Tsunade handed over a scroll. "We just received word. Obito has led the new Six Paths of Pain in a surprise attack on the daimyō's escort unit. The situation is urgent."
"Obito? What is that guy thinking?!"
Natsuki could not make sense of it, but he did not waste time. "Then I'll take a team over there immediately."
Tsunade, however, blocked him again. "You bring them over and come straight back. There are others to deal with Obito. Your mission is to conserve your strength. When Madara shows up, he's yours. Got it?"
Natsuki nodded. He wasn't some battle maniac who felt the need to fight every single opponent.
Besides, he actually didn't like fighting Obito. That guy was someone Kakashi should handle. Only Kamui was truly convenient for dealing with Kamui. It was very hard for anyone else to fight him effectively.
Natsuki understood his own role clearly, so he did not dwell on it.
Then he saw the support squad: Neji, Onoki, Shino, and Yamato.
It was only four people, but each one was strong, especially Onoki. Despite his age, his power was tremendous and absolutely not to be underestimated.
Neji was being sent specifically to counter the Rinnegan, so Obito could not just bully people with it.
"Everyone, hands on me, huddle up!"
With a flicker, Natsuki brought the group straight to Mei's side.
At that moment, Mei was locked in a running battle with the new Six Paths, fighting alongside Chojuro. Seeing reinforcements arrive, she was instantly overjoyed.
The daimyō's guards did not have many top-tier fighters, and no one had expected Obito to personally come for them, so they had been forced into a passive position. If not for Mei and Chojuro's strength, they would likely have already been driven back.
Fortunately, they were not far from the main camp, and communications were very fast, giving them enough time for backup to arrive.
"You're here! Now I can relax a little!" Mei smiled, and Chojuro let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Natsuki?!"
Obito's eyes widened when he saw Natsuki show up, but in the very next second Natsuki vanished again. Obito instinctively glanced around, tense, afraid Natsuki would suddenly strike.
Neji, seeing his reaction, could not resist mocking him. "That's your courage level, and you still dared to start a Shinobi World War? Stop looking around. Natsuki has already gone back. His matchup is Madara, not a clown like you. Your opponents are us."
A flush of anger rose in Obito's chest, but he forced himself to act composed. "Just you lot? You're no match for the new Six Paths of Pain."
As his voice fell, Yugito, Roshi, Han, and Utakata entered partial tailed beast mode, while Yagura and Fuu also tensed up, power surging around them.
"In that case, allow me to greet you first."
Shino moved first. His swarm of insects surged toward Yugito and Roshi. Last time, he had subdued the two of them with his bugs, and if they had not been summoned away mid-fight, the new Six Paths of Pain would already have been short two members.
Yugito immediately spat out a mass of blue flame. "Hi Nezumi Dama (Fire Mouse Orb)!"
Roshi followed with a volley of molten spheres. "Yōton: Shōkaretsu Ganryū no Jutsu (Lava Release: Scorching River of Lava Technique)!"
Even so, Shino's insect swarm was vast. They withstood the flames and rolled onward toward the pair. However, having learned from last time, the two immediately pulled back and no longer tangled with Shino.
In truth, it was Obito who was directing them.
All six Paths bore both Sharingan and Rinnegan, allowing them to share vision. Even though Obito had seemed not to be paying attention to the other battles last time, he had in fact gathered intelligence through their shared Rinnegan sight.
Shino's bugs were not afraid of fire, so Yugito and Roshi could not be allowed to face him again.
Since that was the case, Han and Utakata would be sent to engage him instead.
However, before Han and Utakata could make a move, Onoki fired off a blast of Dust Release that forced all three jinchūriki to retreat.
If that hit, they would likely be wiped out down to the last particle.
"Heh. Scared of this old man, are you? Good. I was only worried you wouldn't be."
Onoki immediately cast Chōkeijūgan no Jutsu (Ultra Light-Weight Rock Technique), his body rising into the air. He had no intention of getting into some drawn-out melee. He left the main fighting to the others and hovered overhead, ready to snipe at any time. That was how he could inflict the greatest damage.
Seeing this, Yamato quickly formed hand seals. "Mokuton: Jumoku Eizō (Wood Release: Tree-Binding Eternal Burial)!"
Huh? Mokuton?
Those who did not know Yamato could not help a look of surprise. Since when had Wood Release become so cheap and common, like anyone could use it?
First there had been Madara and Natsuki, then Black Zetsu, and now another one. It felt like half the world knew Wood Release. Was it something anyone could just learn?
But Yamato's attack had already begun.
Yagura was suddenly caught by writhing vines, which rapidly thickened into a towering tree. In the blink of an eye, he was trapped beneath its massive roots.
"Hahaha! Nicely done! Now watch this old man erase him with Dust Release!"
Onoki immediately went for the sneak attack. A beam of Dust Release dropped toward Yagura's head the very next second, only to be swallowed into the Kamui space a heartbeat later.
The outcome left Onoki thoroughly annoyed. "Hey! One of you go fight Obito already! Stop letting him interfere with this old man's ambushes!"
"Oh, sorry about that. I'll go."
Neji took on the burden and stepped up to face Obito directly.
Obito's expression grew grave, and he did not dare underestimate Neji in the slightest.
After all, the Tenseigan and the Rinnegan were both "sage eyes" and both controlled repulsion and attraction. Neji had already clashed with the Deva Path and Kabuto before; he had lost to the Deva Path, but he had blasted Kabuto away.
It was clear that the Tenseigan was no joke.
Obito even worried that the Tenseigan might have some undesirable effect on the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
This was a sage eye too, after all.
Neji's Byakugan turned into a beautiful blue, and he took his stance.
Then he struck. "Gō: Shōhiten Jūyon Shinshō (Majestic Shōhiten Fourteen Divine Palms)!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Palm after palm, each one unleashed terrifying repulsive force with immense power.
Moreover, as Neji dug deeper into the Tenseigan's potential, that repulsion only grew stronger. Using Eight Trigrams techniques to channel the force saved eye power, amplified the effect, and carried no cooldown. It was far more convenient than the Rinnegan's version.
Obito did not try to tank it. He immediately slipped into intangibility to evade, but Neji's feet traced the Eight Trigrams diagram, and with a single step he suddenly shifted his line of attack.
Bang! Bang!
Two palms slammed into Fuu.
Her body exploded into fragments in an instant.
"Nice, Neji!"
Mei praised him, and at the same time spat forth vaporous acid. A wave of Yōton (Lava Release) surged over the remaining pieces of Fuu's body, covering them completely.
Chojuro seized the opening, pouring a massive amount of chakra into his twin blades Hiramekarei. With one mighty swing, he cleaved through Yamato's great tree and split it, along with Yagura bound within it, straight in two.
Yamato immediately cast another Wood Release. A vine lashed out, wrapping around the black receiver rod that was about to fall from Yagura's body, and tugged to pull it free.
However, from the other end of the black rod, two chains suddenly shot out and wound around the vine.
Both sides pulled at once.
The tug-of-war over the black receiver had begun.
(End of Chapter)
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