He panted heavily, his chest heaving with exertion.
That last kick had definitely connected.
But the sensation was wrong.
As the dust settled...
Jigen was hovering in mid-air, his monk robes torn to reveal pale skin.
A red mark on his neck was rapidly disappearing—the exact spot where the kick had landed.
Other than that, he appeared completely unharmed.
"Is this all you're capable of?"
Jigen raised a hand to touch his neck, his eyes cold and detached. "Pure physical strength can indeed bypass my ability to absorb. However, as long as it doesn't hit, it's utterly meaningless."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jigen vanished.
Might Guy's pupils constricted, and he threw a punch behind him purely by instinct.
The fist tore through the air, creating a thunderous sonic boom.
It hit nothing.
"Over here."
The voice whispered right into his ear.
Jigen reappeared, thrusting a black rod toward Guy's ribs.
The strike was too fast and the distance was far too short.
Guy could only force his waist to twist, tensing his muscles to let his bones catch the black rod.
Pshht.
The rod pierced his flesh, and blood splattered.
Guy gritted his teeth and swung a hand-chop toward Jigen's head.
Jigen vanished once more.
The strike hit empty air, and the resulting wind pressure sliced through a nearby tree.
"What a troublesome ability."
Gamakon sat perched on a tree branch, spitting out the grass stalk he'd been chewing. "That guy shrank himself down to the micron level. It's impossible to see him with the naked eye. No matter how strong Guy's attacks are, they're useless if they don't land."
Minato Namikaze gripped a special kunai, his gaze locked onto the battlefield.
"He's wearing Guy down."
Minato observed, "Maintaining the Eight Inner Gates puts an immense burden on the body. The opponent saw through that and plans to stall until Guy collapses."
Back in the fight.
Might Guy pulled the black rod from his ribs and tossed it aside.
The muscles around the wound rippled, forcing the bleeding to stop.
"Trying to stall for time?"
Guy grinned, showing off his shining white teeth. "Youth has no pause button!"
He raised both hands, pressing his thumbs against his chest.
"Eight Inner Gates: Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder, Open!"
Boom!
The green chakra steam instantly transformed into a vibrant blue.
That was the air pressure created by his sweat evaporating instantly.
The surrounding air began to warp, and the debris on the ground began to float upward as if caught in a vortex.
Jigen hovered in the distance, his brow furrowing slightly as he watched.
"Boosting physical functions to such an extreme... can a mere mortal vessel withstand that?"
Jigen murmured.
He looked down on this kind of life-burning combat style.
"Take this!"
Might Guy formed a seal with his hands, palms facing each other, and thrust them forward with explosive force.
The air was compressed to its absolute limit.
The spectral image of a white tiger materialized in the void, letting out a deafening roar.
"Daytime Tiger!"
The air-pressure shell blasted forward.
Everywhere it passed, the ground was plowed into a deep trench, and trees were reduced to dust.
The range of the attack was massive, and its speed was blinding.
Jigen watched the oncoming tiger made of air and did not dodge.
He raised his right hand, pointing his palm at the Daytime Tiger.
"Are you stupid? Have you forgotten I can absorb ninjutsu?"
"Karma."
He attempted to absorb the blast.
But in the next second, his expression changed again.
This wasn't ninjutsu either!
"Tch."
Jigen let out a cold snort, and his body instantly shrank.
He reduced himself to the size of a dust mote, slipping into the gaps of the air current.
Rumble!
The Daytime Tiger tore through Jigen's original position and slammed into the forest behind him.
A mushroom cloud rose.
The shockwave swept in all directions, leveling the surrounding forest.
Dust filled the sky.
Might Guy maintained his punching posture, gasping for breath.
The blue steam faded slightly.
"Did it hit?"
Jiraiya shielded his eyes from the sand and wind.
"No,"
Minato shook his head. "He dodged it."
As the dust cleared.
Jigen's figure reappeared.
He was completely unharmed; not even the hem of his robe was dusty.
However, his expression had turned even gloomier.
Although he had dodged the direct hit, the vibration of the air currents had still impacted his body.
Crack.
A fine crack appeared on Jigen's jawline.
This vessel named 'Jigen' had already reached its breaking point.
"Damn insects."
Jigen touched the crack on his chin, his killing intent surging. "To think you've damaged my vessel to this extent."
He had to finish this quickly.
Might Guy also noticed something was off with his opponent.
"It seems your body isn't that sturdy after all!"
Guy forced his exhausted body into a combat stance once more. "Then let's do it again!"
A flash of disgust crossed Jigen's eyes.
He didn't want to tangle with this madman any longer.
As long as he stayed small, the other man couldn't do anything to him.
While such a cowardly tactic was unsightly, it was effective.
He only had to wait until his opponent ran out of strength, and victory would be his.
Jigen raised his hand, preparing to activate his ocular jutsu.
Suddenly.
A drop of liquid landed on his palm.
