Naruto: Promotion is my Ninja Way

The battlefield erupted with murderous intent so thick it seemed to form a tangible web around the combatants. The overwhelming momentum resembled a brilliant rainbow, while powerful forces poured forth with such intensity that they shook heaven and earth like a natural disaster.

Shihouin Naraku tightened his grip on the black blade's handle, raising the corner of his mouth in a nonchalant smile directed at Uchiha Obito, who had assumed a battle-ready stance.

Although he appeared to be smiling, his eyes remained completely devoid of emotion—cold and calculating.

Uchiha Obito's fingertips trembled slightly beneath his black gloves, his heart pounding violently as his visible eye remained fixed on Naraku's every movement, waiting for the slightest indication of an attack.

"You—" Obito began to speak.

"Are afraid!" Naraku interrupted with a knowing smirk, as if to say the masked man must be joking about his confidence.

But Naraku didn't wait for any response. Without allowing Obito to finish his statement, he burst forward into action.

The air suddenly grew heavy and stagnant as tremendous force crushed the ground beneath his feet, creating spider-web cracks that spread outward from his launch point.

At such close range, Naraku's speed proved indistinguishable from teleportation. The pitch-black blade slashed through Obito's body in a single fluid motion.

As expected, Obito's intangibility technique had activated just in time.

Naraku's lightning-fast swordsmanship passed harmlessly through his opponent's form without causing any visible damage.

However, at that precise moment, the ground beneath Naraku's feet suddenly bulged upward slightly, and then brilliant explosive light filled his entire field of vision.

Obito had cunningly planted a powerful explosive device beneath that exact spot at some earlier point during their confrontation. He had been standing there deliberately, waiting for Naraku to rush directly into his trap.

"This is bad!" several Mist ninja cried out in shock and dismay.

"Something's happened to him!" others exclaimed, unable to believe that Shihouin Naraku had fallen so easily into the enemy's cunning snare.

None of them had expected that even the legendary number one shinobi in the world could be caught off guard by such a basic tactical deception.

Everyone present began questioning Naraku's renowned reputation. Could it be possible that the legendary stories were completely fabricated?

"Wait... something's wrong here," Ao muttered, his Byakugan detecting unusual movement patterns through the smoke and fire.

A flash of cold light suddenly appeared, cutting through the chaos like a dragon swimming across turbulent seas. The razor-sharp tip of Naraku's blade stirred up the flames and smoke that filled the air, piercing toward Obito's heart with incredible precision and deadly intent.

Naraku's figure materialized immediately afterward, completely unharmed by the explosion. He took a single step forward and burst forth with overwhelming strength, completely ignoring Obito's desperate grabbing motion. Drawing his sword in a fluid arc, he slashed diagonally toward his opponent's exposed neck.

With sudden, explosive force, Kurikara carved a deep scar across Obito's body from shoulder to hip.

However, Obito managed to evade all of these devastating attacks using his intangibility technique. Naraku's relentless assault continued without pause. The moment his right foot touched the ground, his body tilted sideways as flames began dancing along Kurikara's edge. The fiery blade cut viciously toward Obito's neck with lethal precision.

The blade gleamed with deadly sharpness, flashing with cold light that promised death. Every movement was brutal and efficient, designed for maximum lethality.

Naraku's swordsmanship had reached absolute perfection. His incredible power was fully displayed with every single strike, each attack targeting Obito's vital points with surgical precision that left no room for error.

Obito's taijutsu skills were certainly respectable, but everything depended on whom he was competing against.

At the very least, when facing Shihouin Naraku directly, Obito had absolutely no right to display any form of arrogance or overconfidence.

As the battle continued and time stretched on, Naraku's offensive became increasingly fierce and unrelenting. He employed his tremendous strength without any reservation whatsoever, holding nothing back.

Obito couldn't understand why Shihouin Naraku's black blade always seemed to find its mark, no matter how desperately he tried to dodge or evade the incoming attacks.

This was the inevitable result that occurred when facing a skill gap as vast and insurmountable as a bottomless chasm.

By this point, Obito had begun to feel genuine nervousness and concern. His intangibility technique had a strict time limit, and at his current level of mastery, he could only maintain it for approximately ten minutes continuously.

The reason Naraku refused to halt his relentless assault was specifically to prevent Obito from finding an opportunity to refresh the duration of his intangibility technique.

As long as he maintained constant pressure through continuous attacks, Obito would inevitably die within ten minutes when his technique finally failed.

Of course, Naraku possessed countless other methods to eliminate Obito permanently, but for now, he chose to rely solely on his exceptional swordsmanship.

"Boom!" Rubble and soil exploded from the ground as continuous tremors spread across the entire island's surface.

The dazzling battle between these two extraordinary warriors left the watching Mist ninja completely stunned. This life-and-death struggle occurring before their eyes was truly terrifying to witness.

Whether observing Shihouin Naraku or the mysterious masked adversary, it became clear that neither combatant could be underestimated in any way.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Mangetsu Hōzuki sat heavily on the ground with complete exhaustion written across his features, leaning against a large boulder for support.

