Chapter 421: Public Opinion is a Fearful Thing
"You're truly cautious, Senior."
This was also the first time Obito had encountered such a cautious opponent in battle; both consecutive attacks were merely probes.
"You're not bad either. I take back my previous evaluation of your strength. Even a Kage would be in danger facing you alone."
Obito heard the implication in Sakumo's words; one-on-one and one-on-many were different concepts.
The Fourth Raikage is strong, and Killer Bee is also strong, but they are at their peak when they are together.
The Third Raikage intercepted the Hidden Stone Village forces alone back then, but if his nephew Blue B were still alive, he might have been able to escape unscathed.
Obito did not feel belittled by this; instead, he became more vigilant.
He knew that against an opponent like Sakumo Hatake, once they got serious, there would be no more redundant probes; every subsequent clash could be a lethal strike.
"To receive such an evaluation from the White Fang of the Leaf is quite an 'honor' for me." Obito's voice betrayed no emotion as he gripped his Kunai tighter.
"However, Senior, there are no comrades or reinforcements for you here. Next, let me see exactly how much you can achieve on your own!"
In their Soul states, neither needed to breathe or eat, and because they weren't weighed down by physical bodies, their movements depended entirely on their will.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"
Uchiha Obito's hands formed seals at high speed.
This time, he didn't just release wood spikes from his arms; instead, he directly controlled the giant trees of "Hell's Uprising" that were still slowly writhing.
The spikes on the surface of those hideous giant trees suddenly began to tremble, and with the whizzing sound of air being torn apart, dense, rain-like sharp wood spikes shot out indiscriminately in all directions.
The range was so vast that it covered almost all of Sakumo Hatake's possible evasion routes, intending to break through a single point with an area attack, forcing him to defend or tank it while disrupting his vision and rhythm.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Sakumo Hatake's combat experience was incredibly rich; the moment Obito formed the seals, he had already predicted that this would likely be a wide-range attack.
Without hesitation, his hands also formed seals rapidly, and the grayish-white ground beneath his feet rose in response.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three thick, towering earth walls rose from the ground almost simultaneously, standing in a semi-arc in front, to the left, and to the right of Sakumo, shielding him firmly in the center, leaving only a relatively narrow space behind him.
After using the Earth-Style Wall, Sakumo immediately retreated to prevent the opponent from rushing him.
Almost the instant the Earth-Style Wall took shape, the rain of wood spikes poured down.
Thud thud thud thud—!
The dense impact sounded like heavy rain hitting plantain leaves; most of the wood spikes were driven deep into the earth walls. The powerful impact sent gravel flying from the wall's surface and caused cracks to spread, but they ultimately failed to pierce through instantly.
However, Obito's attack did not end there. After a brief pause, the Wood Release Chakra contained within the wood spikes that had pierced deep into the earth walls suddenly erupted.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The wood spikes embedded in the earth walls exploded one after another, shattering into countless finer wood thorn fragments with barbs and sharp tips.
These fragments spread, pierced, and entangled like buckshot within and on the surface of the earth walls, instantly riddling the internal structure of the three Earth-Style Walls with holes, making the surface overgrown with thorns, greatly weakening their defensive power and creating an obstacle that blocked vision.
In the chaotic moment when the wood thorns exploded and the earth walls were teetering.
A figure, like a ghost, used the cover of the wood spikes and explosions to quickly leap over the top of the front Earth-Style Wall, which was almost covered in wood thorns and had its defense greatly reduced.
It was Uchiha Obito!
At some point, he had condensed a wooden spear about 1.5 to 1.6 meters long with an extremely sharp tip. Carrying an unstoppable and sharp Aura, he thrust it down toward Sakumo Hatake, who was in a retreating posture!
The tip of the spear tore through the air, letting out a shrill whistle!
This wood spike was also the Cutting Technique, an application experience Obito had gained from his battle with Naruto.
"Hatake Style: Crescent Moon!"
Facing this sudden lethal thrust, Sakumo Hatake did not panic. His retreating steps came to a sudden halt, he twisted his waist, and with a burst of Chakra from his feet, he advanced instead of retreating.
The Ninja Tool in his hand, its light restrained, followed his rushing figure to draw a graceful yet sharp arc, sweeping upward diagonally from below.
The blade light was like a crescent moon rising into the sky—cold, swift, and incomparably precise as it met the incoming wooden spear.
Clang!
Sakumo's blade edge and Obito's spear tip collided precisely!
The immense force caused both of their bodies to shudder simultaneously.
The hardness of this Wood Release spear was no less than that of an ordinary Ninja Tool, and it could grow.
However, was Sakumo's swordsmanship limited to just this?
At the moment the blade and spear met, his wrist flicked and turned with extreme finesse, causing the blade to slide and cut rapidly along the shaft of the wooden spear.
At the same time, using the momentum of his forward charge, he slammed his body toward Obito's chest, his sword technique changing accordingly!
"Hatake Style: Falling White!"
Before the previous move "Crescent Moon" had even finished, the subsequent move "Falling White" was already unleashed.
Sakumo's Ninja Tool seemed to break free from the shackles of gravity. The moment it crossed the wooden spear, the blade flipped, turning from a sweep into a cleave, becoming a vertical, bone-chilling white blade light that seemed capable of freezing the Soul, striking straight at the opening in Obito's guard.
This strike was like the sudden arrival of midwinter, the only path cutting through everything amidst the dancing snow—simple, swift, and carrying a biting killing intent!
From defense to counterattack, from the "Crescent Moon" sweep to the "Falling White" cleave, Sakumo Hatake's response was textbook-perfect.
He not only neutralized Obito's surprise attack but also turned the tables in a flash, pulling the battle back into the rhythm of close-quarters swordsmanship he excelled at, aiming directly at the opening after Obito's attack.
Obito clearly hadn't expected Sakumo's counterattack to be so sharp and rapid. Facing that descending bone-chilling white blade light, his pupils constricted, and he was forced to abandon his thrusting momentum. His wrist holding the spear retracted rapidly while his body leaned back and to the side as hard as possible, trying to avoid the lethal cleave.
The blade light grazed Obito's chest; the sharp Saber Qi even cut a slit in the front of his clothes.
The two separated again, each landing in a stable position.
Obito held the wooden spear, and even without internal organs, he still felt a wave of panic; Sakumo stood with his blade, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, his breathing still steady.
Just as Sakumo had said, Obito's Taijutsu was indeed inferior to his.
If it were before infiltrating Hidden Leaf Village, when he could trigger Kamui instantaneously, Obito wouldn't fear Ninjas skilled in Taijutsu. However, now that his Kamui had a startup delay, it was much harder to fight.
To think such a being was actually harmed by rumors.
Obito sighed; public opinion truly was a fearful thing!
Wouldn't it be better sometimes for people to live a bit more for themselves?
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