Saori's coup had been a success. Following Kyosuke's instructions, she had placed the Mizukage's delegation under heavy surveillance. But a sense of unease gnawed at her, and she had decided to take her most trusted subordinates and go to Kyosuke's aid.
She didn't know the full details of the impending turmoil, but she was smart enough to put the pieces together. An unknown enemy was planning to use the Jinchuriki's childbirth as an opportunity to strike. An enemy capable of orchestrating such a large-scale event was not to be underestimated.
She didn't know where the battle would take place, but she had secretly placed a tracking marker on Kyosuke before he left.
The memory of him returning from his battle with Madara, blind and on the verge of death, flashed in her mind, and she quickened her pace.
I understand why you didn't tell me the truth. But I will not let you face the enemy alone again.
"Clan Leader," one of her subordinates said, his voice a low whisper. In the aftermath of the coup, Saori had been unanimously chosen as the new head of the Hyuga clan.
She gave a curt nod. As they entered a secluded forest, she suddenly lashed out, her palm striking a large tree behind them.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
The powerful shockwave tore through the tree, revealing the figure that had been following them.
"You're not good enough to track a Hyuga," she sneered.
"The Hyuga clan... heh," the figure replied, its voice a raspy laugh.
Saori's brow furrowed. She had assumed it was an Anbu, but the mysterious, cloaked figure before her was something else entirely.
"Who are you? What do you want?" she demanded, her killing intent, which had not yet subsided from the earlier battle, flaring to life.
But the figure remained unmoved. It was, of course, Dark Owl, her heart a maelstrom of hatred.
"My purpose... is for revenge, and for war. And for peace," she whispered, her voice a low, chilling monotone.
"What nonsense is this? Who are you?" Saori had no time for riddles. If she didn't get a straight answer, she would take "him" down and force it out of him.
"...Who I am is not important. A name is something I have long since discarded. You only need to know one thing."
"I am the one who will take your life!"
"Hah! Many have wanted me dead over the years. What makes you think you're any different?" Saori scoffed.
"Kill him!"
Kyosuke looked at the silent Obito and decided not to reveal his identity, at least not yet. He's just a pitiful soul, he thought with a sigh. He knew he didn't have Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu." Words would not be enough to sway him.
It was clear that Obito felt the same. But his silence was laced with a deep, festering resentment. He hated Kyosuke for the slowness of his rescue team, for the fact that Rin had died trying to save him.
I am stronger than you now. But... Rin is gone.
You, Sensei... you are both responsible for Rin's death!
And today, I will start with you, Uchiha Kyosuke!!!
The spatial vortex appeared once more. Obito used his Kamui to twist the space around him, creating a powerful vortex of wind, and from it, spewed a torrent of fire.
"Fire Style: Blast Wave Wild Dance!"
The jutsu was a deadly combination of speed and stealth, a perfect ambush technique. But against Kyosuke's reawakened Sharingan, it was useless.
Just as the attack was about to hit, the red light in Kyosuke's left eye flared. His "Distortion" ability activated, and the fire, as if losing its target, swerved and was completely absorbed by the Flame Fan in his left hand.
"So this is his ability... heh. Not so impressive," Obito thought, a cold sneer on his face as Kyosuke appeared before him in a flash.
Kyosuke swung his fan, and the absorbed jutsu was reflected back as a powerful blast of wind and fire, engulfing Obito.
"BOOM!"
But in the instant of the explosion, an arm shot out from the inferno, piercing through Kyosuke's chest.
"It's over. Your arrogance will be... what?!" Obito's triumphant words died in his throat. The "Kyosuke" before him dissolved in a puff of smoke. It was a shadow clone.
Damn it! When did he...? He remembered Kyosuke briefly obscuring himself with his fan as he had charged forward. He had made the hand signs then.
But the realization came too late.
Obito's Kamui allowed him to become intangible, to phase through attacks by shifting parts of his body to another dimension. But the moment he initiated an attack of his own, he had to become solid. It was a fatal flaw.
And Kyosuke, with his foreknowledge, had exploited it perfectly.
But... just as he was about to deliver the final blow, an arm, one that was both unexpected and yet completely predictable, blocked his path.
He retreated, a deep sigh escaping his lips as he looked at the azure skeleton that had appeared before him.
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