"Specimens?"
"So then... you're first."
[VMMM—]
In an instant, Kitagawa Gen moved.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of the three of them once again, his black longsword now radiating with dazzling chakra.
"Watch out!"
Kisame rolled out of the way quickly, while Uchiha Obito activated Kamui mid-sprint to phase out. Only Uchiha Itachi was left unable to move freely.
Seeing the blade getting closer, Itachi clenched his teeth, forcing his body to hold steady. While maintaining Susanoo, his right eye began to spin rapidly.
"Now's my chance!"
Itachi hadn't used Amaterasu yet—this was the perfect opening!
"You really think I can't see what you're up to?"
But a cold voice rang in his ear—and in the next instant, a massive repulsive force slammed into him with terrifying might.
Just as his Amaterasu was about to trigger, the eye's power was blown away entirely by an invisible wave of repulsion!
[VMMM—]
At the same moment, Kitagawa Gen's blade came down—Susanoo didn't even resist.
Already cracked and broken, it shattered completely under a sharp crack-crack—cleaved cleanly in two!
[BOOM—]
Itachi's body was sent flying, crashing violently into the forest behind him under the force of the strike.
"Second."
Kitagawa Gen turned the edge of his blade. He didn't spare a single glance at either Itachi or the phasing Obito—his focus now locked onto Kisame.
Because Kisame had dodged that earlier swing and evaded the black flames of Amaterasu, he had already created some distance. Seeing Kitagawa Gen charging toward him, he had no choice but to raise his blade in defense.
"Damn it—his speed and strength increased again! What the hell is going on with this guy? And that chakra of his…"
Kisame could feel the difference clearly. Even more terrifying was that Samehada refused to absorb this guy's chakra.
That left Kisame utterly confused—it was the first time he'd ever seen Samehada react like this.
…
"Now's my chance!"
Obito noticed that Kitagawa Gen wasn't paying him any attention—and just then, he also sensed Black Zetsu's chakra approaching.
He gritted his teeth. He didn't have time to worry about Itachi.
Sure, he wanted to retreat, but right now, he couldn't just stand by and watch Kisame die like this. And more than that—this guy was seriously starting to piss him off!
The moment Kitagawa Gen made his move, Uchiha Obito finally sprang into action.
Kamui flared to life—his entire body flickered and reappeared behind Kitagawa Gen. His hand shot out with incredible speed. As long as he could grab this guy, he could try to absorb him into the other dimension.
And if nothing else, he could at least force him to use a space-time jutsu—then seize the chance to retrieve Kisame.
To ensure success, he activated Wood Release without hesitation. At the same time, a spiraling vortex twisted open over his eye.
But then—
"You know, I was just wondering when you'd finally make your move... you inferior creature."
At that very instant, a powerful gravitational force yanked Obito mid-motion. The next second, he saw Kitagawa Gen's blade twist sharply—now aimed straight at him!
'He was... waiting for me?!'
Obito's eyes went wide. In a flash, he redirected Kamui to phase himself instead.
Now it was a contest of raw speed—who could strike, or vanish, first!
But before he could fully dematerialize, that black longsword erupted with terrifying chakra.
This sensation… it was just like that time in the Land of Wind!
[BOOM—]
A surge of overwhelming energy exploded.
At first, it was just a beam of white light—
But in the next moment, it was as if that light had turned the entire sky into blinding daylight!
Power churned and rolled like a tidal wave, expanding wildly outward, tearing through everything in its path.
...
"What the hell is... that power?"
The monks of the Fire Temple, already fleeing far into the distance, stared back in horror as the towering mountains behind them collapsed into rubble. Panic gripped every one of them.
...
"Aaagh! So bright! My eyes are burning!"
Not far away, the White Zetsu pitcher plant that had just reached Uchiha Itachi let out a scream, covering half its face.
Black Zetsu's expression turned pale as well. In that instant, he suddenly realized—he had lost all trace of Uchiha Obito's chakra.
Staring at the wave of destructive energy barreling toward them, only one thought echoed through his mind: 'That guy... could he be Mother's kin?'
...
"What? The Fire Temple was attacked?!"
The next day, inside Konohagakure.
Hiruzen slammed the report on the table as he shot to his feet, his face full of disbelief.
"What the hell happened? What's going on?"
Even though the Fire Temple wasn't directly affiliated with them, the fact that something like this happened within the Land of Fire was unacceptable!
