Chapter 52: Target

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"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"

The battle between Shuuzawa and Kakuzu caused shockwaves that spread far and wide, even affecting Shisui and Sasori. 

But with their long-standing grudge, the disruption barely slowed them. They quickly resumed fighting, their focus undeterred. 

As the black iron sand transformed into a thousand senbon, Shisui let out a quiet snort and charged forward instead of retreating.

A faint green chakra swirled around his body. He didn't dare activate Susanoo on a large scale, but still used its defensive form to shield himself.

"Still… using Susanoo drains my eyes." Muttering to himself, Shisui's hands formed hand seals at lightning speed.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Jutsu!"

A roaring dragon made of fire erupted, barreling toward the direction of the Third Kazekage. 

Protected by Susanoo, Shisui remained unscathed, and despite the pain in his eyes, he pushed forward with incredible speed. 

The best way to fight a puppet master was close-quarters combat—if he got tangled in their strings, things would get messy fast.

Watching Shisui's movements, Sasori easily guessed his intent. He immediately had the Third Kazekage puppet leap into the air with him. 

But as he tried to take flight, he noticed something strange—Shisui's speed had increased again!

That eerie Body Flicker Technique brought Shisui to his side in a flash, even faster than the fire-style attack he had just launched.

"Tch, what a nuisance."

Sasori reacted instantly. Even though he was a puppet master, his close-combat skills were nothing to scoff at. 

His wrist unfolded, and a blade shot out from his sleeve.

Without hesitation, he slashed at Shisui—but as soon as the blade hit, he realized something was off. 

It wasn't the real body. Then, suddenly, two more Shisuis appeared beside him, mimicking his exact movements.

There was no way to tell them apart. Each one radiated the same chakra, making it impossible to tell which was the original.

"Genjutsu? Shadow Clones? Or just sheer speed?"

Unfortunately, Sasori had no time to figure it out. In the blink of an eye, he was already surrounded!

Blazing fire blocked him from the front, while identical Shisuis flanked his left, right, and rear. The overwhelming scene left Sasori briefly unable to decide what to do.

"Magnet Release: Magnetic Field Barrier!"

Since he couldn't tell which was real, he chose defense. Without pause, he had iron sand swirl around him, rapidly forming a protective shell.

"What a turtle."

Shisui's short blade slammed against the iron sand barrier, sending a jolt through his arms.

The strength of the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release lived up to its name. But what frustrated Shisui more was that Sasori seemed immune to his genjutsu.

He had tried locking eyes with him multiple times, yet none of his illusions landed.

Even without using his Mangekyō's unique ability, Kotoamatsukami, genjutsu from those eyes should still be effective.

Realizing this wasn't working, Shisui swiftly retreated a few steps.

"This won't work if I keep going like this… I'll need to change my approach."

"Tch, you're out of options, kid."

Sasori noticed Shisui pulling back and emerged from behind his magnetic defenses.

"You're troublesome, but not strong enough. My turn now!"

"Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!"

As he spoke, countless grains of iron sand burst from the Third Kazekage puppet's body. In a second, they formed a giant iron cage.

The iron sand shaped into deadly blades that pierced and enclosed the battlefield. Shisui was forced to dodge rapidly just to survive.

"Die!"

As Shisui evaded, the Third Kazekage puppet suddenly accelerated along the iron sand tracks, aiming straight for him at terrifying speed.

Seeing this, Shisui didn't hesitate. His gaze ignored the puppet entirely and locked directly onto Sasori nearby.

"This is it."

With a low murmur, the protective Susanoo around him surged in size. Chakra turned into bone, sinew, and armor, forming the second stage of the technique.

A line of blood trickled from Shisui's eye from the immense strain, but the transformation was complete—a massive chakra warrior roared into existence.

"Susanoo"

With a powerful shout, Shisui commanded the Susanoo to open its armored chest. 

Inside, countless chakra senbon formed and rained down like a storm upon Sasori.

"What is that technique?!" Sasori's face twisted. He could feel it—this attack could wipe him out completely.

It wasn't just the power. The density and spread meant his core, his puppet heart, could be hit. 

That secret allowed him to move like a human despite being fully mechanized.

In an instant, every mechanism in Sasori's puppet body activated. A barrage of hidden weapons fired at the oncoming senbon. 

Simultaneously, all his defensive systems shifted to protect his core.

The Third Kazekage puppet quickly retreated, moving with peak agility inside the Iron Sand World Method's terrain.

