Chapter 128: Yao's Kaleidoscope

Uchiha Yao’s Sharingan converged, forming three fan-like patterns with a single dot at the center.

If Uchiha Li had been here to see it, he might have been struck by a sense of irony. The design of Yao’s Mangekyo bore an uncanny resemblance to the radiation warning symbol from his past life’s memories. Of course, it was merely a coincidence; every pair of Mangekyo Sharingan possesses a unique pattern.

"You should never, ever have set your sights on Li!"

As the Mangekyo activated, Yao’s entire demeanor shifted. The gentle smile that had graced her face vanished, replaced by an expression of extreme, icy coldness—a stark contrast to her previous self.

Back during the Third Shinobi World War, when Uchiha Li had returned to the village severely wounded from the battlefield, she had been so terrified that she fainted, awakening her Mangekyo in that moment of despair. It was then that she made a silent vow: she would eliminate every single threat to Uchiha Li. And now, Obito and Zetsu, who had dared to scheme against him, were the new targets she intended to eradicate.

Without a word, Yao lunged forward, seizing the moment while Obito was still reeling from his injuries. Under the full surge of her power, her abilities—especially her speed—had reached a terrifying new peak.

*Whoosh!*

In an instant, it felt as though a light breeze had brushed past. Obito, who had only just managed to put a little distance between them and had not yet stopped his bleeding, felt Uchiha Yao appear before him as if she had teleported. The kunai, still stained with his own blood, struck once more toward his heart.

"Damn it! This girl actually has a Mangekyo!"

Obito cursed internally. Ignoring his wounds, he activated Kamui to shift into intangibility, narrowly evading the strike. Simultaneously, he materialized and whipped out his own kunai, thrusting it toward Yao. He had executed this maneuver countless times; the true horror of Kamui lay in this very capability—others found it nearly impossible to land a hit on him, while he could strike them at will.

However, to Obito’s surprise, Yao did not choose to dodge. Instead, she rushed directly into his attack, swinging her kunai once more toward his heart.

"Is she trying to trade her life for mine?"

Obito was baffled, but knowing that his intangibility made such a trade impossible, he held his ground. Moments later, Yao’s attack passed through his intangible form, while his own blade successfully pierced her body.

Yao glanced down at the kunai embedded in her chest without so much as a blink.

Seeing this bizarre sight, Obito felt no joy in his successful strike; instead, he immediately recoiled. He had clearly landed the blow, yet it had caused absolutely no damage.

"Genjutsu? No, this must be the ability of her Mangekyo."

Possessing a Mangekyo of his own, he knew his illusions would have little effect on her, and it was equally unlikely she could entrap him so easily unless her specific talent was genjutsu—which did not seem to be the case. Furthermore, Zetsu was nearby; if Obito had fallen into a trap, Zetsu would have alerted him. It was more likely that Yao’s Mangekyo allowed her to negate damage in some way.

"But how? If she can remain immune indefinitely, that’s terrifying."

Obito looked down at his own bleeding chest wound and cursed his luck. Before coming to Konoha, he had assumed things would be simple: Uchiha Li would either agree to join him or be killed. But his interaction with Li had been interrupted by Minato, leading him to target Li’s younger sister in hopes of pushing Li into the darkness. Instead, he had encountered Uchiha Yao, who had awakened a Mangekyo with an incredibly eerie ability.

Obito studied her closely. Despite being struck by his kunai, there was no wound on her body. Instead, a faint, pale cyan light shimmered around the point of impact.

"So that’s her Mangekyo ability. That light is what absorbed my attack," Obito surmised.

Yao gave him no time to ponder. She launched another assault, her speed surging inexplicably as she closed the distance in a heartbeat.

"Too fast. This speed isn't normal. What kind of power is this?"

Obito’s heart sank, and for the first time, a thought of retreat crossed his mind. He couldn't fathom her ability in such a short window, and his body was growing weaker by the second from his previous injuries. Even with the Hashirama cells, he couldn't sustain this fight for long.

He shifted into intangibility again, desperately trying to put distance between them. He no longer intended to fight; he needed to heal. The recruitment would have to wait.

Yao, however, was relentless. She had no intention of letting him escape; any potential threat to Li had to be removed. The two chased each other, locked in a fierce struggle. As time dragged on, Obito’s condition worsened. Excessive blood loss sapped his strength and dulled his reflexes, and several times he barely managed to activate Kamui in time to avoid her strikes.

"I can't keep this up!"

Knowing he was in a life-or-death situation, Obito didn't hesitate. He prepared to open a Kamui portal. He knew it took time to phase into the dimension, so he readied himself to parry her attacks while the portal opened.

But the moment he began to turn intangible, Uchiha Yao accelerated once more, appearing directly in front of him.

"Oh no!"

In that split second, Obito twisted his body, raising his right arm in a desperate attempt to block her strike. Just then, he saw the pale cyan light on Yao’s body flare. He felt a sudden, crushing impact against his head, as if struck by a hammer.

When he regained his senses, his entire right arm had been severed by Uchiha Yao. The shock of the pain jolted him back to reality, and he used the brief opening to finish his escape into the Kamui dimension.

A swirling vortex appeared, and Obito vanished entirely, as if he had never been there at all. As for Zetsu, he had already slipped into the earth the moment Obito showed signs of retreating.

The battlefield fell silent, leaving only a severed white arm on the ground. Uchiha Yao’s Mangekyo continued to spin as her right eye seemed to track something in the distance. After a long moment, she let out a sigh of disappointment and deactivated her eyes.

As the pale cyan light faded from her body, a thin trickle of blood escaped the corner of her mouth.