In the vast forest north of the Land of Fire, two thousand figures raced rapidly through the treetops.
Their feet lightly tapped the tree trunks, leaping forward dozens of meters with each step.
Behind them, only leaves stirred by the fierce wind remained.
Sweat streamed down their faces.
No one spoke.
The only sounds were the howling wind and the rustling of leaves as they passed.
At the front of the formation, Kakashi's figure was the fastest.
"What… exactly happened in the Village?"
They had been rushing back ever since receiving the order.
The message had contained only a brief sentence: Kumogakure invasion, return to reinforce immediately!
Regardless of how Kumo ninja had bypassed the border, for the Village to issue an emergency recall, the number of enemies had to be significant.
Tightening his grip on the short sword his father had left him, Kakashi soared off a towering tree, shooting toward the distance.
Behind him, two thousand Konoha shinobi, not a single one falling behind, surged through the boundless forest toward the eye of the storm...
At the same time, in Konoha.
The streets leading to the shelter were in chaos.
In a nearby alley, the sudden appearance of Hiruzen and Orochimaru sealed off all escape routes.
The alley was dimly lit. The only thing visible was the eerie glow of a Sharingan through the eyeholes of a spiral-patterned mask.
Obito's movements stopped. He looked at the two who had surrounded him, one in front and one behind, and said in a hoarse voice, "So, the one on the city wall was just a Shadow Clone…"
Staring at the Sharingan exposed under the mask, Hiruzen's expression turned serious as he questioned, "Who are you? What is your purpose in infiltrating Konoha?"
Obito let out an aged chuckle.
"Who I am doesn't matter."
"What matters is that I've come to take what I want."
His gaze passed over them and landed on Uzumaki Kushina, who was being guarded by several Anbu not far away.
Just then.
Boom!
The wall next to the alley exploded!
Amidst the debris, Tsunade rushed in, her voice filled with fury. "I don't care if you're human or ghost! If you dare cause trouble here, you die!"
Before her words finished, the ground under Tsunade's feet cracked, and she appeared right in front of Obito.
She punched straight toward his face!
This strike had enough force to split mountains and shatter rocks!
Obito didn't move. He neither dodged nor blocked.
Just as the punch was about to land—
A bizarre scene occurred.
Tsunade's fist passed straight through Obito's head and crashed into the wall behind him.
Rumble!
The entire wall crumbled into dust.
"What?!"
Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief.
She missed?
No, her punch had gone right through him!
"Genjutsu?" Hiruzen made a quick judgment and formed hand seals. "Release!"
But the masked man in front of him remained unchanged.
It wasn't Genjutsu!
"Interesting…" Orochimaru's vertical pupils gleamed with curiosity. "A Space-Time Ninjutsu that makes the body intangible? What a fascinating jutsu."
"Roar!"
With a deep roar, Enma appeared.
Hiruzen didn't hesitate, summoning his old partner. The Adamantine Staff instantly extended, sweeping across!
This time, Obito moved.
His body turned intangible again, letting the staff pass through.
The next moment, he reappeared like a ghost in the middle of the chaotic street!
"This is bad!" Hiruzen's expression changed instantly, realizing the target's objective.
Obito kicked over a burning barbecue stall.
Crash!
The charcoal and hot oil scattered, igniting the wooden structure instantly. Flames shot up, smoke billowing high with the help of the wind!
"Ahhh!"
Nearby civilians screamed in terror and scattered in panic.
"Bastard! Save the civilians first!" Tsunade shouted, giving up the pursuit and rushing toward the blazing area.
With a swing of her arms, she pushed the flames to one side, grabbing a panicked child and tossing him toward a safe zone.
Orochimaru also threw out several long snakes, wrapping around the fallen villagers and dragging them out of the fire.
Just as the trio's attention was drawn to saving civilians.
Obito's figure disappeared from his original position.
On the other side, Kushina stood surrounded by Anbu, one hand protecting her belly, the other gripping a kunai tightly as she kept her eyes on her surroundings.
The moment Obito vanished, she felt a spatial fluctuation behind her.
Without hesitation, she turned and stabbed backward with the kunai!
To capture her, Obito had to exit his intangible state.
At the moment he materialized, the kunai was already at his face!
"Hmph."
Obito snorted coldly, raising his left hand to deflect the kunai with the back of his hand.
His right hand turned into a claw, spatial distortion swirling in his palm as it reached for Kushina's shoulder, ready to pull her into the Kamui dimension!
Kushina's pupils shrank.
Her movements were slightly slower due to pregnancy. In this close encounter, she was at a clear disadvantage and couldn't dodge!
It looked like he was about to succeed!
"Now!" Hiruzen shouted.
Years of battle experience allowed him to seize the perfect moment instantly.
Whoosh!
The Adamantine Staff shot forward like lightning, arriving late but landing first, striking straight at Obito's ribs!
Fast. Precise. Ruthless.
This strike sealed off Obito's retreat path!
Obito's expression shifted. Now he had to choose, take the hit to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, or give up and phase through?
The strike was nearly upon him.
No time to think.
His right hand, already touching Kushina, instantly pulled back as his body became intangible again!
The Adamantine Staff passed right through his form and hit nothing.
Kushina, meanwhile, was blown back by the force of the strike's shockwave but was caught safely by an Anbu using Body Flicker.
She had escaped danger by a hair's breadth.
Tch!
Obito's face turned grim as he stood up straight.
He glanced at the unharmed Kushina, then at the trio now locking onto him once more.
The best chance was lost, and Kamui's time limit was almost up.
If he kept fighting, there was no path to victory.
"Enough." His voice was hoarse. "The game ends here."
"I only came to say hello today."
He suddenly formed hand seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball erupted, roaring toward the still-chaotic crowd!
"You won't get away with this!" Hiruzen and Orochimaru shouted in unison, forming seals. "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Two water walls shot up into the air, blocking the incoming fireball. Thick steam surged across the area.
In the dense white mist, only the masked man's last words echoed faintly.
"This false world will eventually end... within the dream of Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Then, his body and that crimson Sharingan were swallowed into a swirling vortex and vanished without a trace.
The steam cleared.
The street was a mess, with civilians sobbing and shouting all around.
Staring at the spot where the masked man disappeared, Hiruzen's expression was dark. His grip on the Adamantine Staff was so tight the veins on his hand bulged.
Tsunade stomped the ground in frustration, her face full of anger and unwillingness.
Only Orochimaru looked amused, licking his lips with his long tongue.
"He has to materialize to attack… Hehehe, an interesting weakness."
He glanced toward the massive earth wall in the distance, muttering to himself.
"How will that personage judge this rat?"
(To be continued.)