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Chapter 22: There Are Three Ways to Counter Kamui. Three!
"This brat..."
Uchiha Obito stood amid the flickering flames, his expression darkening.
He had originally been observing from the shadows, waiting for news of Uchiha Sasuke. What he didn't expect was for Kitagawa Gen to collide with Sasuke!
Still, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing—he had been looking for a chance to test Kitagawa Gen, and with Sasuke there too, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
What he didn't expect, however, was that this brat—who was calmly discussing Uchiha Itachi just a moment ago—would suddenly throw a kunai with explosive tags straight at him?
If he hadn't kept his Kamui active the whole time, that might've actually done some damage!
To be spotted and even attacked first... by a kid?
Now that was something Obito found hard to accept.
"...But this kid's perception seems unusually sharp."
Obito narrowed his gaze. He had merely approached a little closer and was already detected. That was impressive.
"You two stay alert. If the chance comes, get out of here—fast," Gen whispered.
He figured the earlier explosion would attract attention, but he still gave the warning, just in case.
"That guy is likely Uchiha Itachi's ally. And Sasuke… are you really sure the Uchiha were all wiped out that night?"
"…"
Sasuke, still reeling from the sudden turn of events, turned grim at that question.
What kind of question is that?!
But as he looked toward the firelight—and saw the figure standing within the flames, face obscured by a mask, with a single glowing red eye—his expression turned pale.
"Is that... a Sharingan?"
"A what?"
Naruto was totally lost. He just knew this guy was the enemy—anything beyond that was over his head.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Naruto clutched his stomach and dropped to the ground, his chakra growing wild. A red aura began leaking from his body.
"The Nine-Tails is reacting?"
Gen immediately understood.
The fox clearly hadn't forgotten that man's chakra. But in a way, that wasn't a bad thing.
If the Nine-Tails stirred, everyone in the village would notice.
"The Nine-Tails... Still just as foolish."
Obito gave Naruto a glance and spoke with casual contempt.
"You've got sharp eyes, kid. But—"
He wasn't bothered by being seen. After all, he was Uchiha Madara now.
He began walking forward, the flames seemingly parting around him. And then, in an instant, he vanished—reappearing right in front of the trio.
"—it's all meaningless."
"Run!"
Gen had been watching Obito's movements the entire time. The instant he acted, Gen shoved Sasuke and Naruto aside. At the same time, purple lightning sparked in his hand.
Obito's strength was ridiculous. That night of the Nine-Tails' attack, he'd wiped out an entire ANBU team in seconds, and even controlled the Nine-Tails with a mere glance.
He had survived a Rasengan from Minato and lived.
Clearly, the man could take a beating.
But his core abilities weren't that exceptional—he relied almost entirely on Kamui.
To fight him—or even just stall him—you needed strategy.
Fortunately, Gen knew there were three ways to counter Kamui. Three!
Buzz—
The purple lightning slashed across Obito's mask, but didn't leave a scratch.
Obito countered immediately, a chain appearing in his hand. He swung it as he dodged Gen's strike.
But Obito's brow furrowed. Gen had clearly anticipated this, ducking low and dodging with ease.
His first attack missed—surprisingly. But Obito didn't stop.
Gen vanished again, narrowly avoiding another strike, putting distance between them as he began weaving hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball roared forward, engulfing Obito's path in flames. But he only sneered.
"Is that all Kakashi taught you? Pathetic."
He didn't even bother to dodge. His Sharingan flickered—and suddenly, several enormous shuriken spun through the air toward Gen.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Gen raised an eyebrow, no longer holding back. The earth quaked, and a massive wall rose to block the incoming blades.
"Not bad," Obito sneered. "Your sealing speed is fast. But if your goal is to draw attention, you'll need to buy time first."
"Oh, I've bought enough."
As the wall crumbled, Gen emerged, his gaze locked on Obito.
"You're not a clone, and you're not an illusion. You've used some method to make yourself intangible—probably some kind of space-time jutsu. I've heard the Fourth Hokage had one. Yours... must be similar."
"Yes," Obito admitted.
Then he vanished—and reappeared from the ground, launching a strike directly at Gen.
"But knowing won't help you. Can you endure it? Don't you know? The Leaf Shinobi are always late!"
Whoosh—
The chain swept again—but Gen leapt up, hurling more kunai toward Obito.
They passed straight through him.
"Pointless. In the face of overwhelming power, resistance is meaningless."
Obito surged forward again. But as his chain struck, something felt off.
Buzz—buzz—buzz!
Gen's body erupted into purple lightning—it was a clone!
"A lightning clone? During the Earth Wall?"
Obito's Sharingan was sharp, but even it had limits. He'd been fooled by Kakashi's lightning clone before—this was no different.
Electricity surged up his chain, and Obito's eyes narrowed. At that exact moment, a barrage of kunai rained down behind him.
"This brat..."
Obito cursed and leapt back, his eye glowing as the world around him began to twist.
He wanted to teleport himself, but he had just physically attacked—meaning he was in his real body now.
And with only one Mangekyō eye, teleporting himself took longer than teleporting other things.
Priority one: get rid of those kunai!
Space twisted—and the kunai vanished.
But not far away, Gen had already moved to a safer distance.
When he saw that scene, he smiled.
This was the moment he'd been waiting for...