded with confusion.
"?????"
'What is this?'
'Spirit Summoning?'
'Thief?'
'Just what kind of life path is this supposed to lead to?!'
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FOR EVERY 50 POWER STONES, I'LL UPLOAD ONE CHAPTER