How is this possible? How can a guy like you master Sage Transformation?
Obito Uchiha's expression, hidden beneath his mask, grew heavy. Natural energy provided a massive boost to both ninjutsu and taijutsu while drastically enhancing the body's recovery speed. This combination significantly increased one's overall combat effectiveness. Furthermore, within the shinobi world, only the Three Great Sage Regions held the secrets to training in Sage Transformation.
Even the Hidden Leaf Village, renowned as the strongest, only had Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin who could wield such power. Consequently, it seemed impossible for Inabi, an Uchiha, to possess this formidable strength.
Could it be because of the cursed seal on his body?
Obito focused his gaze on the mark located on Inabi Uchiha's forehead. If he wasn't mistaken, the mutation in Inabi's body had started directly from that mark.
The mark of the Jashin Religion. As I suspected, this matter is related to that man.
Obito narrowed his eyes. When the Jashin Religion was mentioned, he immediately pictured a kind-looking man wearing square-framed glasses. This man was Simu, not Hidan. It was entirely plausible for Simu Kamizuki to orchestrate something like this. After all, that man's abilities had always been a mystery, and he had created countless monsters. Compared to those, a single mutant was hardly significant.
Despite this realization, Obito felt a strange sense of unease. He wondered what Simu's goal was and if the man knew his true identity.
Regardless of those thoughts, Inabi Uchiha had fully transformed into a monster after absorbing a massive amount of natural energy. His mind had slipped into a state of semi-madness.
"I am the true God of the Uchiha!"
The two pairs of fleshy wings on his back flapped violently. This created terrifying currents of air that converged into wind blades, enveloping Obito. However, these sharp blades passed through Obito's body without any resistance. Instead, they easily sliced through the ground and walls behind him like they were pieces of tofu.
"I'll see just how long you can last!"
Inabi Uchiha was dissatisfied with this result. His eyes flickered with a terrifying red light as he took a deep breath, mixing his chakra with natural energy to create Sage chakra. He then used this Sage chakra to condense a ninjutsu, exhaling a surging stream of fire. This transformed the ground beneath Obito into a sea of flames!
Enhanced by the Sage chakra, the power of Inabi's ninjutsu more than doubled. The scorching heat even melted a giant crater into the ground. Unfortunately, even with this massive power boost, he still could not harm Obito, who remained safely in a different dimension.
"How boring. These little tricks are useless."
Obito stood right in the middle of the sea of fire, allowing the flames to roar around him. Hearing Obito's mockery again, Inabi Uchiha remained unmoved this time. He simply continued to maintain the scale of the fire.
Soon, Obito sensed something was wrong. This ninjutsu was lasting far longer than usual. He wondered if the guy intended to have a battle of attrition. He frowned and quickly analyzed the situation. Since Inabi had absorbed natural energy, his chakra reserves had increased. He was likely using a continuous attack to test the time limit of Obito's intangibility.
Even though he guessed the plan, Obito did not act rashly. He wanted to see exactly how long this fellow could hold out.
Two minutes passed, and the flames showed no signs of fading. Obito's face darkened.
"Tch, what a nuisance."
As he spoke, the space around his eye began to swirl rapidly. His entire body vanished from the spot. A second later, a spatial vortex quietly appeared behind Inabi Uchiha.
The Sharingan on Inabi's back noticed this immediately. He turned instantly to face the enemy. At that exact moment, Obito emerged from the rotating vortex, bringing a large number of burning explosive tags with him. In that split second, Obito became intangible again, and then—
Boom!
Terrifying flames soared into the sky. Inabi, who had just turned around, instinctively folded his two pairs of wings together. He was sent flying like a cannonball by the force of the intense explosion. A thin line of black smoke trailed behind him as he crashed through a house, reducing it to ruins.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Inabi Uchiha rose from the rubble. The fleshy wings on his back had been shredded by the explosive tags. Furthermore, blood began to leak from the corners of his pale mouth.
