The successful retrieval of the Deva Path's corpse allowed Uchiha Obito to focus entirely on dealing with Hyuga Shin'ichi. Among those bodies, the Deva Path's corpse was the most precious to Nagato.
The Deva Path puppet was created from the body of Nagato's best friend, Yahiko. Uchiha Obito was well aware of the bond between Nagato and Yahiko, and possessing Yahiko's body would yield many benefits for him. Dealing with someone deeply emotional like Nagato, whether by using Yahiko's corpse to curry favor or to apply pressure in the future, was an excellent choice.
His control over Nagato was limited to begin with. In terms of strength, even if he personally intervened, he might not necessarily perform better than Jiraiya against the Six Paths of Pain. Therefore, his relationship with Nagato and Konan over the years had always been one of mutual exploitation and mutual wariness.
The reason he could largely command Nagato now rested upon the reputation of "Uchiha Madara" and the appeal of the Moon's Eye Plan to Nagato. It was only because Nagato believed in the Moon's Eye Plan that Obito had engineered that he listened to his orders.
However, for Obito, relying solely on these two things to command Nagato was not enough; he needed more leverage to drive Nagato. Showing favor, naturally, was a good option.
Thus, retrieving Yahiko's corpse was a higher priority than eliminating the troublesome brat, Hyuga Shin'ichi.
Only after successfully securing Yahiko's body within the Kamui dimension did Uchiha Obito turn his attention to dealing with the problematic Shin'ichi.
Shin'ichi did not know Uchiha Obito's true intentions. When he was attacked by Obito, he instinctively thought the opponent's target was himself, which was why he was so easily forced back from Yahiko's corpse.
If Shin'ichi had discerned Uchiha Obito's thoughts, he would absolutely not have allowed Obito to retrieve Yahiko's corpse so easily. At the very least, he would have left a Flying Thunder God marker on the body to strike Obito the moment he became tangible after using Kamui.
But an opportunity, once missed, is truly gone.
Seeing Uchiha Obito pull out his weapon, Hyuga Shin'ichi also lightly brandished the black receiver rod in his hand, his expression serious.
The black rod in Hyuga Shin'ichi's hand was a product created using Yin-Yang Release (Onmyōton). This black rod possessed the hardness of steel, and more importantly, this Yin-Yang Release product could conduct chakra with very little loss.
Previous observation of the black rods on the Animal Path's corpse had enlightened Hyuga Shin'ichi to this application of Yin-Yang Release. Shin'ichi also subtly suspected that the extremely rare chakra-conducting minerals currently on the market might be products manufactured by ninjas using Yin-Yang Release in earlier years.
Compared to an ordinary kunai, the black rod was undoubtedly a superior weapon, capable of maximizing the power of a ninja's chakra nature transformation.
"Sizzle—"
Hyuga Shin'ichi held the black rod upright in front of him. Lightning-style chakra instantly enveloped the rod, emitting sharp crackling sounds. The sapphire-blue lightning reflected on Shin'ichi's face, illuminating his handsome features.
Facing Uchiha Obito, the man who single-handedly orchestrated the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha, the young Hyuga Shin'ichi showed no fear; instead, he was faintly excited, and his entire state had been adjusted to its peak.
Uchiha Obito, huh—
If he could kill this guy, it would prevent a lot of trouble in the Ninja World, right? He also wondered if Uchiha Madara's Moon's Eye Plan could proceed smoothly without Obito as his "spokesperson."
With this thought, Hyuga Shin'ichi suddenly realized that there was one mastermind who had not yet appeared.
Black Zetsu...
Black Zetsu, Kaguya's filial son, had rarely shown his face before Hyuga Shin'ichi. Compared to Uchiha Obito, Black Zetsu was undoubtedly better hidden. No one knew that Black Zetsu was the one truly playing the long game, manipulating everyone.
"I need to watch out for that guy, too."
While Zetsu's fighting power was poor, his information-gathering ability was perhaps even superior to Uchiha Obito's, and his concealment methods were extremely clever. Shin'ichi had to be wary of that presence while facing Obito!
Uchiha Obito, conversely, had fewer things to worry about.
