Chapter 364: The Unfamiliar Obito
Drip...
Drip...
Killer Bee clutched his bleeding neck, his face filled with tension as he stared at the masked man nearby—so intensely, he didn't dare blink.
It had nearly slashed his carotid artery!
How long had it been?
How long since he'd felt this kind of fear?
That spine-tingling dread, where one false move could mean instant death.
A memory flashed through Killer Bee's mind.
The Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze.
Back when he and his brother faced the famed Yellow Flash for the first time, this was exactly the feeling they had.
Total focus. No margin for error. One mistake would mean instant death.
"This guy... nearly decapitated Bee in a head-on blade exchange?!"
Not far off, Teacher Kin, who had just confirmed that Fat Tai the raccoon summon was still alive, turned back and witnessed the moment—his eyes widened in shock.
He knew exactly how powerful Killer Bee's taijutsu and kenjutsu were.
Yet this masked Akatsuki member had almost killed Bee in their first exchange.
And he did it using Bee's own swords.
That meant the masked man's close-combat ability was likely above Bee's.
"Use it, Bee!"
Inside Bee, the Eight-Tails roared in alarm, urging him to use his Tailed Beast form. Another slip-up like that and Bee could actually die.
He didn't want to go through the trouble of finding another Jinchūriki.
"No… that form's too destructive. Teacher Kin is still here—I can't risk it,"
Killer Bee shook his head.
The full transformation into his Tailed Beast was his most powerful form. But whether through physical strikes or Tailed Beast Bombs, the collateral damage was enormous.
One wrong move, and he could kill his own allies.
"Then go with Version 1!" the Eight-Tails urged.
Version 1—the chakra cloak. In this form, Bee's strength and speed would increase drastically, while maintaining the flexibility of a human body. It was ideal for fighting taijutsu specialists like this masked man.
But… was this opponent only strong in taijutsu?
Seeing the red glow in the masked man's Sharingan, both Bee and the Eight-Tails felt a sinking unease.
The Uchiha Clan's true strength was never taijutsu—it was genjutsu and ninjutsu, especially at the Mangekyō Sharingan level.
They didn't yet know what this man's unique Mangekyō power was—but it was dangerous.
Bee stayed cautious.
Whoosh!
As Bee completed his Version 1 transformation, Obito's clone smiled and charged again.
"Now that's more like it!"
The two blades in Obito's hands sparked with bright blue-white Lightning Chakra.
Crackle!
Killer Bee didn't lag behind. His blades were also infused with Lightning Chakra, crackling in response.
In an instant—
The two clashed fiercely.
Killer Bee's swordsmanship was astounding, backed by natural talent and the battle-hardened experience of the Third Great Ninja War.
He was at his peak.
His twin blades moved like butterflies through flowers, striking from seemingly impossible angles. Even with his incredible reflexes, Li Yao's Obito clone found himself on the defensive.
Clang clang clang!
The snowy ground showed no signs of human movement—only four blurs of blue-white lightning flashing and colliding.
"As I thought... when it comes to raw battle talent, I'm still far behind."
While enduring Bee's onslaught, Li Yao's Obito clone could only sigh.
If it weren't for his superior reaction time and faster reflexes, he wouldn't last more than a few moves against Killer Bee in Version 1 mode.
"But that's exactly what makes this fun!"
Obito's clone wasn't frustrated—he was enjoying the thrill of close-quarters combat, the feeling of dancing on a razor's edge.
If this were Li Yao's real body, he would never risk such a deadly fight.
But as a clone? He could indulge all he wanted.
Besides, with Wood Release cells, this clone could regenerate from nearly anything—so long as the head wasn't pierced or severed, he didn't need to worry.
So he let himself enjoy the rush.
While Obito's clone was having fun, Killer Bee was feeling the pressure.
"This guy…"
The longer the fight went on, the more shocked Bee became.
He had thought the masked man was simply a taijutsu specialist—especially after that first strike nearly cost him his head.
But now, after clashing again and again, he realized something.
The man's taijutsu was actually quite unpolished. His techniques lacked proper form, his strikes weren't textbook.
This was clearly someone who didn't fight with taijutsu often.
And yet—despite that—he was still matching Bee, even in Version 1 cloak mode.
Just with pure speed and strength, he compensated for his lack of technical finesse.
Bee was using a Tailed Beast cloak!
And this guy didn't even have Lightning Chakra Mode like the Raikage—just raw, physical power and reflexes… and still, he was stronger.
Where had this monster come from?
It wasn't just Bee who was shocked. Black Zetsu, observing from afar, was stunned as well.
"Obito… when did his taijutsu get this strong?"
After fusing with White Zetsu cells, Obito's body was enhanced, sure—but not to this level.
Killer Bee was a perfect Jinchūriki. His Tailed Beast cloak boosted his strength and speed far beyond a normal shinobi's.
Yet Obito, without even using Kamui, was keeping up and overpowering him in raw force?
This wasn't the Obito Black Zetsu knew.
He had expected Obito to toy with Bee using Kamui, then finish things with Wood Release or sealing techniques.
He had never doubted Obito could win.
But this… this Obito who was matching Killer Bee in a straight-up taijutsu fight—that was something else entirely. Too unfamiliar.
"What's going on with him…?"
Black Zetsu wasn't stupid. This sudden shift in Obito's fighting style had to mean something had changed.
And if something changed… he should have noticed it.
"Could it be… that man?"
Quickly, the image of the man who wielded black matter-like jutsu came to mind.
The one who had most impressed Black Zetsu with his terrifying taijutsu and stealth—so skilled, even Black Zetsu couldn't detect him up close.
A man like that, with immense physical prowess and stealth, was truly dangerous if he got near.
Obito had probably reclaimed his Sharingan to prepare for that man.
And now, this taijutsu training was also meant to counter that man's threat.
Yes, that made sense.
But…
Black Zetsu looked again at Obito trading blows with Killer Bee at blistering speed—and the unease in his heart refused to fade.
Even if this was all done to prepare for that man… the improvement was too extreme.
This wasn't something that could be achieved in a few days.
Which meant—Obito had been hiding his true strength all along.
(END CHAPTER)
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