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"Damn it!"
Uchiha Obito cursed under his breath, then used Kamui to evade the fatal attack and fled in a sorry state.
After all, Obito's Kamui worked by hiding parts of his body within the Kamui dimension to avoid lethal blows. However, with Kakashi now inside the Kamui space, he clearly couldn't rely on it too much—otherwise, he'd be ambushed from both inside and outside the dimension.
Fortunately, the Kamui dimension was vast enough that Kakashi couldn't immediately target him, allowing Obito to narrowly escape.
From the shadows, Nagato Uzumaki observed silently. Though he didn't know what Obito had just experienced, seeing his disheveled state, it was clear that the earlier ambush had failed.
"Hmph, such incompetence… But still…
Fifth Hokage Hatake Kakashi, it seems you're quite the formidable opponent. To counter such an unusual ability so quickly is no small feat."
Nagato was unaware that Kakashi had been "cheating." Even so, facing such an opponent, Nagato—though confident in his own seemingly unbeatable abilities—didn't dare let his guard down.
At this moment, Kakashi returned to the real world. After glancing at the surrounding shinobi, he issued a command.
"The mission continues."
"Yes."
Watching Kakashi's group advance all the way to the gates of Amegakure, Nagato finally allowed a cold smirk to form on his lips.
The moment they stepped onto this land, Kakashi had sensed something amiss and immediately activated his Mangekyō Sharingan to investigate.
"What is this?!"
"Ninja Art: One Hundred Billion Explosive Tags!!!"
Konan's unique Paper Release technique spread out instantly, transforming the ground beneath Konoha's elite forces into countless explosive tags.
"Repent for your arrogance and perish before these explosive tags, which will detonate for a full minute! Konoha!!"
Konan, her wings unfurled mid-air like an angel, delivered her cold verdict. A deafening series of explosions followed.
This unprecedented barrage of explosive tags left everyone who witnessed it utterly stunned. One hundred billion explosive tags—such a quantity surpassed even the combined stockpiles of the entire ninja world. It was a testament to the terrifying power of Konan's Paper Release.
Even Ye Wen, observing from the shadows (or spectating), was taken aback.
The claim that Konan had purchased six trillion explosive tags using Kakuzu's savings was nothing more than a joke. Such a massive circulation of explosive tags—a military resource—would have been impossible to hide, especially given Akatsuki's strategy of maintaining a low profile during their early development.
However, accumulating one hundred billion explosive tags at this point in time was still an impressive feat. This Konan truly knew how to manufacture them.
Replacing his damaged eye with a new three-tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Obito watched the scene unfold from afar, equally wary.
If Konan could concentrate those explosive tags into a focused attack, even Obito's Kamui wouldn't have been able to withstand it. The only reason she hadn't done so was because she hadn't mastered the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags technique. If she had, the combination would have been far more devastating than a simple 1+1=2 equation.
As the explosions continued, the number of explosive tags gradually dwindled until the chaos subsided.
But soon, both Konan and Nagato, hidden in the shadows, noticed something amiss. While the explosive tags detonated with blinding flashes of fire, no one had initially noticed the faint golden glow emanating from within the smoke. Now that the explosions had ceased, the golden light stood out prominently.
"What is that?! Is it Susanoo? No, it doesn't feel the same…"
Seeing the sacred and majestic half-formed figure, Obito first thought of his own Susanoo, hailed as a divine force. But he quickly dismissed the idea.
Calmly analyzing the situation, Obito deduced the likely reason Kakashi had appeared in his Kamui space—it was probably due to the other Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan.
But even pure-blooded Uchiha like himself couldn't summon Susanoo with just one eye—let alone Kakashi.
Reflecting on his earlier helplessness, Obito's eyes darkened with malice.
Though none of the elite Konoha forces had fallen during the assault, Kakashi chose not to press the attack immediately.
Kakashi was reflecting. Despite having detailed intelligence on the enemy, he had still been careless enough to waste the great god's power.
After calming his mind, Kakashi dispelled the colossal divine figure.
Glancing at Konan hovering in the air, Kakashi turned to Aburame Shibi, known as the "All-Rounder Ninja," and said,
"She's yours."
"Leave her to me, Fifth Hokage."
Despite his oversized robes and ever-present sunglasses, Aburame Shibi remained unassuming.
Yet this unremarkable individual faced Konan, who had unleashed apocalyptic attacks moments ago, with unwavering confidence.
Kakashi nodded slightly, offering no further words, and pressed onward to find his next targets.
"Don't think you can advance any further! Paper Release: Paper Shuriken Technique!"
Konan, keenly aware of the threat posed by the man before her, chose to act despite knowing she was outmatched.
But as Kakashi had anticipated, Aburame Shibi stepped in.
A swarm of insects surged forth, blocking Konan's jutsu.
"Miss, your opponent is me."
Though members of the Aburame clan were often verbose, they knew when to cut to the chase. Without further ado, Shibi engaged Konan in battle.
Though Paper Release was powerful, it had its weaknesses—it was vulnerable to certain elements, including water, fire, oil, and naturally, insects, which could devour paper.
Due to this elemental disadvantage, Konan quickly found herself at a disadvantage.
However, aside from the one hundred billion explosive tags, Konan still had a substantial reserve of them, allowing her to fight Shibi to a stalemate.
"Konan…"
From the shadows, Nagato whispered her name with concern but quickly composed himself. The true and most important enemy was Kakashi.
"If I lose, everything ends."
But Nagato swiftly banished such defeatist thoughts from his mind.
"I, who have awakened the Rinnegan, cannot lose! And I will not lose!
If Konoha wishes for war, then let us fight until the heavens and earth are overturned! Let these great nations of Konoha understand what true suffering is!"
Pain Six Paths—Commence!!!
The Asura Path, modified by a puppet master, took the lead, unleashing missiles far beyond the technology of this era, launching a fierce assault toward Kakashi and his group.
But Kakashi was prepared. In an instant, he activated the Mangekyō Sharingan- Kamui in his left eye.
With a distortion of space, the massive missiles vanished into thin air.
But this alone wasn't enough to stop Pain's advance.
The Deva Path, Naraka Path, Asura Path, Human Path, Preta Path, and Animal Path all sprang into action.
In an instant, powerful shockwaves and bizarre summoning beasts flooded the streets, engaging Konoha's forces in a brutal and bloody battle.
From the shadows, Uchiha Obito clenched his fists tightly as he watched the scene unfold.
"So that bastard Kakashi really has mastered my Kamui!"
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