"Clank—"
Obito shook the chain in his hand. The next moment, the cone at the end of the chain was hurled out toward Shin'ichi's location. As he threw the iron cone, Obito also rushed forward, shooting toward Shin'ichi.
"Hmph!"
It was a simple probing attack that posed no threat to Shin'ichi, but Shin'ichi did not relax his vigilance. He lightly swung the black rod in his hand, accurately hitting the iron cone and deflecting its trajectory.
However, Uchiha Obito had already charged into Shin'ichi's immediate vicinity, swinging the short sickle in his hand toward Shin'ichi's neck.
"Taijutsu attack?!"
Shin'ichi was slightly confused by Obito's thinking—why was he planning to resolve the fight with close-quarters combat? He seemed overly reliant on his Kamui ability. Why attempt a close-range attack against someone from the Hyuga clan like Shin'ichi?
Shin'ichi frowned, unable to grasp Obito's intention for a moment. He didn't know if Obito was genuinely foolish or simply overly confident in the power of Kamui.
Seeing the short sickle approach, Shin'ichi did not attempt to defend; instead, he swept his black rod back toward Obito's neck.
Shin'ichi understood the characteristics of Uchiha Obito's Kamui. The jutsu was strong, but without the eye given to Kakashi, Uchiha Obito's strength was arguably average. The eye he possessed could only be considered a "Defensive Eye," while Kakashi's was the offensive Kamui eye.
Setting aside the Kamui jutsu, Uchiha Obito's intrinsic strength was mediocre. His Taijutsu ability was only at the level of an average Elite Jonin. Forget comparing him to the current Hyuga Shin'ichi; even compared to Kakashi, their fighting prowess would likely be similar.
When fighting Obito, Shin'ichi was absolutely determined not to allow him to activate Kamui to absorb him into the dimension.
Just as Shin'ichi predicted, the short sickle passed through his skin instantly, becoming intangible. At the same time, the black rod Shin'ichi swung toward Obito's head also passed through without obstruction.
The two crossed paths, with Obito maintaining his forward momentum, passing entirely through Shin'ichi's body.
"Hehe!"
The failure of his attack was within Obito's expectations; his true killing blow was not the sickle attack.
The moment his figure passed through Shin'ichi's body, Uchiha Obito shook his hand, and the chain also wrapped around Hyuga Shin'ichi. Just as he launched this second-stage attack, Hyuga Shin'ichi suddenly shot a kunai-length black rod from his sleeve, aiming straight for the back of Obito's head.
The instant the chain was about to touch Shin'ichi, the black rod he shot out precisely penetrated Obito's back of the head.
Obito, who had been planning to become tangible, instantly sensed Shin'ichi's attack and decisively abandoned the opportunity to strike.
As the chain passed harmlessly through Shin'ichi's midsection, the black rod Shin'ichi shot also passed through Obito's head and landed in the sea.
The two, having crossed paths, turned back almost simultaneously. In this round of strategy, neither Shin'ichi nor Obito managed to gain any advantage over the other.
Obito's second-stage attack was not sophisticated, and he was not surprised to have it evaded.
But what concerned Obito was why Hyuga Shin'ichi's counter-attack was so resolute?!
His sickle was moments away from piercing the opponent's throat, yet why did the opponent dare to strike back without defending?! When his chain was about to ensnare the opponent the second time, the opponent did not choose to use the Flying Thunder God to escape, but instead shot a black rod to attack him...
Was he fearless? Or did he already harbor the notion of trading his life for Obito's?!
Or... had his ability been exposed to the opponent?!
Uchiha Obito's eye twitched slightly. He already guessed in his mind. A ninja of this age, a brat raised in the pampered environment of the Hyuga Main Family, how could he be fearless?
Excluding that answer, the truth was already obvious.
This brat had already grasped the secret of his Kamui. It was precisely because the opponent knew the secret of Kamui that he could so confidently counter-attack without defense when facing his assaults.
"Damn it... did this brat know all along?"
Obito cursed inwardly, a subtle sense of foreboding settling in his heart.
How could this brat have information about his jutsu? Had his brief intervention during the Konoha invasion years ago already leaked his information? Did the Fourth Hokage not only analyze his ability but also share this intelligence with others in the village?
