Chapter 93
2-in-1-chapter
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The combat style of a jinchūriki was extremely wild and brutal.
This has nothing to do with whether they retain their rationality.
It was simply that this wild and brutal fighting style better brought out their overwhelming destructive power.
Setting aside whether Naruto will one day master the so-called Nine-Tails Chakra Mode after mutual understanding with the Nine-Tails, even someone like Killer B, the perfect Eight-Tails jinchūriki, fights with a style that can be summed up in one word:
Reckless.
The defensive power of the tailed beast cloak allows them to reduce the damage they take to a minimal extent, while the chakra of the tailed beast had the ability to heal injuries. As long as it was not a fatal wound, most light injuries heal before they even notice.
Incredible defense, self-healing ability, combined with destructive power sufficient to reshape terrain—
This was a jinchūriki, a monster regarded as a weapon of war by every village!
Crack!!
Yagura's elongated dark-red arm, like a wood saw, pursued Rēn's footsteps, easily slicing cleanly through more than a dozen cedars so large that it would take five or six people to encircle one. The falling trees crushed neighboring trunks, triggering a chain reaction that turned the tranquil forest into a scene of chaos.
(Note: cedar are wavy thick trees)
"The extension length of the arm exceeds twenty meters, and after being cut, there's no blood on the blade. Is this a pseudo-limb constructed from tailed beast chakra?" Just like the ribcage-like Susanoo that was firmly protecting Rēn at this moment both were materialized chakra constructs.
However, their natures are fundamentally different.
Rēn's eyes narrowed slightly, his toes tapping the treetops as he moved like a ghost through the forest.
Bang!!
At the instant Rēn leapt backward the dark-red arm broke through the ground from below.
The claw, completely inhuman in shape, tried to seize Rēn's ankle. The initial ribcage-form Susanoo's protection was not all-encompassing. Above his head and beneath his feet were both undefended gaps.
"Hmph, you think I'm blind?"
The perception of the Sharingan was not as powerful as the Byakugan.
But it was not so poor as to miss the intense chakra fluctuation surging through the shallow soil below. Just as he jumped, a white-bone arm shrouded in flickering, blazing chakra quietly manifested at his side and struck downward with overwhelming force.
The giant bony hand collided with Yagura's beast-like claw.
Cracks appeared on Susanoo's hand, and the impact overturned a circle of trees, leaving a deep pit in the ground below.
The power of the tailed beast was indeed extraordinary.
But as long as there was a continuous supply of dōjutsu power, Susanoo could recover instantly no matter how badly damaged it was. This kind of damage was meaningless to Rēn. Or rather, Rēn, who was engaging passively, never intended to target Yagura in the first place.
His gaze shifted into the distance,
His mind rapidly calculating.
He didn't know the full situation yet, but the fact that his shadow clones had not been eliminated was good news in itself. As long as Uchiha Obito and Zetsu hadn't discovered his small tricks, it was worth continuing to stall.
To keep Uchiha Obito and Zetsu's attention firmly locked here!
.........
In the forest, because of the terrifying aura leaking from the tailed beast chakra, birds, insects, snakes, and all creatures, sensing danger by instinct, scattered wildly. The once peaceful forest was now in complete turmoil. Even Zetsu failed to notice that among these panicked animals were some creatures blackened as if they had bathed in ink.
Jet-black mice, slender black snakes, low-flying black crows, and many other pitch-black animals rushed through every corner of the forest.
They appeared to flee in panic, but in reality they were gathering and observing all information.
Deep within the forest,
Three of Rēn's shadow clones, hidden separately, held brushes and blank scrolls. Snakes, rats, and crows returned to them from time to time, leaping onto the scrolls, reverting to their ink form, and recording the intelligence they had gathered in special script.
At the same time, the shadow clones kept drawing, dispatching new scouts to continue collecting every clue.
Zetsu's Mayfly Technique was formidable. If memory served, it allowed Zetsu to merge completely with the earth and plants, moving underground at high speed while completely blocking all of his presence.
No one could detect him... but only while the technique was active.
They couldn't maintain a merged state with the earth indefinitely!
While hidden underground or within trees they were undetectable, but the moment they emerged they could be seen by nearby people or animals. This was why Zetsu disliked operating in Konoha—the Byakugan's ultra-long-range vision from a kilometer away was infuriating for them.
Operating in Konoha often required maintaining the Mayfly Technique for prolonged periods. Without being absolutely certain of safety, they wouldn't dare to surface.
In contrast,
The Yamanaka clan's chakra-based sensory techniques were the least threatening for Zetsu.
After all, during the Mayfly Technique, their chakra signature was entirely concealed.
Before climbing Black Tide Mountain, Rēn had already dispatched multiple shadow clones to hide in various locations nearby. Once he engaged Yagura, he deliberately lured Yagura into this forest.
His prey was much larger.
While Uchiha Obito was calculating against him, he was also calculating against Uchiha Obito.
The identities of hunter and prey were never fixed. In different situations, environments, and times, they could switch. The most important skill in hunting was the ability to track prey.
In the past, Rēn had no outstanding tracking methods.
But the secret technique Super Beast Imitating Drawing made up for this shortcoming, giving him the ability to reverse roles and hunt Uchiha Obito.
Hm?
A shadow clone sitting on a precisely hewn square stone examined the latest information appearing on the scroll. Its finger traced over the text, and the intelligence flashed rapidly through its mind like a movie reel.