A deafening explosion suddenly shook the area at that moment of peak tension. Blinding flames and violent tremors rocked the battlefield. 

Shisui and Sasori struggled to stay on their feet as the ground beneath them cracked and buckled. 

An immense shockwave rippled outward, toppling trees in the distance.

"What the hell was that?"

The battle screeched to a halt as neither could ignore the quake. Turning toward the source, both Shisui and Sasori froze.

A red light pierced the sky. From afar, it looked like the land had caved in. Smoke billowed upward, shrouding everything in a hellish haze.

And within that inferno… A massive dragon, cloaked in fire, slowly rose from the ground, radiating overwhelming power.

Witnessing the sight, both warriors couldn't help but have the same thought.

"That… is a technique worthy of ending an era."

"Is this… inside Obito's Mangekyō space?" In Kamui's dimension, Obito launched a brutal assault on Kakashi. 

The latter dodged while silently observing his surroundings. Obito had no intention of fighting him outside. 

From the very moment they clashed, he pulled Kakashi into this space.

Not that Kakashi resisted. This kind of confined area was more suited for a direct conversation.

"Obito, calm down." Kakashi dodged swiftly as he spoke in a low voice.

"This path you're on… it leads nowhere. Turn back."

"Shut up." Obito didn't care for his words at all.

"I didn't come here to be lectured. Especially not by you, you pathetic failure!"

His attacks grew faster and more vicious. 

Kakashi was forced into retreat, drawing a mocking smirk from Obito.

"You have become useless. What happened to that cocky genius you used to be? Is he dead already?"

Faced with Obito's scorn, Kakashi had no words. The space echoed only with the clash of kunai and black rods, their metallic screeches filling the void.

Both had Mangekyō Sharingan, one in each eye. Their insight was evenly matched.

But Kakashi remained somewhat restrained, still hoping to reach Obito with words. Obito, however, showed no such mercy.

"What are you after, Obito?" After another exchange, Kakashi seized a brief opening as Obito swept his rod sideways. 

He lunged forward, grabbing Obito's wrist with his left hand. But instead of following with a strike, he asked quietly,

"You've already made so many mistakes… aren't you tired of this path?"

"Mistakes? Me?" Though masked, the contempt in Obito's visible Sharingan was clear.

"Don't joke with me. You're just an idiot. A clueless, naive idiot!"

Violently jerked his left arm, and a metal chain dropped from his sleeve. Without hesitation, he whipped it at Kakashi.

"Damn it!"

Kakashi cursed as he barely blocked the strike with his kunai, but the force knocked the blade from his hand.

"Let me borrow your hand for a moment." Uchiha Obito sneered coldly as he locked Kakashi's right hand with his left, starting a string of hand seals. 

"Didn't you want to know what I'm planning? I know you're trying to get information from me, but I don't care. I already told you everything!"

Already told me? Kakashi listened while his mind quickly analyzed Obito's words, yet his hands didn't stop moving. 

He abruptly released Obito's right hand, a kunai appearing in his palm. He didn't hold back this time—he thrust it straight at Obito.

"Now this is more interesting than that useless fool who couldn't even fight back!"

Obito mocked him again, just as he completed the first seal. Twisting his body, he swung his black rod to meet Kakashi's kunai. 

A sharp, screeching clash rang out. Then, Obito let out a cold snicker.

"Let me explain this to you again, idiot. What I want is to destroy this fake world!"

"Every ounce of pain—war, Rin's death—it was all caused by this world. A world like this is hell." 

"Just breathing in it makes me sick. I'm going to tear it all down. Do you get it now?"

Destroy the world…? Kakashi was stunned. He hadn't thought Obito was serious. But how would he even do that?

Obito didn't give him time to think. Seeing Kakashi hesitate, he drove a punch into his face.

"Still daydreaming? You think I won't kill you?"

"Ugh!" Kakashi grimaced in pain, losing his balance and stumbling. At that very moment, Obito completed another hand seal.

"This can't go on..." Kakashi supported himself with one hand on the ground and launched a kick toward Obito. 

But Obito was far more focused and easily dodged. Kakashi immediately hurled his kunai, but Obito's black rod smacked it aside as he rushed in.

With a loud whoosh, Obito swept his rod in a wide arc. Kakashi leapt back, but Obito was too close—his hand caught Kakashi's again.

"Obito! We can still change this world. Stop being a fool!"

Kakashi's heart sank as Obito used his hand to complete the final seal. A sense of danger surged in his chest. He quickly whispered his plea.

