Chapter 52: The man with many names

Chapter 52 - The man with many names {A bit late cuz I was out celebrating my brother's birthday} A short distance away, the normally deserted pathway was in complete ruin. Scattered debris from what once appeared to be a lavish caravan littered the ground, while several merchant bodies lay motionless, their conditions unknown. The scene was chaotic, with shattered wooden planks, torn fabrics, and supplies strewn across the dirt road. One figure, however, stood out from the rest. A man clad in Konoha's standard Jōnin uniform lay motionless, his leaf headband still securely fastened to his forehead. A short distance away, a kunoichi much younger than the man was also unconscious, her leaf headband marking her as a Konoha ninja. Nearby, a man dressed in elaborate royal robes was shielded by twelve armed guards, standing protectively around him. Their tense stances and alert eyes made it clear they were preparing for the worst. A few meters ahead, two young shinobi stood facing a single opponent. A man with flowing black hair and a strange, swirly-patterned mask concealing his face. In his hand, he held long sword. One of the young shinobi, a boy with spiky black hair and onyx eyes, stood frozen in place, his body completely stiff. His companion clicked his tongue in irritation before rushing forward, aiming to strike the masked enemy head-on. However, before he could even get close, the masked man moved first. His blade was already inches from the boy's throat, traveling so fast that death seemed inevitable until, at the last moment, the boy was yanked backward with intense force, narrowly evading a fatal strike. The one responsible for pulling him back, a boy with deep blue eyes and short blue hair landed beside him in a blur and the two jumped back. The masked man's empty gaze shifted toward the new arrivals. Standing near the black-haired boy were now three more figures. Team 1 had arrived on the scene. ~~~~~~ As soon as Team 1 arrived, the man in royal robes let out a relieved voice, his tone filled with desperation. "Utakata! Thank the Sage you are here! This man is responsible for attacking me, the Daimyō of the Fire Nation. I order you, kill him at once!" However, Utakata didn't even spare the Daimyō a glance. His gaze remained locked onto the masked man standing before them. Without shifting his eyes away, he muttered in a low voice to his students, his tone grim. "Be ready to run at any moment. This man is not someone you can handle. He's the one responsible for the attack two years ago and the one who is responsible for killing the Fourth Hokage." The weight of those words slammed into Team 1 like a hammer. The Fourth Hokage. The mere mention of him sent a chill down their spines. The position of Hokage was reserved for the strongest shinobi, and among them, the Fourth was special. He had been young yet unmatched, a prodigy who could have become the strongest ninja in history if given the time to grow even further. Yet, the man standing before them was the one responsible for his death. Ren felt his breath hitch. He knew who this was. The man who deceived an entire world while wearing a mask. The false Madara. The one who started the Greatest War in Shinobi History over a girl he loved. The second Sage of Six Paths. Obito Uchiha. For a brief moment, Ren's eyes flicked to the brown-haired boy standing frozen in his hands, whose gaze was blank and unfocused. His mind likely unable to process what had just happened. He was almost dead. He then glanced at Itachi who was still frozen and remembered this scene. This was that moment. The canon event where Itachi awakened his Sharingan but now, with Team 1's unexpected intervention, things had shifted. Ren felt a strange sense of unease but at the same time 'Rewards.' A fleeting thought flashed through his mind. But before he could dwell on it, another, more urgent realization crashed over him like a wave, 'I need to survive first.' Obito and Utakata remained locked in a tense stare-down. Then, Obito finally spoke. His voice was low and hoarse, a voice that didn't match his stature. "You were lucky last time. But this time... I will finish the job." and then he vanished. A swirling distortion in space, and just like that he was gone. Ren's body tensed instantly, his instincts screaming as he prepared for an attack from any direction and then there was a loud impact. A thud, followed by a shockwave, as Utakata collided with Obito mid-air. Their battle had begun. Utakata's first strike was immediate, a brutal punch aimed at Obito's face. But it phased right through him. Utakata didn't hesitate. He shifted his stance, launching a series of rapid attacks, punches, kicks, even a kunai slash. Every single attack slipped through Obito like he was a ghost. Ren had landed near his teammates, watching intently. He knew how to deal with Obito, but how could he possibly explain that to Utakata? If he exposed too much knowledge, his biggest problem wouldn't be Obito. It would be the T&I Department in Konoha. Obito remained untouched, phasing through Utakata's attacks with almost bored indifference. Then, without warning he gave a single punch and it connected. Utakata was sent skidding back, dust and debris flying in his wake and then Obito turned his attention to Team 1. He appeared behind them in an instant, his sword slicing through the air, aimed directly at the three young shinobi. Ren's instincts screamed. Without thinking, he ducked, his body moving before his mind even registered the attack. In the same motion, he shoved both Yugao and Hitoshi's heads down with him, forcing them to avoid the deadly strike. The sword whistled through empty air. No blood spilled. Obito's masked gaze flickered slightly. "Hmm... Good instincts." Before he could press the attack, Utakata rushed in, passing through Obito's body once again. Ren barely had time to process what was happening when Obito raised his sword once again the there was a flash of silver. The sword was coming down. Straight for him. Time slowed. Ren could see every intricate detail of the blade, the tiny scratches, the angle of its descent, the way the light reflected off its polished edge. He could see the attack, evry single detail of it so he moved, trying to dodge but he wasn't fast enough. A sharp, burning pain exploded through his left arm. He barely had time to process the agony before his body reacted instinctively. His claws lashed out, striking at Obito's stomach only to pass through. At the same moment Obito's blade passed through Ren's arm. It should have severed his limb entirely but at the last possible second, the sword which was about to cut through his arm phased through it, sparing it from being severed. Ren's vision blurred for a moment, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Then he flickered away. The moment his feet touched solid ground, his legs gave out. He collapsed onto his knees, panting hard, his entire body trembling. