A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Blocking Kisame's path was the massive rhino. Its enormous size rendered the water-style jutsu around it irrelevant, charging through Great Waterfall Technique as if it wasn't there.

Kisame could only dodge its charge, grimacing in annoyance.

However, the brief delay allowed the invisible figure in the water to vanish completely.

"Storm Release: Laser Circus!"

From above, countless bolts of lightning rained down like flowing water, blanketing the water-covered area.

Remarkably, the lightning bypassed Kisame and the others, flowing into the water as if searching for something.

This was Storm Release, Hiruko's specialty. A combination of water and lightning chakra to its absolute limit, the bloodline limit allowed lightning to take on fluid and malleable properties.

The flashes of electricity struck something in the water, causing a brief spark before disappearing.

"Found it!" Hiruko shouted. Sasori immediately sent the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu forward, while Shin used Wood Release to seal off the area.

The group could see that both the puppets and the Wood Release struck something invisible.

With a loud puff, one of the cloaked summoning beasts vanished. However, Obito's figure didn't reappear.

At that moment, Uchiha Itachi moved. Without anyone noticing, his Sharingan had already shifted into its Mangekyō form. In his right hand, he held a kunai, which he raised just in time to block a sudden attack from Obito, who had appeared behind him.

Obito's first priority was Itachi, as he knew full well that among this group, Itachi posed the greatest threat.

As a fellow Uchiha who had spent years in the same organization, Obito had always paid close attention to Itachi.

Because of this, Obito was acutely aware that Itachi's ninja talents completely outclassed his own.

Obito's talent was undeniable, particularly with the Sharingan. Going straight from two tomoe to Mangekyō was almost unheard of. His mastery of Kamui further cemented his status as a prodigy.

But Itachi was an all-rounder genius.

His proficiency with the Mangekyō wasn't inferior to Obito's. Consider Sasuke, whose Mangekyō was nearly blind within a month. In contrast, Itachi endured years in Akatsuki, consistently using his Mangekyō without significant issues.

This demonstrated Itachi's precise control and deep understanding of his eyes.

Most importantly, even without the Mangekyō, Itachi's abilities in other areas: ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu were far beyond what most shinobi could match. His genjutsu with the three-tomoe Sharingan was almost unstoppable.

Adding in techniques like shurikenjutsu, kenjutsu, and his crow clone that combined genjutsu and substitution made Itachi nearly untouchable.

Obito prioritized targeting Itachi because he knew the real threat lay with the man who had yet to act.

But despite Itachi's lack of action, his focus had been razor-sharp from the beginning.

As their weapons clashed, Obito felt a moment of satisfaction.

"Got you... Shinra Tensei."

Obito wasn't aiming to kill Itachi outright with the black rods, he knew that wasn't realistic. Instead, his goal was to close in and unleash a perfectly timed Shinra Tensei.

At such close range, with the power he had gathered, Obito was confident this would severely injure Itachi.

A massive concussive force swept out in a fan shape, tearing through the already ruined plaza.

But as the force erupted, Obito realized his mistake.

Before his eyes, Itachi's body dissolved into a flock of crows. From behind, Obito felt a searing pain.

"Amaterasu."

Without turning around, Obito commanded his Multi-Headed Hellhound to charge forward, blocking the rest of the Akatsuki members.

He then tore off the burning flesh on his back, removing the Amaterasu flames.

Despite its lackluster performance in the original story, Amaterasu was, in actual combat, an incredibly dangerous technique.

Its instant activation and inextinguishable flames made it one of the top offensive ocular jutsu.

Obito's abnormal body allowed him to survive by sacrificing flesh, but for an ordinary ninja, the only option would be to carve off the burning area immediately—at the cost of their combat effectiveness.

Itachi surveyed the battlefield, frowning slightly. Sasori, Kisame, Hiruko, and Shin were all entangled with the various summoned beasts.

Even Deidara, airborne, was occupied by the massive bird.

What stood out was that Itachi could tell the Akatsuki members were holding back. While the summoned beasts were formidable, they shouldn't have been able to tie down these elite shinobi for so long.

It was clear this wasn't a cohesive team. Each member had their own agenda.

Of the group, only Kisame seemed to be fighting earnestly, and he was already on the verge of taking down the giant rhino. The others were clearly reserving their strength.

After all, there was only one pair of Rinnegan, and everyone wanted to be the ultimate victor.

To this, Itachi could only internally scoff. Obito is still alive and kicking, yet they're already planning how to split the spoils.

A bunch of insects, not worth scheming against.

From a distance, the Konoha team also noticed the shift on the battlefield.

Aoba wasn't particularly concerned about the Akatsuki members wearing themselves out. However, Uchiha Itachi's condition was a different matter entirely.

Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan was too important for both Sasuke's development and Aoba's future plans. If Itachi overexerted himself here and went blind, it would be a significant setback.

While, in theory, Sasuke's Sharingan could be transplanted to Itachi to form the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and later swapped back, the implications were problematic.

Not only would it be difficult to explain to Sasuke, but Itachi's body might not even withstand such a procedure.

What Aoba wanted was mutual destruction between Akatsuki and Obito, not the unnecessary depletion of Itachi alone.

After a moment's thought, Aoba formed hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A long time ago, Aoba had acquired a summoning creature: the being known as Mui, born from the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

This creature possessed combat strength on par with a tailed beast and had the unique ability to sense the thoughts of others, making it incredibly formidable.

However, Aoba had refrained from using it after its acquisition. Every time he fought seriously, it had been against opponents like Madara or Black Zetsu.

The Box of Ultimate Bliss was rumored to be an artifact left by the Sage of Six Paths. While Black Zetsu lacked overwhelming combat power, it had an arsenal of strange abilities and was, after all, a blood relative of the Sage. Aoba didn't want to summon Mui recklessly and risk it being countered.

But now, with Black Zetsu no longer at Obito's side, Aoba's reservations were gone.

"Mui, go stir things up for them."

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Currently on Chapter 296 - Strategic Ninjutsu