Until, in one image, it saw a one-eyed man wearing an orange mask and a sinister face resembling an oversized pitcher plant emerging from behind a cedar tree. The finger froze instantly.
"Got you."
The shadow clone's lips curved faintly,
After so much effort, it wouldn't all be for nothing.
It formed a seal and dispelled itself with a bang. As the shadow clone dissolved, its released chakra formed white smoke. When the cool breeze dispersed it, the stone was empty, with no trace of a person.
Even the brush, ink, and scroll disappeared along with the shadow clone.
At the same time, some of the ink creatures under his control suddenly perished, collapsing into smears of ink on the ground, leaves, and tree trunks. This abnormal change finally caught the attention of the hidden Zetsu.
But just as they prepared to inform both Uchiha Obito and Zetsu,
Rēn's true body, still locked in combat with Yagura, had already received all intelligence gathered by his shadow clones. His gaze lowered, staring obliquely to the side. Uchiha Obito and Zetsu were concealed within an old cedar just beyond the dense canopy.
They were right there!
"To think they were hiding right under my nose... this infiltration skill is terrifying," Rēn murmured softly, a fierce killing intent flashing in his eyes. That skeletal arm reappeared, its cracks now gone, chakra light flickering around it like flames.
Then,
Even greater dōjutsu power surged into his palm!
Three deep crimson tomoe, like crystallized blood, floated above that skeletal hand.
On the trunk of the cedar,
Uchiha Obito and Zetsu peeked out, their gaze passing through gaps in the leaves, watching the deep crimson tomoe suspended above Susanoo's hand.
"What is that?"
Seeing something unfamiliar, doubt flashed in Uchiha Obito's eye.
"Yasaka Magatama. Uchiha Rēn is finally getting serious."
Black Zetsu's raspy voice explained, "That is a Susanoo technique. Every Uchiha who awakens the Mangekyō Sharingan can use it. Unfortunately, Obito, when you awakened your Mangekyō you lacked your other eye and couldn't manifest Susanoo. But if you recover your other eye, you'll be able to wield this power too."
"Hmph."
Uchiha Obito's expression turned sour, his voice cold: "Even without that, I will create a new world."
Black Zetsu felt a headache coming on.
Even with a thousand years of experience, he sometimes couldn't understand Uchiha Obito's thinking.
Why was Obito so resistant to reclaiming his other eye? Wouldn't mastering a more complete and powerful strength be a good thing? Why resist?
But... forget it. Obito already possessed Kamui, sufficient to advance the plan. Perfection wasn't necessary.
While he pondered, he saw that giant skeletal arm swing, hurling the three magatama imbued with terrifying destructive power.
But....Did Uchiha Rēn slip?
Why did those three magatama seem to be flying straight toward them? Black Zetsu's expression froze. His mind blanked for an instant. If this was a slip, it was awfully far off—Obito and Yagura weren't even in the same direction.
Or was it that Uchiha Rēn was aiming at them from the beginning?
Was Yagura never the target? Had Rēn's target always been Uchiha Obito—or even himself? Countless thoughts surged through Black Zetsu's mind as those three magatama filled their entire vision, brimming with an aura of destruction.
The massive Yasaka Magatama was already about to strike them square in the face; neither Uchiha Obito nor Zetsu was foolish enough to think this was simply Uchiha Rēn misthrowing. The most likely possibility was that they had been exposed, though they still couldn't figure out exactly how they had been discovered.
However,
That question could be left for later investigation.
The most important thing right now was how to deal with this unexpected turn of events.
As for the falling Yasaka Magatama, it was powerful and did not have fall-off damage. But so what?
Uchiha Obito didn't care at all. As long as Kamui was active, this kind of attack was like a breeze brushing past him. If anything, he looked forward to Uchiha Rēn trying a few more times, exhausting his dōjutsu.
What should he do next?
Uchiha Obito narrowed his eyes, thinking carefully.
Originally, before fully probing Uchiha Rēn's ocular techniques, he had no intention of revealing himself.
Only after obtaining clear intelligence would he determine his next move.
But he hadn't expected Uchiha Rēn to somehow see through his and Zetsu's concealment. Now that they were exposed to Rēn's gaze, there was little point in remaining hidden.
At that moment, the Yasaka Magatama passed through Obito's body like an illusion, striking a thick old cedar tree. In an instant, the massive trunk was obliterated without a sound. The high-density chakra released a devastating shockwave; not only did the cedar tree disintegrate, but everything around it was unable to withstand the destruction.
Blinding light, like a miniature sun, rose from the forest. The energy ripple spread outward in waves, and the deafening roar seemed to shake the heavens and earth.
When the light and noise finally subsided, there was a huge crater nearly a hundred meters in diameter in the forest. Ash-like dust billowed from it, carrying an indescribably dry, acrid smell.
This was the Yasaka Magatama!
"In terms of power... probably comparable to a Tailed Beast Ball fired by a partially transformed jinchūriki."
The pitcher plant-like Zetsu emerged from the ground, nonchalantly standing next to the equally unscathed Uchiha Obito at the edge of the crater. Both had top-tier survival abilities, so even a seemingly devastating attack had no effect on them.
"Pointless."
Obito couldn't care less about Zetsu's analysis.
Not to mention merely being comparable to a partially transformed jinchūriki's Tailed Beast Ball—even a Tailed Beast Ball from a fully transformed beast would mean nothing before Kamui.
So far, the only person who could counter Kamui was his teacher—and no one else.
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