"Let's go. Get back further. Getting caught in that could cost you your life." Spiral Zetsu said to Uzuki Yūki, unusually serious.
"Aren't you his companion? Aren't you going to help him? Being surrounded by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen would be fatal even for a Hokage." Uzuki Yūki asked, genuinely puzzled, then quickly added: "Don't misunderstand. I'm just curious. I'm not concerned about him."
"Unless he wants to die himself, I honestly can't imagine anyone being able to take him out." Spiral Zetsu said with a meaningful tone.
Uzuki Yūki held Obito in a long look, then withdrew together with Spiral Zetsu to a greater distance to watch the fight.
"Kisame, your strength isn't there yet. Go and keep an eye on those two over there. The three of us are more than enough to handle him." Fuguki Suikazan said to Kisame Hoshigaki behind him.
"Understood, Mr. Suikazan." Kisame Hoshigaki answered respectfully and stepped back outside the battle perimeter as well.
Then Fuguki Suikazan walked up beside Ringo Yu Yuri and drew Samehada: "Newcomer, if you get in the way, my Samehada won't show any mercy."
As a seasoned veteran of the Seven Swordsmen, Fuguki Suikazan spoke with open arrogance.
"A good-for-nothing who barely scraped his life back from a Konoha genin should keep his mouth shut!" Ringo Yu Yuri shot back without a shred of mercy, crossed her arms, and drew the Thundersword Kiba from her back, holding the blades at her sides.
Crack! Golden arcs of electricity coiled along the blades.
She was renowned within Kirigakure as a genius of Lightning Release, and the power she drew from the Thundersword Kiba was pushed to its absolute limit in her hands, far surpassing everything its previous owner had achieved.
"You insolent little!" Fuguki Suikazan was just beginning to flare up.
"Both of you had better shut your mouths, unless you want me to take your swords back." Mangetsu Hōzuki descended between them, and with a sharp snap, unrolled his scroll.
At this distance, Mangetsu Hōzuki could call and return those swords at will, even though he was not their rightful owner.
And so Fuguki Suikazan and Ringo Yu Yuri had no choice but to close their mouths.
On Mangetsu's scroll were seven sealing positions, each marked with the characters for 'Severing,' 'Great,' 'Long,' 'Blunt,' 'Blast,' 'Thunder,' and 'Twin,' corresponding to the designations of the seven swords.
The positions marked 'Long,' 'Blunt,' 'Blast,' and 'Twin' were lit up, indicating that swords were currently stored there.
Mangetsu Hōzuki spread the scroll across the ground, bit his finger, let a drop of blood fall onto the 'Severing' position, and formed seals. The formation glowed with light.
Mangetsu's sharp gaze locked onto Obito in the distance: "Return the Severing Sword."
Hum! Hum! Obito felt the Decapitating Carving Knife in his grip shuddering violently, straining as though trying to pull free.
"There's no reason to give back something I've already taken." Obito said.
Whoosh!
Obito used Kamui through his right eye to pull the Decapitating Carving Knife into the Kamui dimension.
The glow faded from the seal position on the scroll, and Mangetsu Hōzuki's brow furrowed. 'The link between the scroll and the sword has been severed. As expected, his dōjutsu can transfer anything he touches into another dimension. And earlier, Jinin's attack passed straight through him, which means physical attacks are useless. Then what about ninjutsu attacks?'
Mangetsu Hōzuki pointed his finger like a gun, aimed it at Obito from a distance, and unleashed the Hōzuki Clan's secret technique, the Water Pistol Jutsu.
Biu! Biu!
High-density water compressed into high-pressure water bullets fired from his fingertips, passed straight through Obito's body, and in the blink of an eye punched through several large trees behind him, ultimately leaving deep holes in a boulder beyond.
Uzuki Yūki stared in shock at the hole that had appeared close beside her.
"It seems this spot isn't safe either. Let's move further back." Spiral Zetsu said.
Mangetsu Hōzuki lowered his finger, and his expression grew heavier: 'Even ninjutsu attacks are useless. Then the only opening is the moment he has to become tangible in order to launch an attack.'
