Chapter 64: Kenzo Vs Obito
Something was coming.
Kenzo completely halted his movements, the drizzling rain slowly soaking through his clothes while the sound of water continued falling endlessly around him in an uneven rhythm, soft yet strangely oppressive. The forest itself had become hauntingly quiet as if even the world around him was instinctively holding its breath in anticipation of what was about to happen.
Drip… drop… drip… drop… drip… drop…
DRIPPPP—
WOOSHHH!!!!!
Kenzo twisted his upper body at almost a ninety degree angle as a kunai shot past his face at terrifying speed before firmly embedding itself into the tree beside him with a violent impact that sent fragments of bark flying outward.
And before he could gain even a fraction of a second to breathe another attack arrived instantly. Thick wood-like branches erupted forward from the darkness aiming directly toward his body like sharpened spears tearing through the rain with explosive force.
Wood Style.
Kenzo immediately jumped backward however the moment his body entered midair space itself twisted beside him. A spiraling black portal appeared out of nowhere and from within it a masked figure emerged with a sharpened wooden spike already thrusting directly toward Kenzo's exposed left side.
Kenzo's pupils contracted sharply.
In midair he forcefully twisted his body again, barely dodging the attack as the wooden spike grazed past him before he landed roughly against the soaked ground below, water splashing violently beneath his feet. The moment he landed he immediately pushed himself sideways again because his instincts were screaming at him not to remain stationary even for an instant.
"Impressive reaction speed… too bad you will die today."
Uchiha Obito slowly stepped out from the black spiraling portal completely, the familiar spiral mask covering his face while rainwater slid continuously across the dark cloak wrapped around his body. His single visible eye remained locked onto Kenzo without wavering, especially toward the three tomoe spinning slowly within Kenzo's Sharingan.
Obito was genuinely surprised. The speed was far too fast. Not merely movement speed but reaction speed as well. Although still not comparable to the Yellow Flash it had already reached a level that absolutely could not be ignored especially for someone of this age. Even among elite jonin there were not many capable of reacting this cleanly against Kamui combinations.
Even so an Uchiha without Mangekyo was still merely an Uchiha. No matter how talented they were there existed a wall they could never cross and today that wall would become Kenzo's grave.
The rain intensified slightly as thunder rumbled faintly somewhere far away.
The next instant Obito disappeared.
Kenzo's Sharingan spun violently.
Left.
Kenzo instantly ducked as a chain tore through the air above his head before immediately twisting sideways again to avoid Obito's hand reaching toward him from behind. The moment Obito failed to grab him his body instantly phased through Kenzo's counterattack like a ghost before solidifying several meters away again.
Damn it…
Kenzo slid backward across the wet ground while breathing slightly heavier. Kamui was even more troublesome in actual combat than he imagined. Information alone and experiencing it personally were two completely different things.
Obito appeared again directly in front of him.
Wood Style branches exploded outward from his sleeve like snakes instantly spreading in multiple directions trying to restrict Kenzo's movement completely. The branches smashed through trees and stone alike while rapidly closing off escape routes around him.
Kenzo's body burst sideways at terrifying speed.
The branches shattered trees behind him while Kenzo himself continuously moved across the battlefield without stopping even once, left, right, center, constantly changing direction and rhythm every few seconds. His footwork looked almost chaotic yet strangely precise at the same time making it difficult to predict where he would appear next. Every movement carried purpose behind it.
Obito's visible eye narrowed slightly beneath the mask.
Weird… very weird. Most shinobi when facing him directly would gradually fall into panic once Kamui became involved however Kenzo was different. His movements never fully broke apart even under pressure. Every dodge was forced to the absolute limit but still maintained structure and calculation.
Obito's hand phased directly through a tree before instantly solidifying again toward Kenzo's blind side, specifically targeting the missing left arm area.
A weakness. An obvious imbalance point and Obito immediately exploited it.
Kenzo cursed inwardly as he forcefully rotated his body again to avoid the grab by mere centimeters before throwing three kunai directly toward Obito's face. The kunai pierced straight through his body harmlessly before embedding into the trees behind him.
Obito simply phased through them.
The chains attacked again from below this time, bursting upward from the soaked earth itself while Wood Style spikes closed in from above simultaneously.
Kenzo jumped upward however the moment he did another Kamui distortion twisted open behind him.
Too fast.
Kenzo barely managed to force his body sideways again while Obito's hand brushed against his shoulder cloth tearing part of it apart. The cold sensation of danger crawled across his spine instantly. If his reaction had been even slightly slower that touch alone would have ended the fight.
His expression darkened slightly.
This bastard… was his stamina unlimited or something?
The pressure never stopped. Every attack connected perfectly into the next one without leaving room to breathe. Kamui combined with Obito's battle instincts created an absurd fighting style that constantly forced opponents into mistakes. Fighting him felt less like battling a person and more like struggling against a constantly shifting natural disaster.
Meanwhile Obito himself was becoming increasingly more surprised the longer the fight continued.
Kenzo's reactions were abnormal. Not only his reactions but his body control itself. Even after moving continuously at such monstrous speed for this long his movements still had not slowed down completely. His stamina reserves were ridiculous for someone his age especially considering the physical burden required to maintain this level of movement nonstop.
More importantly his eyes. Those three tomoe continued spinning calmly while reading movements with terrifying precision. Obito could clearly tell that Kenzo was already adapting slightly to the rhythm of his attacks little by little despite the overwhelming disadvantage.
Interesting… very interesting.
Obito's attacks became even sharper.
The chains curved violently through the rain while wooden spikes erupted unpredictably from different angles forcing Kenzo deeper and deeper into defensive movement. Trees shattered continuously around them while the soaked earth exploded apart under the pressure of their speed. The battlefield itself was gradually being destroyed piece by piece.
Kenzo's breathing gradually became rougher. Rainwater mixed with sweat across his face while his muscles screamed under the constant strain of explosive movement after movement. Even with his monstrous physique there was still a limit somewhere.
And he understood very clearly that if this continued much longer eventually a single mistake would be enough. Against Kamui one mistake meant death.