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The Nine-Tails agreed without hesitation, padding carefully through Konoha's streets.
It moved with surprising caution, afraid that one careless step might flatten half the village.
The moment it cleared the village perimeter, though, it dropped the act. Four limbs slammed into the ground and it bolted forward, charging straight at Nue.
The two colossal beasts clashed in an instant.
The upper hand naturally belonged to the Nine-Tails. After all, it was the strongest of the Tailed Beasts. Dealing with a creature that had merely absorbed two Kage-level shinobi was well within its abilities.
"Raaaah!"
Freed from the fight, Hiruzen Sarutobi bent over, gasping for breath. He stared at Akira in disbelief.
The Nine-Tails… subdued that easily? And in less than half a day? How the hell did he pull that off?
"Boss! Something's wrong! My chakra's being drained like crazy!"
Mid-fight, the Nine-Tails suddenly realized something was off and roared in alarm.
"Don't panic! Buy me some time. I'm about to drop something big on this thing!"
Akira closed his eyes and pressed his palms together. Chakra surged wildly through his body, rushing toward his hands.
"Boss, are you done yet?! I think this thing's hit its absorption limit! It's going to self-destruct!"
The Nine-Tails pinned Nue firmly to the ground and shouted at the top of its lungs.
"What? That monster can self-destruct?!"
Hiruzen's face went pale. He swallowed hard.
If something that size exploded, Konoha might vanish from the ninja world entirely.
He turned to Akira, hope flickering in his eyes. The others did the same, their gazes tense and anxious.
"Done."
Akira exhaled softly. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead.
He opened his palms. A small black sphere rose slowly into the sky.
This was no casual shot like before. This was a true Chibaku Tensei, forged from a massive amount of his chakra. The difference in power wasn't even comparable.
RUMBLE!!!
A terrifying gravitational pull erupted outward. Even from far away, Hiruzen felt his body losing control, tugged toward the sphere.
"Hey! Brat! What the hell are you doing?! Why am I getting sealed too?! You little bastard!"
The Nine-Tails floated helplessly in midair, cursing furiously.
"Shut up. Say one more word and I won't let you out later."
Akira's voice was icy.
The Nine-Tails' expression changed instantly.
"Oh, I see, Boss! Got it! Just make sure you let me out afterward, okay?"
Akira stared at the sky speechlessly. Since when did Kurama get this shameless?
Soon, a massive rocky sphere formed in the sky, far larger than before. From a distance, it looked like a small asteroid suspended above the earth.
The terrain below was completely transformed. A gigantic crater yawned where the battle had been.
Akira collapsed onto a smooth slab of stone. His eyes reverted to normal. Sweat soaked his body as he lay there motionless, chest heaving.
He looked utterly spent.
"Damn… that nearly killed me. That was a full-power Chibaku Tensei. It drained every last drop of chakra. I'm completely empty. Not even a single thread left…"
Hidden in the shadows, Obito frowned slightly as he listened.
Trying to lure me out?
Hmph. Who does he think I am? I'm not falling for something that obvious.
With a cold snort, space warped and Obito vanished.
…
Akira lay there for quite a while.
Still nothing.
Seriously? I've made it this obvious and the guy still won't bite? Is he that cowardly?
With a sigh, Akira got up. If the fish wouldn't take the bait, there wasn't much he could do.
He dusted himself off and prepared to leave.
The moment he jumped down from the rock, a hand clamped onto his shoulder from behind.
Space twisted violently.
An overwhelming suction force engulfed him, dragging him toward the Kamui dimension.
This pull… why is it so strong? The activation speed doesn't match what it was in the original story!
Akira's expression changed. The force far exceeded his expectations.
— Amenotejikara!
He didn't waste even a tenth of a second. The Rinnegan snapped open.
Just before being sucked into Kamui, he activated its power and broke free.
"So close. I almost had you."
Obito sounded genuinely regretful.
After retreating into the Kamui space earlier, he'd thought it over carefully. Akira had just formed a massive "star." There was no way he still had much chakra left.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he didn't eliminate this threat now, he wouldn't sleep well for weeks.
And even if he failed, he could escape safely with Kamui.
Still, to be safe, he'd made thorough preparations inside the Kamui space before striking.
