Wan'er's cold voice cut through the air. Her scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly.
As wild, surging ocular power erupted, jet-black flames burst forth instantly, carrying an aura capable of incinerating everything in existence, and swept violently toward Kabuto!
Amaterasu!!
Kabuto's serpentine eyes widened in horror. The aura of utter destruction radiating from the black flames made the scales on his skin bristle in alarm.
His duplicate body—about to unleash a genjutsu nearby—immediately darted between him and Wan'er to block the attack!
BOOM!!
The black flames, moving with blinding speed, struck Kabuto's duplicate directly. In an instant, a massive hole was burned straight through the duplicate's body.
Its entire form, which already resembled something reanimated via Edo Tensei, disintegrated into fluttering shreds of paper-like ash under the relentless fire.
"This technique is... Amaterasu..." Seeing the devastating effect of Wan'er's single strike, the pupils within Kabuto's snake-like eyes contracted sharply.
"I must never be hit by that!"
"Hmph... Having you alone as a hostage will be more than enough..."
Kabuto's mind raced rapidly amidst the crisis. As one of the most brilliant strategists in the shinobi world, he instantly devised a new battle plan.
"You seem to be far too troublesome to deal with... In that case, I will simply kill your two companions first..."
Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!!
Kabuto clasped his hands together violently. Under the influence of Sage Chakra, countless sharp stone spikes erupted from every surface within the pitch-black cave—floor, walls, and ceiling alike—piercing rapidly toward Hinata and Kurotsuchi standing apart from him.
This was no ordinary ninjutsu that simply manipulated matter using chakra.
It was a reincarnation technique that granted life to inanimate objects and allowed the user to control them completely.
Under its effect, these non-living things moved with incredible, almost impossible speed.
"This is bad!!!"
Seeing Kabuto suddenly shift his target toward Hinata and Kurotsuchi—who were currently immobilized—Wan'er's originally stern expression shifted. She prepared to manifest Susanoo to shield them both.
However, at that exact moment, the effect of Wan'er's ocular power Retrocognition reached its limit. Her time reversal ability deactivated instantly.
The blinding radiance and deafening vibrations surged over Wan'er's body as well, rendering her completely unable to move!
"Kill the two of them first!!!" Kabuto laughed maniacally as the stone spikes of Inorganic Reincarnation drew closer and closer to Hinata and Kurotsuchi!
It was then... that what happened next caused the triumphant smile on Kabuto's face to freeze completely.
Just as the countless sharp spikes were about to pierce the helpless Hinata and Kurotsuchi, a cluster of jet-black orbs suddenly enveloped both of them, instantly obliterating every single spike into nothingness.
"Kaoru Uchiha!!!"
He forced the name out through gritted teeth, as if spitting out poison itself. Staring at the figure that had appeared abruptly out of thin air, utter shock was undeniable within Kabuto's slitted eyes.
He wore white sage robes patterned with countless profound, mysterious black tomoe marks. His long hair floated and danced around him without a breeze.
Beyond his mysterious, scarlet eyes, the eerie, blood-red Rinne Sharingan was embedded right in the center of his forehead.
Nine pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs floated silently around him. In his hand, he held the dark Sage Staff — Nunoboko — which seemed capable of devouring the very stars and sky itself.
His appearance was exactly like the legends described the Sage of Six Paths...
No... in truth, he looked far more terrifying than the Sage ever could...
Because right now, even while utilizing the Sage Mode he was so proud of, Kabuto could no longer sense the depth or scale of Kaoru's power.
It was as if Kaoru had completely transcended into a form of existence belonging to an entirely different dimension.
"Are you two alright?"
Gently withdrawing the black protective barrier formed by the Truth-Seeking Orbs, Kaoru floated suspended in the void and spoke calmly, his voice reaching the ears of everyone present.
"Brother!!!"
"Kaoru?!!"
"Commander!!!"
Seeing Kaoru appear out of nowhere to save them, Hinata and Kurotsuchi cried out in joy and relief. Meanwhile, Wan'er rushed straight over and threw her arms around him tightly.
"Alright, alright... why are you still acting like a little child..." Kaoru patted her back gently, a tender, affectionate smile spreading across his face.
"It really is Kaoru Uchiha... this is disastrous..."
Upon seeing Kaoru suddenly appear, Kabuto's heart sank completely to the bottom of the abyss. His mind raced frantically, desperately searching for any possible way to escape.
"Save yourself the trouble... there is no way out for you anymore... Kabuto Yakushi..."
Floating effortlessly in the void like a divine being, Kaoru gazed down at Kabuto with his scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan, as if seeing straight through every thought in his heart and every detail of his fate.
"From the moment I appeared... your life entered its final countdown..."
"Hmph..."
Struggling to withstand the overwhelming, terrifying aura radiating endlessly from Kaoru—vast as the ocean, heavy as a mountain—Kabuto scoffed darkly.
"Kaoru Uchiha... do you really think I am still that weak, pathetic coward I used to be?!"
"No... I have surpassed Lord Orochimaru... I evolved from a snake... into a dragon. A true dragon!!!"
He roared in a low voice, quietly weaving hand seals as he spoke, and the Sage Chakra within his body surged into action!
Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!!
Almost instantly, every space surrounding Kaoru—above, below, and all around—was covered in sharp, jagged stones and spikes. They were poised to pierce him and turn his body into a sieve.
"Reincarnation ninjutsu that grants life to inanimate objects... is it..."
His tone echoing like a solemn chant within the dark cave, Kaoru didn't even bother to lift an eyelid despite the countless sharp spikes piercing toward him from every direction.
He had already sensed that Kabuto had silently begun to retreat while using the technique as a distraction.
"Claiming to be a dragon and acting so arrogant... yet sneaking away like a worm... truly a two-faced, deceitful creature..."
"However... you are certainly quite clever..."
It had to be admitted: Kabuto was undeniably a man of immense talent. His progress since the start of Shippuden had been nothing short of astonishing.
In less than a year, he had not only mastered Edo Tensei, surpassing even its creator, but had also successfully achieved Sage Mode—a feat impossible for ordinary shinobi.
To accomplish this without any special bloodline or lineage was truly remarkable.
From being evaluated by Tsunade and Jiraiya as roughly equal in strength to Kakashi... to becoming a powerful boss-level threat... Kabuto's growth was obvious to all.
SWISH... SWISH...
About to flee, Kabuto suddenly widened his serpentine eyes in disbelief.
He clearly saw Kaoru—still floating motionless in the void—merely swing the dark Sage Staff in his hand in a simple circle.
With that single motion, every single stone spike surrounding him was erased from existence instantly.
"Th-They vanished... completely... what on earth just happened..."
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