The hairpin was burned black and crisp, and when it was stepped on, it made a crisp sound like a wafer cookie shattering.
Ryosuke slowly clenched his fist, his gaze colder than ever, and Star Platinum appeared behind him.
"Star Platinum: The World!"
In one step, he arrived right in front of Obito.
"Ora ora ora ora ora!"
Star Platinum swung its iron fists, but it was like punching into the air, every strike passing straight through Obito's body.
Once again, hollowing.
This wasn't Ryosuke's first time dealing with Obito. Last time, during the Hidden Mist's fall, he had already seen Obito's hollowing ability.
Since the other party had entered the hollowed state, Ryosuke no longer focused on him. He swept his gaze around, releasing Ripple energy.
The sand and dust on the ground floated lightly as if they had lost gravity. The dust settled over the City Blind and the ruins of the Roran survivors, letting Ryosuke carefully sense if there were any survivors.
None.
All of them were dead.
A large stretch of desert had crystallized from the scorching heat, proving the explosion temperature must have reached above 2000 degrees.
Forget ordinary people like the City Blind, even with Ryosuke's physique, if he had been caught in the explosion's core, he would have been seriously injured.
Time stop ended.
Obito only felt his vision blur, and Ryosuke was already standing before him. Those icy cold eyes locked tightly onto him, killing intent surging into a storm. In an instant, the wind roared, and the clouds churned.
"Long time no see, Ryosuke..."
Before the words finished, Star Platinum smashed a fist straight at him.
Ryosuke didn't want to waste even half a word with Obito.
He had only met the Roran survivors once. He had only known the City Blind for a few days. He didn't even know the City Blind's real name.
But Ryosuke knew one truth.
Those innocent people who died in the explosion, perhaps they were small figures, perhaps they didn't even have proper names, but every day, they had lived striving for what they chose to protect.
The Roran survivors gave up a more comfortable life, staying in this barren corner of the desert for decades, bitterly guarding the Dragon Vein's seal, preventing it from loosening and causing another disaster.
The City Blind had respectable sensing ability. He could have easily gone to some county noble's house to serve as a worshiped guest, living carefree. But he couldn't stand the filth of the world and chose instead to crawl like a rat underground.
A blind man, because he couldn't stand injustice, called himself a "rat", yet he was the most admirable of men.
And one who bore the Sharingan, calling himself the symbol of blazing sun, "Akatsuki", yet was nothing more than a beast in human skin.
Ryosuke truly wanted to use Loser Returns to Dust, to rewind everything to an hour ago.
But instead of despair, his heart was filled with an anger so intense it was close to exploding!
Raging flames of fury burned. His spiritual power surged to the limit. Star Platinum's fists glowed with starlight.
Since it couldn't be rewound...
Ryosuke raised his hand and pointed at Obito.
"Then blow him apart!"
Star Platinum, carrying that fury, charged out. Its fists like shadows, it struck again, each punch passing straight through Obito's body.
Ryosuke remembered clearly, Obito in hollowed state couldn't attack. He could only passively endure or dodge. And just like Time Stop, hollowing also had a time limit.
Last time in the Hidden Mist, Star Platinum had gone wild with its fists, suppressing Obito completely.
Unfortunately, Pain had stepped in, launching Chibaku Tensei, not allowing Ryosuke to force out Obito's exact time limit.
But judging from Obito's nervous expression at that time, it was at most under ten minutes, maybe shorter.
But what Ryosuke remembered, Obito remembered as well.
For him to dare show up in front of Ryosuke again, with such confidence, meant he had prepared during this time.
Even while letting Star Platinum swing, Ryosuke stayed tense like a drawn bowstring. One hand ready on the Great Severing Blade, the other on the Golden Spiral, waiting to see what trick Obito would play.
And then...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A string of explosions burst out again, centered around Obito. And the strange thing was, the number of explosions matched almost exactly the number of punches Star Platinum threw.
However many punches Star Platinum struck, that many explosions happened.
With the high heat and shockwaves stacking layer by layer, the blasts grew fiercer, rolling toward Ryosuke just steps away.
Ryosuke swung his blade, slicing the wave of flames apart in one stroke.
But Star Platinum's range was too close. The residual shock still reached Ryosuke's skin, tearing off a large piece of flesh, burning it black.
Ryosuke halted his assault, stepping back a few paces.
He didn't stop because of the injury. With the flow of natural energy, flesh regrew, skin healed, and within seconds he was whole again.
He stopped because he couldn't understand what he was seeing.
Why could Obito, in hollowed state, still attack?
Had his ability transformed?
'No, the masked man didn't actually launch any attack.'
With his dynamic vision, Ryosuke could see clearly, Obito was only passively enduring, letting Star Platinum's fists pass through.
Those so-called attacks, the explosions, were purely tied to Star Platinum's punching frequency.
'What kind of ability is this?'
Noticing the doubt on Ryosuke's face, Obito felt an unmatched delight.
All those days and nights of obsessive pondering finally bore fruit.
"They call you 'invincible,' but why are you backing down now?"
Obito sneered, his figure flashing.
"If you won't come, then I'll come!"
Obito charged at Ryosuke.
Star Platinum swung again. Ryosuke stared intently at the spot where its fist passed.
This time, Ryosuke finally saw it.
The instant Star Platinum's fist struck and then left Obito's clothes, something white appeared on the fabric.
"Clay?"
BOOM!
Another explosion burst out.
———
The clash between Ryosuke and Obito was too fast. Kakashi, Rasa, and the others only now had time to draw their kunai.
It wasn't that they reacted slow. But this fighting style, Ryosuke and Obito meeting and immediately fighting, no talking, no posturing, not even weaving signs, was far beyond the norm of ninja combat.
Kakashi and Granny Chiyo moved in from the right. Rasa and Amber from the left. Crossing to surround, hands weaving signs, ready to join Ryosuke against Obito.
Suddenly, two violent winds swept from behind them, slamming into both teams, pushing them far away from Ryosuke and Obito's battlefield.
Amid clashing weapons and flying sand, in just ten seconds, the group was scattered into the corners of the Roran ruins. They couldn't see the center at all, only hear the endless explosions echoing from the main battlefield.
When the sand cleared, Kakashi stood firm. He glanced at the steel needles piercing his green vest, then at Granny Chiyo beside him, untouched, and his expression stiffened.
"Don't be discouraged, boy of the Hatake clan. I could dodge all of them because he used the technique I know best," Granny Chiyo said, consoling.
Kakashi hadn't expected comfort from her. But then she added, "Also, don't think too much. I'm not saying this to console you. I'm telling you so you'll have some confidence. Later, don't die too quickly. At least block a few strikes for this old granny."
Kakashi took off his vest, rubbing his still-sore neck.
"Fine. For that cup of tea yesterday, I'll do it."
Whoosh~
A gust swept by, dust clearing, revealing a man crouched on the ground.
Sasori of the Red Sand.
"Long time no see, Granny."
Sasori glanced at Kakashi's tilted neck, frowning. "I don't quite understand. Could you explain it to me?"
Granny Chiyo pressed her hands together inside her sleeves, lowering her gaze. "For a grandmother to answer her beloved grandson's doubts, that is her duty."
"Then tell me, Grandma, why did you choose to stand by the side of your enemy's son?"
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