Chapter 254: Overconfident Kage

The rustling of towering pine trees filled the air, casting long shadows as they swayed.

A figure, like a streak of blue lightning, suddenly dropped from the treetops.

Raikage's eyes burned red with fury, locked onto his target with an unyielding gaze.

The man before him—his hands stained with the blood of countless Kumogakure shinobi—was the butcher responsible for slaughtering thousands.

He had to die.

With a sudden burst of speed, Raikage flickered behind Obito in the blink of an eye, roaring with rage.

"Lightning Chop!"

A violent gust, crackling with lightning chakra, surged from his palm.

With a deafening sizzle, his hand came crashing down toward the unsuspecting Obito.

As his attack closed in, a look of satisfaction spread across Raikage's face.

"Even if the First Hokage himself were alive, there's no way he could dodge at this range!"

"Die, brat! Consider it an honor to fall by my hand!"

"Join the sons of Kumogakure in the afterlife—!"

But at that very moment, everything changed.

"Σ(｀д′*ノ)ノNani?!"

As if watching a nightmare unfold, Raikage's eyes widened in disbelief.

His devastating chop had passed straight through Obito's body—like slicing through air.

His heart sank.

His attack had missed.

And with the momentum of his strike, his body was still lunging forward, unable to stop.

Like a phantom, Obito appeared beside him, his voice low and eerie.

"Sorry, but it's time to say goodbye…"

Twisting his body, Obito swung his leg in a brutal arc, slamming his shin into Raikage's stomach.

"Lava Style!"

Molten chakra instantly corroded and tore through A's Lightning Armor.

A monstrous force, heavier than a mountain, crashed into him.

BOOM! CRACK!

A shockwave erupted as Raikage was sent flying.

He crashed through branch after branch, before finally slamming into the ground, limbs splayed out in all directions.

Obito smirked in satisfaction.

"The timing and angle of that kick were perfect. Madara's training really paid off."

"A simple, unremarkable jutsu like this… would've never been able to harm the Raikage in the past."

(Since this involves chakra nature transformation, it qualifies as either ninjutsu or taijutsu.)

Obito let out a quiet sigh.

"Madara was right. There are no useless jutsu—only useless shinobi."

He turned to look at the Raikage, who was struggling to push himself up but failing miserably.

Obito could feel it. The difference in strength.

A few years ago, he had been evenly matched with Raikage.

But now, a single move was all it took to send him crashing to the ground.

"Hmm?"

Sensing something, Obito lifted his head.

From above, a massive wave of golden sand surged forward.

Standing atop the rolling dunes was Rasa, his cold eyes locked onto Obito.

Suspended in the air around him were dozens of razor-sharp spears made of pure gold dust.

Raising a single hand, he clenched his fingers slightly.

"Magnet Style: Gold Dust Imperial Burial."

At his command, the golden spears shot toward Obito in a deadly barrage.

But that wasn't all.

The shifting sands beneath Obito's feet sharpened into slicing blades, forming an inescapable death trap.

"Ever felt yourself shattering?"

Seeing Obito ensnared in his golden sand, Rasa smirked cruelly.

"Within my Gold Dust Prison, you'll be torn apart, piece by piece."

"Your body will be broken. Your soul will be shattered. Until nothing remains of you but dust, lost to the deserts of Sunagakure!"

"This is your fate!"

"Sigh… These Kage are so average, yet so confident."

Obito chuckled, shaking his head.

"Have they been in power for so long that they're drowning in their own delusions of past glory?"

"How foolish… This era no longer belongs to you."

"The new age… is mine. The era of Uchiha Obito!"

Surrounded by golden dust and flashing blades, Obito leisurely dusted off his sleeve, clicking his tongue.

"From a professional standpoint, your speech just now lacked structure and depth."

"This brat—!"

Rasa seethed.

His fury ignited, he raised both hands high and roared.

"Magnet Style: Grand Gold Dust Funeral!"

Like a raging tidal wave, golden sand engulfed Obito, forming a towering tornado of pure destruction.

The spiraling force of the gold dust was powerful enough to crush steel into nothingness.

Yet even as he was swallowed by the storm, Obito remained perfectly calm.

"And yet, from an artistic perspective, your performance had great visual appeal. Deidara would've liked it."

Rasa's veins bulged as he let out a furious scream.

"Magnet Style: Golden Sand Tsunami! Die already!"

"Why?! Why does he keep slipping through my Magnet Release?!"

"What kind of ability is this?! How does it work?! How do I counter it?!"

As if phasing out of existence, Obito emerged effortlessly from the golden tornado.

Silently, he appeared behind Rasa and patted him on the shoulder.

"All in all, your performance wasn't bad. You just had the misfortune of facing me."

"What?!"

A cold chill shot down Rasa's spine.

His head snapped around—only to be met with Obito's infuriating smirk.

"Taijutsu: Basic Kick."

Rasa was sent flying.

BOOM! CRACK!

Since Rasa had a weaker constitution, Obito had been careful not to use Lava Release. Wouldn't want to accidentally kill him, after all.

(These two still have a role to play later.)

With perfect precision, Obito's kick sent Rasa crashing straight into Raikage—who had just managed to sit up.

Once again, A was knocked flat.

...

Meanwhile, on the Fire Country border…

After taking care of business, Obito controlled the massive wooden Buddha to march toward the forest's edge.

At the same time, he deconstructed and reshaped it, blending it into the surrounding trees.

Even with his abundance of chakra, wastefulness was not an Uchiha virtue.

Recycling was an important part of the shinobi way.

When the towering statue finally vanished, revealing the vast forest beyond, the Konoha shinobi could only gape in awe.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't hide his astonishment.

"To alter the terrain across hundreds of miles… This child's Wood Release is no weaker than the First Hokage's."

Yet behind those words, his true thoughts ran deeper.

"No… His Wood Release has already surpassed the First Hokage's."

"How? Why can Obito use Wood Release?!"

(Obito: It's simple. Just imagine yourself as a tree, bury your feet in the soil, and sunbathe for half an hour each day…)

"And how has he refined it to this extent?!"

Hiruzen puffed his pipe, his curiosity reaching unbearable levels.

He glanced at Minato, who seemed lost in thought.

"That brat… keeping secrets from me, huh?"

"Just wait until we get back. Let's see how you explain this one, Minato!"

As those thoughts played in his mind, Hiruzen couldn't help but smile.

"Wonderful… Simply wonderful."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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