A Sage's Pursuit of Power

The presence of the Gedo Statue was like a nuclear deterrent, exuding overwhelming power. Even in the original storyline, Akatsuki which was the most formidable team felt powerless against it.

The statue was a being that occupied an absolute position in both offense and defense. No attack seemed capable of dealing significant damage to it.

Itachi attempted to use Amaterasu, and while it had some effect, the flames didn't behave as they did on other targets, where they burned indefinitely. Instead, the flames extinguished almost immediately after Itachi stopped his technique. He calculated that even if he pushed himself to the brink, he could only burn off about half of one tail.

The most troubling part was that, by this point, the only one left capable of aiding Itachi was Shin.

Shin performed beyond expectations, summoning a massive Wood Release technique that managed to temporarily bind the creature.

The technique was a weakened version of the Wood Dragon Jutsu. Shin wasn't yet capable of using the full version in combat, but even this weaker iteration could immobilize an average tailed beast.

However, the Ten-Tails was no ordinary tailed beast. Within a few breaths, it broke free entirely.

Itachi realized the plan had completely failed.

At this point, his goal shifted to self-preservation. Just as he was preparing to retreat, an unexpected development occurred.

Deidara's Predicament

Deidara, having been gravely injured by the Ten-Tails' lightning attacks, was still alive but barely. As he struggled to his feet, he prepared to escape. While he was somewhat unhinged, he wasn't foolish; it was clear his art was powerless against this monstrosity.

However, when he tried to use Earth Release to flee underground, he found that Shin's Wood Release still sealed the underground. He had no choice but to retreat on foot.

As he moved, something felt wrong. A subtle numbness spread through his body, accompanied by faint sparks when he touched his skin.

Deidara's expression changed. He waved his right hand, releasing dozens of clay bombs, but they fizzled out midair, reduced to ordinary clay by an omnipresent electric field in the air.

Stunned, Deidara realized he had unwittingly walked into an invisible electromagnetic trap. The field wasn't particularly damaging, it only caused minor paralysis, but its pervasive nature rendered his explosive clay inert the moment it was exposed to the air.

This technique was practically a perfect counter to his abilities.

Initially, Deidara assumed the trap had been set by the Ten-Tails. But when Konoha's forces revealed themselves, he understood that they had been used as pawns.

With his explosive techniques neutralized, Deidara was reduced to an ordinary jonin in strength. Against the elite Konoha forces, he stood no chance. Kakashi quickly overwhelmed him and sent him into the Kamui Dimension.

With dual Mangekyō Sharingan, Kakashi's combat power was extraordinary. Combined with his tactical brilliance, Kamui was a devastating weapon.

At this point, Kakashi's strength rivaled that of the Fourth and Second Hokage, ranking among Konoha's top three. However, because the Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't originally his, the strain on his nervous and mental systems was significant, even with Hashirama cells to mitigate chakra consumption.

As a result, Kakashi couldn't use Kamui as casually as Obito.

Aoba had never initially intended to recruit Akatsuki members. Their personalities were difficult to control, and leaving them to cause trouble for Obito was part of his strategy.

However, plans couldn't keep up with changing circumstances. With several Akatsuki members severely weakened, Aoba took the opportunity to act.

After neutralizing Deidara, Konoha's next target was Kisame.

As a straightforward fighter, Kisame had endured the full brunt of the Ten-Tails' attack, bearing the greatest burden. If not for his extraordinary physique and the assistance of Samehada, he would have died on the spot.

Struggling to rise from the mud, Kisame was met with a flash of movement and a sharp pain in his chest.

Regaining clarity, Kisame attempted to counterattack, only to find himself unable to muster any chakra.

"Sealing Jutsu."

Four members of Konoha's sealing team had acted in unison, suppressing Kisame's chakra and physical movement before he could resist further. They also confiscated Samehada in the process.

By this point, Sasori and Hiruko had noticed Konoha's intervention. Of the two, Sasori was in better condition.

Though his Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu were destroyed, his Hiruko puppet had sustained little damage due to its strong defenses.

Seeing Konoha's forces appear, Sasori instinctively tried to escape, only to find himself blocked by none other than the Third and Fourth Hokage.

Meanwhile, Hiruko became Aoba's responsibility.

In just one minute after Konoha's intervention, nearly all of Akatsuki's members were neutralized, leaving only Itachi standing alone.

Aoba glanced at Sasuke, who was already trembling with suppressed emotions. Without a word, he gave Sasuke the go-ahead.

Sasuke, unable to hold back any longer, immediately charged forward. Itachi, seeing this, retreated, drawing Sasuke away from the battlefield.

The scene shifted from Akatsuki versus Obito to Konoha's forces surrounding Obito.

What troubled Obito the most was the aftermath of the earlier battles. In his desperation to defeat Akatsuki, he had overexerted himself using the Rinnegan.

Given his current physical condition, summoning and controlling the Ten-Tails was far from easy. While he had temporarily turned the tide, his body was nearing its limits.

Realizing the precariousness of his situation, Obito cursed under his breath. "Damn it. If Aoba Kamikawa or Madara Uchiha shows up now, I'm finished."

The Ten-Tails possessed the ability to manipulate natural weather, launching apocalyptic-level attacks. However, Obito could keenly feel that this creature was far from obedient. Even with only a sliver of consciousness, it constantly resisted his control.

Fortunately for him, the Ten-Tails lacked sufficient chakra to fully awaken.

Meanwhile, the Rinnegan's abilities had been exposed far too much. Both the Akatsuki and Konoha had immediately sealed off the skies, making aerial escape impossible. On the ground, Aoba Kamikawa was deemed by Obito to be even more dangerous than Madara Uchiha.

Adding to his woes, both of his Kamui Sharingan eyes were now in Kakashi's possession. As the original user of Kamui, Obito understood its lethal potential better than anyone.

From the moment Kakashi entered the battlefield, Obito had to tread carefully. If Kakashi locked onto him, even a single glance could spell instant death. If Kakashi managed to get close, Obito risked being pulled into the Kamui Dimension.

With Kakashi and Aoba on the battlefield, Obito felt suffocated despite having the Ten-Tails at his disposal. Moreover, the other two team leaders from Konoha were equally daunting: one a master of all five nature releases, leaving no tactical weaknesses, and the other wielding Flying Thunder God Technique with a skill level comparable to his former teacher, Minato Namikaze.

Such a lineup left no room for escape. No one in the entire shinobi world could walk away unscathed from this.

The only sliver of good news for Obito was that Aoba seemed to have an issue with his eyes. Without those terrifying genjutsu-capable Sharingan, Obito felt there was still a glimmer of hope.

He knew he couldn't afford to fall into Konoha's rhythm. If the three Flying Thunder God users attacked simultaneously, he would be forced to use Shinra Tensei repeatedly. Without that, he would be defeated in less than a minute.

In desperation, Obito pushed his body to its limits once again and activated another of the Rinnegan's signature abilities, targeting the Konoha shinobi below.

"Chibaku Tensei!"

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Currently on Chapter 298 - Something Feels Off