Chapter 154 (Patreon)

“That boy even noticed the weakness of the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki?”

While Naruto celebrated the success of his Sage Art: Rasenshuriken, Tobirama studied Mihawk’s icy-blue eyes again.

Judging by their earlier reactions, neither Sasuke nor Hinata had known that senjutsu would work against Obito.

Mihawk had recognized it immediately.

Tobirama already suspected that the Mystic Eyes could kill jutsu. Now it appeared they might also possess extraordinary insight.

What Tobirama did not know was that Mihawk had already known the basic abilities and weaknesses of a Ten-Tails jinchūriki.

Mihawk landed and looked toward the eight Truth-Seeking Balls remaining behind Obito.

“Naruto, try combining Sage Mode with the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode you were using earlier.”

Naruto looked at him in surprise.

“Using both at the same time?”

“Obito is balancing the Ten-Tails’ chakra with natural energy.”

Mihawk tightened his grip on Nemesis.

“If he can do it, you should be able to balance Kurama’s chakra with Sage Mode.”

“Do you really think I can?”

Naruto still sounded uncertain, but he trusted Mihawk.

“All right. I’ll try.”

Mihawk immediately rushed toward Obito.

Obito rose from the ground and clenched his teeth.

“So this form has a weakness...”

SHING!

A white Ranged Slash swept toward him.

Obito knew how dangerous Mihawk’s eyes were and did not attempt to block it. He twisted aside and prepared to rise into the air.

Mihawk’s lips curved into a faint smile.

Obito had reacted exactly as he expected.

Instead of continuing the slash toward Obito’s body, Mihawk reversed his grip and swept Nemesis upward.

The blade passed through one of the Truth-Seeking Balls floating behind him.

There was no resistance.

The black sphere split cleanly in half before crumbling into nothingness.

Obito’s expression changed.

“His target was the Truth-Seeking Ball?”

The Six Paths staff in his right hand reshaped itself into a black blade.

Obito swung it toward Mihawk.

Mihawk’s eyes sharpened.

An overwhelming surge of Advanced Conqueror’s Haki erupted from his body.

Dark-red lightning crackled through the air and raced across the battlefield, converging upon Obito from a distance.

The pressure did not spread indiscriminately across the battlefield.

Mihawk focused the full force of his will upon Obito alone.

Obito’s body suddenly froze.

Even as the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki, his movements were stopped for two full seconds beneath the force crashing against his will.

Dark-red lightning continued crackling around him.

Obito’s eyes widened.

“What is this force...?!”

Mihawk had already anticipated the opening.

He disappeared before Obito’s blade could reach him and reappeared behind his back.

SHING! SHING!

Nemesis passed through two more Truth-Seeking Balls in rapid succession.

Both separated into perfectly smooth halves and vanished.

Mihawk turned toward a third.

The appendages behind Obito ignited with crimson Six Paths chakra and transformed into an enormous hand.

It swept toward Mihawk with enough force to crush the Four Red Yang Formation.

Mihawk immediately abandoned his attack.

Whoosh!

The crimson hand passed through his afterimage and struck the ground.

BOOM!

The earth collapsed beneath the impact, leaving an enormous crater.

Mihawk reappeared beside Hinata.

Obito now had only five Truth-Seeking Balls remaining.

Mihawk looked at them and smiled faintly.

“The Ten-Tails was formed without most of the Eight-Tails’ and Nine-Tails’ chakra.”

His gaze returned to Obito.

“He isn’t as complete as he appears.”

After testing Obito’s body and Truth-Seeking Balls himself, Mihawk had gained a clear understanding of his strength.

Obito had entered the realm of the Six Paths, but the Ten-Tails sealed inside him remained incomplete.

He stood at the lowest threshold of that realm rather than the level once possessed by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki.

From Mihawk’s perspective, Obito was closer to a pseudo–Six Paths opponent.

To everyone else, however, he was nearly impossible to fight.

Only senjutsu could damage his body, while a single touch from the Truth-Seeking Balls or his Six Paths chakra could be fatal.

Tobirama and Sasuke possessed powerful attacks, but neither could harm him with ordinary ninjutsu.

The Hashirama nearest the battlefield had only been a Wood Clone, and Obito had already destroyed it. The real Hashirama remained occupied with Madara.

Aside from Mihawk, Naruto was currently the only person present who could injure Obito directly.

Hinata’s gravity could restrain his movements and create openings, but even she needed to avoid direct contact with his Six Paths chakra.

Obito also had one disadvantage he had not possessed before becoming the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki.

He could no longer pass through attacks with Kamui.

In Mihawk’s eyes, that made this version of Obito less troublesome than the masked man who could become intangible whenever he wished.

As long as Mihawk avoided the Truth-Seeking Balls and the crimson appendages, his Mystic Eyes could bypass every defense Obito possessed.

“All right... I did it!”

Naruto’s voice came from behind them.

He had entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode again while maintaining Sage Mode.

Golden chakra surrounded his body. The pupils within his eyes had changed into crosses, combining Kurama’s vertical slits with the horizontal pupils of Sage Mode.

Sasuke stared at him.

His hands tightened unconsciously.

The memory of Naruto’s battle against Gaara returned to him.

Back then, Naruto had displayed a level of strength Sasuke had been unable to reach.

Sasuke no longer felt the same bitter jealousy he had carried in the past, but he still hated being left behind.

“Naruto...”

His expression became tense.

“You’ve become this strong already?”

Mihawk’s Mystic Eyes could destroy Truth-Seeking Balls.

Hinata’s evolved Tenseigan had summoned a meteorite and restrained the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki.

Now Naruto had perfectly combined Sage Mode with the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

All three possessed a way to challenge Obito.

Sasuke did not.

Obito rose higher into the air and looked down upon Mihawk, Hinata, and Naruto.

Despite losing four Truth-Seeking Balls, he no longer displayed any anger.

His expression had returned to complete calm.

“Nerona Mihawk.”

His gaze moved to Hinata.

“Hinata Hyūga.”

Finally, he looked toward Naruto.

“And Naruto Uzumaki.”

Obito’s voice spread across the battlefield.

“All three of you are irregularities that threaten the Infinite Tsukuyomi.”

His hands came together.

“I cannot allow any of you to survive.”

The five remaining Truth-Seeking Balls moved around him and expanded into a spherical black barrier.

Mihawk’s Mystic Eyes could destroy them, but the layered defense would prevent him from reaching Obito before the next technique was completed.

Six black receivers shot from within the sphere.

Crimson chakra ignited around them and carried each receiver toward a different point around the battlefield.

The receivers struck the ground at equal distances.

Obito formed another hand seal.

“First... Six Red Yang Formation!”

BOOM!

Six enormous walls of crimson chakra rose into the sky.

The barrier surrounded Mihawk, Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, the previous Hokage, and the Allied Shinobi Forces in the distance.

It covered a far greater area than the Four Red Yang Formation and left no visible path of escape.

The black sphere surrounding Obito opened.

He descended rapidly and landed at the center of the battlefield.

Obito crouched and slammed both hands against the ground.

“And then... the Divine Tree.”

RUMBLE!

The earth shook violently.

A colossal root erupted from underground.

It continued growing until it formed an enormous tree towering hundreds of meters above the battlefield.

Four gigantic flowers opened along its upper branches.

Red and blue chakra gathered within each flower, rapidly condensing into four enormous Tailed Beast Bombs.

The pressure alone caused the entire Six Red Yang Formation to tremble.

Obito rose into the air once more.

“Since you’ve discovered this form’s weakness...”

The four Tailed Beast Bombs continued expanding.

“I’ll erase all of you at once.”