"Another Mangekyō..."
Ye Zi was well aware that the abilities granted by the Mangekyō Sharingan were always unique, often transcending the realm of ordinary ninjutsu.
Without knowing the exact nature of its powers, he had to tread carefully. This was proven with Shisui's Kotoamatsukami. At first, Ye Zi had no understanding of the technique and was caught off guard, falling prey to its silent, undetectable effects.
If not for the ability in his right eye, Tenjin (Heavenly Protector), which resisted half of Kotoamatsukami's power, he might have had his will forcibly rewritten to become someone who would give everything for the stability of the ninja world.
Fortunately, Ye Zi's own indomitable will had shattered Kotoamatsukami. Otherwise, the Ye Zi standing here now would no longer be himself.
To forcibly alter someone's will was, in a sense, equivalent to forcibly changing their soul—an almost unbeatable technique.
Just moments ago, when Obito appeared to rescue Kushina, Ye Zi had been certain that Obito's ability wasn't the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The fleeting scene he captured with his eyes… revealed a process, not an instantaneous action. Furthermore, in Sage Mode, Obito's arrival was sudden, without any detectable signs.
This suggested that while it was a space-time technique similar to the Flying Thunder God Technique, it wasn't the same. Its transfer speed was nearly on par with the Flying Thunder God Technique, though slightly slower.
And when Ye Zi's blade slashed at Obito, it passed right through his body, was it an intangibility ability?
Yet, when Obito pushed Kushina out of the way before the blade struck, he must have been tangible; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to move her.
This implied that Obito could freely switch between being tangible and intangible.
What troubled Ye Zi most was the timing. The interval between Obito pushing Kushina and Ye Zi's blade reaching him was incredibly short. If Obito had been tangible, there wouldn't have been enough time to react or activate his ability.
If this intangibility triggered automatically when an attack approached, it would be a truly troublesome ability to deal with.
Keeping a cautious distance, Ye Zi quickly analyzed Obito's powers. Previously, he hadn't considered Obito a threat, and now that the latter had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, Ye Zi admitted he had made a mistake.
Unbeknownst to Obito, his brief use of his ability to save Kushina had been analyzed so thoroughly by Ye Zi. If Obito knew, he would likely be dumbfounded, wondering how Ye Zi seemed to understand his ability better than he did.
"Obito, you've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan too?" Shisui approached and looked at Obito's eyes with surprise.
"Oh, this is called the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Obito replied, slightly surprised as he noticed Shisui's eyes. "Not bad. I was struggling a bit with mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, but now it feels smooth."
Since awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, Obito had completely lost the previous sluggishness he felt when using the Flying Thunder God Technique. The technique now felt effortless, as though nothing could restrain him.
Shisui's astonishment at Obito remained. While he had never underestimated Obito, he also hadn't considered him a genius. Yet, now it seemed that even if Obito wasn't a prodigy, he was far from ordinary.
"Mangekyō Sharingan… Ye Zi's right eye is also a Mangekyō?" Kushina thought silently, shifting into a defensive stance as she gazed at Ye Zi in the distance. "This isn't the time for chatting."
Hearing Kushina's words, both Obito and Shisui sobered up, turning their focus toward Ye Zi.
At this moment, Ye Zi faced three opponents: a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki he couldn't fatally harm and two Uchiha who had awakened their Mangekyō Sharingan.
"This is such a hassle," Ye Zi muttered under his breath. With only about 20% of his Sage Mode chakra remaining, he needed to hold out until his wood clone located Kotoe's body and signaled him. Only then could he escape Konoha.
For now, he had no choice but to focus on defense and stall for time. Considering Obito's abilities, among the three opponents, Shisui was the only one he could potentially kill.
Kushina, Obito, and Shisui spread out, forming a line.
Shisui suddenly frowned as a sharp pain flared in his eyes, a consequence of using Kotoamatsukami. The discomfort reminded him that Kotoamatsukami wasn't infallible; Ye Zi had resisted it through sheer willpower.
