This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 257 Farewell to the Gods

"Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, I've heard of your names, but you're nothing special. Or perhaps..." Kohinata took out a cigarette, lit it, took a satisfying drag, and exhaled, "Has the level of the ninja world really fallen this low?"

Mukai's sarcastic attitude made Kakashi and Shisui frown, while Obito clenched his fists so tightly they cracked.

"Stop wasting time, just kill him!"

He gritted his teeth and said, "I'm going to use soil."

Kakashi and Shisui exchanged a glance, nodded, and said, "Use ranged ninjutsu to keep our distance."

"Um!"

Obito roared and went around to the left.

Shisui instantly understood Obito's intention and went around to the right. Although he was a beat slower, he was faster and thus achieved synchronization.

"Do you think I'll just obediently wait for you to attack from three sides?"

Kohinata spoke disdainfully, veins bulging around his left eye, his white pupil replacing his original black eye, and he moved quickly toward Kakashi before Kakashi could react.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Beast!"

Kakashi remained calm, forming hand seals that unleashed purple lightning, transforming into a cheetah as he charged towards Jing Teng, ready to pounce.

"Purple lightning!?"

Kohinata looked surprised, but her movements didn't slow down at all, and the two met in an instant.

But the expected collision or thunderous baptism did not occur. Xiao Ri Xiang's right hand transformed into a palm blade and pierced forward, splitting the purple thunder beast in two, which then swept past Xiao Ri Xiang on both sides.

Kakashi seemed caught off guard, frozen in shock. Kohinata, undeterred, closed in, his palm strike piercing Kakashi's chest.

"Bang!"

Kakashi vanished into thin air.

Shisui and Obito, who had circled around to the left and right, launched an attack.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball, large enough to engulf Xiang Jin, appeared near the mouths of the two who had already sealed their seals, and hurtled toward the well with a wave of heat.

Mukai quickly turned around, his hands swinging in the direction of his body's movement, drawing bright white arcs on both sides.

The fireball hit directly.

No.

The fireball was split in two in front of Mukai.

However, the three of them hadn't seen Mukai use any techniques, nor did he seem to possess any special aura. To them, the fireball simply flew in front of Mukai and automatically split in two.

"Being able to use Gentle Fist to sever an enemy's chakra shows that he is very familiar with the flow of chakra. Techniques are dense chakra; if you can see the flow of chakra, then cutting it is not difficult."

While Mukai was happily explaining to the three of them, he attacked Shisui.

Zhi Shui lowered her face.

Although he possessed superior physical skills, his opponent was a practitioner of Gentle Fist, and a lawsuit was not something that could be compared to that. No wonder he looked unwell.

"Let me help you!"

Obito, shouting and yelling, also joined the battle.

Although a long-range attack strategy was initially devised, Mukai and Shisui were already locked in combat. Continuing with the previous tactics would only bring both of them into the attack range.

Furthermore, the opponent's taijutsu skills have reached the level where they can cut through ninjutsu, and they also have the Byakugan's 360-degree field of vision, so continuing to use ninjutsu would be difficult to achieve any effect.

Kakashi stood atop the tower behind him, overlooking everything.

When Kakashi rushed out of Mukai's fireball and attacked Obito and Nakayoshi, he used Shadow Clone Jutsu to escape.

His first thought was to bypass Mukai and directly seize control of the Mechanical City.

But after searching around, he still couldn't find a way to enter the tower.

He also tried to use ninjutsu to break open a large hole and go inside, but even with the most powerful Purple Lightning Secret Technique he currently possessed, he couldn't leave any mark on it, so he gave up the idea of ​​bypassing Mukai and seizing control.

He quietly observed the battle below... Although it was one against two, and the opponent possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan, he was still at a disadvantage in close combat.

"The enemy is a master of Gentle Fist, so it will be difficult to gain the upper hand in close combat. The outcome will depend on a single, long-range strike... Sharingan genjutsu!" Kakashi pondered his strategy.

The Sharingan is a type of eye technique.

He infuses chakra into his pupils and uses techniques to deceive his opponent. In other words, wherever his gaze falls, that is within the Sharingan's attack range.

The exchange of glances isn't just a subconscious act, making the enemy think it's just ordinary scenery and then meeting their eyes. By perfectly synchronizing Obito's or Shisui's gaze with the enemy's gaze, you can create an opportunity for the opponent to meet your gaze without them even realizing it.

Shisui and Obito had been waiting for this opportunity.

