I, The New Hokage of Konoha - Chapter 212

“This is not Indra’s self-recovery; it’s a technique of my own creation,” Tsunade said, raising an eyebrow as she spoke and continued to attack Madara with undiminished force.

“Is that so? I thought someone who couldn’t use Wood Release like you would be nothing more than a weak Senju. It’s embarrassing for you to face me after losing to Hashirama earlier. But now, it seems you’ve barely caught my attention,” Madara responded, dodging Tsunade’s punch and delivering a kick.

“Your tone… really grates on my nerves! If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you were in the dominant position right now!” Tsunade exclaimed, her displeasure evident as she quickened her pace.

After exchanging blows several times, Tsunade finally punched Madara again, sending him flying.

Madara suddenly smiled coldly as she prepared to pursue her advantage and said, “I spoke the truth. Even compared to the weakened Yuki from earlier, you pose less of a threat to me. So…”

“Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!” Taking advantage of the moment when the pressure on him had lessened and having recovered some chakra, Madara formed hand seals.

In an instant, a massive blaze far exceeding the normal capabilities of ninja techniques surged rapidly toward Tsunade, quickly engulfing her.

On the other side, nearly simultaneously, Yuki, who had been continuously evading attacks, finally revealed his fangs.

“Sage Art: Inorganic Reanimation!”

Compared to Kakashi, who would exhaust himself after just two uses, the long-distance use of Yuki’s Sage Art Inorganic Reanimation through Obito’s left eye seemed effortless, and the manifestation of Yuki’s power through his gaze activated constantly, forming visible cracks like a greedy dragon that absorbed everything around it.

At this moment, Obito realized that he had underestimated Yuki. Although Yuki could only rely on his physical abilities now, his extraordinary speed, reflexes, and determination to evade made it difficult for Obito to capture him, even with the rapid activation of his Mangekyou Sharingan.

After a short while, as Obito grew increasingly anxious, he suddenly sensed a momentary pause in Yuki’s high-speed movements not far away.

Although he couldn’t be sure what had happened to his opponent, Obito immediately activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, focusing on Yuki’s left eye. However, before he could react, Yuki swiftly moved to evade, appearing to be dangerous but ultimately unharmed.

The Mangekyou Sharingan was indeed a powerful space-time jutsu, but its effects depended on the user. The location where Obito’s left eye, Mangekyou Sharingan, was activated was determined by where he was looking. Aware of this, Yuki kept his gaze fixed on Obito’s eye, ensuring that Obito’s vision never lingered on him for a second.

For a typical ninja, this would be extremely difficult to achieve. After all, the Sharingan’s insight was incredibly sharp, and no matter how fast they moved, they couldn’t escape the continuous scrutiny of the eye.

But Yuki was different. With his Senjutsu-enhanced physical capabilities, he was faster in terms of speed, reflexes, and endurance than Obito. He could perform the dance of the blade and evade Obito’s gaze effortlessly.

At this moment, Obito realized his grave mistake. While he could maintain a high-speed activation of his Mangekyou Sharingan after having absorbed chakra earlier, Yuki’s natural abilities allowed him to exceed Obito’s speed and reaction time, making it impossible for Obito to capture him.

This difference did not stem from overwhelmingly powerful ninjutsu or mysterious and unstoppable techniques. Instead, it was a return to the fundamental abilities of a ninja.

Crack!

A powerful gust of wind swept by. Yuki, who had already steadied himself in mid-air, accelerated even further and delivered a punch.

Obito, who was expecting Yuki to attack after passing through his vision, did not react.

But just as Yuki’s fist passed through his chest without hitting him, Obito suddenly spewed blood from his mouth.

“How… how is this possible?” Obito, completely baffled, looked at the scene of his own body unharmed despite the punch passing through. “I didn’t get hit; how am I injured? Could it be…”

He suddenly remembered the earlier scene when the Mangekyou Sharingan absorbed Yuki’s wood clone.

Obito had considered the possibility of the wood clone assisting Yuki from within the Mangekyou Sharingan space. Therefore, when he absorbed Yuki’s wood clone into the space, he deliberately paused for a moment, hoping to cut the wood clone in half as it entered the space. According to his plan, the wood clone should have dissipated.

But what was happening with the wood clone now?

Feeling the pain caused by a small section of his chest being struck by a punch in the Mangekyou Sharingan space, Obito was utterly confused.