"If Kotoamatsukami doesn't work…" Shisui glanced at Kushina and Obito. To remain effective in this fight…
"Kushina-sensei, Shisui, I'll create an opening for you. Make sure to seize the moment," Obito said coldly, his Mangekyō Sharingan glowing with determination as he glared at Ye Zi. His hatred for Ye Zi was evident.
Kushina and Shisui were momentarily taken aback by Obito's words.
"There's no time to explain, just trust me," Obito said, sensing their hesitation.
Obito planned to use another ability of his Mangekyō Sharingan to sever Ye Zi's sword arm, giving Kushina and Shisui an opportunity to attack. However, he couldn't reveal this plan in front of Ye Zi, so he could only ask for their trust.
He also trusted that with Kushina and Shisui's abilities, they could capitalize on the chance he created.
Kushina and Shisui exchanged glances. Despite the pressure of engaging Ye Zi at close range, they chose to trust Obito.
"Let's go." Obito stayed put, waiting for the right moment.
Kushina and Shisui moved, one to the left and one to the right, sprinting across the wasteland toward Ye Zi.
"One coming from the left, one from the right, and one staying still. What are they planning?"
Ye Zi observed coldly, the black lightning around him slightly dimming. He needed to conserve Sage Mode chakra, so there was no need to fully activate his lightning unless attacking.
Kushina's most potent attacks were her golden chains and sealing techniques, while Shisui's illusions were arguably the strongest in Konoha.
If used effectively, genjutsu could be deadly, especially when paired with teamwork.
Shisui believed Ye Zi had resisted Kotoamatsukami due to sheer willpower, but that didn't mean Ye Zi could counter all genjutsu. Shisui planned to use his illusions to support Kushina's attacks.
As the two rapidly approached, Ye Zi's gaze shifted between them. He drew two shuriken from his belt with his left hand, holding one between his thumb and index finger, and hurled it, wrapped in lightning, at Kushina. Then, he quickly threw the second at Shisui.
These were merely minor distractions.
Kushina easily deflected the lightning-wrapped shuriken with her golden chains.
Shisui blocked the second shuriken with his tanto and, at the same moment, activated a genjutsu through his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Genjutsu: Self-Binding Technique!
Instantly, Ye Zi's right eye's Amatsukami activated autonomously.
The brief clash of abilities alerted Ye Zi, who immediately understood his right eye's power.
With no time to ponder further, Ye Zi leapt back, narrowly avoiding Kushina's golden chains.
Boom!
The ground cracked apart violently!
Shisui looked stunned, his prideful genjutsu had no effect whatsoever.
Having dodged Kushina's attack, Ye Zi calmly widened the distance between them. Without taking the initiative to attack, he felt confident that the three opponents wouldn't be able to do much to him. However, his attention remained on Obito, watching him closely.
If Obito wasn't moving, it must mean he had a hidden trump card. Ye Zi had to be vigilant.
Obito indeed had a trump card, an ocular ability housed in his Mangekyō Sharingan.
His eyes remained fixed on Ye Zi, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
As Ye Zi continued evading attacks, he was unaware of the danger that was fast approaching.
The back-and-forth exchanges went on for a while, and finally, Obito saw his chance!
Kamui!
Obito locked onto Ye Zi's right hand, his left eye suddenly streaked with crimson veins of blood.
"Hm?" Ye Zi, who had just evaded consecutive attacks from Kushina and Shisui, felt his expression shift. He sensed an unusual feeling in his right hand, followed by an intense sense of danger prickling at his mind.
Without hesitation and without even looking, Ye Zi unleashed Sage Chakra from his right foot, propelling himself to the left in an instant, narrowly avoiding the strange attack.
As he dodged, Ye Zi caught a glimpse of the space around him twisting.
"So, it really is a space-time ability. If I hadn't dodged, my arm might have been sucked into the distorted space," Ye Zi thought coldly as he created more distance, glaring at the trio ahead.
"It failed?" Obito muttered, looking visibly awkward.
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Currently on Chapter 482 - Departure from the Uchiha Residence