Bloom.
At this moment, the chakra swirling around Hayama Shirakumo could only be described as a blossoming flower.
Chakra, thick enough to be tangible, surged around him, churning the waves beneath his feet into a rolling tempest. His originally pitch-black eyes were now replaced by a deep, oceanic azure. The long hair that had been tied back by a headband was now whipped into a frenzy by the erupting chakra, his brown locks dancing wildly.
His dark-ink Konoha Jonin flak jacket, already damaged in his previous exchange with Uchiha Obito, hung in tatters. Standing atop the sea, Hayama glanced at the ruined vest and tore it away with a casual tug. The dark fabric fell to the water's surface, revealing the black combat suit beneath.
Amidst the surging chakra, the Arabic numeral "1" faintly shimmered on the left side of his chest.
Retreating to a distance, Uchiha Obito used his superior eyesight to clearly see that number. His heart skipped a beat.
"I've heard that the Hokage's personal inner circle possesses unique abilities—a special state that significantly boosts their strength," Obito muttered. "That includes Shizune, Might Guy, and you."
"Seeing that '1' on your chest... does that mean you are the strongest among Kakashi's subordinates?"
Information like this was easily obtained through White Zetsu's abilities. Although the battle during the Chunin Exams had been the fuse for the current Fourth Shinobi World War, it had also exposed a significant amount of Konoha's intelligence—including the existence of the Sage Seals.
"Heh, you mean this?"
Hearing Obito's question, Hayama pulled at his collar, clearly displaying the "1" that represented his status. "This is merely the order in which we inherited the Sage Seal. If you're talking about who is the strongest with it... I only rank fourth."
Fourth?
Obito's heart trembled. To him, the current Hayama Shirakumo was in no way inferior to any of the five Kage. A powerhouse of this caliber was only ranked fourth? Then just how strong were the three above him? More importantly, who were they?
While Obito was lost in thought, Hayama stepped forward with a terrifying smile.
Boom!
Obito's pupils instantly constricted. That speed! It's absurd!
Almost by reflex, a black receiver rod slid from Obito's sleeve to block his front.
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal rang out as sparks flew violently from the friction between the black rod and the White Fang blade. It was only then that Obito saw exactly how his opponent was attacking.
Single-handed!
The man was suppressing him in terms of raw power while holding the sword with only one hand?! How was that possible?!
While this strike didn't deal substantial damage to Obito, it demonstrated the sheer magnitude of Hayama's current strength. Without giving Obito a moment to react, a heavy punch, accompanied by the roar of chakra, lunged toward his face.
Simultaneously, Hayama's voice reached his ears.
"Uchiha Madara? I don't believe someone with Madara's personality would use a mask to hide his face. Come, let me see who you really are."
The fist, wrapped in violent chakra, slammed directly toward Obito's face. Obito did not dodge or parry; he simply allowed the attack to pass through him. The fist moved through Obito's head as if it were air, and Hayama felt no sense of physical contact.
Intangibility!
The moment Hayama's strike missed, Karatachi Yagura—standing behind him—had already completed his Tailed Beast Version 2 cloak. Crouched on all fours upon the sea, his chakra had solidified, completely masking his human form and transforming him into a humanoid Tailed Beast.
Furthermore, he had already finished charging a Tailed Beast Bomb!
With a beastly roar, Yagura fired the blast toward the duo, showing no regard for the fact that Obito was still entangled with Hayama.
Hayama's cold gaze swept over the incoming projectile. With a flick of the White Fang, he unleashed a violent wave of sword light that forced Obito to stay intangible to avoid it. Simultaneously, Hayama turned to face the Tailed Beast Bomb.
He knew his own limits. Hayama had mastered the Sage Seal: Stage Two Release, but it only lasted for ten minutes. He had to end this quickly!
Chakra flooded every meridian in his body in an instant. The White Fang blade in his hand creaked and groaned, the hum of the sword vibrating incessantly. Raising the long blade, Hayama showed no sign of retreating from the Tailed Beast Bomb—a technique feared by the entire shinobi world.
