Shinji and Shisui slowed as they approached the clearing, suppressing their presence as best they could.
And in the center of it A flash of yellow. Reappeared behind a dark figure.
A kunai slashed. And passed straight through.
Shinji's eyes narrowed. "There."
Standing calmly in the middle of the destruction A man in a swirling mask.
Minato Namikaze flickered back, creating distance, his expression sharp, focused.
"So that's what we're dealing with," Shisui murmured.
Shinji didn't answer.
His eyes were locked on the masked figure.
Something about him felt wrong. Not just strong unnatural.
They moved without a word.
Shisui struck first.
A blur of motion his blade slicing toward the masked man's neck with. At the same time, Shinji came from behind, driving a punch toward his spine.
Nothing. Both attacks passed straight through.
Shisui landed, sliding back slightly. "…What?"
Shinji skidded beside him, eyes sharp. "No contact."
"Not even a deflection," Shisui added, tightening his grip on his blade.
The masked man didn't move. "Impressive speed," he said calmly. "But meaningless."
A flicker of yellow light And Minato Namikaze appeared beside them instantly.
"Fall back," he said. "This opponent is"
"He phases," Shinji cut in.
Minato paused.
Shinji didn't take his eyes off the masked man. "Your kunai went straight through him," he continued. "Ours too. It's not substitution not speed"
"Intangibility?" Shisui finished quietly.
Minato studied them for a brief moment. "You've already analyzed that much."
Another roar echoed in the distance. Closer to the heart of the village.
Shinji spoke immediately. "You need to go."
Minato's gaze snapped toward him. "This man is controlling the Nine-Tails," he said. "If I leave him"
"He's not your priority right now," Shinji said firmly.
Shisui stepped forward slightly. "You're the only one who can stop that thing."
Another explosion shook the air.
Minato's jaw tightened. "He's dangerous," he said. "More than either of you realize."
Shinji finally glanced at him. "So is what's happening in the village."
Silence.
Shinji turned back toward the masked man. "We'll hold him," he said.
Shisui smirked faintly. "Or at least annoy him enough."
Minato didn't smile.
He watched them both carefully.
"Don't die," he said.
"Wouldn't look good on the report," Shisui replied.
In a flash Minato vanished.
The masked man moved. He appeared in front of Shinji, instantly arm driving forward. Shinji raised his guard and the strike passed through him.
But this time The masked man's hand solidified just enough His other hand snapped forward
Shinji barely twisted A glancing blow slammed into his side. He was sent skidding across the ground.
"Shinji!"
Shisui moved immediately blade flashing toward the masked man's back
Again it went through.
The masked man turned, calm as ever. "You cannot touch me," he said.
Shisui clicked his tongue. "Yeah, we noticed."
He attacked again faster, testing angles, timing, rhythm. Every strike passed through.
Shinji pushed himself up, wincing slightly.
"There's timing," he muttered.
Shisui dodged a counterattack, landing beside him. "Yeah, but it's tight."
"Too tight to brute force."
They moved again together. Shisui from the front. Shinji from above.
The masked man phased through both Then countered.
A kick that almost caught Shinji clean The force still sent him crashing into a tree. The trunk splintered on impact.
"Shinji!" Shisui called. "I'm good," Shinji grunted, pulling himself up.
This wasn't like any opponent they'd faced. There was no rhythm. No opening. Just… nothing.
You attacked You missed.
Shisui reengaged, pushing harder now. His blade carved through the air in precise arcs, forcing the masked man to phase repeatedly.
For a moment it almost looked like pressure.
Then the masked man slipped through an attack. And struck. A direct hit.
Shisui's eyes widened as the blow connected, sending him flying across the clearing. He hit the ground hard, skidding to a stop.
"Shisui!"
Shinji moved instantly But the masked man was already there.
The world distorted. A faint ripple expanded outward from Shinj.
A sphere. Invisible. But real.
The masked man's arm entered it and for the first time it didn't phase cleanly.
Shinji moved, he collided with the masked man and this time. Impact.
The ground cracked beneath them. The masked man tilted his head. "…So."
Shinji's eye burned. Blood trailing down his cheek.
The space around him felt heavy like everything within a certain radius belonged to him.
Shisui's voice came from behind.
"…Shinji?"
No response.
The masked man stepped back. Studying him now.
"…Interesting."
Shisui rejoined him. "You hit him…"
Shinji exhaled slowly. "I forced him to be real." He could feel it now. A space around him, roughly three meters. Inside it the masked man couldn't fully escape reality. They moved again. Shisui attacked, forcing a phase. Shinji stepped into range the moment the masked man entered his domain Shinji's right eye flared.
The air collapsed inward a sudden spike of gravity. The masked man's movement stuttered and Shinji's strike landed clean.
The masked man slid back. "You've become a problem."
Shinji didn't respond. His vision flickered, the strain was immediate.
The masked man glanced toward the village. Then back. "…This isn't over."
Shisui lunged, Shinji followed
Too late.
The masked man vanished.
Shinji stood there, breathing hard. His eye still burning.
Shisui stepped beside him.
"Is that the Mangekyo?"
Shinji didn't answer right away. He looked toward the village. Where the Nine-Tails still raged.
"Not now," he said.
Shisui followed his gaze. "Yeah."
"Let's move."