Maybe the last time they met, the impression was too deep, and they recognized each other at a glance… But what kind of experience is it to meet an old friend in a foreign land, only to realize it's a deadly enemy with a blood feud?
The corners of the mysterious masked man's eyes tightened, and the scar on his body was still aching:
"Long time no see… So the one who died with me was just a clone of a crow… Hehehe…"
"Obito… what's the matter with you?" Zetsu realized that his friend's state wasn't quite right.
"Gah!"
Body Flicker Technique!
Beiyuan's figure vanished instantly from his spot!
Obito's Sharingan could only catch a blurred shadow flashing past.
"Zetsu, run!"
The pitcher plant didn't dare ask anything else and quickly sank into the ceiling. The crow's wings suddenly tensed—those ordinary feathers turned into blades and sliced Zetsu's head in half.
For Zetsu, the loss of a white clone was minor. Obito, seeing this was just a sacrificed clone and not a direct hit, let out a breath of relief.
Then, he focused again on Beiyuan.
"No wonder you got me last time. You're clearly no ordinary summon."
"Obito, he is…"
"The one who almost killed me during the Nine-Tails attack… I didn't get to finish things back then, but now I can eliminate a hidden threat."
The Sharingan under the mask burned brightly—then began to bleed.
"Gah!"
Beiyuan's piercing cry could split eardrums. This guy actually wanted to use genjutsu to control it? Ridiculous.
But Obito didn't have time to activate Kamui now!
Beiyuan darted forward. Obito, caught off guard, was struck hard by its wings and sent flying. In the same instant, a Tailed Beast Bomb began forming in the crow's mouth—launched straight at Obito!
Boom!
The massive explosion shook the entire town.
When the smoke cleared, Uchiha Obito stood in the massive crater and spat blood.
"Damn it… Am I really getting outplayed by a crow?"
After getting hit, he'd reacted instantly and slipped into Kamui's dimension, barely escaping. Otherwise, this could've been the end.
Even so, blood leaked from beneath his mask. The impact had injured him again. He stared at Beiyuan, then, simply removed the cracked, blood-smeared mask.
"Obito… are you alright?"
"If I can't even deal with a crow, how the hell can our plan continue?"
Chains rattled as they extended from his sleeves.
What was there to fear from a bird? He had only been careless—how could he lose with Kamui and his Mangekyō?
Still, Obito's heart thumped anxiously. That surprise last time… he could only mutter to himself:
"I can't absorb anything with Kamui right now… Only evade… only evade..."
Beiyuan stared at Obito's chest. A delicate crow-shaped seal was crawling beneath his skin—he'd been marked with the Flying Thunder God.
Now then… How are you planning to escape, young man?
The moment you slip into Kamui's space, it opens a portal—exactly what Flying Thunder God needs to follow. And even if the user can't escape after entering… isn't that what Shadow Clones are for?
Shadow Clone Technique!
The clone appeared, Tailed Beast Bomb glowing in its mouth.
Obito rushed forward.
Well now, since you've seen this thing in my mouth, wouldn't it be rude not to enter Kamui to dodge?
As expected, the clone vanished mid-attack using Flying Thunder God.
Inside Kamui, Uchiha Obito stared wide-eyed at the clone before him. A second later, debris and White Zetsu fragments rained down—Obito crashed to the ground in a bloody mess.
His Kamui dimension had just been blown up. Again.
"Time-space ninjutsu…"
Obito gritted his teeth, glaring at the taunting crow.
Was this thing addicted to fighting him?
A hard counter to Kamui?
Obito hadn't noticed the Flying Thunder God's marker at all. The resulting Tailed Beast Bomb had shredded his armor and White Zetsu enhancements. He didn't even know how many bones were still intact.
He hadn't even recovered from the last injury! Not even Hashirama cells could keep up with this damage forever!
Zetsu, watching from a distance, was stunned.
"…What just happened?"
He didn't see a damn thing. The crow summoned a clone—and then Obito was bleeding out?
What kind of bullshit is this?
Still, Obito had to be saved. Whatever else, he'd performed admirably earlier.
Wood Release: Cutting Technique!
Zetsu quietly slithered toward Obito, launching a dozen wooden spears. Beiyuan, trying to deliver the killing blow, had no choice but to retreat.
A White Zetsu clone sprang from the ground, wrapping Obito tightly to substitute his motor functions.
"We can't use Kamui in front of this thing… Let's retreat!"
He had no idea what was going on anymore. But one thing was clear—Obito was on the verge of death. Again.
They hadn't even collected a single Tailed Beast yet. Obito's condition required feeding Hashirama cells back into him. At this rate, they'd go bankrupt.
Zetsu felt like collapsing. But all he could do was summon more White Zetsu bodies to cover their escape—more disposable pawns to slow the crow down.
"Gah!"
A dozen fresh Zetsus were immediately blasted to pieces by another Tailed Beast Bomb. Beiyuan gave chase without hesitation.
If he didn't chase, he'd have to go back and play babysitter to Itachi!
Mayfly Technique!
Zetsu and Obito dove underground.
"Gah!"
Another Tailed Beast Bomb slammed into the ground behind them—blasting two figures out. But when they landed… they turned into White Zetsu corpses.
Had they escaped again?
Beiyuan narrowed his eyes and shredded the corpses to ashes… then took flight.
Underground.
Obito and Zetsu emerged from Kamui's dimension, battered and barely clinging to consciousness.
They had sensed the incoming Tailed Beast Bomb even after going underground. Their only hope was a gamble: that the crow wouldn't realize they'd retreated into Kamui mid-dive.
Meanwhile, their clones above ground had mimicked them perfectly—just long enough to be blown up in their place.
"That was too close, Obito…"
Zetsu's voice trembled. They were supposed to be the terrors of the ninja world—when had it come to this?
Pfft.
Obito couldn't stop the blood leaking from his mouth. His breathing turned shallow.
"Get me to the Gedo Statue… The rest…"
Before he could finish, he fell unconscious. His body couldn't take another Kamui jump. He had dodged, yes—but barely.
If Beiyuan had stayed just a few more seconds…
Well, maybe the crow really would be able to retire and raise children in peace.