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, blood seeping between his fingers as he clutched it tightly, trying to stem the bleeding. His eyes flicked up as Obito stood exactly where he was, staring at Ren with an unreadable expression. For the second time since arriving in this world Ren felt true fear. Even though he knew how to deal with him and could see the attack coming, he wasn't fast enough to dodge it completely. His body had moved at just the last moment so he avoided instant death, however if he hadn't attacked just at the right time his arm would've been severed and only when he had father stood together could they make a complete person. The first to react was Utakata. In an instant, he appeared beside Ren, placing a firm hand on his injured arm. A faint green glow spread from his palm as he began healing the wound. Obito's masked gaze flickered between his sword and Ren, his voice slow and deliberate. "You remind me of someone." Ren took deep, measured breaths, his heart still hammering against his chest. As Utakata's healing chakra worked through his arm, he murmured, "He was about to sever my arm but something happened. His blade didn't cut through it passed through instead." It was a calculated move. Earlier, if he had pointed out Obito's ability too quickly, it would have been suspicious. But now after experiencing a near-fatal blow firsthand and observing Obito up close it made sense for him to piece some things together. Utakata narrowed his eyes, considering Ren's words as he continued healing. 'What happened?' he thought. Everything had transpired too fast, even for him. One moment, Obito's sword was about to sever Ren's arm, and the next instant it had passed through instead. 'Damn it. I can't track him properly. If we want to deal with him, we first have to figure out how to hit him.' Utakata's grip on Ren's arm tightened slightly. "Work with me." He gave a final pulse of chakra, sealing the wound completely, before rising to his feet. Then, his voice rang out sharply. "Genin, protect the Daimyō." The four young shinobi who had been standing in stunned silence finally snapped back to reality. Yugao's breath hitched, her voice barely above a whisper. "Ren..." Her hands trembled slightly at the memory of how close he had been to losing an arm or worse. But Utakata's command came again, louder and firmer. "NOW." Without hesitation, all four Genin moved instantly, positioning themselves near the Daimyō and his guards. Though Utakata had framed it as protecting the Daimyō, in truth, his real intent was to provide the Genin with a safety buffer by placing them under the guardians' protection, a little distance from the battlefield. The Twelve Guardians understood this as well, but now wasn't the time to argue. They remained alert, standing between the Genin and the battle ahead. Meanwhile, Obito let out a mocking chuckle, his voice dripping with amusement. "Ah, Konoha ninjas... always the epitome of love and sacrifice." Utakata didn't respond. He simply moved. With blinding speed, he launched himself at Obito once again, his attacks relentless, punches, kicks, kunai slashes anything that could land a blow. But nothing connected. Obito remained untouched, his body flickering like a ghost as every attack passed through him effortlessly. "You know you can't do anything-" But this time, Ren interrupted him. From the side, wind blades tore through the air, slicing directly toward Obito in quick succession. One. Two. Three. But just like Utakata's attacks they passed through him. Ren gritted his teeth, but he didn't stop. Instead, he and Utakata coordinated their attacks, taijutsu and ninjutsu working in tandem. Still, nothing landed. Ren quickly retrieved several explosive tags, launching them at point-blank range, directly at Obito's masked face. A series of deafening explosions rocked the battlefield. Flames and dust surged into the air. But when the smoke cleared Obito stood unharmed. He hadn't even flinched. "How rude" Obito muttered. 'Damn it!' Utakata clenched his fists. 'No matter what we do' he quickly formed hand seals, his chakra surging. [Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu!] A massive sphere of water shot toward Obito, rushing forward with the force of a raging tide. But Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan spun. In the blink of an eye, the entire attack was sucked into a swirling vortex, disappearing into another dimension. Ren barely had time to process it before Obito reappeared above Utakata. His sword already descending. Ren's body and mind worked in tandem. Just as he thought of what to do his body moved. At the exact moment Obito's blade was about to strike Utakata, Ren's own attack landed passing through Obito's body just as Obito's strike passed through Utakata's. Just like before. Both Utakata and Ren distanced themselves, once again resuming their volley of useless attacks. But this time Ren was watching, waiting for the right moment to tell Utakata. Just at that moment Obito attacked Ren but this time Utakata interfered just before the strike hit Ren and it happened just like before and both Ren and Obito were unharmed. This is it, he thought and then shouted, "SENSEI!" Utakata's response came without hesitation, he had also figured it out. "Yes. I got it." But at that exact moment, Obito's voice rang out too. "Gotcha." Ren's stared at the scene in front of him. In a sickening instant, Obito's hand was wrapped around Utakata's wrist. A dark swirl of space began forming. Utakata was about to be sucked in Obito's dimension.