In an instant—or perhaps a fraction of a second—a blue-white flash of sword light erupted!
The piercing shriek of the blade was so sharp it felt like it could puncture eardrums. The entire battlefield was split in two by this single strike; the sea beneath them was forcibly cleaved open, revealing the trenches on the ocean floor.
The Tailed Beast Bomb was sliced clean in half. Before it could travel any further, it was severed!
A dangerous white light began to emanate from the black spheres. The Tailed Beast Bomb was about to detonate!
Seeing this, Obito felt a surge of joy rather than anger. Existing within the Kamui dimension, no physical object could harm him; even a Tailed Beast Bomb wouldn't leave a scratch. However, even if Hayama was a short distance away, he couldn't possibly escape the blast from such close proximity.
Obito wasn't the only one who realized this; Hayama was well aware of the situation. He looked coldly at Obito, who was still phased out via Kamui, and let out a chilling smirk as he raised his blade.
What is he doing?
Obito had exposed his abilities during the Nine-Tails' attack, the Uchiha Massacre, and now this battle. He didn't believe for a second that Hayama didn't understand how Kamui worked. In this state, he was invincible; no matter how strong the opponent's swordsmanship was, they couldn't hurt him.
Just as Obito suspected, Hayama had no intention of using traditional swordsmanship against an intangible opponent.
Holding the sword horizontally across his chest, Hayama turned his back to the imminent Tailed Beast Bomb explosion. Facing Obito, he raised his other hand. His fingers hovered over the blade, his gaze icy. Under Obito's watchful eye, those calloused fingers—worn from years of swordsmanship—flicked the flat of the blade.
Sage Art: Demonic Illusion: Golden Blade Koto!
The chime of the blade rippled across the entire battlefield.
This is... an auditory Genjutsu!
It was a single flick, yet it sounded like countless blade strikes overlapping. Under the influence of that chime, the surrounding natural energy transformed into a physical wave of sound, instantly engulfing Obito and the humanoid Yagura. Even the roar of the Tailed Beast Bomb's explosion couldn't drown out the rhythmic ringing of the sword.
The moment Obito heard the sound, his scalp tingled. He wanted to withdraw from the battlefield immediately, but as soon as he moved, his surroundings shifted.
One moment he was on the battlefield; the next, he was standing atop a mountain. A Mountain of Blades.
Swords and knives were pressed against his skin. The sensation of the sharp edges was terrifyingly real—it felt as though if he moved even an inch, he would be sliced into thousands of pieces by the infinite blades before him.
Damn it!
Shame and rage flared in Obito's eyes. He was an Uchiha, yet he had been caught in a Genjutsu by an outsider! It was a disgrace.
But he had to break out fast. If he couldn't dispel this auditory Genjutsu, the Tailed Beast Bomb would catch both him and Hayama. Although Obito had confidence he could survive the blast thanks to his Hashirama cells, his condition afterward would be severely compromised. He never expected that a mere member of Kakashi's guard could push him this far.
Watching the dazed Obito, Hayama turned back toward the blinding white light of destruction.
The next second...
The devastating white light swallowed both Hayama and the Genjutsu-trapped Obito. The entire ocean seemed to shudder from the force of the blast. A massive tsunami, dozens of meters high, swept outward, and the clouds in the sky were scattered by the shockwave.
A massive mushroom cloud rose over the battlefield.
After an unknown amount of time, when the battlefield finally settled, the surface of the sea was eerily empty.
A wretched figure crawled out of the water. Panting heavily, Obito looked at the empty battlefield and couldn't help but laugh. In the end, he had won!
Clink.
The moment Hayama had activated his Stage Two Release, Obito had preemptively used Izanagi. Though it cost him one three-tomoe Sharingan, it was undoubtedly worth it! He had taken out one of Kakashi's right-hand men!
