Chapter 40: A Strategic Withdrawal
"Youngster, let's see if your strength matches that sharp tongue of yours!" Uchiha Obito's anger finally boiled over, his voice turning icy.
"Hah!" Uchiha Akira laughed, his sarcasm undiminished. "If you were truly Uchiha Madara, or possessed even a fraction of his legendary power, why waste so much time talking? You would have acted already."
"You will witness my strength soon enough!" Obito's eyes narrowed behind his mask. His hands came together, seals forming in an instant. "Fire Release: Blazing Vortex Jutsu!"
He combined the spatial distortion of Kamui with Fire Release. Space itself twisted, forming a whirling vortex-storm. From his mouth, a massive torrent of flames erupted. The vortex warped and spun the searing fire, creating a gigantic, corkscrewing column of flame that roared toward Uchiha Akira.
Faced with this ferocious fire assault, Akira had no intention of meeting it head-on. His battle with the Deva Path, though brief, had consumed a significant amount of his energy and chakra, especially the effort of controlling the heavenly thunder. There was no need for a direct confrontation with Uchiha Obito now.
Having inherited Uchiha Madara's legacy and fused with the enhanced Spiral Zetsu armor, Obito was a more complex and dangerous opponent than Nagato at this stage. He possessed Wood Release for offense—its potency after the Zetsu enhancement was difficult to gauge, but judging by Yamato's capabilities in the original timeline, Obito's Wood Release was likely at least on par. That alone made him a formidable challenge.
In terms of defense, Obito required none. Kamui itself was the ultimate defense.
Therefore, from the outset, Akira had planned to avoid a direct clash.
A flash of lightning streaked across the shattered battlefield. Uchiha Akira's figure reappeared dozens of meters away, easily evading the fiery vortex.
"Tch..." Obito was visibly annoyed. He too realized Akira was deliberately avoiding a decisive fight.
BOOM...
Another low rumble echoed from above. The clouds, recently shredded by the explosion, were already gathering again. Dark, heavy thunderheads reformed, and the ominous rumble of thunder began to build once more.
Damn it, Obito thought with irritation. With the weather in the Land of Rain as his ally, a prolonged fight might not end in my favor.
Uchiha Akira made no move to attack. He simply stood calmly in the pouring rain, observing Obito with a detached focus.
After a tense standoff lasting several minutes, a pale White Zetsu oozed up from the ground nearby.
"Lord Madara," it said, addressing Obito. "Nagato requests your assistance in retrieving the Deva Path."
Uchiha Obito gave a slight, wordless nod of acknowledgement. The Animal Path and its summoned beasts had been reduced to ash by Akira's earlier cataclysm.
"Forget it. We retreat for now," Obito decided internally. "Under the blessing of this country's weather, Uchiha Akira's power has reached a troublesome level. Even I cannot easily subdue him here."
A red light glinted in his Sharingan. In the next instant, he vanished.
He reappeared beside the charred, motionless form of the Deva Path. Before Akira could even twitch a muscle, both Obito and the Deva Path dissolved into swirling space and disappeared.
The speed of Kamui was transcendent. There was no telltale ripple, no spatial distortion visible to the eye—just instantaneous disappearance. Even a sensory ninja of Karin's caliber couldn't track it; their perception simply couldn't keep pace with the speed of spatial transference. They could only register a fleeting presence that vanished in a blink.
Thus, by maintaining distance, Uchiha Obito operated with near-total impunity. Kamui's speed was his ultimate weapon. There existed no ninjutsu in the entire shinobi world that could reliably counter the instantaneous coming and going of space-time techniques.
After Obito vanished from the battlefield, Akira did not lower his guard. Knowing Obito's character, a sudden return attack was entirely possible.
Several kilometers away, Uchiha Obito reappeared before Nagato and Konan, the scorched Deva Path at his feet.
Looking at Yahiko's blackened body, a flash of deep guilt crossed Nagato's face. He looked up at Obito. "Lord Madara... thank you. Without your intervention..."
Obito remained silent for a moment before giving a slow, acknowledging nod.
He studied Nagato for a few seconds. "You were careless this time. Do not repeat such recklessness. The full power of the Rinnegan is not yet yours to wield carelessly."
"Yes... I understand, Lord Madara," Nagato replied, his head dipping slightly. The arrogance of the self-proclaimed 'God' was gone, replaced by a subdued, deferential tone.
"Be more vigilant going forward," Obito instructed. "The Land of Rain will not be quiet now. Konoha will not abandon their efforts so easily." His gaze shifted between Nagato and Konan. "You should consolidate your position. It is best to secure control over this country first. Otherwise, Hanzo will undoubtedly align himself with Konoha against you."
Nagato was silent for a beat, then his voice firmed. "We will deal with Hanzo. Promptly."
"Lord Madara," Nagato ventured, his curiosity piqued. "The Lightning Release Uchiha Akira used earlier was... immense. Is the Gedo Statue... unharmed?"
Obito waved a dismissive hand. "The Statue is fine. After sealing the Six-Tails, its recovery process has already begun. The superficial damage it sustained will heal completely in short order."
A question lingered in Nagato's Rinnegan. "Why did you not press the attack to eliminate Uchiha Akira? Given the Wood Release you once demonstrated, I do not believe he would be your match."
When Nagato had first completed the Deva Path, brimming with confidence, he had challenged this "Madara" to a test of strength. Obito's response had been a display of Wood Release—a massive wooden statue erupting from the earth. The image was seared into Nagato's memory, a testament to power he still found awe-inspiring.
"In the Land of Rain, the weather and terrain are his greatest allies," Obito explained, shaking his head. "Judging by his displayed chakra reserves, he likely still possesses enough energy to repeat that large-scale Lightning Release technique. This is not the moment to reveal the full extent of my abilities. The critical time has not yet arrived."
Back on the battlefield, over ten minutes passed with no sign of Uchiha Obito's return. It seemed he had truly withdrawn.
Akira did not drop his guard entirely, but a measure of relief did settle over him.
Gripping his ninja sword, he began to methodically survey the ravaged landscape.
A few minutes later, he stopped before a huge, charred mass over ten meters long. It was a piece of debris from the cataclysm.
A brilliant arc of sword light flashed. The mass of charcoal was cleanly bisected, revealing within it a core of what looked like petrified, blackened wood—a fragment of the Gedo Statue's substance, shed during the thunderous assault.
With several more precise strikes, he stripped away the outer charcoal, revealing the innermost piece of the statue's tissue. It was only two or three meters long now, resembling a gnarled, dead tree branch.
Examining this fragment of the Divine Tree's husk, Uchiha Akira touched his chin thoughtfully. This could be very useful. He carefully sealed the unusual specimen into a storage scroll.
(End of Chapter)
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