Chapter 323: Dark Owl and Saori Clash Again
Staring dumbfoundedly at Danzo as he retreated without another word, Obito wished he could kill the old man first.
He never expected that Danzo, usually projecting an air of inviolable authority, would retreat without a fight after being humiliated by the Uchiha.
Now, Obito, having miscalculated, found himself in a precarious situation.
He had secretly tried to use Kamui to tear Shisui apart. But no matter how covertly he activated Kamui, it couldn't escape the perception of the Mangekyo Sharingan, nor could it outpace Shisui's Body Flicker. Obito was getting a headache.
Kamui wasn't very effective against Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan. And Shisui, whose mastery of the Body Flicker was approaching Kyosuke's level, wasn't someone he could defeat with mere spatial distortion. The only option left seemed to be targeting Konan.
But the Susanoo towering over her crushed that idea.
A fully manifested Susanoo created an internal space that effectively blocked space-time ninjutsu intrusions. Obito himself had been the first to exploit this, using Susanoo to hold his ground against Kyosuke back then. He hadn't expected to be on the receiving end of the same tactic today.
Fugaku had awakened his Mangekyo for quite some time now. Although his Susanoo wasn't as invincible as Kyosuke's, its stability was top-tier. Just by looking at it, Obito knew he couldn't suck anyone inside it into the Kamui dimension.
His last plan had failed, but Obito wasn't too disheartened because he still had a powerful ally.
Yes, Obito was now pinning his hopes on Dark Owl. Having witnessed the battle outside Konoha, he knew that a full-power Dark Owl was unmatched by anyone present, not even Nagato with his Rinnegan.
As long as Dark Owl could defeat Hyuga Saori, today's battle wouldn't be a total loss. Even though the pawn Nagato was no longer usable, eliminating so many of Konoha's elites would be enough to recoup some losses... Obito thought to himself.
On the other side, the battle between Dark Owl and Saori continued.
Obsessed with defeating Saori head-on, Dark Owl initially refrained from using her powerful Wood Release. instead, she tried to crush Saori's spirit in close-quarters combat, just like before.
However, Saori, now wielding the Tenseigan, had improved far beyond Dark Owl's expectations. In close combat, Dark Owl gained no advantage; instead, a significant portion of her chakra was drained.
Watching the green orbs dancing in Saori's hand, Dark Owl asked coldly, "What ability is that?"
"This?" Saori held the orbs in front of her, feigning a shy smile. "This is an ability Kyosuke created for me. Isn't it wonderful?"
Dark Owl didn't know if "wonderful" referred to the ability or the person, nor did she care to find out. A nameless rage surged in her heart once more.
At that exact moment, Saori launched herself forward. Taking advantage of Dark Owl's momentary distraction, she enveloped herself in a green aura resembling blazing flames and slammed a palm heavily into Dark Owl's chest.
"Gentle Fist Art: Divine Phoenix Heavenly Drive!"
This ultimate technique, which had once shattered the "Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack" head-on, sent Dark Owl flying. If she hadn't activated her Susanoo at the last second, that single strike would have killed her.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dark Owl crashed through several massive boulders before finally embedding herself deep into the cliff face, the impact shaking the entire mountain.
Dispersing the green flames around her, Saori walked slowly forward, intent on finishing the job.
"Cough, cough."
Embedded in the mountain, Dark Owl waited until the wound on her chest slowly healed thanks to her high-level Sage Body. She wiped the blood from her mouth and erupted with chakra, leaping out of the crater.
But Saori had anticipated her move. The moment Dark Owl appeared, another powerful strike hit her back.
"Gentle Fist Art: Dragon Shattering Strike!"
The dragon-shaped chakra blast peeled away the white Susanoo armor layer by layer, shattered the skeletal frame, and struck Dark Owl's body directly.
Watching Dark Owl being swatted away like a ball, Saori absorbed the orbs back into her body to replenish her chakra. She leaped into the air, pursuing her enemy relentlessly.
Having suffered heavy blows repeatedly, even Dark Owl's Sage Body couldn't prevent severe injuries. She finally abandoned the idea of beating Saori in close combat.
Her hands moved in a blur of seals. A massive wooden dragon burst from the mountain, lunging at the incoming Saori.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Facing the colossal wooden dragon that seemed to block out the sky, Saori didn't dodge. Instead, she flared her chakra, meeting the attack head-on.
Replenishing her chakra with the orbs, the green flaming phoenix reappeared around Saori. Dragon and phoenix clashed violently in the air.
ROAR!
Watching the wooden dragon dive down with a roar, Saori recklessly charged straight into its open maw. Her palms became a blur, striking the dragon's body repeatedly.
"Shatter!!!"
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, Saori shattered the wooden dragon's body. Trailing the fading light of her phoenix aura, she dove toward Dark Owl like a falling meteor.
"Wood Release: Hotei Technique!"
A giant wooden face shield closed around Dark Owl, attempting to block Saori's assault. But against Saori's full power, the Hotei Technique's defense wasn't enough.
Crack!
With a dazzling trail of light, Saori crashed into the wooden shield. With a crisp cracking sound, the Hotei Technique was shattered.
Just as Saori was about to hit her enemy, a white light flashed in her eyes. It was Dark Owl's counterattack using Susanoo.
"Susanoo: Spear of the Firmament!"
If Saori continued her downward strike, she would severely wound Dark Owl, but the white spear would also pierce her body. Her flame cloak couldn't stop it.
Under normal circumstances, Saori might have weighed her options. But facing Dark Owl, she refused to retreat an inch, even if it meant death.
So, the remaining power of the Divine Phoenix Heavenly Drive slammed solidly into Dark Owl, while the white spear simultaneously pierced Saori's body.
This all-out clash ended with both sides heavily injured.
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