"…Both Mangekyō?"
Akira raised an eyebrow.
Obito's mask wasn't the familiar single-hole orange one. It was white, with two eyeholes.
Through them, Akira clearly saw both of Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan.
"No wonder the suction was so insane. I almost wiped out."
Dual Kamui Obito was on an entirely different level compared to the one-eyed version.
With both eyes, he could launch long-range Kamui attacks and activate it much faster. He could even use Susanoo—abilities the single-eyed Obito didn't possess.
"Young one, to dodge my attack… impressive. I, Uchiha Madara, acknowledge you."
Obito folded his arms, speaking in the tone of a senior lecturing a junior.
"But claiming you're out of chakra? That's a lie. Lying is a bad habit."
"Please. A guy who ambushes from behind calling himself Uchiha Madara? That's rich. Madara wasn't the sneaky type."
Akira folded his arms as well. A powerful aura burst from him.
"Besides, I am the ancestor of the Uchiha—Otsutsuki Indra. Even Madara would have to call me forefather. And you? What are you supposed to be? Some coward hiding behind a mask."
You want to posture? Fine. I'll outdo you.
His presence surged, cold and domineering.
"You possess the Mangekyō Sharingan. That makes you my descendant."
He paused deliberately.
"However, I hereby expel you from the clan registry. You no longer have the right to bear the Uchiha name. You are unworthy to be my descendant."
Obito's face darkened. He didn't believe a single word of this ancestor nonsense.
"You've angered me, young one. When I, Uchiha Madara, am angry… your death will not be pleasant."
His left Mangekyō activated.
That was the eye capable of long-range Kamui—the one he had just taken from Kakashi.
With Hashirama's cells in his body, eye transplants were practically plug-and-play, just like the real Madara.
Space twisted at Akira's chest. If he didn't dodge, the distortion would tear a massive hole straight through him.
— Amenotejikara!
Akira instantly swapped places with a chunk of rubble near Obito's feet and threw a punch at his head.
"A space-time technique. That Rinnegan ability of his… troublesome."
Obito immediately canceled Kamui. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to turn intangible. That was Kamui's weakness—while actively using it, his body couldn't phase.
Akira's fist passed straight through Obito's head, as if he were striking air.
"Useless. Your attacks cannot touch me."
Obito stood still, arms folded, every bit the aloof master.
"Is that so?"
Akira didn't seem bothered.
Kamui could shift any attacked body part into another dimension, evading damage completely. It looked invincible to those unfamiliar with it.
But for Akira? He had plenty of ways to break it.
"Consecutive Normal Punches!"
Maintaining just enough distance, he unleashed a relentless barrage of blows.
One punch after another, fast as a storm. Afterimages swallowed Obito's figure entirely.
"No matter how fast you punch, it's meaningless. Stop wasting your strength. Fighting requires brains, young one."
Obito's tone was cold, his eyes filled with disdain.
Trying to crack Kamui like this? Dream on.
Akira let out a low chuckle.
"Heh."
Akira let out a soft chuckle and didn't bother answering. He just kept throwing punches at Obito.
One minute. Two. Three… eight.
Akira's expression stayed relaxed the entire time. Not a hint of fatigue showed on his face. Each punch carried the same terrifying force as the last, fast and getting faster, like he was trying to shatter the world itself.
Obito's face finally changed.
If he dared to drop his intangibility now, he'd be hit by over a hundred punches in an instant. Just looking at the pressure behind them, anyone could tell they weren't light blows. One punch could smash rock to pieces. A hundred?
He wouldn't even have bones left.
With both Kamui eyes, he could maintain intangibility for ten minutes. Eight had already passed.
Two minutes left.
If he didn't find a way out of this storm of fists, he was in real trouble.
Obito's heart began to race. He forced his voice to stay steady.
"Junior, this is pointless. Stop wasting your energy! Attacking like this is useless. Honestly, your battle sense is unbelievably stupid. Stop embarrassing the name of the Uchiha. We're supposed to be combat geniuses!"
"Oh?" Akira grinned, his punches speeding up even more as he stared straight into the eyes behind the mask. "Sounds like you're about to hit your limit."
His smile widened, bright and almost boyish.
