Chapter 412: Flying Thunder God VS Kamui

Chapter 412: Chapter 412: Flying Thunder God VS Kamui

The one silently watching Kakashi from within the forest was none other than Obito, wearing his single-eyed spiral mask.

Leaning against a large tree, he kept his body hidden within the shadows beneath the canopy. His gaze toward Kakashi was bone-chillingly cold, as though he were looking at a lifeless object.

Suddenly, the dark eye within his socket turned scarlet, as though blood might drip from it at any moment.

This time was different from before.

He had infiltrated the village not merely to visit Rin, but also to reclaim something that had belonged to him from the very beginning—

His left eye!

He didn’t care what state his left eye was currently in. Whether it had two tomoe or three made no difference to him.

After all, he had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and possessed its unique ocular power. As long as he reclaimed the left eye that was bound to his soul and connected to him by blood, he could use his immensely powerful Yin Release to instantly awaken it to the same Mangekyō Sharingan state as his right eye.

At Rin’s gravestone.

Kakashi stood silently, his expression somewhat grave.

For some reason, a sudden sense of danger had seized him, as though something had locked onto him from the shadows. At the same time, his left eye beneath his forehead protector began to stir inexplicably!

This had only ever happened once before—

At the very instant he had killed Rin with his own hands.

As an experienced ninja, Kakashi would never ignore his instincts. His expression darkened as he thought, "Today’s the day the village is holding the alliance ceremony, isn’t it? Why do I have this feeling that something is about to happen...?"

Just then, from the corner of his eye, Kakashi noticed that the shadow he cast upon the ground had suddenly stretched longer.

"Something’s wrong!"

Kakashi reacted instantly. The extra portion of shadow on the ground wasn’t his—it belonged to someone who had evaded his senses and suddenly appeared behind him.

Although he wasn’t a dedicated sensory ninja, his sensory abilities were still outstanding even among Konoha’s jōnin. An ordinary person could never approach him from behind without making the slightest sound.

Realizing this, Kakashi didn’t turn around. Instead, he slipped a hand into the ninja tool pouch at his waist.

Almost at the exact moment Kakashi reached into his pouch, a sudden numbing sensation struck his left shoulder, as though that part of his body was being stripped away from space-time, sending a chill through his entire body.

"It’s him!"

Rather than panicking, Kakashi immediately calmed down.

Joining the Special Tactical Squad, training in the signature technique of his sensei, the Fourth Hokage—all of it had been for the sake of dealing with that formidable enemy in Akatsuki who possessed space-time ninjutsu.

Because of this, Kakashi had already simulated countless battles against this Akatsuki enemy in his mind. The sudden numbing sensation didn’t throw him into panic.

Whoosh—

With a brief, piercing whistle, Kakashi’s body vanished into thin air.

Obito, who had thought he’d succeeded, froze, his expression stiffening as he muttered,

"The Flying Thunder God Technique!? I never expected him to learn this move too..."

A moment later, he chuckled softly, and his figure was drawn into a twisting vortex.

At the training ground.

Bang...

With a muffled thud, Kakashi’s body suddenly appeared and crashed to the ground beside an exquisitely crafted kunai embedded in the training field, a special formula engraved onto its handle.

Kakashi immediately flipped back onto his feet. While vigilantly scanning his surroundings, he pulled a signal flare from his ninja tool pouch.

He knew that he might not be a match for his opponent, so his first priority was to launch the signal flare and warn the village.

In his view, there was no way the enemy’s true target was him. This attack against him was very likely nothing more than the prelude to an all-out Akatsuki assault on Konoha.

Just as Kakashi raised the signal flare and was about to fire it, someone suddenly seized his wrist and yanked his entire arm downward.

Whoosh...

Boom!

The signal flare that should have shot high into the sky instead plunged straight toward the ground as Kakashi’s arm was pulled down.

The blazing flare bounced and skipped across the ground several times before finally smashing into a large tree nearby, instantly setting it ablaze!

"Damn it!"

Glancing at the tree burning in the distance, Kakashi furrowed his brows.

This was the Special Tactical Squad’s secret training ground, and it had already been registered with the Sensor Division. Therefore, even if the Sensor Division detected intense chakra fluctuations here, or even noticed the flames, they wouldn’t alert ANBU to investigate unless the disturbance reached a sufficiently serious level.

Whoosh—

Once again using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kakashi flickered beside another specially made kunai elsewhere in the training ground.

Only then did he carefully scrutinize the formidable enemy who had continually appeared behind him and demanded,

"Is Akatsuki planning to sabotage the alliance ceremony the village is holding today?"

Obito spoke in a hoarse voice, "Hmph. We have no interest in ruining that little farce."

As Kakashi lifted the forehead protector covering his left eye, he asked, "Then what are you after?"

Staring at the three-tomoe Sharingan in Kakashi’s left eye, Obito replied indifferently, "You don’t need to know."

Crackle...

Dazzling lightning erupted around Kakashi’s left hand as he said, "Konoha isn’t a place where you can come and go as you please!"

"Give up. You’re no match for me." After a brief pause, Obito’s tone gradually turned cold. "I’ll make sure you die without suffering, Kakashi!"

"He knows me? He’s here specifically for me?"

Kakashi’s heart tightened.

Taking advantage of Kakashi’s momentary distraction, Obito suddenly clasped his hands together.

In an instant, trees erupted from the ground, their branches rapidly wrapping around Kakashi!

The branches bound him with incredible speed, restraining both of his hands. The specially made kunai in his left hand fell to the ground, while the crackling Chidori in his right hand dissipated.

After confirming that Kakashi’s hands were restrained and he could no longer form hand seals, Obito slowly walked toward him.

Completely bound by the trees, Kakashi shouted, "What the hell are you trying to do!? Why did you infiltrate the village?"

Slowly reaching toward Kakashi’s left eye, Obito said flatly,

"Goodbye, Kakashi."

But the instant Obito’s hand touched Kakashi’s left eye, the bound Kakashi suddenly transformed into a streak of lightning—

and violently exploded!

BOOM—!

At the same time, with a thunderous crash, Kakashi burst out from beneath the ground, thrusting the Chidori in his hand viciously toward Obito’s back!

However, the Chidori struck nothing tangible.

Just like during their previous encounter, Kakashi’s entire body passed straight through Obito as though he had passed through empty air.

Whoosh—

With his sneak attack having failed, Kakashi gave Obito no opportunity to counterattack. Without the slightest hesitation, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique once more and flickered away, reappearing a short distance away.

Then, breathing lightly, Kakashi demanded,

"Your target is my Sharingan!?"