Suddenly, a hand shot out from the water, sending a jolt of fear through Obito. Is it possible that guy didn't die even after taking a Tailed Beast Bomb head-on?!
Hayama Shirakumo climbed out of the water, gasping for air, his eyes locked onto Obito. However, he looked no better than his opponent. His clothes were in tatters, revealing a lean, muscular chest. He had already exited the Stage Two Release, with only the base Sage Seal remaining.
To survive the Tailed Beast Bomb, he had exhausted almost all the natural energy in the vicinity to protect himself. Now, only the lingering senjutsu chakra in the Sage Seal kept him going. Even so, the state was on the verge of collapsing!
"You bastard..." Obito muttered, feeling a surge of irritation at the man whose gaze had never wavered.
A black receiver rod appeared in his hand. He charged toward Hayama without hesitation. This man was far too dangerous; he had to die here!
Facing Obito's charge, Hayama gripped the White Fang tightly, preparing for the final struggle. He went to swing the blade, but his expression suddenly shifted. The black markings covering his body and the prominent "1" on his chest receded like a ebbing tide!
The Sage Seal had deactivated!
Obito's eyes sharpened, and he accelerated! But even without the Sage Seal, Hayama was not the type to wait for death. He swung his sword down with everything he had!
A spray of crimson blood painted the sky.
"In the end... you're just a piece of trash who relies on that transformation," Obito sneered, looking at the man with the raised sword. As expected, the subordinates of a failure like Kakashi were also failures.
Sweet, thick blood leaked from Hayama's mouth. He looked down at the black rod piercing his chest. Even with such a mortal wound, his gaze remained unchanged.
"Right now... you're in a physical state, aren't you?"
The cold words, muffled by blood, reached Obito's ears, making his heart hammer against his ribs. Could it be?!
Did this man voluntarily deactivate his special state just to lure him in?!
Every hair on Obito's body stood on end as he instinctively tried to pull away, but at some point, a thick, powerful hand had clamped onto his arm like a vice!
Damn it!
Seeing he was pinned, Obito made a split-second decision to sever his own arm to escape. But Hayama, having used himself as bait, would never let this golden opportunity slip by!
The White Fang, held high, erupted in a brilliant white screen of light!
Wind Style: Vacuum Blade!
The final strike!
Hayama clenched his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, and brought the Hokage's blade down without a shred of mercy!
Obito's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he watched. He had no way left to escape. He wanted to phase away, but the freezing edge of the blade—which made his skin crawl even before it touched him—was clearly not going to let him go!
I can't die yet! Rin is still waiting for me to save her! The world still needs me to save it! How can I die in a place like this?! I cannot die! I have responsibilities to fulfill! I still have the Infinite Tsukuyomi to complete! If I die now, what was all of it for?!
Rin! Sensei! Lady Kushina! Save me!
"I can't die yet—!"
The cold light of the blade, as bright as the midday sun, completely shattered the roar of Obito's unwilling heart. His trembling, invincible Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan watched the strike descend...
A head flew into the sky!
Brilliant red blood sprayed like a fountain, staining the heavens!
Stillness.
Time seemed to freeze as the battlefield fell silent with the fall of that blade.
Splash!
A blood-stained head, eyes still wide with disbelief, fell into the sea, finally snapping the world back to reality.
Uchiha Obito, Dead!
"No... no way..."
Black Zetsu, who had been watching from the edge of the battlefield, was left gaping, speechless. As the being who currently understood Uchiha Obito better than anyone in the world, he knew that after using Izanagi once and being physically restrained, Obito had no more lifelines left.
The opponent wouldn't even give him the chance to use the Kamui eye for a second Izanagi—and even if Obito had tried, after using it once, he simply didn't have the time to trigger it again!
Obito was dead?
The man whom the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the Fifth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, couldn't kill... was dead?
Killed by a man who, before the Chunin Exams, was nothing more than a name on the Hokage's guard detail?
This was simply...
"Beyond all expectation."
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