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"Three-Sword Style: Demon Slash!"
Clang! Clang! Clang! Obito crossed his staff to block Naruto's three blades—one in each hand, and one clamped between his teeth. All of them were black blades formed from Truth-Seeking Orbs. Even Zoro from next door would be jealous.
Wearing the Six Paths Celestial Robe, Naruto now possessed power on the same level as Obito. With his own Truth-Seeking Orbs in hand, he was finally qualified to engage Obito in direct close combat—and had a real shot at wounding or even killing him.
After being ganged up on by five taijutsu monsters, Obito had become more adept at controlling his power. Now that the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had come to him, he had no intention of letting this opportunity slip. This so-called "Three-Sword Style" looked like nothing more than wild, random slashing. If not for Naruto's absurd reflexes, Obito would've floored him by now.
Obito fended off Naruto's chaotic assault while keeping an eye on Minato, hovering behind Naruto. He couldn't afford to let his guard down—those strange father-son cloaks were clearly suspicious. If Naruto was this strong now, Minato couldn't be far behind.
"Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
Naruto leapt back slightly, then charged forward with another slash. He muttered under his breath, "Anime lied… how the heck is anyone supposed to talk clearly with a sword in their mouth?"
Obito's taijutsu was roughly on par with Kakashi's, but with the power of the Ten-Tails bolstering his speed and strength, he was well beyond normal. Naruto considered his own taijutsu comparable to Kakashi's, and although he only had mini-Ten-Tails, he also had Kurama and Sage Mode. So, rounding up… they were probably evenly matched?
And so, Naruto continued his reckless barrage using what could generously be called the "Wild Hurricane Blade Style"—or more accurately, "Black Blade Whack-a-Mole."
Thanks to their similar power levels, both wielding Truth-Seeking Orbs and fighting in close quarters, neither could gain the upper hand.
Then Obito suddenly released his Truth-Seeking Orbs to push Naruto back, attempting to disengage and overwhelm him with raw power.
That's when Minato made his move.
He hurled a special kunai toward Obito. Empowered by the mini-Ten-Tails, Minato's strength had skyrocketed, and the kunai flew even faster than before.
But Obito's reflexes were nothing to scoff at. He flicked a Truth-Seeking Orb to intercept the kunai midair, several meters away.
"Even if your power's increased, it's still the same old trick. I won't fall for it again," Obito said, though his tone held a hint of unease.
The Truth-Seeking Orb shattered the kunai's tip on impact, rendering it useless as it dropped.
But—Minato had placed a seal on the kunai's hilt, which remained intact. While Obito turned his attention away, a second kunai emerged from the handle like it had sprouted and launched itself toward him.
It was only a few meters away. At such a distance and speed, it closed in instantly.
Before Obito could react—stab.
A jet-black sword pierced through his chest.
What he saw next was a flash of golden hair and a fluttering white cloak.
Naruto could tell right away—it was that ridiculously ornate sword that his dad once asked Haku to make for fun. It looked a lot like Frostmourne from a game he played.
"Flying Thunder God: Third Stage Slash," Minato whispered into Obito's ear—calm, not the least bit smug.
This technique involved throwing a marked kunai, then launching a second from the first's seal, allowing him to extend the attack's range or strike from a blind spot—similar to the Uchiha's shuriken combo tactic. With this method, the Flying Thunder God gained a third stage of range and versatility.
In theory, Minato could chain these launches to reach the moon.
Of course, this required expert control over trajectory, timing, and awareness of the kunai's flight paths. Even for Minato, executing it perfectly in combat was incredibly difficult.
This time, though—it had worked.
"Gah…" Obito coughed blood. His strength was quickly fading.
The sword that pierced him was formed from a Truth-Seeking Orb. Not even a Ten-Tails Jinchūriki could fully resist its power. A direct hit to the heart—a serious injury. He didn't die instantly only because of his immense life force.
To make matters worse, the imbalance within him flared. The chakra of the Nine-Tailed Beasts surged out of his back, forming the shapes of their heads.
"Big Fox! Now's your cue!" Naruto shouted.
"Got it!" Kurama responded. He entered Tailed Beast Mode, nine tails extending outward, each infused with the chakra of a different Tailed Beast—each tail forming a beastly head that bit into Obito's corresponding chakra.
"Hahh~!"
Naruto grunted as he pulled—thus beginning the Fourth Great Ninja War's final round of Tug-of-War.
Slowly, the Tailed Beasts' chakra began to be pulled out of Obito, his face contorting in pain.
"Rrahh!" Obito roared, yanking the sword from his chest and freeing himself from Minato's grip.
His heart was shattered—physically and emotionally—but he paid no attention to his gushing wound. All that mattered was not losing the Tailed Beasts.
He was still a true Ten-Tails Jinchūriki. Naruto struggled to pull against him, and the two were caught in a deadlock.
Minato raised his sword behind Obito again—but eventually lowered it, letting it revert to a Truth-Seeking Orb. He flew to Naruto's side and summoned a massive chakra hand to assist in the tug-of-war.
Naruto blinked at him but said nothing. He just focused and pulled harder.
"I'm in too!" Kushina joined them, fully transformed into her Tailed Beast form, nine tails grabbing hold.
Yagura stepped forward. "Isobu."
"Right." Isobu agreed without hesitation.
Gaara called out, "Shukaku, help!"
"Don't order me around! I was already planning to take back my chakra!" Shukaku huffed—but complied.
Utakata remained silent, but his presence beside Han suggested the Six-Tails was also in.
"Is this a tug-of-war? I'm in too!" Fu burst onto the scene. Tenten had brought her in, knowing they'd need every Jinchūriki.
With all the Allied Jinchūriki united, they pulled as one.
Obito, wounded and alone, struggled in vain.
The scales of victory began to tip.
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