Provoked by Hyuga Shin'ichi's words, Obito seemingly lost his composure for a moment and charged silently towards Shin'ichi.
Shin'ichi watched Obito approach but did not relax his guard. He flung the black receiver rod in his hand and accelerated, proactively moving to meet Obito.
Uchiha Obito's Taijutsu ability was not considered strong, and Hyuga Shin'ichi did not take his opponent's Taijutsu skills seriously. However, to underestimate the opponent for this reason would undoubtedly lead to a heavy loss.
Hyuga Shin'ichi was clearly not arrogant to that extent. Although he didn't rate Obito's Taijutsu, he held reverence for the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Even though Obito's Kamui was the "Defensive Eye," if Shin'ichi was carelessly sucked into the Kamui dimension, even he would become meat on Obito's chopping block.
Therefore, Shin'ichi dedicated the vast majority of his energy to defending against Obito's Kamui. To deal with Kamui, simple defense was clearly a foolish tactic; only continuous offense could force Obito into showing an opening.
"Shu—"
The black rod Shin'ichi shot out was fast. Uchiha Obito, seeing Shin'ichi repeatedly fire the black rods, showed a slight change of expression beneath his mask.
Originally, he hadn't thought much of the black rods Shin'ichi was shooting, assuming they were stolen during the fight with Pain. But now, it seemed the truth was not what he had imagined.
These black rods... Hyuga Shin'ichi seemed to be manufacturing them himself!
Yin-Yang Release...
This brat had not only learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, but he had also mastered Yin-Yang Release and created these chakra-conducting black rods.
Obito's pupils constricted as the black rod approached. His body quickly became intangible, but as he neared Hyuga Shin'ichi, his body suddenly solidified, and the sickle in his hand slashed toward Shin'ichi's neck.
"Is that all you've got?"
Obito's offensive move, in Hyuga Shin'ichi's eyes, was lackluster, completely ordinary, and, just like previous attacks, posed no threat to Shin'ichi.
However, this time, Shin'ichi did not use a kunai to counter-attack. Instead, he opened his stance and charged directly into Obito's embrace.
To find Obito's weakness, one must first expose a weakness to lure Obito in. Closing the distance without a weapon was intended to make Obito think he had an opening to strike.
Only when Uchiha Obito attacked could Hyuga Shin'ichi seize the gap to counter-attack.
As the black rod passed through Obito's intangible body, the distance between the two was now less than half a meter.
Uchiha Obito was the first to change his move. He seemed to anticipate that the short sickle in his hand would be ineffective against someone like Hyuga Shin'ichi. He extended his left hand, aiming to grasp Shin'ichi's shoulder.
"Huh?"
This was why Hyuga Shin'ichi felt Obito was reliant on his jutsu. After gaining Kamui, the man seemed to lose all other fighting methods. What effect could this simple rush and grab achieve against an enemy of Hyuga Shin'ichi's caliber?
Shin'ichi murmured softly, ignoring the hand reaching for his shoulder. Instead, he reached out a finger and aimed it at Obito's body.
"!!"
Obito, whose Sharingan perceived the direction of Hyuga Shin'ichi's attack, secretly showed delight in his eyes.
"Did this brat suddenly lose his mind?"
"I have a weapon in my hand! Trading blows?"
Even though he knew Hyuga Shin'ichi was a member of the Hyuga clan, ordinary Gentle Fist would be ineffective against him.
Furthermore, half of his body had long been replaced by White Zetsu cells. The area Hyuga Shin'ichi targeted with his Gentle Fist attack was precisely the White Zetsu portion—a discovery that secretly relieved Obito.
What was that?... Just a talented brat after all. The opponent's tactical choice had resulted in a major error. Even if he had to endure a single Gentle Fist blow, the final victor would be him!
Without hesitation, Obito moved faster.
Seeing his outstretched hand about to touch Hyuga Shin'ichi's shoulder, Obito's face showed deep excitement.
Just as the sickle in Obito's hand was about to touch Hyuga Shin'ichi's skin, Obito's other hand pressed onto Shin'ichi's shoulder.
He prepared for both outcomes: he did not abandon the sickle attack, and at the same time, Obito prepared to activate Kamui.
The moment the sickle pierced Shin'ichi's skin, his eye released a spatial vortex, seemingly intending to suck Hyuga Shin'ichi entirely into the Kamui dimension.
