“This brat…”
Uchiha Obito stood amid the flames, his expression somewhat grim.
He had originally been observing from the shadows while waiting for news about Uchiha Sasuke.
He hadn’t expected Gen Hoshino to cross paths with Sasuke!
But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
He had already wanted to test Gen Hoshino’s abilities.
With Sasuke here as well, wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?
What he hadn’t expected, however, was that the brat had been talking about Uchiha Itachi one second, only to throw a kunai with an explosive tag toward him the next!
If he hadn’t constantly maintained the state of Kamui, it was hard to say whether that attack might not have seriously injured him.
To be discovered by a brat—and even have the brat strike first?
Such an outrageous reversal of roles was something Uchiha Obito found rather difficult to accept!
“Still, this kid’s sensory abilities seem pretty strong…”
Uchiha Obito stared at Gen Hoshino.
He had only approached slightly, yet Gen had detected him.
That genuinely surprised him.
“You two, be careful. Find an opening and leave immediately.”
Although Gen estimated that the explosion just now should have attracted the attention of quite a few people, he still reminded the other two in a low voice.
“This guy should be one of Uchiha Itachi’s associates. There’s also something else, Sasuke—are you sure every member of the Uchiha clan died that night?”
“…”
Sasuke, who had still been somewhat stunned and alarmed by the sudden turn of events, immediately darkened at that question.
What kind of question is that?
But soon, when he used the firelight to get a clear look at the indistinct figure standing amid the flames—and the crimson eye visible beneath the mask—his face instantly turned pale.
“That… is that a Sharingan?”
“What Sharingan?”
Naruto looked completely bewildered.
He only knew that the person standing opposite them was probably an enemy.
As for anything else, he had no idea.
“Hm?”
But just then, Naruto suddenly clutched his stomach and crouched down.
The chakra within his body became extremely unstable, and a sinister red chakra began to seep out.
“The Nine-Tails is reacting?”
Seeing this, Gen Hoshino immediately understood what was happening.
Perhaps the Nine-Tails simply couldn’t forget Uchiha Obito’s chakra signature.
But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
If the Nine-Tails was reacting, that was a major incident for the village!
“The Nine-Tails… Hmph. Still as foolish as ever.”
Uchiha Obito glanced at Naruto before speaking dismissively.
“Not bad, kid. You’ve got sharp eyes. But…”
He didn’t mind anyone seeing his Sharingan.
After all, he had already assumed the identity of Uchiha Madara.
He slowly stepped forward.
The flames surrounding him seemed completely incapable of touching him.
Then, in the next instant, his speed suddenly exploded.
“Everything you’ve done is pointless!”
“Move!”
Gen Hoshino had been watching Uchiha Obito’s movements the entire time.
Almost the instant Obito made his move, Gen shoved Sasuke and Naruto aside while purple lightning appeared around his right hand!
Uchiha Obito’s strength was actually absurd.
On the night of the Nine-Tails’ attack, he had instantly taken out an ANBU squad and controlled the Nine-Tails with nothing more than a glance.
He had even survived a direct hit from the Rasengan during his battle with Minato Namikaze.
That alone showed just how tough this guy was.
And yet, his basic abilities weren’t particularly impressive.
Everything depended on Kamui.
If Gen wanted to stall him—or even defeat him—he needed the right tactics.
Fortunately, he knew there were three ways to deal with Kamui.
Three!
VZZZT—!
Purple lightning instantly tore across Uchiha Obito’s mask.
But the attack failed to cause him any trouble whatsoever.
Obito immediately counterattacked.
A chain appeared in his hand, and the instant he avoided Gen’s attack, he swung it toward him.
Obito frowned slightly.
He had noticed that Gen Hoshino seemed to have anticipated the attack.
Gen simply lowered his body and smoothly dodged the chain.
The attack missed.
Obito was somewhat surprised, but the movements of his hands didn’t stop.
Gen Hoshino swiftly shifted again, dodging Obito’s attack while simultaneously creating some distance between them.
At the same time, he began forming hand seals.
“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!”
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth and surged toward Uchiha Obito.
Obito merely shook his head disdainfully.
“So that’s how that useless Kakashi taught you? Completely pointless!”
He didn’t even bother dodging.
His Sharingan shifted slightly, and several enormous shuriken instantly shot toward Gen Hoshino at incredible speed!
“Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!”
Gen raised an eyebrow.
He stopped holding back.
Almost instantly, he completed the necessary hand seals.
The earth trembled.
A massive earthen wall rose from the ground, firmly blocking the incoming shuriken!
“Your hand-seal speed is pretty fast.”
Uchiha Obito snorted and spoke contemptuously.
“Actually, this is enough.”
The Earth-Style Wall dissipated.
Gen Hoshino’s figure slowly emerged behind it.
He stared at Uchiha Obito in the distance and deliberately spoke.
“I can tell from your condition that you’re not some illusion, nor are you using genjutsu. You must be using some specific method to avoid my attacks. And those shuriken just appeared out of nowhere… I’ve heard that the Fourth Hokage possessed a space-time ninjutsu. Yours should work in a similar way, right?”
“Yes.”
Uchiha Obito nodded.
In the next instant, his entire body disappeared once more.
His figure emerged from beneath the ground and rushed directly toward Gen Hoshino.
“But knowing how it works doesn’t mean you can withstand it. Don’t you know? People from Konoha are always late!”
Whoosh—!
The chain swept horizontally.
But Gen Hoshino leaped into the air, simultaneously throwing several kunai toward Uchiha Obito.
Unfortunately, Obito still hadn’t returned to his physical state.
The kunai passed straight through his body.
“How boring.”
Obito closed in on Gen.
“When there’s an overwhelming difference in strength, no matter how you resist, all you’re doing is struggling pointlessly.”
Obito pressed forward.
But just as his chain was about to reach Gen Hoshino, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.
Zzzzt—!
In that instant, Gen Hoshino’s body transformed into surging purple lightning.
The sight made Uchiha Obito’s brows knit slightly.
“A Lightning Clone? Was it when he used the Earth-Style Wall?”
The Sharingan’s ability to see through deception was unquestionable.
Even so, some clones were incredibly convincing.
Otherwise, in the future, Obito wouldn’t have been fooled by Kakashi’s Lightning Clone.
As the fierce lightning surged along his chain, Obito’s eyes narrowed.
Because at almost the exact same moment, countless kunai once again came flying toward him from behind!
“Tch. This brat…”
Uchiha Obito snorted coldly.
He leaped backward, his gaze sharpening.
The space around him began to twist.
He actually wanted to use Kamui to transfer himself away immediately.
But he had genuinely engaged in close combat just now, which meant that he was currently in his physical state.
With only one Mangekyō Sharingan, the time required for him to warp his own body was considerably longer than that required to warp other objects.
For now, the most important thing was to warp away those incoming kunai!
Space twisted violently.
In an instant, the flying kunai vanished without a trace.
But in the distance, Gen Hoshino had already created some distance between them.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on his face.
This was exactly the moment he had been waiting for…