Splash—
Waves rolled endlessly across the deep blue sea, the surface rising and falling in rhythmic calm.
Ships no longer passed through this region freely. Since the crisis in the Land of Water, maritime routes had been sealed.
Yet one vessel still drifted forward.
The captain stood blank-eyed at the helm, steering by instinct alone.
On the deck sat a lone passenger.
Jigen.
The sea breeze tugged lightly at his robe.
He gazed ahead without emotion.
Soon, the ship docked.
He stepped down smoothly.
One hand sign.
The captain blinked—confused, unaware of how he had arrived.
Jigen walked forward.
Hidden Mist Village.
The explosion echoed like thunder.
Buildings collapsed in fragments, sliced cleanly apart by shockwaves.
Dust rolled across the streets.
From a distance, the devastation looked surgical.
Precise.
Violent.
Another burst of golden light illuminated the skyline.
Naruto hovered mid-air.
Opposite him stood Jigen.
For a brief instant—
A strange radiance shone from above.
Both men looked up.
An Ōtsutsuki presence flickered across the sky.
Heavy.
Distant.
Watching.
Naruto felt it clearly.
The same oppressive chakra he had once sensed from Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Jigen narrowed his eyes.
Someone had observed the battlefield.
Then—
The light faded.
No descent.
No intervention.
Silence returned.
Naruto clenched his jaw.
Kurama's voice echoed in his mind.
"Now, Naruto!"
Naruto moved instantly.
He flashed forward, forming a Great Ball Rasengan in his palm.
Jigen raised his hand calmly.
The Rasengan was absorbed by Karma before impact.
But Naruto had already anticipated it.
He released the chakra construct mid-contact—
And drove a full-force punch into Jigen's face.
Bang!
The impact distorted Jigen's features for a split second.
Naruto followed with a savage side kick.
Sage-enhanced strength detonated outward.
Jigen was launched backward—
Then stopped mid-air.
The wounds on his face healed instantly.
His expression cooled.
Black markings deepened across his body.
—Karma, Stage Two.
A horn began to emerge from his head.
His chakra pressure spiked.
Naruto felt it immediately.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Predatory.
They clashed again.
In seconds, over a hundred exchanges erupted between them.
Jigen's taijutsu was overwhelmingly precise.
His speed eclipsed Kage-level combat.
Naruto deliberately avoided activating full Kurama Mode inside the city.
He couldn't risk leveling what remained of the village.
"It ends here," Jigen said calmly.
Naruto barely saw the movement.
Pain exploded in his abdomen.
He was slammed into the ground, stone shattering beneath him.
Before he could rise—
Jigen descended like a meteor.
Flames trailed behind his kick from air friction alone.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Mei Terumi reacted instantly.
A torrent surged upward.
"Water Release!"
Chojuro reinforced the defense.
Jigen cut through it effortlessly.
The water dragon split apart like mist.
Naruto rolled at the last moment.
Jigen's stomp cratered the street.
Shockwaves blasted Naruto into the air.
Before he could stabilize—
Another kick struck his chest.
Bang!
Naruto tore through multiple buildings, golden chakra flickering violently.
Blood sprayed.
Bones cracked audibly.
He crashed into rubble.
Kurama's chakra arms extended instinctively, bracing him upright.
He coughed—
Blood mixed with fragments of bone and tissue spilled from his mouth.
Even Kurama's regenerative support struggled to keep up.
Jigen appeared again.
Instantaneous.
A leg whip lashed toward Naruto's torso.
Kurama's chakra arms intercepted—
Shattered.
The force carried through.
Naruto was launched again, buried beneath collapsing structures.
Dust swallowed everything.
Silence followed.
Only the distant crackling of burning debris remained.
And Jigen stepped forward through the rubble.
Unhurried.
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A/N: Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded. Please Check It Out. It will really help me out and will keep me motivated to continue.
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