A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Fighting in darkness was something Aoba had long since become accustomed to. After all, he had been blind for more than half a year.

But for Obito, it was far from a pleasant experience.

By the way, the Bringer of Darkness Technique used here was actually an improved version. The original Bringer of Darkness was a genjutsu that interfered with the opponent's five senses, depriving them of their ability to perceive and creating an illusion of darkness.

However, the current Bringer of Darkness Technique operated on a physical level. It used chakra to create a special barrier that absorbed all the surrounding light, producing a literal, physical darkness.

Even the Rinnegan required reflected light to see. To break this technique, one would need something like the Byakugan or the Kagura Mind's Eye, which had superior sensory abilities.

Obito's Rinnegan, in terms of perception, was not particularly strong.

Losing his vision, Obito immediately realized he was in trouble. But the real issue wasn't just his loss of sight, it was that more and more Konoha ninjas were arriving.

Aoba increasingly felt like he was playing the role of a villain. Konoha's overall strength had grown too formidable. The ninja forces were expanding rapidly, and every large-scale operation involved hundreds of ninjas piling in.

With the assistance of chakra cloaks even ordinary ninjas, who normally wouldn't be able to interfere in such high-level battles, could combine their efforts to unleash an unimaginably powerful force.

Just like now, trapped within the Bringer of Darkness Barrier, Obito could sense that beyond its confines, an enormous barrier was forming.

He knew very well that Aoba Kamikawa understood him and the Rinnegan far too well. The opponent wouldn't make unnecessary moves. If he allowed those outside to complete their preparations, he would not be able to leave today.

"Shinra Tensei!" (Super Almighty Push)

Sensing imminent danger, Obito went all out.

A violent shockwave surged outward, but it did not sweep everything away as he had expected.

The darkness barrier was destroyed, but what surrounded him now was a crimson barrier, the Four Red Yang Formation.

A team of barrier specialists had joined forces to set up the Four Red Yang Formation around him. This barrier was leagues above the Four Violet Flames Formation. In the original story, during the final battle, this formation was even capable of withstanding the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb.

At this moment, Obito was truly starting to panic. He glanced toward Hashirama in the distance. The man had originally come to rescue him. Although he wasn't entirely sure, Obito had some idea why.

However, that so-called reinforcement was now locked in an intense battle with his old flame, and it was a very intense battle.

The two of them had abandoned large-scale ninjutsu and were now engaging in close-quarters combat.

Madara's close-combat abilities were unquestionable. In the original series, when he faced the ninja army, there was almost no one who could last a single exchange against him.

Whether it was speed, strength, or technique, he had reached the absolute pinnacle of ninja combat.

In contrast, Hashirama had never demonstrated much in the way of close-quarters fighting.

Now, in this battle, it was becoming apparent, perhaps because his no-hand-signs self-healing Sage Body was too much of a cheat, coupled with his massive chakra reserves, Hashirama rarely engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

In terms of technical skill, there was a significant gap between him and Madara.

After all, it's hard to refine intricate combat techniques when you're practically unkillable.

Most of the time, when an opponent thrust a kunai at him, Hashirama didn't need to dodge, he could simply take the hit and then counterattack.

A few seconds later, the enemy would be dead, and he would be fully healed...

But Madara was different. He didn't have a self-healing body, so in battle, he had to be extremely cautious.

Just look at his battle against the ninja army, even though he was an Edo Tensei body at the time, he still wasn't hit a single time by any of the countless ninjas attacking him.

His mastery of his body and techniques had become second nature, ingrained in his very soul.

From this perspective, Madara truly was the ninja among ninjas.

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Currently on Chapter 333 - Finally, A Trump Card in Hand