Chapter 488: The Fragile Susanoo

Chapter 488: Chapter 488: The Fragile Susanoo

Boom...

About three hundred meters away from the battlefield where Kagami and the Deva Path were fighting, behind a shattered wall, the ground suddenly split apart and a figure burst out from underground.

That figure was none other than Kagami!

Earlier, the Deva Path’s Shinra Tensei had only destroyed the bone spears above the surface. Beneath the ground, an incredibly dense forest of bone spears still remained.

And the Kagami currently attacking the Deva Path in the distance was nothing more than one of his bone clones.

His real body had been hiding underground all along, concealed within the forest of bones, waiting for the exact moment Obito made his move!

Even though Obito had now gathered both Kamui and could activate his dojutsu from a distance without needing physical contact, there was still one unavoidable weakness.

Whenever he activated Kamui, Obito first had to leave his intangible state and become tangible—meaning he could be attacked.

And that single instant...

was Kagami’s only opportunity to strike!

Behind the ruined wall.

Hearing the sound of earth breaking apart right behind him, Obito—who was currently using his dojutsu to rescue the distant Deva Path—was slightly startled.

But immediately afterward, the corner of his mouth curled upward into an ambiguous smile.

"Oh? So I was your real target all along!"

As someone who specialized in sneak attacks himself, Obito immediately realized what had happened.

This Kamigami member, Furin, attacking the Deva Path had merely been a diversion.

His true target had been Obito from the very beginning.

But Obito didn’t care.

If anything, there was even a hint of disdain in his expression.

However, Kagami, who had just burst out of the ground, didn’t waste a single word.

Gripping a bone blade in his hand, he brought it down on Obito from above without the slightest hesitation, his slash vicious and razor-sharp!

There would be plenty of time for talking after he succeeded.

Right now, the only thing he needed to do was go all out and kill his target. If possible, he would even prefer Obito to die without ever understanding what had happened!

Without a doubt, from beginning to end, Kagami’s target had never been the Deva Path.

Yahiko’s corpse might have been extremely important to Nagato, but to Kagami, it was completely meaningless. Destroying it would only harm Nagato without benefiting himself in any way. It wasn’t worth risking everything for.

Kagami’s true target had always been Obito, who was lurking around the battlefield!

That’s right.

Based on his understanding of Obito, Kagami was certain that Obito hadn’t withdrawn. Instead, he had been using Kamui’s intangibility to roam around the battlefield, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

And with a ghost like that lurking nearby, even Kagami, while controlling his Type-A Wind Release clone, felt as though there were thorns pressing against his back.

At present, throughout all of Konoha, aside from Kagami himself, who possessed at least a few methods of countering Obito, no one else—not even Jiraiya in Sage Mode, nor the currently missing Third Hokage—could reliably defend themselves against Obito’s sneak attacks.

So Obito had to be dealt with first.

And there was no time to waste!

But if Kagami wanted to deal with Obito, he first had to force him into action and make him leave his intangible state.

Looking across the entire battlefield, there was only one thing that could possibly force Obito’s hand—

Putting the Deva Path in mortal danger!

Because if Obito simply stood by and allowed the Deva Path to be destroyed by Kagami, it would inevitably ignite a conflict between him, Nagato, and Konan.

One should never underestimate Nagato and Konan’s feelings for Yahiko.

If Obito watched Yahiko’s corpse be destroyed without lifting a finger to save it, there was a very real possibility that Nagato would turn against him.

And when that happened, Akatsuki could descend into internal conflict—or even split apart entirely!

That was something Obito absolutely could not allow.

Having known the bond between Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, there was no way he could simply stand by and watch Kagami destroy the Deva Path.

On top of that, after recovering his left eye, Obito could not only use Kamui from a distance, but had also gained access to Susanoo.

With his confidence soaring as a result, it was only natural that his vigilance had weakened as well.

Everything Kagami had done up until now had revolved around this plan.

When he was caught by Chibaku Tensei, he hadn’t struggled violently, nor had he attacked the black sphere at its core ahead of time. It had all been to lull Nagato and Obito into a false sense of security, causing them to misjudge the situation and lower their guard.

For that purpose, he had even been willing to risk being completely sealed inside Chibaku Tensei.

Fortunately, the bone blade containing traces of the All-Killing Ash Bones had not disappointed him.

It successfully destroyed the black sphere at the core of Nagato’s Chibaku Tensei, allowing Kagami to break free when neither Nagato nor Obito expected it. He immediately launched a ferocious offensive, forcing the two of them to respond in haste, leaving them no time to think or weigh their options.

Without time to think, people would react on instinct!

Without the chance to calmly weigh the pros and cons, they could make mistakes!

What Kagami was gambling on were those fleeting one or two seconds.

He was betting on Obito becoming careless—

and making a mistake!

At this moment, there was a bone blade about to fall in front of the Deva Path, and another descending behind Obito.

A faint, eerie glow shimmered along both blades, almost unnoticeable beneath the darkness of the night.

The choice was now Obito’s.

However, faced with the sudden sneak attack from behind, Obito did not choose to interrupt the dojutsu he was currently using and enter his intangible state.

Because if he did, the distant Deva Path would immediately be cleaved in two by Kagami’s bone clone.

So Obito didn’t stop his dojutsu.

But neither did he have any intention of sacrificing himself.

Facing the attack coming from behind, the corner of his mouth curled upward, his expression filled with mockery.

In an instant, an azure phantom erupted from his body!

ROAR...

Accompanied by the phantom’s furious roar, an enormous azure Susanoo materialized in an instant, positioning itself directly between Obito and Kagami!

Although Obito’s Mangekyo Sharingan wasn’t an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, after transplanting First Hokage cells, the ocular power of his Mangekyo Sharingan had already grown infinitely close to that of an Eternal Mangekyo.

Instantly activating Susanoo was child’s play for him.

"Hmph. You think you can hurt me?"

Even after activating Susanoo, Obito didn’t bother turning around. He merely kept an eye on what was happening behind him through the corner of his vision.

In his eyes now, any shinobi without the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths was nothing more than an insect.

No matter how powerful this Kamigami member, Furin, might be, he was still nothing more than a slightly troublesome insect.

And after recovering his left Mangekyo Sharingan, Obito had finally gained the ability to activate Susanoo, making up for his greatest weakness in direct confrontation.

He no longer had any weaknesses!

Crack...

A sharp, piercing sound echoed through the night sky!

For some reason, the instant Obito heard that cracking sound coming from behind him, an ominous feeling welled up inside his heart.

He abruptly turned his head, wanting to see exactly what had happened behind him.

But before he could fully turn around, the corner of his eye caught sight of something that left him utterly stunned.

Kagami, who had leapt high into the air behind him, had brought his bone blade down upon Susanoo—

and it was as though he had struck a sheet of thin glass!

The body of Susanoo, formed from the fusion of the Mangekyo Sharingan’s ocular power and highly concentrated chakra, shattered on impact!

It offered absolutely no resistance!

And that wasn’t all.

The moment the azure Susanoo came into contact with the bone blade, its body began to rapidly decay and disintegrate, like dead branches and withered leaves!

"How is that possible!?"

Before Obito could even finish turning his head, his pupils abruptly contracted.

And in the very next instant...

he vaguely felt as though his body had been—

cut in half.