It was cold.
Jigen paused.
He looked down at his hand.
Is it sweat?
Impossible.
How could a mere local make him this pathetic?
Jigen looked up.
Massive dark clouds had gathered overhead at some point.
Another drop fell, hitting his eyelid.
Splatter.
Rain began to pour.
The dense curtain of rain instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
"Rain?"
Jigen looked at the downpour, a sense of absurdity rising in his heart.
It was a clear sky just a moment ago; how could it suddenly rain?
He looked toward the distant treetops.
Jiraiya was holding a hand seal, breathing a stream of chakra into the sky.
"Water Style: Rainfall Senbon."
This wasn't an offensive jutsu.
It was simply a way to induce rain.
However, this rain made Jigen feel a chill.
The water soaked his robes, increasing his weight.
More importantly, the rain was everywhere.
If he shrank again, every raindrop would be like a massive sphere of water to him.
The surface tension of the water would restrict his movements, making it impossible not to be affected.
"A trap."
The word flashed through Jigen's mind.
These people had been calculating against him from the very beginning.
That bowl-cut was responsible for the frontal assault, forcing him to use his shrinking ability.
Meanwhile, the others were secretly changing the environment to block his path of retreat.
"Not just that."
Gamakon's voice traveled through the rain. "Rainwater can conduct electricity, and it reveals your form. Try shrinking again. As long as you're in the rain, we'll know exactly where you are."
"This is a trial. Why don't you just stay put and practice with Might Guy?"
Jigen gripped his staff tightly.
He glanced at his own body.
The cracks had already spread to his cheek.
If they kept fighting, this body would collapse first.
If the body gave out before he found a new vessel, it would be truly over for him.
And there were still a Hokage and a toad watching him like hawks from the sidelines.
Even a bowl-cut he had looked down upon the most had made him this miserable.
These natives were far more troublesome than those from Kaguya's era.
"Retreat."
The thought of leaving took root in Jigen's mind.
He hadn't found a second host yet.
There was no need to fight to the death with these lunatics here.
As long as there is life, there is hope.
Once he found a suitable 'Vessel' and completed his reincarnation to restore his true Otsutsuki form, these people would be nothing more than ants he could crush at will.
Jigen stowed his staff and floated backward.
"Trying to run?"
Seeing this, Might Guy let out a roar. "Where do you think you're going!"
He stepped off the ground, splashing mud everywhere as he lunged at Jigen like an arrow from a bow.
"Get lost."
Jigen raised his hand, firing several black rods.
Guy didn't dodge, punching the rods out of the air.
But the delay allowed Jigen to widen the gap.
He raised his hand and swiped at the air.
A black spatial portal opened.
"Consider yourselves lucky this time."
Jigen stood before the spatial portal and looked back at the group. "When I return, it will be the day you all die."
"Anyone can talk big."
Gamakon hopped onto Minato's shoulder. "If you've got the guts, don't run. Let's go another three hundred rounds?"
Despite the taunt, the group didn't seem in a hurry to chase him.
Jigen ignored Gamakon's mockery.
He stepped one foot into the spatial portal.
Just then.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Minato Namikaze's figure appeared out of thin air right above Jigen.
He held a massive Rasengan in his hand, its center infused with wind-style chakra that emitted a piercing screeching sound.
"You think you can just come and go as you please?"
Minato's eyes were icy. "What do you think Konoha is!"
The Rasengan slammed down hard.
Jigen's pupils shrank.
He hadn't expected Minato's speed to be so high that he could launch a surprise attack the very instant he entered space.
He could only raise his staff to block.
Zzzzz!
The Rasengan and the staff collided, sending sparks flying.
The massive force blasted Jigen into the spatial portal.
The portal trembled violently, seemingly disrupted by the impact.
"Curse you!"
A muffled curse from Jigen echoed from within the portal.
Then, the spatial portal snapped shut and vanished.
Only a few drops of blood fell from the closing rift, splashing into the muddy water and spreading instantly.
The rain continued to fall.
Might Guy rushed to Minato's side, staring at the empty space ahead.
"He escaped?"
Guy sounded a bit unwilling. "I haven't even gone all out yet!"
The blue steam on his body began to dissipate, and a wave of intense fatigue washed over him.
Guy swayed, nearly collapsing.
Minato reached out to steady him.
"You did well enough, Guy."
Minato looked at the blood on the ground. "You get the primary credit for driving back Isshiki Otsutsuki."
"That guy was injured, and his vessel is nearly broken."
Gamakon jumped down and used a test tube to collect the blood, sniffing it. "It seems that monk's body really couldn't take it."
"He'll have to find a new vessel as soon as possible."
Jiraiya walked over and released his jutsu.
The rain slowly stopped.
"Where will he go?" Jiraiya asked.
Minato smiled slightly. "I've already placed a Flying Thunder God mark on him."
"The mark of the Flying Thunder God never disappears."