"Since that's the case, here's some good news. I can keep this up for a full day and night."
Damn it!
A full day and night? Is he kidding?
Obito cursed inwardly. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Sure, it was probably an exaggeration. But looking at Akira's calm, unchanging expression, one thing was obvious. He could definitely outlast him.
'Idiot! I've got one minute of intangibility left. I can't let this meathead keep dragging it out. I have to get away!'
Obito didn't care about keeping up the image of Uchiha Madara anymore. He pushed off the ground and shot backward, trying to escape the range of that overwhelming barrage.
"Oh? Running already? Weren't you supposed to be invincible?"
Akira mocked him while chasing after him, fists still flying. No matter how Obito moved, he remained covered by the relentless rain of punches.
'Damn it. How is he this fast?'
Obito clenched his teeth. He couldn't outrun him. No matter how he dodged or shifted, he couldn't shake Akira's shadow.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Obito phased through trees. Akira smashed them to splinters.
Obito passed through a mountain. Akira punched straight through it.
Obito's body sank into the ground. Akira blasted through the earth and followed him down without hesitation.
If Obito kept going deeper, Akira was fully prepared to punch all the way to the other side of the planet.
No matter what Obito tried, no matter what trick he used, he couldn't get away. The two of them remained locked in a strange stalemate, moving yet somehow frozen in place.
'This bastard… My invincible Kamui is being countered by something this stupid? Just nonstop punching?!'
Obito raged inwardly, cursing Akira for being a brute.
As the ten-minute limit crept closer, anxiety clawed at him harder and harder.
"Uchiha Akira, that's enough. There's no need to push this so far. We don't have any deep grudge between us. That sneak attack earlier was my mistake. I can apologize."
He spoke while retreating, trying to soften his tone.
He didn't have a choice. If Akira didn't stop, he was about to take a hundred rock-shattering punches head-on. With his body, he'd be turned into minced meat instantly.
Yes, he had Hashirama's cells. His regeneration and durability were far beyond an ordinary ninja's.
But under an assault like this?
He wouldn't last a second.
"A misunderstanding?" Akira sneered, his fists striking even harder. "You've got some nerve. You're the one who released the Nine-Tails, aren't you? And Danzo too. You let that dog loose. You kidnapped Izumi. You took Naruto. And now you're telling me it's a misunderstanding?"
He laughed coldly.
"Uchiha Akira, don't push me!" Obito suddenly roared, his voice hoarse and desperate. "Or I'll fight you to the death! I am Uchiha Madara. The methods I possess are beyond your imagination. Do you really think I can't deal with you?"
"Just a reminder," Akira replied calmly, "I've been keeping track of the time. Your Mangekyo can last ten minutes, right? It's been nine minutes and fifty seconds."
He smiled faintly.
"Actually… by the time I finish this sentence, you've probably got about seven seconds left."
'Damn you! Fine! I'll gamble everything!'
Obito roared in his heart. He spun around and threw a punch straight at Akira's face.
He chose to drop his intangibility on his own.
With only a few seconds left, waiting to be forced out was worse than striking first.
Bang!
His fist connected solidly with Akira's face.
At the same time, Obito's body turned tangible—
Bang bang bang bang bang!!!
The overwhelming storm of fists swallowed him whole. Countless punches landed on his body in an instant. Flesh and blood exploded outward.
In the blink of an eye, Obito's body was reduced to a cloud of blood mist. Nothing remained.
Akira slowly withdrew his fists and exhaled.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
He immediately summoned Susanoo's arms. Two purple skeletal arms extended from his sides and began spinning like windmills.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Trees, rocks, anything that could serve as cover, were obliterated. The surrounding area was flattened into a barren wasteland.
Akira didn't believe for a second that one of the two most slippery men in the ninja world would die that easily.
At the last second before becoming tangible, Obito had definitely used Izanagi.
The forbidden technique that rewrites death itself, turning it into nothing more than a dream.
Of course, the price was permanent blindness in one Sharingan.
A few minutes later, just as Akira expected, a figure appeared out of thin air.
Obito reemerged, clutching his now-blind left eye.
He stared at the completely flattened battlefield, not a single obstacle left standing.
His face turned darker than ever.
"..."
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