Naruto: The Hyuga Mastermind

Chapter 60: Hyuga Fuji VS Obito

"You're… from the Hyuga clan."

Obito looked at the ninja who had appeared in front of him and sneered coldly. "That was Flying Thunder God just now, wasn't it? You might be faster than my teacher, but you still can't stop me!"

His gaze shifted to Kakashi's Sharingan as he phased through Hyuga Fuji without hesitation.

Over the past half-year, Tobi had constantly updated him on the outside world. Obito had learned that his teacher had become the Fourth Hokage, that the war between Konoha and the Hidden Mist was raging, and much more.

Tailed beasts, Kage-level opponents, the legendary Sannin, and the elite jonin of the villages—this battlefield had become a stage for all of them.

Obito could feel it. His power was immense now, but it wasn't enough.

It wasn't enough to avenge Rin.

It wasn't enough to destroy this irrational, war-torn world!

"Fuji," Yakumaru, who had narrowly escaped earlier, felt a wave of relief at Hyuga Fuji's arrival. His wary eyes remained locked on Obito as he whispered, "During his attacks, he has to materialize. Wait for the right moment."

Hyuga Fuji nodded and stopped Yakumaru, who had been about to move to assist Kakashi. Under Yakumaru's confused gaze, Fuji stood motionless, watching Obito move past them and charge straight toward Kakashi.

Kakashi, realizing Obito was determined to take his other eye, braced himself to defend against the relentless attacks.

Yakumaru was right—Obito was emotionally unstable. If this continued, irreparable consequences were inevitable.

For now, though, Obito could still be subdued. There was still a chance to bring him back. And besides, Kakashi needed to understand what had really happened to Rin.

But Kakashi was no match for Obito. Within seconds, he was already on the defensive, unable to keep up. Obito's hand reached for Kakashi's Sharingan once more.

Just as Kakashi faltered and Obito's hand shot toward his eye, Hyuga Fuji vanished from his original position.

"This eye… is mine—"

Boom!

Obito's body was sent flying backward, his eyes wide with shock. He quickly phased to avoid further damage, landing in a defensive stance.

When he looked up, Hyuga Fuji was standing exactly where he had been a moment earlier. Obito's brows furrowed deeply.

What happened? He had been keeping track of Fuji and Yakumaru's movements. Their earlier inaction had been strange enough, but Fuji hadn't thrown a Flying Thunder God kunai to that position—had he?

"Obito, my arm," Tobi's voice reminded him.

Obito glanced down and noticed, for the first time, a mark etched onto White Zetsu's arm.

"It must've happened during that brief contact earlier. We were too focused on Kakashi," Tobi explained.

"…"

Obito's gaze turned grim as he stared at Hyuga Fuji.

He had rarely seen his teacher, Minato, mark someone with the Flying Thunder God seal. In most cases, Minato didn't need to. Against formidable enemies, he usually fought alone. Back when Obito, Kakashi, and Rin had been on Minato's team, they hadn't often been by his side in battle.

The only time this tactic stood out in Obito's memory was during their graduation exam.

He, Rin, and Kakashi had worked together to steal Minato's bells. In the end, Kakashi had barely managed to grab one, only to fail miserably because Minato had marked him with the Flying Thunder God seal.

Having experienced it firsthand, Obito knew how difficult it was to defend against this technique.

Did Fuji even touch me for half a second?

In such a short time, he still managed to leave behind a contingency.

Minato-sensei really found himself a worthy successor…

Hyuga Fuji flexed his hand, his sharp eyes fixed on the white armor formed by Zetsu.

With White Zetsu acting as armor, Taijutsu would only be half as effective against Obito. But that wasn't a problem.

Turning slightly, Fuji addressed Kakashi. "Apologies for using you as bait earlier."

"It's fine," Kakashi replied, shaking his head. Standing beside Fuji, he looked at Obito and said, "Obito, Rin participated in this battle as part of the medical corps. Don't you want to investigate why she ended up here?"

"I will," Obito said coldly. "But I don't need to do it with you."

Without sparing Kakashi another glance, Obito's eyes fixed on Fuji. Fuji met his gaze, unflinching.

The two locked eyes for a moment before Obito's body sprouted wooden branches from one side. In response, blue chakra flames in the shape of lions appeared around Fuji's hands. Without hesitation, he charged at Obito, and the two clashed in a fierce battle.

Having already suffered from the Flying Thunder God earlier, Obito was more cautious this time. He activated his intangibility the moment Fuji got too close and kept a sharp eye on the part of Tobi's arm marked with the Flying Thunder God seal.

He didn't dare have Tobi abandon the arm entirely.

It wasn't out of concern for Tobi's "injury."

Over the past half-year, Obito had learned that injuries meant little to White Zetsu. They could attach and reattach limbs like nothing, and Madara's mysterious resources could regenerate their bodies as needed.

What worried him was that discarding the arm might give Fuji the chance to mark him directly with the Flying Thunder God seal. That would be much harder to deal with.

Using his phasing ability, Obito rendered most of Fuji's attacks ineffective. Even so, Fuji managed to land several blows, exploiting small openings to hit Obito's real body.

On the other hand, Obito's attacks were largely futile against Fuji's exceptional Taijutsu and masterful use of the Flying Thunder God technique.

This was a clear gap in both experience and skill.

After two minutes of intense combat, Obito used a burst of Wood Release to create some distance. He stood there, catching his breath, his body aching from the precise strikes he had endured.

He had been completely suppressed.

"Obito, let's go," Tobi urged, taking advantage of the pause. "You're not getting that eye back for now."

"…Fine. There's something I need to ask Madara anyway."

Obito lowered his hands and cast a deep look at Fuji and Kakashi. "We'll meet again."

Realizing what was about to happen, Kakashi tried to rush forward to stop him. But Obito activated Kamui, disappearing into a swirling vortex, leaving behind only Tobi's severed arm.

"Obito…"

Kakashi muttered, his voice hollow as he stared at the spot where Obito had vanished.

Today, he had encountered a friend he thought long dead, only to face Rin's death and Obito's farewell.

For a moment, it felt as though he had returned to the day his father died—left with nothing.

Yakumaru, who hadn't participated in the fight, wore a dark expression.

The Mangekyo Sharingan… could it make a ninja this powerful?

If I want to get stronger, maybe…

Before Yakumaru could dwell on the thought, he noticed Kakashi's despondent demeanor. Setting his musings aside, he walked over and clapped a hand on Kakashi's shoulder.

"Come on, weren't you the one who said we needed to figure out why Rin was here? What's with that face?"

"…"

After a moment of silence, Kakashi nodded, his voice steady. "You're right."

"That's more like it."

Satisfied, Yakumaru looked up, only to see Fuji watching him intently.

"What is it?" he asked, puzzled.

"Have you forgotten your original mission?" Fuji replied flatly.

"…To support you. But do you really need it?"

"I don't."

Fuji shook his head, his gaze shifting past them to a figure approaching from behind. "But someone else needs an explanation."

Yakumaru and Kakashi felt a familiar chakra signature and instantly stiffened.

"Hey, why didn't you meet up with us after finishing off the Mist forces, Kakashi, Yakumaru?"

The voice began calm and soft, but it quickly turned sharp. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

Bang! Bang!

(End of Chapter)

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