"Is this guy an enemy?"
Uchiha Obito's words put Baki on high alert. He waved his hands repeatedly, feeling as if he were facing a formidable opponent. The man before him belonged to the Uchiha clan of Konoha, and just sensing his presence was already overwhelming. If he were mistaken for an enemy, he might not walk away from this encounter.
"No, I'm a Sand Ninja. The enemy is Akatsuki's ninja."
Baki pointed toward Chiyo and Kankuro, who had just been dragged out of the cave, and explained. Upon hearing this, Obito's expression softened slightly, while Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui exchanged glances. They looked at Baki but said nothing. However, Baki could tell from their eyes that these two striking Uchiha clansmen recognized him.
"Someone's coming!"
Just as Obito was about to continue his questioning, Itachi quickly turned his head and warned. Moments later, Tendō Pain descended from the sky, holding an unconscious boy in his grasp. It was Gaara, whose tailed beast had been extracted. His head hung low, and the wounds on his body had reopened, causing blood to trickle down.
He looked utterly battered.
"The Rinnegan!"
Both Itachi and Shisui whispered in shock, exchanging glances filled with disbelief. When Obito saw the newcomer, he immediately drew the dagger from his back and gripped it tightly.
Before Itachi and Shisui could speak, Obito shouted angrily and lunged at Tendō.
"It's Akatsuki! They're targeting Rin—I won't let them go!"
Obito was now a Konoha Jōnin and had awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan. He held a notable position both in the village and within the Uchiha clan. Because of this, he had some knowledge of Akatsuki.
Ever since he learned that their goal was to hunt tailed beasts, he had placed them on his must-kill list. Anyone who threatened Rin would not be spared!
"Senior Obito!" Shisui wanted to stop him but couldn't. The enemy possessed the Rinnegan. Rushing in recklessly was like offering his head on a platter.
But Obito was never the cautious type. The moment he saw Tendō Pain, he charged without giving Itachi and Shisui time to react.
"Itachi, cover Obito-senpai."
"The person in that guy's hand is Sand Ninja's Jinchūriki. Don't harm him."
Shisui spun the dagger in his hand before vanishing. His speed far surpassed Obito's. By the time Obito reached Tendō, Shisui had already appeared behind him, swinging his blade toward Pain's head.
Obito noticed Shisui's attack. Realizing the strike was aimed at the head, he adjusted his approach and slashed at Pain's waist instead. For a moment, their attacks cut off all of Tendō's escape routes.
"Konoha's Uchiha clan?"
Tendō muttered as a black rod appeared in his hand. He spun around, blocking Shisui's strike, then leaped forward, using Obito's blade as a foothold to escape the encirclement.
However, just as he landed, three kunai shot toward him from an unknown location. Even with the Rinnegan, he hadn't noticed their trajectory. They struck his chest with a sharp "chi chi chi" sound.
"Did we get him? As expected of Itachi!"
Obito and Shisui quickly surrounded Tendō again. Seeing the kunai embedded neatly in his chest, Obito's face lit up with excitement.
"That's a puppet! Normal attacks won't work on him!"
Baki suddenly shouted, quickly picking up the unconscious Chiyo and Kankuro before retreating to avoid being targeted by Pain.
Obito's face showed a trace of surprise. Tendō then swept a black rod behind him, knocking the kunai to the ground. Shisui, standing behind him, noticed there was no blood where the kunai had pierced.
Itachi remained calm. The previous attack had been a test, so he wasn't concerned that it had failed.
"There's no sign of puppet control."
Shisui's thoughts raced. Although he realized the enemy was a puppet, he couldn't detect any chakra threads controlling it. The method being used was beyond his comprehension.
Baki, as if sensing their thoughts, shouted, "Those black rods embedded in his body absorb chakra! I don't know exactly how it works, but they're definitely receivers!"
His words not only reached the Uchiha but also Tendō, who grew irritated at Baki's betrayal.
"Three Uchiha... Only two are fighting me. The third must be the one who threw the kunai—he's providing support."
"The one with the spiky hair seems easier to handle. His taijutsu isn't that strong."
"I need to kill them if I want to take Shukaku."
Tendō muttered internally before throwing Gaara to the ground. He quickly formed hand seals. Obito and Shisui, remaining cautious, instinctively widened the distance, anticipating a ninjutsu attack.
However, instead of attacking, Tendō slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Thick white smoke billowed across the battlefield, obscuring everyone's vision. When it cleared, five more figures stood beside Tendō. Like him, their skin was pale, riddled with black rods.
More importantly, all of them had the Rinnegan.
"A summoning technique? Without using blood as a medium?"
"This guy is bizarre!"
Obito was shocked. He understood the mechanics of summoning jutsu, but this was different from anything he'd seen before. The unexpected nature of the technique had caught him and Shisui off guard.