However, just as Obito thought he had succeeded, a low shout suddenly reached his ears.
"Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists!"
Hyuga Shin'ichi instantly transformed his fingers into fists, accelerating his punch at the very last moment. His speed was even faster than Uchiha Obito's and Kamui's absorption speed.
Boom!!!
A heavy punch slammed fiercely into Uchiha Obito's half-body. Unlike the Gentle Fist Obito expected from the Hyuga clan, the instant Shin'ichi's fist made contact with Obito's body, his half-body exploded with a resounding "boom."
How could that be the power of a so-called Gentle Fist? Even Minato Namikaze's Rasengan back then did not possess such terrifying, destructive power.
Instantly, the Kamui vortex abruptly ceased, and the heavily struck Uchiha Obito was sent flying by Shin'ichi's attack. Simultaneously, his White Zetsu half shattered into a scattering of flesh and blood.
Blood spilled from Uchiha Obito's mouth. As his body heavily crashed onto the sea surface, Hyuga Shin'ichi pursued him without stopping.
Strike while the iron is hot!
In this moment, Hyuga Shin'ichi showed no mercy. With Obito heavily injured, he wanted to seize the opportunity to eliminate this troublesome opponent once and for all.
Although half of Uchiha Obito's body was composed of White Zetsu cells, this did not mean he could casually lose this half of his body.
The reason he was still alive was that Uchiha Madara had used White Zetsu cells to simulate Obito's own organs, internal tissues, and chakra to create this body.
Losing this half of his body was equivalent to losing a major part of his being—an extremely fatal injury.
This was different from the time he was hit by Minato Namikaze's Rasengan; Minato merely severed one of his arms. Although severely wounded, it was not life-threatening.
This injury was different. Hyuga Shin'ichi's solid punch not only stripped him of his mobility and fighting power but also caused his life force to rapidly drain away.
Yet, Hyuga Shin'ichi pursued relentlessly. As Obito plunged into the sea, Shin'ichi leaped into the air and swung his palm fiercely towards the area where Obito fell. A pressure wave instantly materialized into a palm strike, smashing down into the sea.
Shin'ichi had now escalated from the Fifth Gate state to the Sixth Gate.
The Eight Trigrams Empty Palm (Hakke Kūshō) struck in this state had a single force equivalent to the destructive power of a single strike from Kaguya's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack (Yaso Gamami no Kūgeki).
And this power was enough to claim Obito's life in his current state.
"That bastard!"
An ordinary person wouldn't even detect Hyuga Shin'ichi's pursuing Empty Palm, but Obito was an Uchiha after all. His Sharingan clearly saw the terrifying chakra strike bearing down on him.
Between the recoil from crashing into the sea and the rapid loss of life force from his horrific injuries, if he were hit by Hyuga Shin'ichi's Empty Palm again, he would absolutely not be able to emerge from the sea!
Cursing under his breath, Uchiha Obito suddenly reached up and grabbed a corner of his mask.
"Kacha—"
Breaking off a corner of the mask, Uchiha Obito's other eye beneath the mask was revealed. The three tomoe in the Sharingan swirled, and in an instant, the eye turned entirely white.
Immediately after, Hyuga Shin'ichi's palm strike descended, hitting Obito's body and driving him deep into the sea.
"Boom!!!"
On the sea surface, the impact of Hyuga Shin'ichi's Empty Palm created waves several meters high.
As the splash subsided, ripples spread across the previously calm sea where Uchiha Obito had fallen.
As Hyuga Shin'ichi's figure returned to the water surface, the area where Uchiha Obito had fallen slowly regained its tranquility.
"He's finished!"
Jiraiya had witnessed the entire battle between Hyuga Shin'ichi and the masked man. Seeing half of the opponent's body obliterated by a single punch and then pursued by Shin'ichi, even Jiraiya did not believe the opponent could have survived.
However, Hyuga Shin'ichi, hearing Jiraiya's words, showed no sign of joy. Instead, he looked at the gradually calming sea, deep in thought.
"Perhaps... not."
Jiraiya did not know how many trump cards Uchiha Obito possessed, but Hyuga Shin'ichi knew a few.
Konan's billions of explosive tags failed to kill Obito. Itachi Uchiha's cleverly set Amaterasu didn't kill him either. It ultimately took Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's All-Killing Ash Bones (Tomogoroshi no Haikotsu) to kill Obito.