"I didn't think that would kill you. It seems natural energy truly enhanced your physical stats."
Obito stood atop a remaining wall of the ruins, looking down at Inabi Uchiha.
"What is your relationship with Simu Kamizuki? If you tell me, I might give you a way to live."
"Simu... Kamizuki?"
A flicker of confusion appeared in Inabi's eyes, followed quickly by a look of cruelty.
"I don't know any Simu Kamizuki. All I know is that I'm going to kill you!"
He suddenly lunged from the ground, his fist piercing through Obito's body. Of course, it still had no effect. Once Inabi had passed completely through him, Obito solidified and lunged back, driving a blade through Inabi's chest.
"No matter how strong your recovery is, you won't survive with a pierced heart, right?"
Obito used his strength to pin the monster firmly to the ground. As expected, Inabi's body slowly dissipated once more. With another Sharingan closing, a new Inabi Uchiha appeared in the distance. His wings had fully restored, and he charged at Obito with a mad frenzy once again.
"This is never-ending."
Obito was getting irritated. Even though he knew the opponent couldn't land a hit, this constant back-and-forth was annoying. However, his mood quickly improved. A fire dragon soared in from the distance, hitting the fast-moving Inabi Uchiha with the precision of a missile.
Boom!
Inabi was sent tumbling by the fire dragon, resulting in another massive explosion.
"Is it finally finished, Itachi?"
Obito glanced to the side. A figure approached from the distance with bright sparks still flickering at the corners of his mouth. It was clear that the fire dragon had been released by Itachi Uchiha. At this time, Itachi was still wearing his Anbu uniform and holding a ninja blade as he stepped into the battlefield. His uniform was stained with quite a bit of blood, and the darkness in his eyes was deeper than ever before.
"So it really is someone from the Jashin Religion?"
Itachi spoke slowly, his gaze fixed on the mark on Inabi Uchiha's forehead.
Obito shrugged. "Most likely. I don't know anyone else who could create a monster like this besides that guy."
"That guy?"
A look of doubt appeared on Itachi's face.
Obito nodded. "His name is Simu Kamizuki. He is also a member of the Akatsuki. I'll introduce you to him later."
Seeing the change in Itachi's expression, Obito explained further. "This operation was a personal action by him and the Jashin Religion. It has nothing to do with the Akatsuki."
Itachi nodded slightly at this. "Regardless, I will not forgive anyone who dares to harm the village."
Obito nodded with satisfaction at Itachi's reaction. Although they were both part of the Akatsuki, there were still different factions within the organization. To control the Akatsuki, Obito knew he had to win over the members to maintain enough influence. The Jashin Religion already had three members in the organization, which was enough to make Obito wary. Therefore, he needed to pull Itachi into his own camp.
As Obito was thinking, Inabi Uchiha stood up again. Seeing Itachi Uchiha before him, Inabi's expression became even more distorted.
"The village... the village..."
"Even though you are an Uchiha, you actually side with the village..."
"Itachi Uchiha, you are a sinner of the Uchiha clan!"
Following his roar, he spat out another blast of scorching flames. The night sky turned a bright red. Itachi remained unmoved as his Mangekyo Sharingan emerged like a blood moon in the dark. Immediately after, a massive orange skeletal frame manifested around his body.
"Susanoo!"
Even with the boost from natural energy, Inabi's flames could not break through the protection of the Susanoo. The massive amount of fire hit the construct like a rushing river hitting an indestructible boulder, unable to move it at all. Itachi used the Susanoo to push through the flames, walking toward Inabi with firm steps. He reached Inabi and threw a punch!
Boom!
The ground shattered instantly. That single, powerful punch ground the earth into powder and sent Inabi Uchiha flying backward.
"Itachi, be careful. This guy can use Izanagi."
Obito gave a timely warning. Sure enough, the heavily injured Inabi Uchiha quickly vanished, and a completely fresh version of him appeared before them.