"Now, I have the numbers advantage," Tendō said mockingly as the five newly summoned bodies positioned themselves strategically around him.
Shuradō faced Obito. Ningendō and Gakidō engaged Shisui. Chikushōdō and Jigokudō flanked Tendō, eyeing Itachi and Baki. With their shared vision, no blind spots existed, preventing the Uchiha from launching sneak attacks.
"What is this?"
Obito was unfamiliar with the Six Paths of Pain and was momentarily stunned. However, Itachi and Shisui, having heard about them from Uzumaki Raiden, immediately recognized them.
"The Six Paths of Pain... This is exactly what Master told us about."
"Tendō, Jigokudō, Shuradō, Gakidō, Ningendō, and Chikushōdō."
"Each has unique abilities—this will be troublesome."
"We need to identify their roles quickly."
Shisui exchanged a glance with Itachi, and the two reached a silent understanding.
"Senior Obito, be careful!" Shisui shouted before charging at Ningendō and Gakidō.
Despite Shisui's incredible speed, the shared vision of the Six Paths allowed them to track his movements, easily blocking his attacks. However, Shisui was just as formidable. Though he couldn't break their defenses, they couldn't land a hit on him either.
After a few rounds, Shisui leaped away, forming rapid hand seals.
"Katon: Phoenix Sage Fire!"
A barrage of fireballs rained down on the battlefield, but a figure stepped forward, raising a hand. A transparent barrier absorbed the flames completely.
"That one... must be Gakidō!"
"He absorbs chakra-based attacks!"
"The one blocking my taijutsu earlier must be either Shuradō or Ningendō!"
Meanwhile, Obito attacked Shuradō, but his strike was caught with one hand. Before he could react, Shuradō punched him in the chest, sending him flying.
Shuradō's arm transformed into a cannon, charging up an energy blast.
"Chirp!!!"
A piercing sound cut through the air. The laser exploded on impact, flames erupting across the battlefield.
"Annoying guy," Tendō murmured. Beside him, Chikushōdō formed a seal on the spot and summoned a massive lizard. Jigokudō quickly jumped into the lizard's mouth and disappeared.
Afterward, Chikushōdō continued forming seals, summoning a strange-looking bird onto the battlefield. Tendō leaped onto the bird's head, holding the unconscious Gaara, and the giant bird quickly ascended into the night sky, disappearing from sight.
Not stopping there, Chikushōdō summoned a colossal rhinoceros and a hellhound. As soon as these two summoned creatures appeared, they charged toward Shuradō, rushing at Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito to provide support.
"So many summoned creatures at once?!"
"What do we do?!"
Obito's scalp tingled as he saw the rhinoceros and the hellhound rushing toward him and Itachi. Facing creatures of this size, ordinary ninjutsu would be ineffective, and even his Fire Release techniques might not be enough.
"Retreat for now," Itachi said calmly. He whispered the words as he placed a hand on Obito's shoulder, and in a flash, they disappeared from the battlefield.
Seeing this, Shisui looked up at the retreating Tendō, who was carrying Gaara, and immediately dodged toward Sasori. Without hesitation, he quickly left, taking Sasori, Kankuro, and Chiyo with him.
The three Uchihas had appeared suddenly, and they left just as abruptly. Tendō and the other Paths of Pain, prepared for a prolonged battle, were caught off guard when their opponents vanished.
"They both mastered space-time ninjutsu?"
Shuradō murmured in surprise as he watched Itachi and Obito disappear. Beside him, the masked man slowly emerged from the ground, his expression solemn as he looked in the direction Itachi and Shisui had fled.
"That's right—the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
"Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui… Both of them have mastered it!"
"Forget it. Let's focus on extracting the One-Tail first."
"If they know space-time ninjutsu, capturing them will be impossible."
The masked figure's Sharingan gleamed with irritation before he slowly sank back into the ground and disappeared. On the battlefield, the lizard that had vanished moments earlier reappeared, opening its mouth to release Jigokudō. Then, all of the summoned creatures vanished together, and the remaining five Paths of Pain departed in a flash.
A cool wind blew through the forest. Not long after Pain had left, the figures of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito reappeared in the clearing, their gazes fixed in the direction of Pain's retreat.
"Senior Obito, did you leave a mark?" Itachi asked softly as he looked into the dark night sky.
Obito's face broke into a faint smile, exuding confidence. "Of course! Now, we just have to let them lead us straight to their hideout!"
"I've practiced the Flying Thunder God Technique for a long time! Heh."
"Feign weakness, strike with strength—I've remembered Minato-sensei's teachings well!"
Obito now appeared calm and composed, completely different from the reckless fighter who had charged at Shuradō earlier. In truth, he had already mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, and during his initial clash with Shuradō, he had secretly left a mark.
The impulsive behavior he had displayed before was nothing more than a carefully executed deception.
(End of this chapter)