The two wooden branches struck with fury, piercing through Shimizu's body in the blink of an eye.
But Tobi felt no joy of victory. On that face that should have been on the verge of death, he saw a strange smile.
It was mockery…
How many years had it been since he last felt like he was being toyed with like this?
"Ahahahahaha! You really gave me a surprise!" Tobi clutched the right side of his body with his left hand. Blood kept dripping down, yet his laughter only grew wilder and more unrestrained.
Originally, that A-rank Water Release attack had been aimed at his head… but Tobi had forcefully dodged the fatal point. As a result, the water needles all struck the right side of his body instead.
"That was Heavenly Weeping, wasn't it? Another of Tobirama's techniques."
The Shimizu who had been pierced by the branches slowly dissolved into a ripple of water…
It was a Water Clone.
"I really didn't expect… your hand seals to be that fast."
In the brief moment it took for him to lean closer—just a single breath—Shimizu had already completed both an A-rank offensive ninjutsu and a C-rank evasive technique.
"I clearly remember you were out of chakra," Tobi said calmly.
He turned and looked toward Shimizu, who had just escaped from danger only to be dragged back into a desperate fight with four Hidden Rain ninjas.
Even if you still have chakra—so what?
The elite team of four jōnin here was no ordinary group.
Where could you possibly escape to?
The reactions of those four were simply too fast. Shimizu was forced to use two kunai to parry a constant barrage of strikes, but the coordinated pressure was rapidly driving him back into a corner.
In a flash, a Hidden Rain shinobi's kunai buried itself in his abdomen.
Vibrant red blood splattered instantly.
This time, it was the real body.
"Kill him," Tobi ordered.
The other three Hidden Rain shinobi stepped forward at once. Three kunai stabbed into Shimizu's torso almost simultaneously.
Blood dripped steadily to the ground.
At that moment, Minato was facing eight Hidden Rain shinobi on his own… unable to rush over in time.
Yet Shimizu's expression remained ice-cold.
He swung the kunai in his hands. A flash of blue light appeared as he suddenly hurled them at the ground beside him.
Everything happened in a split second—just when everyone believed the Konoha ninja was certain to die.
Lightning Release: Twin Lightning Blast!
BOOM!
A massive explosion roared into the sky.
"Self-destruct?!" Tobi exclaimed in shock.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Suddenly, two more shuriken shot at high speed toward the eight Hidden Rain shinobi fighting Minato. These shuriken faintly glowed blue as well…
But why were they coming from behind him?
Before Tobi could turn around, two more explosions rang out.
BOOM! BOOM!
"Damn it…" Tobi's instincts screamed danger. He tilted his head and lowered his body just as a kunai grazed past his face.
In his field of vision, the Konoha ninja he had mocked as trash—someone without even a bloodline limit, a mere nobody—
was now rushing straight at him.
In his left hand, he held a terrifying blue sphere of lightning.
The piercing sound—like the cries of a thousand birds—carried intense electrical current, lighting up the dim dawn sky.
It certainly looked powerful. But such a foolish straight-line attack—could he really not block it?
Wait… the kunai he had just dodged looked like a three-pronged kunai?!
A gust of wind suddenly came from behind him…
Damn it!
BANG!
A powerful spiraling force struck Tobi squarely in the back, sending his entire body flying.
Flying Thunder God: Second Step!
The technique involved throwing a kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God formula to distract the enemy. When the kunai reached the opponent's rear, the user would teleport to it instantly, catching the foe from behind with a Rasengan.
But this time, the one who had thrown the kunai was Shimizu.
Having taken a Rasengan from behind, Tobi's body spun uncontrollably at high speed as he flew straight forward.
And in that direction, the blue light of lightning grew brighter and brighter—until it filled his entire vision.
Behind the spiral mask, his pupils suddenly shrank.
Tobi was strong. He didn't need to brag, because he truly had the right to be proud.
Great power. Superior reflexes. The mysterious Mayfly Technique. And the Wood Release bloodline limit that had once allowed the Senju clan to dominate the Warring States era.
Over the long years, his chakra reserves had grown to a terrifying level.
Why would he ever lose?
Yet only a few seconds ago, he still had twelve elite shinobi backing him up.
Now, with a single glance—
corpses covered the ground.
Even he himself was on the brink of death.
And the ones responsible for all of this…
were the two disasters in front of him.
I'm actually going to die!
Get out of here! I have to leave right now!!
The instant his battered body hit the ground, Tobi activated the Mayfly Technique. In the blink of an eye, his body sank into the earth, merging with the plants and soil.
"He got away," Minato said with a frown.
Tobi's voice echoed from all directions:
"Alright, alright… I'm done fighting… You two brats hit way too hard… it hurts like hell… Hiss… I'm really done fighting…"
His voice gradually drifted farther and farther away.
"I'll be back again…"
"I can't sense anything at all. Is it a bloodline limit?" Shimizu held a kunai and scanned the surroundings, but it was useless.
"Jiraiya-sensei said it might be some kind of secret technique. The characteristic of this technique is that it cuts off all presence while it's active."
"With such an escape technique, no wonder he dared to sneak into Konoha so recklessly. Who knows where else he's been…" With a skill like that, where in the world couldn't he go?
Minato took out a three-pronged kunai and handed it to Shimizu with both hands, smiling.
"Luckily, when you stopped me earlier, you also blocked their line of sight and took one of my kunai. But next time we might not be so lucky. You should keep it for now."
"Alright."
Shimizu accepted the kunai calmly. Unlike the first time when Jiraiya's lecture had awakened him, this time it represented something heavier—
a deep trust.
The two of them had relied on their tacit cooperation to finally break through this desperate situation.
Of course, the main reason they managed to defeat Tobi was his arrogance.
From the strength Tobi had displayed so far, he was indeed stronger than both of them. And they were certain that he still hadn't revealed his full power.
If they had fought steadily—even if Tobi himself didn't act—those twelve shinobi alone could have slowly worn Shimizu and Minato down to death.
But these so-called villain bosses always had a rather cute habit.
They loved to talk nonsense, and they possessed a mysterious, overwhelming confidence.
A confidence that came from thinking:
I've defeated many powerful enemies before. I have countless extraordinary techniques. These two youngsters are nothing.
But battles between shinobi were never just about whose ninjutsu was stronger, whose experience was greater, or who had more chakra.
This was a life-and-death struggle.
Any moment of carelessness could invite the embrace of death.
Long years and a streak of unbroken victories had made Tobi forget the meaning of danger and fear.
Heh. Like I said... please, try not to cry.
...
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