Divine power itself is an 'irresistible force' capable of warping space—overriding even the most advanced sealing techniques.
Kamui: Armor-Breaking Seal!
Under the distortion of Kamui's vortex, the iron armor seal began to crack. The sealing technique's 'manifestation'—an armored shell—fractured from within Kirabi's body, and the Eight-Tails' chakra started seeping out through the gaps.
"This feeling—the iron armor seal is about to be broken! Damn it, we must stop him!!" The Eight-Tails lashed at Obito with his claws.
Obito ignored the attack, intensifying his ocular power.
The armor—shattered!
Obito looked up, eyes glowing blood-red. The octopus claw froze in mid-air, and the Eight-Tails' pupils twisted into Obito's Mangekyō pattern—a clear sign he had fallen under genjutsu.
"Such strong ocular power... I can't move!"
Outside, Obito formed a hand seal.
"Come forth, Eight-Tails!"
BOOM!! Chakra exploded from Kirabi's body like a crimson pillar, connecting with a black vortex in the sky. This wasn't caused by Kamui but was a natural phenomenon triggered by the tailed beast's release.
Red lightning surged in the whirlpool, each bolt carrying destructive force.
Obito stared at the sky. "If the Eight-Tails is this strong, how powerful must the Nine-Tails be? Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara treated it like a pet... The gap between them and me is vast—but one day, I will close it."
The torrent of red chakra persisted until it completely exited Kirabi and soared skyward, merging with the swirling crimson mass in the heavens. The Eight-Tails had fully separated.
Kirabi's fate was sealed.
"Hmm?"
Unexpectedly, the end of the red chakra stream morphed into an octopus tentacle and latched back onto Kirabi.
Obito narrowed his eyes. "My Mangekyō controls the Eight-Tails completely. Is this... its will refusing to let Kirabi die? Sentimental. Fine, I'll grant you this much."
Fwoosh! Obito leapt into the air, imbued his arm with Lightning Release, and sliced off the tentacle. It slithered back into Kirabi's body.
It wasn't a problem. The main body of the Eight-Tails had been extracted. A single tentacle wouldn't affect its overall chakra reserve.
Obito recalled how Madara once extracted tailed beasts and allowed a tentacle to remain to save Kirabi's life. Obito felt no hatred toward Kirabi—there was no need for him to die.
With Kirabi spared, the Eight-Tails relinquished its resistance. Its chakra coalesced mid-air, reforming into its massive bull-octopus body. It crashed into the sea, sending massive waves skyward.
The Eight-Tails had returned to the wild.
"The genjutsu control won't last long... I must act quickly."
Crack! Thick trees sprouted from Obito's right shoulder and wrapped around the Eight-Tails. He aimed to transfer the beast to his time-space dimension.
Transporting something this massive required both of Obito's eyes. His right eye was optimized for personal teleportation and required direct contact. His left eye could teleport from range but needed a full view.
Using the chakra-infused tree as an extension of his body fulfilled the right eye's condition while giving the left eye visual coverage.
With everything aligned, both Mangekyō Sharingan locked onto the Eight-Tails.
Kamui!
Vwoosh!! A massive vortex opened. The Eight-Tails was sucked entirely into the Kamui dimension.
Crack! Transfer complete. Obito snapped off the tree branch from his arm.
"Huff... huff..." He hunched over, standing on the sea surface, panting heavily. Sweat dripped from his mask and reflected off the rippling water.
He removed the mask, revealing a pale, exhausted face. Smiling weakly, he muttered, "How long has it been since I looked in a mirror? That war... it kept me too busy."
BOOM!!! Behind him, a figure crashed down.
A towering man, nearly two meters tall, with dark skin, blond hair, and lightning tattoos. He wore a wide belt, heavy armor, and was encased in crackling lightning.
"You bastard! Get away from my brother!!" the man roared.
"Hah... The Fourth Raikage, 'A.' Just as hot-blooded as they say."
Obito slid his mask back on and turned.
"Huh!? Sharingan?! Who are you?!" A demanded.
"Uchiha Yu," Obito replied calmly.
