Chapter 61: Obito's Decisive Retreat

Chapter 61: Obito's Decisive Retreat

At this critical moment, Yusuke was able to appear so suddenly thanks to a contingency he had prepared long ago!

Over three years earlier, when Yusuke first awakened his Sharingan, he also developed a unique ability he had never revealed to anyone—"Enbō no Jutsu (Blazing Step Technique)." (Kagerō).

This technique allowed Yusuke to channel the power of Ryūjin Jakka through his Sharingan and instantly ignite his target. The activation was strikingly similar to Itachi's "Amaterasu," but the nature and color of the flames were completely different.

Unlike the Mangekyō Sharingan-derived abilities, Yusuke's Enbō no Jutsu (Blazing Step Technique) was a mutation caused by the influence of Ryūjin Jakka within his spiritual world, making his Sharingan fundamentally different from that of other Uchiha.

Upon mastering this power, Yusuke seized the chance to implant a conditional eye technique(Kagerō) in the eyes of his younger sister Izumi and his mother Uchiha Hazuki.

(Note: Sharp-eyed readers might recall a brief mention of this setup back in Chapter 35!)

This implanted technique was reminiscent of what Itachi had left in Sasuke's eye in the original story: a reflexive trigger set to activate upon encountering Obito (whom Itachi mistakenly believed to be Madara), causing Amaterasu to instantly attack.

However, Yusuke's version had a different trigger: it would activate the moment the host was about to suffer a fatal injury, instantly unleashing Enbō no Jutsu (Blazing Step Technique) to incinerate any threats nearby.

Still, Kagerō alone might not guarantee complete protection. What made it truly remarkable was that it drew directly on the power of Ryūjin Jakka, meaning the flames remained connected to its source at the moment of ignition.

In practical terms, this connection allowed Yusuke to use his Enbō no Jutsu (Blazing Step Technique). to traverse space via the fire itself, appearing right beside the endangered host in an instant!

Unfortunately, the number of times Yusuke could implant this technique was limited by the number of Sharingan he possessed. With only two eyes, he was able to safeguard only his sister and mother. Otherwise, he would have loved to extend this protection to his disciples, Kabuto and Itachi, as well.

"Yusuke!"

"Big Brother!"

The moment Yusuke appeared, everyone cried out in shock.

From the near-fatal attack on Izumi, the sudden eruption of flames that shielded her, to Yusuke materializing from within the fire—it all happened in the blink of an eye, leaving everyone stunned.

Yet after their initial shock, a powerful wave of joy swept through them.

In this desperate hour, when the entire Uchiha clan faced annihilation, Yusuke's sudden arrival felt like a powerful shot of courage, giving everyone someone they could depend on.

With a sweeping motion of his longsword, Yusuke absorbed all the surrounding flames back into Ryūjin Jakka, carefully preventing the fire from harming his own people.

"Big Brother! Kabuto—Kabuto... he protected me, and now he's—he's—"

Seeing Yusuke's broad back standing protectively in front of them, Izumi finally felt the immense pressure on her shoulders ease.

But the next instant, grief overwhelmed her as she recalled Kabuto's sacrifice, and she tearfully cried out to Yusuke.

Startled, Yusuke immediately turned to look at Kabuto, who lay limp and motionless in Hazuki's arms.

Upon closer inspection, although Kabuto appeared lifeless, impaled by terrifying wooden spikes, Yusuke—whose spiritual perception was exceptionally sharp—could sense that Kabuto was not truly dead.

Instead, Kabuto was in a state of suspended animation, where his body was autonomously trying to heal itself.

During his time training under Tsunade, Kabuto had learned about the secrets behind her Strength of a Hundred Seal (Yin Seal).

Though he wasn't Tsunade's personal student and had never formally learned the seal itself, Kabuto, ever the prodigy, had adapted what he observed into two medical techniques for his own use—Cellular Regeneration (Yin Healing Wound Destruction) and Physical Recovery Enhancement.

In the original timeline, Kabuto's techniques were partially inspired by the vitality of the Uzumaki clan (specifically Karin).

Here, even without studying the Uzumaki, Kabuto's exposure to Tsunade's teachings allowed him to create versions of these techniques that were every bit as effective—if not even superior.

Just then, Yusuke noticed something even more surprising: there was an active lifeform inside Kabuto's body that didn't belong to him.

"Hmm? What's this? This kid... he really is a genius!"

It turned out that after being struck by Obito's Wood Piercing Technique, Kabuto had secretly performed a summoning technique, calling dozens of tiny slugs into his own body to assist in repairing his internal injuries.

Even with all these emergency measures, though, the damage from Obito's devastating attack had pushed Kabuto to the brink of death.

"Hey! Hey! You bastard! Where the hell did you drag me to?! What about my body?!"

Suddenly, a furious male voice echoed inside the underground chamber.

Following the voice, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief—dangling from Yusuke's belt was... a severed head, and it was talking!

The severed head belonged to none other than Hidan, a new member of the Akatsuki.

Seeing this, Tobi and Obito immediately recognized the grisly sight.

"Did he seriously wipe out the four Akatsuki members assigned to ambush him by himself?!"

"And how the hell did he travel straight from the Land of Rain to here?"

Plagued by mounting fear and doubt, Obito made a quick, ruthless decision: he would abandon tonight's mission to exterminate the Uchiha.

It wasn't just Yusuke's overwhelming strength that worried him—there was also Izumi, who had already demonstrated the ability to injure even his Kamui-warping body.

One wrong move, and Obito might lose his life here.

As for Danzo and Root... what did they matter to him?

Obito was a man of swift, decisive action.

Once he realized the situation was beyond salvaging, he didn't hesitate for even a second.

He immediately reclaimed control of his body from White Zetsu's avatar, Tobi, and without a word, activated Kamui, phasing through the wall of the underground cavern and disappearing without a trace.

Obito's escape was so abrupt and fast that even Yusuke was momentarily caught off-guard.

Although Yusuke was loath to let Obito slip away, there was little he could do against someone determined to flee with Kamui.

More importantly, Kabuto's life was still hanging by a thread—saving him took priority.

"Everyone, don't worry—Kabuto isn't dead yet," Yusuke announced firmly.

With a hard thud, he knocked the ranting Hidan unconscious using the hilt of his sword.

Then, under a myriad of shocked, fearful, bewildered, and downright bizarre stares, Yusuke made his way to Kabuto's side.

The reason for those strange looks was obvious—Hidan's severed but still living head hanging from Yusuke's belt.

Although everyone was dying to ask what on earth was going on, they wisely chose to hold their questions for now, understanding that Kabuto's condition came first.

After giving the group a quick but reassuring explanation about Kabuto's situation, Yusuke began immediate treatment, allowing everyone to breathe a little easier.

(Note: Please remind me in the comments if there are some mistakes)