They engaged in close combat with the enemy, striving to align Mukai's posture with the enemy's line of sight.

Once the Sharingan is activated, and even the slightest opening is created in Mukai's mind, it can be used to gradually erode his heart.

But the initial strike is where the problem lies.

Mukai, who possesses the Byakugan, a bloodline limit that allows him to see the flow of chakra, is naturally quite wary of the Sharingan.

As soon as chakra flows into his eyes, it will warn him like a beacon in the darkness, causing him to subconsciously avoid eye contact.

After observing for a while, Kakashi realized that Mukai remained wary of Sharingan genjutsu, seemingly quite knowledgeable about it. This made Kakashi abandon his plan to rely on Sharingan genjutsu to win.

"Even if I join the battle, the outcome is uncertain, so that's the only option!" Kakashi pondered for a moment, then made up his mind.

He remained motionless, hiding atop the tower and waiting for his chance.

Meanwhile, Shisui and Obito, as his teammates, realized that Kakashi had been hiding for so long and had not come out. They understood his general intention and began to work together to lead the battle position towards the direction where Kakashi was hiding.

Closer, closer, closer...

As the three fighters drew closer to his hiding place, Kakashi kept calculating the distance.

Finally, the three who were fighting horizontally on the tower wall... especially Mukai, who was less than five meters away from Kakashi.

"This spot is good!"

Kakashi took a deep breath and quickly formed hand seals, his hands swirling with lightning-style chakra.

"Chidori!"

Kakashi suddenly unleashed his speed, disappearing from the spot like lightning.

Chidori, an A-rank ninjutsu he developed when he was thirteen, possesses extremely strong penetrating power.

Furthermore, because it is lightning-attribute chakra, it has the function of activating cells, greatly increasing the speed of the user when performing ninjutsu.

However, precisely because it is too fast and the lightning is too dazzling, making it impossible to see what is in front of you, it has become a technique that is not suitable for use in actual combat.

but.

If the target is less than five meters away, and it's facing away from you, that's a different story.

He could reach that distance in an instant.

With the enemy's back to him, he wouldn't be on guard, and he wouldn't have to worry about being injured because he couldn't see the enemy's attack.

In a flash, Kakashi disappeared and simultaneously reappeared behind Mukai. Then, he was grabbed by the neck and lifted up.

"I thought you were hiding there with some kind of strategy, but it turns out you just ambushed us?" Mukai mocked as he grabbed Kakashi by the neck and threw him at the two attackers.

The Byakugan possesses a 360-degree field of vision with no blind spots and a one-kilometer perspective (the perspective distance varies depending on the strength of the individual's eye power). Therefore, from Kakashika's perspective, nothing he did—whether it was using shadow clones to escape or his main body hiding behind a tower—was seen by him.

Mukai didn't expose them, hoping to turn the tables and take down everyone in one fell swoop.

As it turned out, he was really fooled.

The instant Kakashi charged forward using ninjutsu, Mukai made his move. He extended his right hand in a claw shape and grabbed Kakashi's neck... The whole process was just like the previous flash of fire, as if Kakashi had offered his neck up himself.

"Bang!"

Kakashi's body flew sideways, crashing into the two of them and causing them to fall off the tower wall.

Mukai quickly gave chase.

"Bang bang bang!!!"

The three landed one after another, suffering several fractures. But they endured the pain and stood up immediately.

However, the moment he stood up, a Tai Chi Bagua pattern appeared under his feet.

"This is?"

As if struck by a sudden thought, Shisui turned around abruptly, only to be met with palm strikes to her chest and abdomen.

"Eight Trigrams - Second Palm!"

He struck out with both palms, not even having a moment to breathe, and attacked again, this time with a four-hit combo.

"Eight Trigrams, Four Palms!"

"Eight Trigrams, Eight Palms!"

This time it's an eight-hit combo.

Shisui attempted to retaliate, but the opponent's offensive was fluid and seamless, leaving no openings.

Mukai seemed to mock Shisui's behavior, launching a fierce barrage of attacks that rained down on him, each blow causing him to cough up blood and stagger backward.

Suddenly, the attack on the well was interrupted, and the upper body leaned backward.

Obito's flying kick swept across Mukai's face and landed on Shisui, sending him flying.

"what!"

Obito froze, instinctively wanting to apologize, but a sharp pain shot through his lower back, and he was sent flying with a cracking sound as his bones broke.

"Eight Trigrams - Empty Palm!"