"Hokage-sama, we don't know the details either."
The ANBU agent shook his head helplessly. They were just as confused about the whole situation.
They had received the news early that morning but still didn't have a clear understanding of what really happened—only that a battle had taken place at the Fire Temple, and even the entire mountain had vanished!
They were extremely curious too—just what kind of people were fighting to cause that level of destruction?
But unfortunately, they truly didn't know.
"However, according to the reports, the number of casualties seems to be low. The monks from the Fire Temple are already on their way to the village. Their head monk has something important to report to you, Hokage-sama."
"He's coming in person?"
Hiruzen took a couple of puffs from his pipe and, after a moment of silence, nodded.
"Understood. Send Asuma. He has a good relationship with that monk, Chiriku—let him handle the reception."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The ANBU answered immediately. Hiruzen thought for a moment longer and continued: "Also, send a squad to investigate the Fire Temple. Let Kakashi—no, have Inoichi lead the ANBU team instead."
Hiruzen had initially considered sending Kakashi, but then remembered the infamous "bad luck" streak of that team—every mission somehow ended with someone being hospitalized.
He instantly decided it was better to send more specialized personnel this time.
Just thinking about it—he himself had ended up in the hospital from a sudden scare, and shortly after that, Jiraiya was hospitalized after getting punched by Tsunade.
He figured it was best not to tempt fate again.
"Hokage-sama, are you sure we shouldn't send Captain Kakashi?"
The ANBU's tone shifted oddly upon hearing this, but Hiruzen remained firm.
"That's the plan. Inoichi is a professional—he's better suited for this kind of task."
"Understood, Hokage-sama. I'll take my leave now."
"Go on."
Watching the ANBU agent depart, Hiruzen let out a helpless sigh.
Lately, it seemed like trouble was piling up one after another. He was starting to suspect the Akatsuki might be behind it again.
"And Kumogakure hasn't exactly been quiet either. The joint Chūnin Exams are scheduled for next year, but the shinobi world just keeps getting more and more chaotic."
Hiruzen felt a bit weary as he sat there with his pipe, slowly sinking into thought.
He believed it might be time to tighten the security around the Chūnin Exams. Whether anything happened or not, they needed to be fully prepared.
Glancing over at the crystal ball beside him, he made up his mind.
"Given the situation, I should keep a close eye on Konoha and begin planning security measures."
...
"Are you alright?"
While Hiruzen was still mulling over village security and the situation at the Fire Temple, Black Zetsu was now showing concern for Uchiha Obito.
Though those were the words that came out of his mouth, what he truly wanted to know was what exactly had happened last night. But he knew—now was definitely not the time to push.
After all, there were just too many problems with that battle.
"Not great. I had to use Izanagi, but last night…"
Uchiha Obito leaned wearily against the wall. He had truly been beaten down—completely, without the slightest chance to fight back.
To be fair, part of it was due to lack of intel.
And part of it was the constant pressure from an invisible force.
But no matter how many objective reasons he could come up with, they didn't change the outcome. If he hadn't prepared Izanagi in advance, he would've been dead on the spot.
Even so, his body had already been replaced with quite a few "spare parts."
Shaking his head, Uchiha Obito finally spoke in a low voice.
"What about the other two? How are they now?"
"Not looking good at all."
At this point, White Zetsu chimed in—untroubled as always, grinning from ear to ear.
"Kisame took a heavy hit, but it looked like he managed to hide himself inside his sword at the last second."
"That's probably how he survived the explosion. But right now, he's so thin he doesn't even look human, and he's still unconscious."
Sealing himself inside Samehada not only allowed for concealment but also mitigated damage. But that was already his last resort.
The hit had been so brutal that even the chakra within Samehada couldn't hold up—it had to start siphoning Kisame's chakra just to keep him alive.
"As for Uchiha Itachi… his condition is far worse."
Seeing Obito remain silent, White Zetsu kept smiling as he continued.
"When I found him, he was on the brink of death. His whole body was fractured, and he looked like he was in terrible pain."
"Not only that, his eyes also seem to have been damaged. For now, we can only try to keep him alive and hope he wakes up."
"That bastard!"
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Obito still couldn't hold back his anger upon hearing all this.
Damn it, they had lost badly.
Both of them were hanging by a thread—and Uchiha Itachi especially, a carefully groomed pawn he had cultivated for so long…
To think he ended up in such a state—how could Obito not be frustrated?
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