The battlefield blurs with motion and chaos as Deidara's clay bird hurtles toward Obito with deadly intent. Above, the sky darkens ominously, reflecting the escalating tension below.
Obito, calm amidst the turmoil, watches the descending creature with an amused smirk.
As the bird nears, a sudden surge of chakra pulses from Obito. With swift motion, he vanishes, reappearing just as quickly a few meters away, effortlessly dodging the explosive attack that erupts behind him with a thunderous explosion. The ground shakes, sending vibrations through the soles of every shinobi's boots.
"Is that all?" Obito taunts, turning his gaze back to Deidara, who scowls from his aerial vantage point.
"Tch! I'll show you!" Deidara, not one to be outdone or mocked, grits his teeth and prepares another, larger clay model. "Art is an explosion! And I will end this with a masterpiece!" He infuses the clay with an even larger dose of chakra, the model pulsating with a dangerous glow.
Meanwhile, the Leaf and Mist shinobi regroup, watching the duel. "Man, we got lucky that Obito sama got here as quickly as he did... We wouldn't stand a chance against that guy up there." One of the young shinobi speaks up,
"Yeah, it's better to find another place as they fight. We'll only get in their way." The captain says.
"Right!" They all agree.
Whoosh! Both Konoha and Kiri shinobi vanish and head back.
Now, facing the incoming colossal clay creation, Obito is slightly stressed. He looks behind to see how far his team has gone. 'Good, I couldn't fight back if they stuck around too long. I'm still wounded from the last battle. But now...' Obito's Sharingan spins faster, a deep red hue that seems to pierce through the dimming light.
Obito quickly vanishes from the ground, reappearing on Deidara's bird.
"Hey!" Before he barely flinches, Deidara is sucked into a portal, thrown into Kamui. Yet, the bird continues to grow and expand.
"Tch! That fool!" Kurotsuchi clicks.
"Akatsuchi, we have to make a run for it! If that bird explodes, it's taking all of us!"
Fwoosh... Obito returns, "I don't have time for this." He says, making multiple hand seals and slamming his hands on top of the giant bird. Multiple seals quickly start to spread around the bird's body, covering every inch with a sealing inscription.
Just as the clay monster is about to explode, it vanishes into thin air, leaving a sudden silence.
"Huh? It's gone?"
Iwagakure's shinobi looks around to confirm what's happening.
Boom!!
The distant sound of an explosion echoes in another land.
Obito breathes a sigh of relief, "The plan works."
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Three days before the war began, when Obito woke up, he was wrapped with multiple bandages around his body. And Kakashi had gone to see him.
"You shouldn't get up so soon." He says as he tries to prevent Obito from getting up.
"Obito, no one is expecting you to fight for us. Don't overwork yourself; You know you're lucky Ryuu's the one who fixed those Hashirama cells for you."
Obito frowns at this. "How can you even say that?" he questions as he continues to get up.
"You don't know what I saw. You don't know what you're walking into, Kakashi. We'll all need some help when facing this thing."
Frowning, Kakashi shakes his head, knowing he won't convince Obito to stand down.
"Fine, " he says with a sigh. But we have to adjust our tactics a little."
"What are you talking about?"
"Rikuto is our best chance of winning this war. His Mangekyou Sharingan will seal the Kuroganebi. All we must do is get him within range and watch his back."
"Will that even work?" Obito asks, skeptical of the plan.
"Of course. Inoichi will keep us up to date with the other battles. And if Rikuto's not nearby, he left us a gift." Kakashi holds his hand out, showing a six-trigram seal on his palm. "Once this is placed, you'll have access to a few special Fūinjutsu techniques; thank Rikuto later." Obito nods.
"Pass by the Hokage's office before Rikuto leaves again; he'll give you this emergency seal. You'll need it more than me."
"Emergency seal?" Obito repeats,
Kakashi nods, "You have five attempts. Whenever the enemy is too strong, place your palm on it and infuse chakra into the seal. From there, the enemy will be sealed and locked away. There are a lot of rules and different sets for this, so let Rikuto explain it himself."
Nodding, Obito puts on his mask, wrapping it around the missing eye, looking at Kakashi. "I should get going now. I know that Rin is already preparing the medical team for battle. She has a lot to handle."
