"It wouldn't be that difficult for me, would it? Besides, I already know his power." he murmured, trying to convince himself.
Taking a deep breath, he grabbed a kunai marked with a Hiraishin seal and threw it with precision towards the masked man.
The kunai sliced through the air, heading straight for its target, shining slightly under the moonlight and the surrounding flames. Shikai clenched his teeth, ready to teleport at impact, his mind already calculating possible scenarios.
But deep down, he knew that this battle would not be a simple demonstration of the Hiraishin technique and an easy win. "If I want to change the course of this night, I'll have to push my limits."
As the battlefield became covered in dust and smoke, Minato, prepared to intervene, saw his disciple appear by his side after using the Hiraishin to join the confrontation. The Fourth's cloak fluttered in the charged wind as he gave Shikai a serious look.
"Shikai, this is not your fight," Minato said authoritatively. "You're not powerful enough to face this man. Retreat."
Shikai, panting, clenched his fists. "Sensei, with all due respect, you have a priority: Kyubi. If we don't stop him, he'll destroy the entire village."
Minato's gaze darkened, but Shikai continued, his voice filled with determination: "I'm not afraid to sacrifice myself. You taught me the Will of Fire, and if tonight I must defend it with my life, so be it."
Minato hesitated, reading an unwavering resolve in his student's eyes. Before he could respond, the masked man made a mocking comment, his voice resonating beneath his mask.
"The Will of Fire? What an absurdity." A scornful laugh followed. "You'll all burn in the flames you worship so much."
With palpable reluctance, Minato nodded. "Very well, Shikai. Do your best... and survive until I return."
With a yellow flash, he disappeared, leaving Shikai alone facing the masked man.
Shikai took a deep breath, raising his eyes to confront the one who had sown chaos.
In his opinion, Minato had accepted his sacrifice a bit too quickly. The rumor that he was irresponsible was, therefore, founded.
"Where was he when Rin was kidnapped and Obito was trapped under a rock? Showing off flashy techniques on the battlefield? This guy seems to live for the cameras. Anyway, everyone has their flaws. I have better things to do now."
"I think we're alone now," he stated with forced calm.
"Dare you challenge me, Madara Uchiha?" roared the masked man. "You'll pay for this insolence with your blood."
The masked man leaped forward, his movements swift and calculated. Shikai, already prepared, activated his *Yellow Flash* technique, increasing his speed to a superhuman level. His movements became a golden blur as he barely dodged the initial assaults.
"You've inherited Minato's technique," Obito remarked coldly. "But let me show you how insignificant you are."
Obito went on the offensive, combining his Kamui mastery with precise physical attacks. Despite his speed, Shikai couldn't touch him, his strikes consistently passing through his opponent's intangible silhouette.
"You're really the disciple of the Fourth, just as useless as him," sneered Obito. "I'll take pleasure in tearing you apart."
Obito's movements became increasingly brutal. He unleashed a *Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu*, projecting a massive fireball. Shikai raised a water barrier to protect himself, but the intensity of the flames exceeded his expectations. His hands were severely burned, and part of his face showed burn marks.
"It's useless," Shikai murmured, breathless, as he retreated. "My Nara techniques won't work against him. I must conserve as much chakra as possible."
Obito delivered a powerful kick, hitting Shikai in the chest. The latter staggered back from the impact, spitting blood. He struggled to stay upright, but his calculating mind was in overdrive.
"I must buy time," he thought, observing the Hiraishin marks he had placed on the ground and the clones he had hidden underground.
Closing his eyes, Shikai performed a series of rapid hand seals. His Water Dragon emerged, coiling into a majestic whirlwind to attack Obito. But his opponent countered with another Katon, the two techniques neutralizing each other in a steam explosion.
As the smoke cleared, Shikai activated his ultimate technique. A golden lightning bolt illuminated the battlefield, and several blurred silhouettes of Shikai appeared simultaneously. His body seemed to divide into a dozen copies, all leaping between the Hiraishin marks.
*Yellow Flash × Hiraishin*
"Do you think these trickster techniques can impress me, fool?" exclaimed Obito, a disdainful smile forming beneath his mask.
With terrifying nonchalance, he struck the ground. Wooden spikes suddenly emerged in all directions, piercing the terrain.
"Shit... I forgot about that," grunted Shikai, his teeth clenched, as a wooden spike plunged deeply into his abdomen.
The pain paralyzed him. His trembling hand tried to extract the wood, but he had no time to react as a chain emerged, wrapping around his right arm. With a sinister crack, the chain pulled violently, tearing his arm off in a spray of blood.
"Aaaaaahhh!" Shikai's guttural cry echoed through the night.
He collapsed onto the debris, his gaze fixed on the location of his missing arm with pure terror.
"No... No... My arm!" he stuttered, tears and saliva streaming down his face contorted in pain.
Obito approached slowly, savoring the scene. With one hand, he grabbed Shikai by the hair and threw him brutally against the debris.
"What are all these seals on your body, huh? It doesn't matter. I'll take pleasure in tearing off your other arm."
"I'm going to die. All because I was negligent. Sensei was right. I'm not ready. Or rather, because I'm weak and stupid."
Lying among the debris, Shikai descended into dark thoughts.
"I don't even have any chakra left. Will I die from chakra depletion or from my injuries?"
"I hope it's because of my injuries. It would be a shame to die like Kakashi."
As he murmured unintelligible words, weak whispers resonated in his mind, disturbing his state of losing consciousness. A strange voice whispered a jutsu's name to him:
*"Kage Tensei."*
"Ah, I had completely forgotten..."
In a final desperate act, he rummaged through his ninja pouch, his trembling fingers grasping a scroll he had sworn never to use. This jutsu seemed quite dubious, as the scroll only mentioned its advantages, increasing his skepticism. Additionally, the summoning seal at its center made him even more hesitant to use it without knowing more, but Shikai had no choice at this point.
Obito, intrigued, slowed his pace.
"A summoning scroll? What do you plan to do?" he asked mockingly.
Leaping towards Shikai, he grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. Blood gushed from Shikai's gaping wound, splattering the scroll.
"You're going to die-"
"What's this...?"
The reaction was immediate. A complex seal illuminated the scroll, radiating an unsettling black light. Obito squinted, his ninja instinct screaming at him to flee.