"Not a bad analysis. But." Obito said.
Obito raised his hands and formed the Horse seal. Dense Fire Release chakra gathered at his throat.
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!!
Roar!!
A surging sea of fire rolled across the earth, sweeping toward the three of them and instantly evaporating every patch of standing water in its path.
Such an absurd scale of Fire Release. Even those three, highly proficient in Water Release, could not afford the slightest carelessness.
All three formed seals simultaneously.
Water Release: Three-Headed Water Dragon!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three water dragons rose from the ground and collided with the fire, and a hiss of steam billowed everywhere.
Kisame Hoshigaki shielded his face with his hand, thoroughly in awe: "So this is the Fire Release that the Uchiha take such pride in. It took these three masters of Water Release using the Water Dragon Jutsu simultaneously just to hold it back. The elemental advantage means nothing at all. It's truly terrifying."
Obito formed seals with both hands and unleashed a powerful Wind Release jutsu he had copied with his Sharingan during last night's battle with Danzō.
Wind Release: Vacuum Great Ball!!
The vacuum wave swept across and sliced through the steam.
"Ha!!" Fuguki Suikazan swung Samehada with monstrous strength, and with a thunderous crash blocked the Wind Release.
Crack! Lightning flashed as Ringo Yu Yuri closed the distance with a Body Flicker, and her twin blades, wrapped in golden arcs of electricity, crossed together in a downward slash.
Clang!
Obito drew the Uchiha war fan from his back and deflected the Thunder Slash.
"That fan actually absorbed my Lightning Release chakra." Ringo Yu Yuri exclaimed in disbelief, suspended in midair.
"Concentrating Lightning Release chakra in both feet to activate the Body Flicker and time the attack for the moment I have to become tangible. Worthy of the genius female ninja of Lightning Release. But." Obito said in a tone of genuine praise.
Uchiha: Reflection!
Crack!!
The absorbed Thunder Slash burst back outward from the face of the fan.
"Ahhh!!"
Ringo Yu Yuri was blasted backward, her feet dragging two long gouges into the ground as she skidded back beside her two comrades. Blood flowed freely from both her shoulders as she gritted her teeth: "His fan not only blocked my Thunder Slash, it reflected it straight back at me!"
That war fan was one of Madara's sacred treasures in life. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Madara had used the Uchiha Reflection with that very fan to send Naruto's miniature Tailed Beast Ball flying right back at him.
"I'll move in close to draw him out. Ringo, prepare your long-range attack." Mangetsu Hōzuki said, and as he spoke he had already summoned the Twin Swords into his hands.
"Got it!" Ringo Yu Yuri rose to her feet.
Lightning Release: Natural Lightning!
She drove the Thundersword down hard into the sky above, and with a tremendous thunderclap, called down natural lightning from the heavens.
Swoosh! Mangetsu Hōzuki gripped the Twin Swords and charged across the water toward Obito.
Water Release: Great Water Arm Jutsu!
As he ran, both his arms transformed into massive, powerful limbs of water.
Twin Swords: Release!!
As chakra surged into them, the Twin Swords in his hands grew to an enormous size, descending like a great hammer from above.
Boom!!!
The Twin Swords passed straight through Obito and slammed into the earth, blasting open a massive crater.
Swoosh! Obito spun and reached a hand toward Mangetsu Hōzuki's shoulder.
"Now, get us both together!" Mangetsu Hōzuki called out.
Swoosh! But Obito's palm passed straight through Mangetsu Hōzuki's body.
Mangetsu's eyes went wide. 'This bastard, he only pretended to attack and turned our own tactic against us. He saw through Ringo's technique the entire time!!'
Thunder Blade Jutsu: Thunder Gate!!
From a distance, Ringo Yu Yuri drove both blades suddenly into the ground.
Crack crack crack crack!!
The natural lightning she had called down earlier, guided by the Thundersword, transformed into a wide-area bolt strike that came crashing down.
"Ahhh!!" But the one struck by the lightning who cried out in agony was Mangetsu Hōzuki alone.