Could such a person die so easily?
More importantly, just before the Empty Palm landed, Hyuga Shin'ichi distinctly sensed a bizarre chakra.
Furthermore, Hyuga Shin'ichi's Byakugan could not find Obito's body!
"Not finished?"
"How is that possible?"
"That kind of injury... how could he not die? Your attack was incredibly powerful. He couldn't possibly have dodged it in that state; he should be dead!"
Jiraiya saw the solemn expression on Shin'ichi's face and knew he wasn't joking. But based on his own knowledge, he genuinely didn't understand how the opponent could have survived. Thus, it was understandable why Jiraiya was perplexed by Shin'ichi's words.
The Byakugan searched the sea for Uchiha Obito's body, but after a long search, no trace of him was found. Hyuga Shin'ichi knew his attack was devastating, but not so devastating as to "vaporize" Obito's corpse.
The inability to find him after this much time could only mean one thing: Uchiha Obito was not dead.
As for whether the opponent's body was knocked out of the Byakugan's range by his attack? That was impossible. Resistance in the sea is very strong, and the force is even stronger the deeper you go. The opponent's body could not have been struck so far that it was invisible.
The only conclusion was... Uchiha Obito escaped on his own.
And the method he used to escape from his grasp?!
The answer to this question was actually easy to guess.
"Could it be Izanagi..."
Hyuga Shin'ichi sighed inwardly, already having the answer.
Although the Uchiha clan was currently living peacefully in the village, there had been sacrifices among the clan members during the recent years of war. Given Uchiha Obito's capabilities, acquiring a few spare Sharingan eyes for Izanagi would not have been difficult.
With Uchiha Obito having escaped, tracking him down again in the short term would be even more challenging. Moreover, in their next engagement, the opponent would certainly not be as reckless as today, foolishly rushing into close-quarters combat with him.
The opponent now had a basic understanding of his strength. Trying to rely on an intelligence advantage to launch a sneak attack would be extremely difficult.
Sighing lightly, Hyuga Shin'ichi felt a degree of regret.
However, he quickly adjusted his mindset.
Time was on his side. Obito had no helpers; every fallen one meant one less. The situation on his side was completely different. As time passed, Kakashi, Shisui, Itachi, and Naruto would all grow stronger.
He didn't need to count on too many; even if Kakashi alone reached his potential, that would be enough to help Shin'ichi deal with Uchiha Obito.
Obito's predicament would only become increasingly difficult.
And... this mission was not entirely over yet.
They could still sever one of Obito's right-hand men.
"Jiraiya-sama, please bring out the body of the enemy you defeated."
"I conducted a simple examination of that corpse while you were in Sage Mode, and I discovered something interesting."
Hyuga Shin'ichi ignored the escaping Obito. What he wanted now was to secure the existing victory firmly. The Six Paths of Pain had been dealt with; there was no reason to let Nagato continue to hide behind the scenes. It was time to draw him out.
"The corpse?"
"Oh, you mean that one? What did you find?"
As he spoke, Jiraiya performed the Summoning Technique, summoning a small toad. The toad opened its mouth, and the corpse of the Animal Path was spat out.
Jiraiya lifted the body, asking curiously.
Hyuga Shin'ichi walked up to Jiraiya, pulled a black rod from the corpse, and injected chakra into it. At the same time, Shin'ichi closed his eyes, sensing Nagato's location, while explaining to Jiraiya.
"This black rod can conduct chakra."
"I was already curious when fighting these people. The Byakugan can see through their bodies, but strangely, these guys' blood is stagnant and doesn't circulate."
"Now I understand. These people have been dead from the very beginning."
"They are corpses, and also puppets."
"These black rods are the signal receivers that operate these puppets."
As he spoke, Hyuga Shin'ichi seemed to locate Nagato's position. He casually put away the black rod and looked toward the direction of Amegakure.
"You mean..."
"Where is the person controlling the puppets?"
Jiraiya was a smart man. With Shin'ichi's hint, he immediately understood many things. With this explanation, he seemed to finally understand why there were so many Rinnegan eyes.
At the same time, Jiraiya's mood suddenly became heavy.
Because he suddenly remembered... the blonde enemy defeated by Hyuga Shin'ichi was none other than his former disciple, Yahiko...
"He's in the village. Let's go meet him!"
"Let's go meet the leader of Akatsuki!"
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