If that were the case, Obito felt he might be facing serious trouble.
He was very clear about the nature of his Kamui jutsu. As a Mangekyō user and having been taught by the "real Uchiha Madara" in earlier years, he knew very well that his Kamui was not an invincible technique.
Once that "veil of mystery" was lost, Konoha would only need to deploy three above-average "Elite Jonin" to pose a threat to him.
Unlike the Pain Six Paths, who were numerical and mechanical monsters, single-eyed Obito was purely a "mechanics monster"; his absolute fighting power was actually inferior to the Six Paths of Pain.
"Shin'ichi! I'm coming! Are you alright!" Just as Uchiha Obito intended to press the attack, Jiraiya's shout came from a distance.
Jiraiya's voice caused Uchiha Obito's eager movement to halt.
Even during the brief exchange with Shin'ichi, Uchiha Obito had anticipated that eliminating the opponent would not be as simple as he had hoped. Now, with a powerful enemy like Jiraiya joining the fray, the situation would only become more unfavorable for him.
After a brief moment of deliberation, Uchiha Obito dropped his battle stance; the thought of retreat had already sprouted in his mind.
With the Six Paths of Pain successfully dealt with, his side's power had been significantly weakened. Fortunately, the Six Paths of Pain were ultimately just Nagato's puppets; given time, any number of puppets could be manufactured.
Currently, the opponent had likely not realized this point. Given the circumstances, retreating now and letting the opponent believe they had "achieved a decisive victory" might be the best option.
Hyuga Shin'ichi naturally sensed Obito's intention. With the "advantage being his," how could Shin'ichi willingly allow Obito to leave?
"Hey, are you planning to run?"
"Is that really wise? The next time we meet, Kakashi might have already mastered Kamui. If so, winning will be even more impossible for you!"
"You still have a chance now. Won't you try harder?"
To keep Obito here, Shin'ichi had to take some risks. He lacked any powerful ninjutsu that could physically stop the opponent from leaving. The only way was to make Obito "voluntarily" stay.
Kamui...
Obito's identity and his Dōjutsu were his two biggest secrets. Mentioning this topic would surely ignite a fierce killing intent in Obito, an intent that could even override his rationality.
"Kamui!!!" Obito exclaimed in surprise, then quickly regained his composure and fell silent.
"..."
After a short silence, Obito feigned ignorance and asked, "What are you talking about? I don't understand!"
Uchiha Obito's attempt to cover his tracks made Shin'ichi chuckle. He dismantled the facade: "You might not understand my words, but Uchiha Obito certainly will."
Hyuga Shin'ichi spoke Uchiha Obito's name, causing Obito's face beneath the mask to subtly twitch.
This matter was classified within Konoha, known only to a small fraction of people, and Hyuga Shin'ichi was naturally one of those in the know.
Shin'ichi not only knew the masked man was Uchiha Obito, but he also knew that Kakashi had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan long ago. However, Kakashi carried a psychological burden and had only superficially developed his Sharingan.
But what would happen if the truth about Obito was told to Kakashi?!
To stop Obito, Kakashi would likely exhaust every possibility to develop his Sharingan.
Identity exposed, the secret of his eye exposed, and Kakashi...
Every person and event Hyuga Shin'ichi mentioned struck a nerve with Uchiha Obito.
"Who else knows about these things... besides you?!"
Uchiha Obito's tone was heavy. His crimson Sharingan stared at Hyuga Shin'ichi, full of murderous intent. The information revealed by the opponent was enough to completely ruin his years of careful scheming.
"What do you think?"
Shin'ichi didn't answer the question directly, baiting Uchiha Obito to attack.
Hearing this, a trace of struggle flashed in Uchiha Obito's eyes. Then, he tightened his grip on his weapon, leaped up without a word, and charged straight toward Hyuga Shin'ichi.
Obito's mind now held only one thought...
Kill this brat and bury these secrets in the sea forever.
Seeing Uchiha Obito charge forward without a word, Hyuga Shin'ichi, for some reason, felt a quiet sense of relief instead of urgency.
"An enemy... is better off being stupid."
"This guy's basic nature hasn't changed after all."
"Excellent!"
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