"Change it? This world isn't worth changing!" Obito swung his rod again, and Kakashi narrowly avoided it by jumping into the air. 

The kunai that had been knocked away earlier was now falling fast. Kakashi adjusted his body midair and gave it a solid kick!

The kunai's trajectory changed, whistling toward Obito.

Obito dodged it with a quick leap, and in that instant, chakra surged violently within him. The jutsu he had prepared was finally unleashed.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A roaring blaze exploded toward Kakashi, who swiftly formed hand seals in midair. Obito prepared to follow up. If he had to fight Kakashi, so be it. 

As for Black Zetsu's request to probe Kakashi's eye, he'd already tossed that aside.

He carried hatred and people he couldn't let go of. Right now, he only wanted to act on his terms.

"Obito, wait—something's happening outside."

Just as he was about to press his attack, a White Zetsu attached to him suddenly spoke up.

"Hmm?"

Obito stopped, clearly annoyed at being interrupted like this. "What is it?"

"Not sure, but it seems serious."

Even White Zetsu sounded uncertain. After all, this was a separate dimension—communication alone was difficult. He didn't know what was happening either.

"But from what I've heard, the black one's in a panic. Something big must be going down."

"Is that so..."

Obito's eyes drifted to the dirt wall with a carved dog's head that had appeared without his intervention. 

After a pause, he shook his head. No point in continuing this fight. He should go see what was happening outside.

After all, there was still that Mangekyō he was interested in, and that Senju brat who kept getting in his way.

Thinking of that, Obito looked back toward Kakashi. Before leaving, he had to remove the "trash" here.

With a sudden burst of speed, Obito charged in. 

Kakashi, who had just dodged the Fire Style attack, caught sight of Obito flanking him and narrowed his eyes.

"It's over!"

Obito locked onto him, his Sharingan spinning rapidly. Kakashi raised his kunai and rushed to meet him. 

The space around them began to twist—Obito's expression under the mask suddenly shifted.

"A Lightning Clone?"

Kakashi had used the earthen wall as a cover to create a lightning clone and trick him!

Obito scowled and immediately tried to locate the real Kakashi with his Sharingan, but Kakashi's Mangekyō was already locked onto him!

The space between them warped violently. Kakashi's lightning clone exploded right beside Obito.

"Damn it!"

A sharp jolt spread through Obito's body, paralyzing him momentarily.

And at that exact moment, he and Kakashi reappeared in the real world.

Because of Kakashi's jutsu, Kamui's dimension was partially open. To stabilize it, Obito was forced to amplify his Mangekyō output—

But the strain became too much for Kakashi. After a brief standoff, his body staggered and nearly collapsed.

Obito wasn't pleased in the slightest. His face behind the mask twisted with even more frustration.

He had sensed it. Someone had silently approached from behind.

"Looks like the fight is over… for now."

Shigenari Shuuzawa observed the scene in the forest—Kakashi slowly waking with a dazed look, an exasperated Shisui, and the unharmed Yuugao. 

He gave a slight nod. But as his eyes swept across the area, he thought: This place can hardly be called a forest anymore.

The massive, still-burning crater and the scattered devastation were the only remnants of what had once been forest.

He had to admit—Wood Style's destructive power was truly overwhelming. Especially when combined with the power of the Curse Mark.

With the Curse Mark at level 6, its duration extended, and its power rose significantly. 

With Yin Release at level 5, its support capabilities were just as impressive.

Under both effects, the power of his Wood Dragon had reached an entirely new level.

The third stage of Susanoo was already a perfect balance of offense and defense. Even the fourth stage might lose in raw power and defense.

The third stage, Susanoo, was fully armored and armed, though it lacked legs and mobility, essentially becoming an immobile fortress.

The fourth stage doesn't have such features—or rather, this portion of chakra is converted into the structure of Susanoo, granting it mobility. 

While this does decrease Susanoo's defensive and offensive power to a degree, it makes it much more suitable for combat.

"It's a shame that Shisui never used the third stage of Susanoo, and I don't have a comparison right now, but the power from this is still pretty good," Shuuzawa commented, satisfied with the destruction he had caused. 

It consumed a large amount of his chakra, but thankfully, his recovery speed was just as fast. "Alright, it's over now."

Shisui gave a small nod, blood still trailing from the corners of his eyes. Yuugao wanted to heal him, but he refused in the end. 

After all, this wasn't something that medical ninjutsu could fix, and he wasn't in the best mood either.

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