Kakashi puts his hand on Obito's shoulder, "So do you. You're still far from full recovery, so don't strain your body. I'll send reinforcements as soon as I can."
Obito nods, "Later then." He walks past Kakashi to prepare for the oncoming battles.
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Back in one of Konoha's war bases, a room built discreetly near the shores leading to Kirigakure, Sakumo, and Yagura stood around the war table. A spherical translucent bubble hovered above, showing the battles and figures. In front of the two Kage, Inoichi and his Intel group focused on keeping communications active and the fighting up to date.
Shikaku Nara walks in, his stoic expression hardening. Shikazo follows close by. "The second wave of Iwagakure's attack has been dealt with," Shikaku announces.
Sakumo nods, "We still haven't read about the 'beasts' Obito was talking about. Additionally, the enemy's numbers are doubling by the minute." He adds,
"We need to locate the Raikage and the Tsuchikage before it's too late. If we can find those two, we will find Uzumaki and whatever she holds as weapons." Shikaku nods.
"Alert! Powerful shinobi are in the battle! Their chakra is on a whole new level!" One of the Intel division states.
Shikaku and Sakumo look at the war table. Four bubbles begin to rise.
"They're from Kumogakure." Inoichi states, "Contacting Kakashi's squad."
"Mind transmission jutsu!"
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Back in Kumogakure, just outside the village's borders with Otogakure.
A land filled with forests and dead trees is now damaged further by the countless dead bodies.
Kakashi Hatake leaps from the shadow of a large, twisted oak, his Sharingan pulsing with each rapid assessment of the battlefield. He taps his comms as he runs: "It's Kakashi here. I'm dealing with the group on the East shores."
The forest around him is a blur of motion, with flickers of enemy shinobi darting between the trees. His brow furrows as he anticipates their movements.
Suddenly, a group of enemy ninjas from Kumogakure burst through the underbrush, their weapons drawn and chakra flaring menacingly. Kakashi's hand moves to his kunai holster with practiced ease, drawing one and infusing it with his lightning chakra.
"Lightning blade!" he shouts, slicing through the air. The electrically charged kunai cuts a bright arc through the dim light, striking the nearest attacker and cutting through his body.
More enemies emerge, surrounding him. Kakashi spins, analyzing each one with a critical eye. He's the leading force of the frontal attack. His hands form seals at a blinding speed, and in a breath, 'Shadow clone jutsu!' a dozen shadow clones spring into existence around him.
Whoosh!
The clones dash forward, cutting through the enemies with kunai, making it seem easy, while the real Kakashi slips through the chaos, heading towards a strategic vantage point.
From a high branch, Kakashi surveys the attackers, his Sharingan decoding the battlefield's intricate web of chakra flows and movements. 'There's no end to them. I've cut through at least a couple hundred by now.'
Suddenly, one of his clones disperses, sending a rush of information back to him. 'There's a new squad!' a hidden squad is moving towards the eastern flank, likely trying to enclose the Leaf shinobi.
Suddenly, Kakashi feels Inoichi's jutsu connecting, "All units, run to the nearest checkpoint! Our sensors are picking up the S-rank threat from sector 7-B near the east shores. Kakashi and the other captains will confront them."
Kakashi's eyes narrow. 'They're here. I better stop wasting time.'
Kakashi signals the remaining clones to retreat as he prepares his next jutsu. His hands weave together as he takes a deep breath, his chest expanding dramatically, 'Fire style: Fireball jutsu!'
Whoosh!
A massive torrent of flames sweeps through the forest, burning everything it touches and turning the enemies all to ash.
With the immediate threat contained, Kakashi taps his earpiece, connecting to his squad. "This is Kakashi. The enemy is attempting to flank us from the east. The third wave of Kumogakure's forces has been neutralized."
Shh! Kakashi's earpiece rings. "Copy. This is Shisui Uchiha. I got reinforcements. We'll make it back in a couple of minutes."
"Let's hope that's enough time, over." Kakashi ends the call as he arrives at Kumogakure's shores, facing four oncoming enemies alone.
"Tailed beasts, huh?" He mutters as his Sharingan starts spinning, shaping the Mangekyou Sharingan.
'Gyūki, the eight tails. Matatabi, the two tails. And Son Goku, the four tails.' Kakashi stands, facing three-tailed beasts alone—the ultimate test for Konoha's Copy Ninja.