"You're the rogue Uchiha who's plunged the ninja world into chaos! What did you do to my brother?!"
"Nothing new. Just carried out the usual practices of your own Hidden Cloud Village. Defeated your brother, unlocked the iron armor seal, and took the pet home."
"YOU MONSTER! I'LL KILL YOU!!"
"We'll see if you have the strength."
Zzzzt! Under the mask, Obito's Sharingan spun into a Mangekyō.
"Hmph. Just a Sharingan!"
CRACK! The lightning around A surged, his hair standing on end—his Lightning Release Armor intensified. This mode pushed his speed, strength, and reflexes to their peak—fast enough to evade even Mangekyō Sharingan prediction.
Obito assessed quickly. "I don't have much chakra left. I need to finish this fast..."
His left eye locked onto A's head.
Kamui!
Vwoosh! The vortex had just formed—but A vanished with a burst of lightning!
"So fast... faster than Kamui's activation!" Obito was shocked. Others had dodged Kamui using substitution or visual tricks—but this? This was pure speed.
As expected from a man worthy of the Raikage title.
"Lightning-Level Brutality!!"
Zoom! A flashed beside Obito, hand crackling with lightning, aiming a horizontal slash at Obito's neck—whoosh!
"Huh?!" A blinked as his blade passed through Obito harmlessly.
"As I thought... your attacks pass through. But five minutes is your limit. While phasing, you must materialize to use ninjutsu or Kamui!"
Obito thought to himself, Danzo must have leaked my techniques. He wants others to do his dirty work...
"Oh? Since you know my abilities, why say it aloud? To warn me?" Obito taunted.
BOOM! BOOM!
"Hmph." A cracked his neck. "It doesn't matter. I'll overwhelm you with continuous, powerful attacks so fast and frequent that you won't dare to turn solid—until the moment your phasing ends... then I'll snap your neck."
BOOM!!
A launched a relentless barrage. Each strike matched the strength of Kirabi's half-transformed attacks.
A had once been enhanced by Karin's healing and possessed chakra on par with a tailed beast.
"This guy... relentless." Obito remained calm, but his mind raced. Phasing is only a stopgap. I have to switch from defense to offense. I can't use Susanoo with my current chakra...
His speed will eventually drop as his stamina drains. I just need one opening...
Obito's Sharingan spun rapidly, tracking every motion.
Gradually, the patterns in A's strikes became predictable.
And finally—he saw it. A frontal thrust, exposed and vulnerable.
Kamui Raikiri!
Obito released phasing and faced him.
Just as A's blade neared, Obito dropped low and aimed his strike at A's chest.
This ends it...
CRACK! Obito's eyes flared in agony. His body locked up.
"No—! My eyes... pupil backlash?! Now?!"
He twisted desperately—
SLASH! Blood flew. His right arm was severed!
"DIE!!" A roared, spinning mid-air to chase him.
Grimacing, Obito kicked his severed arm at A.
Still locked on Obito, A didn't expect it—his own arm was struck.
Vwoosh! Kamui Raikiri, still active on the flying hand, triggered.
CRACK! A's arm twisted, then vanished into the vortex—along with Obito's severed hand.
Whoosh! A's momentum halted. He stared at his missing limb in shock.
"Fourth Raikage A... we'll meet again. Next time, as shadows."
Vwoop! Obito disappeared into Kamui's dimension.
A stood in silence. Then turned and lifted Kirabi.
"Bi... Bi... I'll get revenge for you... big brother promises..."
"Bro...ther..." Kirabi weakly whispered.
"Bi!!" A wept.
Shift! The scene changed—to the Kamui dimension.
Obito retrieved his severed hand and reattached it.
Sizzle... Hashirama's cells began mending the wound.
He flexed his arm.
"Perfect."
A Fei and Maoyue Xiyang approached.
"You're done? Took longer than expected," Xiyang remarked.
"Ran into a little snag," Obito replied calmly.
A Fei eyed the severed, sparking Raikage arm. "Doesn't look so little..."
Obito shrugged. "It doesn't matter. We got what we came for. Let's go. Orochimaru's part should be nearly finished..."