Chapter 8 The Battlefield of Shadows edited

Obito materialized on a distant rooftop, his breathing ragged as he stared at Kaito with undisguised terror. Gone was the composed demeanor he'd displayed earlier - his cloak hung in tatters, his mask shattered to reveal mismatched Sharingan. One eye now pulsed with unnatural crimson light.

"Izanagi?" Kaito's lips curled in disdain. "How desperate."

He knew killing Obito now was impossible - the forbidden technique granted at least five minutes of invulnerability.

"That technique..." Obito gasped. "It can't be Flying Thunder God!"

He shook his head violently before Kaito could respond. "No - the Fourth Hokage's jutsu would never be taught to an Uchiha!"

Kaito allowed himself a smirk. His Mangekyo's right eye ability - Divine Presence - granted instantaneous movement anywhere within his line of sight, with no cooldown. A perfect counter to Obito's intangibility.

"They say fools learn from experience," Kaito taunted. "Yet you keep making the same mistakes. I overestimated you - beyond your five-minute trick, you're worthless."

Obito's visible eye widened. "How do you know the exact duration?!" Only Minato had ever deduced his ability's limitation so precisely.

This revelation, combined with Kaito's spatial prowess, cemented the Uchiha's status as a true Kage-level threat. For the first time, Obito considered retreat.

"Running away already?" Kaito's voice dripped sarcasm. "What happened to being the legendary 'Madara Uchiha'?"

Obito's jaw clenched beneath his broken mask. He still had seven minutes of Izanagi remaining - time enough to test Kaito's limits. If no solution presented itself, escape remained an option.

"Your strength surprises me," Obito forced out through gritted teeth, raising his chain-scythes. "But don't mistake this for defeat."

Kaito simply shrugged and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. The intricate pattern spun to life, drawing a shocked gasp from Obito.

"So you've awakened it too! Then that spatial technique..."

Kaito remained silent, seeing no need to confirm. Even if Obito knew his abilities, countering them was another matter.

The realization chilled Obito. He faced an opponent who knew all his secrets while retaining unknown capabilities. With Izanagi's clock ticking, he launched forward - he had to identify Kaito's other Mangekyo power before time ran out.

The battle resumed in a whirlwind of steel. Kaito's S-rank swordsmanship - enhanced by system training - pressed Obito relentlessly. Each time Obito phased through an attack, Kaito exploited the five-second vulnerability window with Divine Presence, forcing Obito to rely on Izanagi's resurrection.

As the minutes passed, Obito grew increasingly desperate. His invincibility wouldn't last forever, while Kaito showed no signs of fatigue.

Unbeknownst to the combatants, observers were gathering at the battle's periphery...

Hidden in the shadows, the bandaged strategist observed the brutal confrontation unfolding before him. His single visible eye narrowed as he assessed the combatants - the self-proclaimed legendary shinobi and the Uchiha prodigy who now stood against him.

"So the masked one claims to be Madara," he murmured, "and the other... that Uchiha boy."

His grip tightened on his cane as he witnessed the telltale crimson pattern spinning in the younger fighter's eyes. Another Mangekyo awakened. Another unpredictable variable.

"The Uchiha clan continues to produce dangerous elements," he muttered. "This confirms the necessity of tonight's operation."

Cold calculation replaced any lingering doubts about his conspirator's loyalty. With the masked warrior fully engaged against this new threat, the pieces were falling into place.

His attention snapped back to the battle as the Uchiha youth performed an impossible maneuver - vanishing from one position only to materialize behind his opponent, blade piercing straight through the masked man's chest. Yet before the killing blow could land, the wounded figure dissolved into nothingness, reappearing moments later unharmed.

"Izanagi..." The word escaped his lips before he could stop it. To force such a desperate measure from a warrior of that caliber... This changed everything.

Even with his stolen ocular power, he'd never been confident in facing the masked one's spatial techniques. Yet here stood a Uchiha youth not only matching but surpassing that legendary prowess.