The moment his mask shattered, Obito clearly panicked, hastily retreating and withdrawing from the range of Susanoo's coverage.
He frantically raised his hands to cover his face, unwilling to let his true appearance be exposed, and even more reluctant to be clearly seen by those before him.
Especially Shinji—he knew full well that the other was aware of his true identity.
However, he might have been overthinking it.
Nagato had already fainted, and Konan lay severely injured on the ground, both unconscious. Yahiko was anxiously tending to them, with not a single spare glance directed at Obito.
As for Shinji, he merely watched calmly with a placid expression.
He could sense that Obito's fighting spirit was gradually dissipating. Shinji gazed at the shriveled skin on the right side of his face—the scars left after being crushed by boulders.
At this moment, Obito's face was dark and gloomy, bearing the look of someone who had suffered immense hardship and resentment, a far cry from the naive and foolish boy in his memories.
Moreover, both of his eyes had activated the Sharingan. His left eye, which should have been missing, now possessed a brand-new Sharingan.
This must be the one Madara Uchiha left for him, right?
Shinji speculated silently in his heart, letting out a soft sigh.
The battle at Kannabi Bridge had ultimately rewritten Obito's life entirely.
The orange giant moved once more. Shinji manipulated Susanoo to extend its left palm, reaching straight for Obito.
No matter what, at this moment, they were enemies.
Obito's expression sharpened. Setting aside his panic and fear, he immediately activated Kamui.
The space around him suddenly twisted and rotated, pulling his entire body into the Alternate Dimension. Susanoo's massive palm slammed down but grasped only empty air.
Obito had escaped.
Shinji was slightly taken aback.
It seemed Obito's composure had been severely shaken, but he recalled that in the original story, when Obito's identity was exposed before Kakashi, he hadn't been this discomposed.
Why was he so flustered and panicked in front of him?
Perhaps the current Obito was far from the cold, ruthless figure he would later become?
Within the Alternate Dimension, amidst the boundless gray-black void, stood countless gray stone pillars of varying heights.
Space twisted once more as Obito landed atop one of the stone pillars.
He raised a hand to wipe the debris from his face, his expression growing even darker. He despised the wretched state he was in at this moment.
"Damn it! That cursed Shinji!"
"Did he actually see my face clearly?"
Even though he had desperately covered his face with his hands the moment the mask shattered, there was still a chance he had been recognized.
No, he would have to send White Zetsu to infiltrate Konohagakure and investigate discreetly, confirming whether his identity had been compromised.
After a moment, Obito forcibly calmed his emotions.
He had no way back; he could only continue down this thorny path.
"The Rinnegan."
Obito murmured softly, his eyes turning fierce and ruthless.
This plan had already failed. Next, he would have to make contact with Nagato and the other two again.
If they refused to cooperate, he would find an opportunity to directly seize Nagato's Rinnegan.
He looked up into the void, activated Kamui once more, and vanished completely from this Alternate Dimension.
...
Watching Obito disappear entirely, Shinji remained vigilant, focusing his senses and guarding against any sudden ambush from the surroundings.
But after a long while, Obito did not reappear—clearly, he truly wasn't coming back.
Shinji finally let out a long sigh of relief. He focused his senses for a moment and realized that Black Zetsu had also vanished without a trace.
The devastated valley now held only the few of them.
He closed his eyes, gradually deactivating his Sharingan, and the surging chakra around him slowly receded.
The Susanoo emitted a faint tremor, dissolving into the air like light and shadow, having completed its mission this time.
Shinji braced his hands on his knees as an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over him.
"It's finally over!"
"Konan, Konan, hang in there!"
Yahiko's frantic shouts suddenly pierced his ears.
Shinji turned toward the sound and saw Yahiko desperately shaking Konan on the ground, completely losing his composure.
Konan's face was deathly pale, blood-flecked foam continuously trickling from the corner of her mouth, her breathing so faint it seemed on the verge of stopping.
Shinji frowned slightly and spoke with a hint of helplessness, "Why panic? She's not dead yet."
Yahiko instantly glared at him, gritting his teeth as he growled, "Konan ended up like this because she saved you! How can you say that?"
As he spoke, he bent down to lift Konan onto his back, muttering to himself, "We have to find a medical ninja!"
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he froze.
This was Amegakure—where would they find a medical ninja here?
Even if there were any, they were all under Hanzō's control. Given their current tense relationship with Hanzō, how could they possibly expect help?
"Calm down. I am a medical ninja."
Shinji reached out and firmly pushed Yahiko back.
Carrying Konan around recklessly would likely exhaust her before they could even find help.
"Right!" Yahiko suddenly realized.
He had almost forgotten—this person before him was a disciple of Tsunade, one of the Sannin.
Tsunade was widely recognized as the strongest medical ninja in the Shinobi World, so Shinji must naturally be proficient in Medical Ninjutsu.
In his panic and after witnessing Shinji's overwhelming combat prowess, he had instinctively overlooked this fact.
He immediately straightened up, tightly gripping Shinji's arm, his eyes filled with pleading. "Please save Konan. I'll do anything if you can save her."
After saying this, he bowed deeply to Shinji with utmost sincerity.
Konan and Nagato were the most important people in his world. For them, he would give up everything.
Shinji nodded. "Go keep watch. I need a quiet environment."
Yahiko quickly complied and stepped aside.
Shinji's gaze swept over the two unconscious figures on the ground. When he saw Nagato still motionless, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Is this guy planning to sleep until the end of time?
He silently grumbled to himself as he walked over and knelt beside Konan. Gently lifting her blood-stained clothing, he revealed a patch of pale, bloodied skin.
Just above her navel was a wound over two inches long, blood continuously welling from it.
Yahiko caught a glimpse of this and hurriedly turned his face away, looking somewhat embarrassed.
But Shinji harbored no impure thoughts—a life was at stake, and he had no mind for anything else.
With his right hand, he swiftly pressed several acupoints on Konan's body to stop the bleeding. Then, extending both hands, a faint green chakra glow enveloped his palms as he activated the Mystical Palm Technique.
He gently placed his hands over the wound on Konan's abdomen.
Beside them, Yahiko held his breath, vigilantly scanning the surroundings to prevent any disturbances while carefully watching the treatment process.
Konan's life now depended entirely on Shinji.
Under continued treatment, the wound on Konan's abdomen gradually healed, the bleeding completely stopped, and her originally rapid, chaotic breathing slowly steadied.
Shinji let out a slight sigh of relief.
Konan still had many external injuries from her earlier struggle with the Rain ninjas, but for now, he could only deal with this fatal wound first, stabilizing it as an emergency measure.
But just then, as if suddenly remembering something, he slapped his forehead, widened his eyes, and said in frustration:
"Oh no, where's Fugaku?"
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