Itachi's eyes remained cold. His voice was equally indifferent. "Izanagi? It doesn't matter. No matter how many times you change reality, I will kill you."
"Impossible! I'll kill you!"
Inabi Uchiha completely lost his composure. He swung his mutated, massive body toward Itachi and threw a heavy punch. It struck the Susanoo, but the construct didn't budge. His pupils trembled violently.
"Why?! Why do traitors like you get to have such great power?!"
He howled in frustration. Then, the Susanoo controlled by Itachi condensed a long sword in its hand and pierced his body. Once again, Inabi's body turned to grey ash and vanished. His figure reappeared dozens of meters away from Itachi, with another Sharingan on his body slowly closing.
"No matter how many times you try, the result is always the same: death."
Itachi spoke as if he were stating a simple fact. This indifference deeply wounded Inabi Uchiha's heart.
"Impossible! I don't believe it! I am the strongest of the Uchiha clan!"
He charged once more. Despite mastering Sage Transformation, Inabi's actual level of strength was clear. His attacks could not break through Itachi's defense. No matter how many times he attacked, the outcome was always the same: he was easily killed by Itachi.
Despite this, Inabi Uchiha charged again and again like a paranoid madman. It seemed he was venting all the resentment in his heart. Itachi's eyes showed no emotion as he mechanically killed his opponent over and over using the Susanoo. With each use of Izanagi, the Sharingan on Inabi's body grew fewer, and he drew closer to his final death.
"It looks like Itachi will win soon."
Beside Obito, Black Zetsu suddenly emerged from the ground. Obito nodded, but then his brow furrowed. He noticed that Black Zetsu only had half of his body. This meant White Zetsu was missing.
"Where is White Zetsu?"
"He went to chase the insect that stole Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyo," Black Zetsu answered truthfully.
"Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyo was stolen?"
Obito was surprised. He hadn't expected that with both Zetsus present, the Mangekyo would fall into someone else's hands.
Black Zetsu nodded. "After Fugaku died, that insect rushed out from underground and snatched the body right from Itachi's hands."
Obito's brow furrowed further. According to the plan, Fugaku's Mangekyo should have been recovered by the Akatsuki. Black Zetsu sensed his frustration and offered comfort. "Don't worry. White Zetsu has already gone after it. It's just an insect; it shouldn't be able to escape."
"Fine."
Since Black Zetsu put it that way, Obito didn't dwell on it. Instead, he asked, "What is the situation over there?"
By "over there," he was referring to the Nine-Tails.
Black Zetsu replied, "The Nine-Tails has been sealed by Hiruzen Sarutobi. However, Hiruzen was also very seriously injured."
Obito nodded. "Then things need to end quickly here."
He and Black Zetsu turned their attention back to the battlefield. As the last Sharingan turned grey and white, Inabi Uchiha staggered out from behind a building once more.
"It's over, Brother Inabi," Itachi said calmly. The massive orange skeleton walked toward him like a reaper.
"Impossible... I absolutely cannot die here!"
Inabi Uchiha's eyes were completely grey and blind. At this point, he didn't even know where his opponent was. He could only rely on the sound of Itachi's footsteps to identify his location. Even so, he had no intention of surrendering.
"It's over."
Itachi's low murmur reached his ears. Then, he controlled the Susanoo to swing its blade, smashing the ground and Inabi Uchiha into pieces!
"Well done, Itachi."
Obito quickly appeared by Itachi's side. Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out. Itachi's expression didn't change. With his combat experience, he could easily judge the source of the attack by the sound alone. With a slight turn of his head, he easily dodged the sudden shuriken.
However, he was confused. Who could possibly be left in the Uchiha compound to launch an attack? He and an equally puzzled Obito turned around. A young boy stood there holding a ninja blade that was taller than he was, staring at Itachi with a face full of fury.
"Itachi Uchiha! I ask you... why did you betray the Uchiha?!"