Mukai withdrew his smoking right hand, spat out the burnt cigarette butt, and lit another one.

"Phew~"

Mukai took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and then looked at the three people lying on the ground struggling to get up.

Shisui used the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Six Palms... Although he didn't finish the entire attack, and some chakra was still flowing, the main chakra channels used for ninjutsu were sealed off, and the inner tent also suffered varying degrees of damage.

Obito, on the other hand, suffered a broken spine in his lower back.

If he doesn't receive treatment soon, he will be bedridden and paralyzed for the rest of his life.

As for Kakashi... when Mukai grabbed his neck, he squeezed it so tightly that he was about to break it.

However, thanks to Obito and Shisui's timely rescue, Mukai wasn't sure if the pieces had been completely severed. Kakashi, however, was now lying motionless on the ground.

"You do have some skill, worthy of your reputation in the ninja world." After confirming that the outcome was decided, Mukai put away his Byakugan and then carefully recalled the previous battle... Obito's last kick came from the blind spot of his Byakugan.

Although the Byakugan is said to have a 360-degree field of vision, in reality only the main family members have a truly unobstructed view; even the branch families have a one-degree blind spot.

This was a secret within the Hyuga clan, but in order to win this war, the Hyuga clan also shared this secret with a small number of high-ranking officials in Konoha.

Kakashi's sneak attack from behind Mukai was all part of his strategic plan to exploit this blind spot.

Kakashi never thought he could successfully launch a sneak attack. After all, his opponent possessed the Byakugan, making a sneak attack from behind a joke.

But Kakashi did it anyway, in order to distract Mukai and create an opportunity for Obito or Shisui to launch a sneak attack from a blind spot.

Of course, he calculated the speed at which Obito and Shisui would arrive to rescue him, and trusted that the two could rescue him in time.

Although there are still risks, they are not significant.

He trusted Obito.

but……

"'Cultivation' is a process of constantly overcoming one's own weaknesses. Using physical techniques to cover up the blind spots of my Byakugan is the first step in my cultivation. Don't underestimate this old man, kids!"

"Xiao Hinata Mukai..."

Hearing that triumphant voice, Obito couldn't help but shout out the name of this excessively powerful enemy. He tried to stand up, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, but his lower body was numb.

"What's wrong? Do you want me to kill you?" Mukai asked.

"Go to hell!!!"

Obito roared, and his Mangekyou Sharingan suddenly shone brightly.

"I won't fall for this kind of illusion."

As he spoke, he subconsciously turned his head away from the well and met Shisui's eyes.

"Kotoamatsukami!"

Shi Shui murmured, tears of blood streaming from the corners of his eyes.

He originally intended to use it on Ryuji Ayaki when things got really bad.

But the enemy before us is too powerful.

Most of his energy channels were sealed, preventing him from circulating chakra, except for his eyes in his brain, which remained unaffected.

If we don't use it soon, they'll probably all die here.

"It's all thanks to Obito interrupting Mukai's Bagua Palm technique. If he had finished the whole set, all the meridians in my body would have been..."

Before the thought could even flash through his mind, Shisui's vision went black, and he suddenly found himself in a world of blue ocean.

There was no sky, no earth, no up, down, left, or right, and no concept of time; only a vast expanse of blue and Mukai standing blankly in front of him.

"Is this Mukai's mental space!?"

Shisui looked around with suspicion and uncertainty.

As a master of illusion, he was no stranger to the human mind, but this was the first time he had ever seen such a powerful mental force.

Compared to his Kotoamatsukami, this level of power is like the difference between the ocean and a drop of water.

"Impossible. If this is Mukai's mental space, then he couldn't have been hit by my Kotoamatsukami, and I couldn't have entered his mental space either."

Illusion is essentially a form of Yin escape.

It is a technique that creates various illusions by controlling the target's chakra and thus influencing the five senses.

However, Kotoamatsukami differs from ordinary illusions in that it does not affect a person's five senses, but rather the brain, altering the target's consciousness.

This requires invading the other person's brain with chakra, that is, their mental space.

"This is certainly not Mukai's mental space, this is mine."

Although it has already been explained clearly in the previous text, just in case, I will repeat it again here: why Obito did not use Kamui here.

Because he doesn't have Hashirama cells, and he doesn't have that much chakra.

In the original work, he used Kamui as a minor skill, but here it's become a powerful technique like Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, or Susanoo, consuming a huge amount of chakra and impairing eyesight with each use. It's impossible to use without a good opportunity.

(End of this chapter)