Chapter 92 (Patreon)

“Kakashi-sensei! Everyone!”

The moment the support unit arrived, Naruto Uzumaki rushed out from among them. He leaped toward Nerona Mihawk and the others, landing directly in front of them with worry written across his face.

“Where are Orochimaru and Sasuke?!”

“…”

Naruto’s question left Mihawk and the others unsure how to respond.

Fortunately, Kakashi was wearing a mask, preventing anyone from seeing the awkward expression beneath it.

Having a student like Naruto was exhausting in ways an ordinary person could never understand.

Thump!

A figure appeared behind Naruto and mercilessly punched him on the head.

“You idiot!”

Haruno Sakura glared at him and reprimanded him sharply.

“Did you even listen to the mission briefing? We came here to seal the Three-Tails, not to search for Orochimaru and Sasuke!”

Ignoring Team 7’s usual commotion, Shizune stepped forward from the group.

As the leader of the support unit, her expression was completely serious.

“Lady Tsunade ordered us to support you while carrying out the mission to seal the Three-Tails.”

Kakashi looked at her.

“How are you planning to seal it?”

“We’ll use the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier to send the Three-Tails into another dimension,” Shizune explained.

She then turned toward Hinata and Yamanaka Ino.

“I need three people with exceptional chakra control to assist me. Hinata, Ino, you’ll be joining Sakura and me.”

“Yes!”

Hinata and Ino immediately stepped forward.

Shizune then looked toward Team Guy, Team 8, Team 10, and Kakashi’s Team 7.

“It will take us some time to complete the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier. Until then, Teams 7, 8, and 10 must stop Orochimaru’s subordinates from interfering.”

Her expression became even more solemn.

“We cannot allow them to take control of the Three-Tails or turn someone into its jinchūriki.”

She then turned toward Team Guy.

“Team Guy, I’m leaving our protection to you. Make sure no one interrupts the sealing ritual.”

“Understood.”

Kakashi and the others responded without hesitation.

At that moment, Mihawk suddenly spoke.

“Shino can take my place with Team 8. I need to leave.”

Before Shizune could question him, Mihawk continued.

“I sensed a familiar presence. It belongs to a member of the Akatsuki.”

“…”

The expressions of Shizune and Kakashi changed immediately.

Compared to Orochimaru’s subordinates, an Akatsuki member posed a far greater threat.

Seeing their reactions, Mihawk calmly reassured them.

“Don’t worry. There’s only one of them. I’ll stop him myself and make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near this place.”

Kakashi remained silent for several seconds before finally nodding.

“We’re counting on you, Mihawk.”

He then warned him in a serious voice.

“Don’t let yourself get dragged into a prolonged battle. Retreat immediately if the situation becomes dangerous.”

Mihawk gave a slight nod.

He then raised his hand and gently patted Hinata on the head, silently reassuring the worried girl.

A moment later, he stepped forward and vanished from sight.

Mihawk had not lied.

Ever since learning that the Akatsuki’s newly formed duo had come for the Three-Tails—and had also decided to assassinate him—he had periodically expanded his Observation Haki.

Just as he expected, not long after they arrived at the lake, his Observation Haki detected an unusually powerful life signature.

The vitality within that presence was extraordinarily dense.

Mixed within it was also a trace of chakra that felt remarkably similar to Kakashi’s.

The powerful life force most likely came from the cells of Hashirama Senju.

As for the chakra resembling Kakashi’s, the answer could only be the Sharingan.

When those two details were combined, it was not difficult for Mihawk to identify the owner of that presence.

Uchiha Obito.

Obito had most likely been drawn here by the pillar of light rising from the lake.

However, Mihawk could not sense Deidara anywhere nearby.

The two members of the Akatsuki had probably separated.

After leaving the others, Mihawk did not head directly toward Obito’s position.

Instead, he took a wide detour and silently approached from another direction.

Among all the Mangekyō Sharingan abilities that had appeared in the ninja world, the two most troublesome did not belong to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

They belonged to ordinary Mangekyō Sharingan.

Kotoamatsukami, the most powerful genjutsu, and Kamui, a space–time ninjutsu capable of both attack and defense.

Compared to Kotoamatsukami, Obito’s Kamui was even more troublesome when it came to keeping its user alive.

During the final stages of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Obito had even been capable of sending his spirit back into the living world and temporarily granting Kakashi the power of both Mangekyō Sharingan.

That power had allowed Kakashi to manifest a Perfect Susano’o.

If Obito reclaimed his left eye from Kakashi and reunited both Mangekyō Sharingan, his strength would rise dramatically.

With Hashirama Senju’s cells reducing the burden of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Kamui providing both offense and defense, and Wood Release at his disposal, Obito’s overall strength would undoubtedly surpass Pain’s.

There was even a high chance that he could kill the gravely ill Nagato.

Even with only his right eye, however, Obito remained extremely troublesome.

His Kamui could maintain continuous intangibility for five minutes, and he also possessed Izanagi as a final safeguard.

If Mihawk wanted to assassinate him, he had to end everything with a single strike.

He could not give Obito even the slightest opportunity to activate Kamui or Izanagi.

Uchiha Obito had no idea that he was being targeted by someone who knew everything about him.

After deliberately acting foolishly and irritating Deidara, the two of them had separated and gone in different directions.

Coincidentally, the direction Obito chose led him straight toward the lake.

From a great distance, he saw the pillar of light piercing into the sky and causing the surrounding clouds to spiral around it.

Unable to ignore such a sight, he immediately headed over.

Obito eventually arrived at the top of a tall cliff.

He lay casually across an upright boulder and watched the events below without showing the slightest vigilance.

He was so focused on observing the situation that he did not appear concerned about someone approaching from behind.

Perhaps he was simply too confident in his own abilities.

It took him less than two seconds to transfer himself into the Kamui dimension.

No matter how powerful an enemy’s technique might be, it would not be able to harm even a single strand of his hair once he activated Kamui.

After the death of the Fourth Hokage, only a handful of people—Black and White Zetsu, Pain, Konan, Uchiha Itachi, and Kisame—knew anything about the man behind the mask.

No one else knew his true identity.

The identity he had created for himself was merely that of Tobi, a weak and foolish member of the Akatsuki who had only recently advanced beyond the position of a provisional recruit.

There should have been no one who would attempt to assassinate him at a time like this.

That carelessness gave Mihawk his one and only opportunity.

“Oh? What are those people doing down there?”

Obito lay across the stone and continued playing the role of Tobi.

His acting was so deeply ingrained that even when no one else was around, he maintained the same ridiculous mannerisms and comical voice.

Through the right eyehole of his spiral mask, his Sharingan stared down at the four women preparing the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier.

When he noticed the symbols engraved on their forehead protectors, his playful tone abruptly disappeared.

“That symbol…”

His voice returned to normal as he muttered quietly.

“Konoha?”

That subtle change in emotion was clearly detected by the person concealed nearby.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound tore through the forest as the air was violently displaced.

It did not resemble the sound of an ordinary Body Flicker Technique.

Obito instinctively turned his head.

In the next instant, a dazzling silver-white blade flashed before his eye.

The blade’s light passed through his body and continued onward, cutting through the enormous boulder behind him.

Riiip—!

Boom!

The sound of tearing cloth was followed by a thunderous crash.

The massive boulder slid apart and fell from the high cliff.

At the same time, two severed halves of a body remained suspended in the air.