Smoke rolled across the ruined district of the Hidden Mist.
From beneath shattered stone, Jigen coughed twice, casually smashing aside a collapsing boulder with one punch and rising through drifting debris.
A crimson fist-shaped imprint burned across his chest and abdomen.
He looked up.
Naruto Uzumaki was walking toward him.
The balance had already shifted.
"Ōtsutsuki aura…" Jigen muttered, blood spilling from his lips. "Do you possess Karma as well? …No markings."
Naruto did not answer.
White chakra burned around him like a silent flame.
That pressure alone was his reply.
Jigen moved first.
Second-stage Karma surged to its limit. His body wouldn't endure much longer.
He lunged.
Bang—
Their fists collided.
Naruto did not move.
The shockwave flattened everything within ten miles. Air and space rippled violently.
Naruto advanced.
Golden chakra formed around his hand like gauntlets.
He knocked Jigen's strike aside, pivoted—
A second blow sent Jigen hurtling upward.
The sage staff returned to Naruto's grasp.
He leapt.
Swung.
Bang—!!
Jigen was slower now.
Naruto caught him midair.
The battle shifted into the sky.
Relentless.
Merciless.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Thousands of Narutos bloomed across the heavens.
Each fist cloaked in Kurama's chakra.
—Naruto Ninja Scroll: Two-Thousand Combo!
Like a meteor storm, clones surged in sequence.
Strike.
Shift.
Strike again.
Jigen's body twisted under endless impacts.
Blood rained down.
He tried burning his chakra, abandoning the vessel to regain control—
But the storm did not stop.
East.
West.
Up.
Down.
He spun helplessly in a vortex of fists.
The outcome had been decided the moment Naruto stood up.
Naruto rose above the battlefield.
In his hands—
A celestial Rasenshuriken.
—Six Paths: Super Ashura Rasenshuriken!
The hum split the clouds.
Wind swept the mist away from the Hidden Mist Village.
The water curtain broadcast shattered under the pressure.
The giant shuriken chased Jigen.
He tried to counter—
But he did not use ninjutsu.
He had no defense for this.
The Rasenshuriken engulfed him.
Space tore.
Chakra howled.
Jigen's body disintegrated into fragments.
At the center—
Blood pooled.
Compressed.
Then dissolved into mist within the chakra tide.
Silence fell.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
It wasn't over.
His perception flared.
In the shadows of a damaged building—
Uchiha Tsukikaze stiffened.
Naruto appeared before him instantly.
No hostility.
Just inevitability.
Tsukikaze stepped back.
Then, realizing escape was impossible, handed over the recording device.
Far away—
In a laboratory lit by cold light—
Amado sighed faintly.
Jigen's defeat exceeded projections.
Behind him, a glass container hummed.
Inside—
Kawaki lay sleeping.
With Jigen gone—
Isshiki Otsutsuki completed the takeover.
Click—
The glass opened from within.
Kawaki's eyes snapped open.
Cold.
Ancient.
"How does it feel?" Amado asked calmly.
Kawaki flexed his fingers.
Karma flared.
Power flowed smoothly.
"An excellent vessel."
Amado smiled faintly.
"Issues?"
"Uzumaki Naruto is now a threat."
"Kashin Koji and Code failed to capture the One-Tail."
"Useless."
Kawaki turned away.
"We build stronger weapons. An army."
He left for the dimension containing the Ten-Tails.
Power must grow.
Immediately.
Hidden Mist — Aftermath
Naruto returned with Tsukikaze.
Cheers echoed across the Ninja World.
"I didn't disappoint you," Naruto said with a grin.
The Six Paths chakra faded.
His appearance returned—
Clear blue eyes.
Bright smile.
Hair fuller.
Years seemed erased from him.
Live broadcast ended.
Relief spread across the Five Kage Summit.
"Casualties?" Naruto asked calmly.
"Civilians injured. Structural damage," Chojuro reported before departing to coordinate recovery.
"What about the vaccine?" Mei Terumi asked.
Tsunade wiped sweat from her brow.
"Delivered via Katsuyu. Recovery in days."
The atmosphere eased.
Naruto dropped Tsukikaze forward.
"I meant no harm," Tsukikaze muttered.
Suspicion filled every gaze.
Then—
A voice from above.
"Long time no see, Hokage."
Two figures descended.
Members of [Moon].
The White-Robed Man landed lightly.
"Congratulations on your new strength."
Sakura's fists clenched.
"Moon?" Tsukikaze asked.
White-Robed Man ignored him.
"Regarding cooperation—your father agreed."
He smiled faintly.
"To release him in exchange for intelligence. Very beneficial."
Sakura stepped forward.
"What gives you the right—"
White-Robed Man raised a hand casually.
"Careful. Your daughter is still with us."
Sakura lunged.
Her fist passed through him.
Intangible.
Illusory projection.
Neither Tsunade nor Mei Terumī spoke.
This was Naruto's decision.
Naruto's eyes were calm.
"I need assurance. He poses no threat to the Ninja World."
White-Robed Man smiled.
"Only benefits. No drawbacks."
The wind moved softly through the ruined streets.
The war was over.
But the real game had just begun.
And the curtain, though fallen—
Had not yet closed.
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