Even though his vision had begun to blur significantly, he continued staring intently in the direction of the ongoing battle between Naraku and Obito.

What absolutely perfect swordsmanship! He desperately wanted to participate in this incredible fight, but his failing body no longer permitted such exertion.

As someone thoroughly proficient in wielding all seven legendary ninja swords of Kirigakure, Mangetsu deeply admired Shihouin Naraku's robust physical condition and seemingly limitless stamina.

That level of physical perfection was exactly what he had always longed to possess!

"To suppress such a powerful masked opponent using nothing but pure swordsmanship... what incredible strength that must require," Mangetsu said weakly, blood foam gathering at the corners of his mouth as he spoke his final words.

"It's truly unfortunate that such an extraordinary shinobi doesn't belong to Kirigakure."

"Terumi Mei, please remember this lesson—never antagonize Konohagakure!" he continued with desperate urgency. "Kirigakure in its current state is absolutely not qualified to wage war against Konoha. It would be far better if we could somehow establish positive diplomatic relations with them instead."

"I understand completely," Terumi Mei replied with a bitter smile forming in her heart.

How could Kirigakure possibly have the political capital necessary to provoke Konoha at this point? Their village's normal governmental order was already on the verge of complete collapse.

"Cough, cough, cough... Shihouin Naraku truly deserves his reputation as the God of the Shinobi World!" Hōzuki Mangetsu declared with conviction.

He struggled to stand upright using his twin-bladed Hiramekarei for support, gazing at the fighting forms of Naraku and Obito with fanatical admiration burning in his eyes.

"I absolutely refuse to die from this wasting illness!" he declared with renewed determination.

Like the final brilliant flash of a dying star, Mangetsu suddenly felt the fullness of chakra coursing through his body once again. His previously weakened form now brimmed with energy, and solid, dependable strength flowed through his limbs.

"At the very minimum, I should set a proper example for Suigetsu to follow," Mangetsu smiled with genuine happiness, revealing his characteristic shark-like teeth. He then grasped his Hiramekarei firmly and charged directly into the center of the raging battlefield.

"Boom!" A new combatant had joined the deadly confrontation!

Obito glanced at Mangetsu with obvious disdain, thinking how utterly naive the man was to dare interfere in the battle between him and Shihouin Naraku.

However, this development might actually prove beneficial. Mangetsu's chaotic intervention provided him with a small breathing space that he desperately needed. Perhaps he could finally find an opportunity to deactivate his intangibility technique temporarily.

In the subsequent exchanges, Obito deliberately maneuvered closer to Mangetsu's position, hoping to use this opportunity to relieve some of the overwhelming pressure that Naraku was placing on him.

Naraku understood Mangetsu Hōzuki's current condition perfectly well. The man had appeared half-dead just moments earlier, but now he displayed vibrant energy and renewed vitality. This was obviously his final burst of life force before death claimed him.

Mangetsu no longer cared whether Obito represented an enemy or ally—he engaged both him and Naraku simultaneously in combat.

He simply wanted to die gloriously in battle, so naturally he wouldn't concern himself with conventional tactical considerations. The only thing he desired was to experience the pure thrill of combat one final time before his inevitable death.

Naraku decided to honor Mangetsu's final request. He unleashed his complete arsenal of sword techniques—chopping, slicing, slashing, stabbing, and thrusting with masterful precision.

His grandmaster-level swordsmanship was displayed without restraint, directly enveloping both Obito and Mangetsu within its deadly radius. This forced the two men to begin cooperating against Naraku himself in order to survive.

Naraku's offensive became increasingly powerful and overwhelming, placing both opponents at a severe disadvantage without any logical justification. Compared to their previous engagement, Obito realized that the pressure on him had not decreased—instead, it seemed to be steadily increasing.

"Clang!" Holding Kurikara in a single hand, Naraku brought it down in a devastating overhead strike.

Mangetsu raised both of his twin blades to block the incoming attack, and brilliant sparks flew when the weapons collided with tremendous force.

A powerful, otherworldly energy erupted instantaneously from the point of contact. Mangetsu found himself involuntarily staggering backward several steps, his hands trembling as he struggled to maintain his grip on his weapons.

"What absolutely terrifying physical power!" Mangetsu thought with a mixture of awe and excitement.

Completely ignoring his severely injured internal organs, he immediately pounced forward to attack again.

"Whoosh!" During the chaotic sword exchanges, flames suddenly spread outward from beneath Naraku's feet, completely enveloping Obito's body and burning with intense heat.

In desperation, Obito was forced to abandon his plan to temporarily deactivate his intangibility technique.

As the three-way battle intensified dramatically, terrifying power poured forth from all combatants. Flames boiled and raged wherever the three warriors moved, and everything in their path was systematically destroyed.

Suddenly, Naraku's eyes shifted, and his gaze moved toward the distant coastline.

"It seems he chose not to flee after all..."

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