Two sources of Kamui power, homologous yet distinct, were locked in a struggle mid-air. Under the precise cutting of Uchiha Kei's'Space Drill,' Uchiha Obito's space vortex, filled with wild, devouring desire, suffered structural disorder, with signs of energy backflow appearing at the edges.

The single eye hidden beneath Obito's mask revealed unprecedented shock, anger, and greed. His desire for these eyes had surpassed the plan itself, escalating into an instinctive jealousy for a more perfect counterpart.

On the other side, relying on his deep foundation as the 'Professor of Ninjutsu,' Hiruzen Sarutobi used the Five-Style Great Combo Blast to create a zone of Chakra turbulence, successfully disrupting the Kamui lock that Kei had spread across the field. The violent elemental energy acted like a reef, causing the torrent of space-time to deflect here, buying him precious breathing room. However, this respite came at a price. He could clearly feel what a tremendous burden maintaining such a large-scale composite Ninjutsu placed on his body, which was no longer at its peak. The rate of Chakra consumption far exceeded his expectations.

Chaos was exactly the perfect cover Kei had hoped for.

Just as Hiruzen and Obito were both exhausted from dealing with the situation, pouring all their focus into resisting that heaven-destroying space-time power, they failed to notice that the three figures who had once stood like mountains in the center of the battlefield—Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Itachi—had already completed their final mission.

With a tacit understanding, they quickly retreated, withdrawing into the gravitational range of that massive space vortex. Without the slightest resistance, their bodies were steadily lifted by a gentle yet firm force, like tired birds returning to the forest, disappearing into that deep, spiral darkness.

The last batch of combatants had been transferred.

At this point, only Kei remained standing on the Uchiha clan grounds, which had been thoroughly reduced to ruins. He watched the final chaos before him calmly.

Above the sky, the massive space vortex, which had been maintained for a long time with a diameter of over a hundred meters, began to shrink at a visible speed after completing its final mission. The immense gravity that had enveloped the entire field, threatening to swallow heaven and earth, also rapidly diminished. Hiruzen and Obito simultaneously felt the pressure lighten, freeing themselves from the terrifying pulling sensation that had almost threatened to extract their very souls.

Hiruzen gasped for air, forcibly stopping the Chakra output of the Five-Style Great Combo Blast. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, and his chest heaved violently. He raised his head, his cloudy yet still sharp eyes staring fixedly at Uchiha Kei, his voice hoarse with anger and fatigue.

"Uchiha Kei! Do you think you can escape? Even if you run to the ends of the earth, Konoha will never let you traitors go!"

Meanwhile, Obito also stopped his Kamui confrontation with Kei. He looked at the three vanished figures, then glanced at the lone Kei. Beneath his flippant tone lay suppressed killing intent.

"Oh? It seems your companions have left first. Leaving you alone here, are you prepared to present those beautiful eyes as a gift to me?"

Facing the supreme ruler of Konoha and the mastermind of the Akatsuki, these two existences standing at the pinnacle of power in the Shinobi World, Uchiha Kei's face showed not a hint of tension or fear. He didn't even adopt a defensive stance, just standing there calmly, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

He first looked at Hiruzen, his gaze carrying a kind of indifferent pity.

"Traitors? Hiruzen, even now, do you still not see the truth?"

Kei's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present, including the Anbu Ninjas who had regrouped from the shadows of the ruins and surrounded him.

"The Uchiha were never traitors to Konoha. We are the founders of Konoha, the guardians of Konoha. We exchanged our blood and lives for the peace and prosperity of this village. And how did you repay us?"

Kei's tone had no fluctuation; instead, it was like stating a history long since written.

"You viewed us with suspicion, treated us with isolationist policies, and tried to use the shackles called the 'Will of Fire' to grind down our pride and strip away our future. It was you who pushed the Uchiha to the edge of the cliff step by step."

His gaze swept over Hiruzen's face, which was twisted with anger, and finally fixed on those burning eyes.

"So, this is not a defection, Hiruzen. This is an accusation, a judgment. The departure of the Uchiha is just the beginning. Konoha will eventually pay the most painful price for its deep-rooted arrogance and prejudice. Guard your crumbling village well, while you still can."

These words, like heavy hammers, struck Hiruzen's heart hard. He wanted to refute, wanted to roar, but found he couldn't say a single word. Because every word Kei said precisely dissected the rotten reality beneath Konoha's glamorous exterior. All he could do was use an even angrier look to mask his inner wavering and horror.

After speaking, Kei did not look at him again, as if this Third Hokage was no longer worth any of his energy. His gaze turned to the man wearing the spiral mask, Uchiha Obito.

Unlike the indifference he showed toward Hiruzen, Kei's gaze at Obito held a hint of complexity, as if looking at a peer who had gone down the wrong path, or a pathetic pawn.

"As for you..." Kei spoke, his voice carrying a trace of faint mockery, "...you've got the wrong person."

Obito's body stiffened slightly, and a flash of confusion crossed his single eye.

"What you seek is a false dream. What you hate is a reality that has long been distorted. You think you are the chess player, but you don't know that from the very beginning, you were the most pathetic pawn on someone else's chessboard." Kei's words were like sharp needles, piercing the deepest secrets of Obito's heart.

The aura around Obito instantly became violent. He could not tolerate an outsider judging him in such an all-knowing tone.

"What do you know!"

"I know more than you imagine." Kei interrupted him. "You not only picked the wrong target for revenge, but you also misjudged my essence. Do you think I am your kind, wanting to take my eyes to fill that empty heart of yours?"

Kei shook his head gently.

"I am not you. You are wallowing in the past, blinded by hatred. And I, I only look to the future. You want to destroy the world, and I, am going to create a brand new world."

"We are not on the same path."

As the words fell, Kei's body began to become ethereal. The sky vortex, which had shrunk to the last bit, erupted with one final powerful attraction, enveloping his entire body.

Obito instinctively wanted to rush up, to stop him from leaving, to grab him and ask for a clear explanation. But he eventually stopped his steps. Because Kei's last sentence exploded in his mind.

"However..."

Before being completely swallowed by the space vortex, Kei's calm voice, devoid of any emotion, echoed in the empty battlefield one last time.

"We will meet again. Later, I will let you see with your own eyes how foolish and pathetic the path you have chosen is."

The voice faded completely.

That upright figure, along with the last distorted space coordinate in the sky, disappeared without a trace.

As if he had never appeared.