“Normal wood clones may be like that, but you underestimated the wood clone created by a Sage. Especially since I injected the chakra I had just accumulated into that wood clone, its vitality is quite tenacious!” Yuki explained with a smile, apparently sensing Obito’s confusion.

Seemingly aware of Obito’s doubts, Yuki continued to attack him.

Unable to use the right eye’s phasing effect again, Obito quickly retreated.

During the following moments, Obito, cornered by Yuki, was forced to fight him physically after the space between them was widened.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

After just a dozen or so exchanges, Obito, who was kept busy by Yuki, was once again injured as he left himself wide open. He turned on his Mangekyou Sharingan, intending to use his space-time jutsu again.

However, this time, Yuki, realizing that Obito was about to activate his Mangekyou Sharingan, rushed forward at incredible speed, using a powerful force to kick Obito away.

“So close-range use of the Mangekyou Sharingan, are you overestimating yourself or underestimating me?” Yuki calmly remarked, whipping his leg out.

Although Obito’s use of space-time jutsu had become faster due to the use of both eyes, there was still a process involved.

With the distance between them widened, Yuki could not do much.

However, his reflexes were faster than Obito’s at such close quarters.

Whoosh!

Yuki flashed forward, continuing to pursue Obito as the latter tried to regain his footing. Taking advantage of Obito’s momentary lack of stability, Yuki pressed his attack.

“Compared to Madara, your abilities may be unusual, but you’re less of a threat to me,” Yuki said, echoing the sentiment he had expressed to Madara earlier.

Obito remained silent, finally realizing that Yuki’s

Aura had only grown stronger during their encounter. Not only that, but the chest wound that had been slow to heal during the fight with Madara was now rapidly mending before his eyes. Regarding recovery speed, Yuki, with his Senjutsu-enhanced Wood Release and Sage body, far exceeded Madara.

At this moment, Obito felt he had made a grave mistake.

A voice echoed in his mind before he could dwell on it further.

“Enough!”

As if being stepped on the tail, an infuriated Obito, under the influence of his Mangekyou Sharingan, transformed into his Second State of the Sage Transformation, Susanoo, breaking free from Yuki’s grasp. He glanced coldly at Yuki and then entered the Mangekyou Sharingan’s space, seemingly intent on dealing with the wood clone inside.

Meanwhile, in the sea of flames, Tsunade and Madara, who had been engaged in a fierce battle, had separated and were catching their breath.

Madara swiftly arrived at Obito’s side, paying no more attention to Tsunade. He looked at the man next to him and taunted, “You’re the one in the black cloak from the Night of the Nine Tails, aren’t you? Well, it seems all the rotten individuals have gathered here.”

Tsunade, her combat gear slightly damaged but otherwise unharmed, observed Madara closely. Her Byakugan allowed her to recognize his identity, thanks to his Sharingan and Space-Time Jutsu. She commented sarcastically, “Madara Uchiha, the man who’s supposed to be dead. It’s funny how fate works.”

“Madara Uchiha…?” Tsunade pondered for a moment before her eyes narrowed. “That name sounds familiar.”

Meanwhile, as Yuki addressed Tsunade, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is everything okay?”

“Why should I be the one asking that question?” Tsunade retorted, rolling her eyes at him. “After all, it should be me asking if you’re okay.”

After a brief examination, Tsunade, the renowned medical ninja, confirmed that Yuki was physically unharmed, aside from the exhaustion from excessive chakra use. She withdrew her attention and turned to the man beside Madara, the one she recognized from earlier.

“You must be Madara Uchiha’s accomplice in the attack on the Night of the Nine Tails. I guess all the villains are coming out of hiding,” Tsunade commented with a sneer.

With her Byakugan, she had identified him as a Mangekyou Sharingan user and a space-time jutsu practitioner. However, she couldn’t help but wonder about his identity. Was he a direct Madara descendant or perhaps a Uchiha clan member from Konoha? She knew all the registered members of the Uchiha clan in Konoha, and there were no reports of missing individuals.

But something about him felt strangely familiar.

Yuki’s response to Tsunade’s comment clarified the situation. “It’s Obito Uchiha,” he said calmly, referring to the man.

Tsunade’s eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. “Obito Uchiha?!” She exclaimed, finally recognizing the name. Her gaze turned cold.

On the other side, Obito acknowledged his identity with a nod, a mocking smile on his lips. “Indeed, it’s me. I never expected the Hokage-sama, always busy with her responsibilities, to remember a nobody like me.”

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