The wind surged, rustling the red cloud and black robe of the leader, his spiral mask emblazoned with Sharingan eyes, filled with indifference.
To his sides stood Itachi, hands clasped over his chest, and Shisui, his eyes burning with anger. How dare this bald man strike his brother in front of him! Unforgivable!
Jigen landed before the four experimental subjects, his expressionless face asking, "It seems you are part of an organization. Do we have any prior grievances?" His tone was flat. Jigen wasn't afraid; he simply had no interest in these individuals, much like a god wouldn't bother with ants blocking his path. They could simply be stepped over.
Obito stated coldly, "Otsutsuki Isshiki, an outsider. Do I need to say more?"
Jigen's face showed expression for the first time. "Who are you?!" he exclaimed. No one in the current Shinobi world should know his identity, and he hadn't taken any subordinates. Had some unforeseen factor come into play? Could Kaguya have revived? Impossible!
"Enough talk. You will stay here today!"
Jigen scoffed, waved a hand, and a red and black circular portal appeared behind him. The four experimental subjects were instantly sucked into the portal and vanished. Though fear was etched on their faces, no one could intervene. Jigen had no intention of entangling himself with the three before him. His priority was to ascertain if Otsutsuki Kaguya had truly revived. Only Otsutsuki clan members posed a threat; the ants of the Shinobi world were insignificant.
"If you have the guts, follow me." Jigen stepped into the spatial portal, deliberately slowing his disappearance.
Obito and the other two exchanged glances and then瞬身 (Shunshin) to the portal, entering without hesitation.
The portal vanished, leaving behind only a terrified man in the ruins, muttering, "Damn it, that scared the life out of me. This place is too dangerous. I should just get out of here." The man tightened the only remaining pair of underwear he wore and fled towards the outskirts of town. He was heading to Konoha, rumored to be the safest village in the Shinobi world, a place where such an incident would never happen again!
Meanwhile, on a chimney, Lin Yu, sucking on a lollipop snatched from Kurenai Yuhi, mumbled, "Why did they all run off? How am I supposed to be a capitalist then?" Beside Lin Yu lay a stack of flyers: "Exclusive villas on the banks of the Nanhe River, beautiful scenery, completed in two years, pre-orders receive a 0.1% discount! What are you waiting for? Hurry to the Hidden Leaf Village in the Land of Fire!"
...
In a different dimension, a purple sky enshrouded the land. Barren stone mountains stretched across the landscape, devoid of any signs of life.
*Plop...*
Obito and the other two landed and immediately surveyed their surroundings. Jigen was not far away, using a black cage he'd produced from nowhere to contain the four experimental subjects.
"Is this still the Shinobi world?" Shisui couldn't help but ask. He had never seen this place before; it was desolate and eerie, with no trace of life.
"It's likely another dimension," Obito stated, familiar with such places. He too had his own Kamui space.
"I didn't expect you to actually dare to follow, but I'm not interested in you right now. You can stay here." Jigen prepared to depart immediately to investigate Kaguya's situation. This matter was second only to finding the "vessels."
The red and black portal reappeared. Jigen addressed the three: "Enjoy the rest of your lives here."
"Kamui!"
A similar spatial force tugged at the red and black vortex. The two energies intertwined, making the space extremely unstable, and the portal began to collapse. Jigen's expression changed. He turned sharply to face Obito, whose Mangekyo Sharingan had been activated. A spatial ninjutsu? This guy...
"Now, you'll definitely stay, won't you?" Obito felt a lightness in his heart. He could still sense his Kamui space and, through it, return to the Shinobi world. This gave them an escape route. They could fight with peace of mind!
On the other side, Jigen was no longer calm. The unpredictability of spatial ninjutsu was too great. He had to deal with this spiral-masked man first! When a god was in a bad mood and someone blocked his path, even ants wouldn't be spared his attention!
"Be careful! Here they come!"
As soon as Obito spoke, his Mangekyo vision detected countless tiny black dots rushing towards them. Though minuscule, their wielder possessed the ability to magnify objects. Shisui quickly pulled Itachi aside, while Obito stood his ground, his gaze cold and fixed on Jigen. As the black dots reached Obito, they instantly magnified, but they passed through him harmlessly, embedding themselves in the ground.
"The ability to phase through objects?" Jigen was somewhat surprised. This guy's ability was remarkably unique, possessing not only spatial ninjutsu but also immunity to physical attacks. Truly gifted. However... not enough!
Jigen flickered, appearing directly in front of Obito, and threw a punch at his head. As expected, the punch passed through. Taking advantage of Jigen's attack, Obito dispelled his phasing and lunged with a kunai towards Jigen's chest.
"You're too slow!"
Jigen flicked his left hand, shattering the kunai. He then kicked Obito forcefully in the chest. Unable to phase in time, Obito could only block with one hand. *BOOM!* Obito crashed against a distant rock wall. Power and speed were on a completely different level! Obito's mind raced, analyzing the opponent's strength. The Otsutsuki members that even Teacher Lin Yu feared were indeed formidable. But there was still a chance!
"Tsukuyomi!"
Itachi appeared before Jigen. His bizarre Mangekyo flared with a red light, attempting to drag Jigen's mind into the Tsukuyomi space. But soon, Itachi coughed up blood on the spot, his face visibly paling. He had failed!
"Genjutsu? You dare use mental attacks against me? Truly..."
Jigen was about to speak when a massive spiral sword descended from the sky, hacking into the ground, creating a large crater. But Jigen was nowhere to be seen.
"Itachi, are you alright?" Shisui helped Itachi up, concern evident in his voice.
"I'm fine, but I've figured out some of his abilities." Itachi wiped the blood from his lips. Despite the backlash, his eyes shone brightly.
Obito joined them, saying, "That's right. The opponent seems to possess the ability to shrink objects and then magnify them instantly!"
Shisui added, "Ninjutsu seems ineffective against him. My Great Dragon Fire Technique was absorbed."
Itachi closed his eyes, then reopened them, speaking softly, "Furthermore, his strength, speed, and taijutsu are all superior to ours. So, there is only one way to win."
Obito remained silent, but his cerulean chakra surged, and a colossal armored samurai, obscuring the sky, appeared on the battlefield. Obito himself floated to the samurai's forehead.
"I can't be underestimated either!"
Shisui frantically channeled his Mangekyo's ocular power, and a green samurai rose from the ground, wielding a massive spiral sword. Itachi, standing his ground, was also enveloped in red chakra. First, a skeleton appeared, then layers of flesh and veins formed.
"Not enough! I need to be stronger!"
With Itachi's roar, a layer of red armor covered the fleshy Susanoo. Two yellow pupils appeared within the helmet. He extended his right hand, and a long sword that seemed to burn with flames materialized. In his left hand, he grasped a divine shield capable of defending against both physical and ninjutsu attacks. The sword was named Totsuka Blade, and the shield was the Yata Mirror!
...
PS: Regarding whether the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror are inherent to Itachi's Susanoo or acquired later, this author agrees with both interpretations! Since Kishimoto did not explicitly state it, the recognition of the Totsuka Blade by Zetsu and Orochimaru suggests that legends of the Totsuka Blade existed in the Shinobi world long ago. It's possible that those with the Uchiha bloodline have a chance to inherit it, or that Itachi inherited this divine artifact from the Uchiha ancestral shrine, or perhaps it was a fortuitous encounter during his travels. However! None of this matters! He will still be defeated! Even the 'Yiquan Blade' would be useless!