"My, my, what a lively scene!"
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, a somewhat abrupt voice reached everyone's ears.
From the third light barrier in the second row from the right, a man clad in a black robe with red clouds, wearing a swirl mask, stepped out. He had spiky short hair and wore a pair of gray gloves.
Within the swirl mask, only one eye was visible, displaying three red tomoe.
"It's you?" Uchiha Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the man.
Emerging from the light barrier was Tobi, in his Akatsuki guise. Sasuke recognized him because this was the person who had revealed the "truth" about Itachi to him.
At this moment, Sasuke harbored no significant hostility towards Tobi, whose identity was hidden. His memory had been frozen at the moment he acquired the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, hence his lack of animosity.
Even so, his naturally aloof demeanor made it difficult for him to accept others. After his initial surprise, he did not move to join Tobi's side, but merely stood with his hands at his sides, observing coldly.
On the other side, Minato Namikaze's eyes flashed with a cold glint, and an uncontrollable killing intent emanated from him.
Even though the mask had changed, Minato still recognized Tobi as the one who had controlled the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha, the culprit behind his family's ruin.
He could sense that the Flying Thunder God mark he had left on Tobi's back was still present.
"Minato, what's wrong?" Kushina Uzumaki, standing beside him, asked curiously, sensing the change in her husband's aura.
"He is the culprit behind the Nine-Tails' rampage, the one who attacked Konoha back then," Minato said calmly, but his intense killing intent was palpable to everyone.
As he spoke, energy gathered in his palm, and a Rasengan instantly materialized.
Uchiha Tobi also recognized Minato Namikaze at first glance. The eye beneath his mask constricted, a flicker of guilt and apprehension crossing his gaze.
Guilt stemmed from his destruction of his former teacher's family out of hatred, and apprehension arose because, during their past battle, Minato had placed a Flying Thunder God mark on his back. This meant that no matter where he fled, Minato could pursue him at any moment, even within the Kamui dimension.
"Minato Namikaze, you're alive!" Uchiha Tobi's voice lost its exaggerated flippancy, becoming deep and resonant. His entire demeanor shifted, and the face beneath the mask grew incredibly solemn.
"It seems there's something to watch," the Fourth Raikage declared, crossing his arms over his chest with an expression of amusement.
Minato Namikaze was the only ninja he acknowledged as faster than himself. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique had thoroughly outmaneuvered him and the "A, B" combination, causing them immense trouble. He was a ninja Minato greatly feared, possessing immense power with nowhere to unleash it.
This was also the primary reason he hadn't immediately attacked upon seeing Minato.
Locking his intent onto the Flying Thunder God mark on Tobi's back, Minato intended to use the second stage of the Flying Thunder God to teleport and strike him down. However, his face soon contorted in surprise.
"How is this possible..."
Minato Namikaze discovered that he was unable to use the second stage of the Flying Thunder God in this space.
This was because he had been created by Uchiha, and thus, Uchiha's Pure Land space had a higher priority than his Flying Thunder God, rendering it ineffective.
"My enemy is right before me, yet I am so powerless," Minato's eyes darkened. The Flying Thunder God was his greatest reliance; losing its function was akin to severing an arm, greatly diminishing his strength.
"Your Flying Thunder God Technique has failed?" Uchiha Tobi's gaze flickered. He noticed Minato's anomaly and spoke with a hint of surprise.
At these words, the Fourth Raikage's gaze immediately turned dangerous.
"I see, it's because of this inexplicable space!" Uchiha Tobi flicked his right hand, conjuring a kunai with spiritual energy, and slowly walked towards Minato Namikaze. "In that case, you shall die!"
After taking two steps, his body transformed into a black lightning bolt, streaking towards Minato.
Minato Namikaze, he had to kill. Otherwise, with the Flying Thunder God mark on his back, he would never know peace. And now was the perfect opportunity.
At this very moment...
*Swish!*
Several golden chains shot out, coiling around him like living snakes.
"Die!" Kushina Uzumaki, standing beside him, could no longer hold back. She harbored immense hatred for the culprit who had destroyed her family and unleashed the Adamantine Sealing Chains. The chains swept through the void, carrying terrifying power.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains had a vast attack range and were slippery in nature. Therefore, Tobi chose not to evade using the Kamui dimension. Instead, he utilized taijutsu in conjunction with his Sharingan, finding openings and weaving through the gaps, instantly reaching Minato.
However, the next moment...
A flash of brilliant sword light appeared, precisely on Tobi's path. It was Sakumo Hatake who had intervened.
"So fast!"
Uchiha Tobi's pupils contracted, but he wasn't panicked. His Kamui possessed the passive ability to phase through objects, making this swift sword strike ineffective against him.
*Tear!*
The sharp sound of a blade tearing through fabric was followed by the dull thud of flesh being cut. Blood splattered as Uchiha Tobi was sent flying backward, a massive gash across his chest.
"Why... my Kamui dimension has also failed..."
Uchiha Tobi's chest bore a gaping wound, revealing his pulsating heart. The face beneath his mask was filled with shock and disbelief. At this moment, he deeply understood Minato's feelings from earlier.
Minato Namikaze without the Flying Thunder God was certainly greatly weakened, but was he not equally so without the Kamui dimension?
The White Fang of Konoha truly lived up to its renowned name. Even acting in haste, and using a weapon forged from this mysterious energy, it had still inflicted a severe injury upon him.
In reality, had he not instantly channeled energy to defend himself the moment he sensed the anomaly with his Kamui dimension, and had his body not fused with Hashirama's cells for a degree of enhancement, he would have been cleaved in two by that sword.
The next moment, his vision blurred. A golden figure and a green figure instantly lunged at him. These two were none other than Might Guy, who had opened the Gate of Joy, and Naruto Uzumaki, in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. One raised a fist the size of a sand pot, while the other held a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, their attacks descending upon him.
"Am I going to die? Rin... wait for me..."
Gazing at the attacks closing in, Uchiha Tobi's eyes instead showed a look of release. He knew that without the Kamui dimension, such an attack, if it landed, would undoubtedly be fatal.
In a daze, he seemed to see Rin's sweet smile, and the corners of his mouth beneath the mask curved slightly upward.
At this critical juncture, from the light barrier at the very corner, a figure clad in red armor with spiky hair shot out, instantly arriving before Tobi.
As he moved, his eyes streaked two red afterimages through the air. The red light flowed, instantly discerning the attacks of Naruto Uzumaki and Might Guy, and then he extended his hands.
Every movement was as artful as a goat's hoofprint on a cliff, skillfully evading the attacks from their hands, and then grasping their wrists.
*Crack! Crack!*
The sound of palms meeting wrists echoed. Both Might Guy and Naruto Uzumaki wore expressions of disbelief.
"Do you also want to dance?"
A cold voice reached their ears. Then, a powerful force surged, and Might Guy and Naruto were uncontrollably flung in opposite directions.
As his bangs, disturbed by the high-speed movement, slowly fell, Madara Uchiha stood with his feet slightly apart, his gaze sharp, arms crossed, and hands clasped behind his back, standing before Uchiha Tobi. An aura of unyielding defense, of standing alone against all, emanated from him.
"You... are Uchiha... Madara?"
The moment they saw the man's true face, after a moment of stunned silence, everyone's gaze grew somber.
This man's appearance was identical to the long-haired statue of one of the two statues at the Valley of the End.
Thank you to Meng Xiang Jiu Shi Dang Yi Tiao Xian Yu for the milk tea, likes, and small gifts, as well as to user 9790317735768 for the encouragement, and to all other friends for their likes and small gift support!