Ninja were all very sharp. There was no doubt about that.
Natsuhiko was also a sharp ninja. Earlier, when Otsutsuki Urashiki had responded to the counterattack, his performance had already struck Natsuhiko as unusual.
At the time, however, Natsuhiko had not dared to pursue that line of thought. In his mind, the Otsutsuki were like beings from another realm. They had destroyed countless life-bearing planets with the God Tree. Logically, they could not possibly be the kind of people he imagined—powerful but utterly lacking in real combat experience, relying solely on overwhelming strength to crush everything in their path.
Yet after witnessing the previous exchange, Natsuhiko had no choice but to seriously consider the possibility.
And once he did, he immediately realized just how alarmingly plausible it was.
In the original story, putting aside everyone else, just looking at Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, her performance was simply disastrous.
She was the progenitor of chakra, yet when facing Naruto and Sasuke, who possessed only the powers inherited from Indra and Ashura, she was forced into a constant retreat and even followed Black Zetsu's every suggestion.
To put it bluntly, throughout the entire battle, she was completely outplayed by Naruto and Sasuke in terms of tactics and combat experience.
Aside from her, Ōtsutsuki Toneri was perhaps an even more practical example.
His individual strength was immense, yet he was still defeated by Naruto even after Naruto's borrowed power had been taken away.
However, Toneri was understandable. After all, he had been blind since childhood and had spent most of his life on the moon, with few opportunities for real combat.
Given that, it was only natural for someone with virtually no battle experience to be taught a lesson by Naruto, a ninja who had fought his way through countless battles.
Aside from Toneri, who could still be considered a normal case, Natsuhiko realized there were other examples as well—ones he had subconsciously overlooked until now.
One of them was Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki, the first powerful Ōtsutsuki to arrive in the shinobi world in the original story.
Natsuhiko had long felt that Momoshiki, who had single-handedly lowered the overall impression of the Ōtsutsuki, seemed to have something seriously wrong with him.
He had even wondered whether the writers had forcibly lowered his intelligence to make the protagonists look strong, which led to his tragic ending.
But now, after clashing with Urashiki, Natsuhiko suddenly felt that perhaps it was because this guy's practical combat experience was too weak.
It was fine if they encountered ordinary enemies, but once they met enemies like Naruto, Sasuke, or himself.
The weakness caused by their lack of real combat experience would be fully exposed.
Thinking of this, Natsuhiko suddenly felt somewhat speechless. He truly had not expected these Ōtsutsuki to be like this one after another.
Although he understood very clearly that people like them could basically crush almost any kind of enemy directly with power.
It seemed to be precisely because they possessed such powerful strength that they lost the desire to carefully polish their combat skills, and only knew how to crush opponents with raw power.
Looks like this guy is not acting. He is really weak.
After figuring out these key points, Natsuhiko's expression became extremely strange.
A faint trace of disdain could not help appearing in his heart, but after that disdain came extreme envy.
They had such powerful strength that they could freely control it, and they could even sweep through most worlds without needing to hone their skills.
Anyone would feel extremely jealous of that. Even someone like Natsuhiko, who had his own advantage, could not compare.
At least Natsuhiko's power had been trained step by step by himself, then obtained with some luck.
But these Ōtsutsuki completely relied on being born well. From the moment they were born, they possessed power that others could never obtain even after spending their entire lives.
Of course, not all Ōtsutsuki were like this.
Natsuhiko believed that some Ōtsutsuki had probably also climbed up step by step, tempering themselves against one enemy after another.
Because of that, he felt that when he encountered such enemies, even if he truly looked down on them somewhat, he absolutely had to remain extremely cautious.
Even against those who relied only on pure power, Natsuhiko still had to be extremely cautious.
After all, even if a pig obtained the power of a god, it would still be a god.
But since the situation is like this, then my chances of defeating this guy have greatly increased.
At this moment, Natsuhiko's gaze changed slightly. It was not as if he had thought he had no chance before.
After all, he possessed powers like senjutsu and Yin-Yang Release. If he used them well, he could completely launch a sneak attack at the most critical moment.
Having watched the original story, he naturally knew that even the Ōtsutsuki could not withstand these powers. They would still suffer from them.
But now, his confidence had increased quite a bit.
Even if the enemy's power was stronger than his, without much real combat experience, Natsuhiko could handle him more calmly.
And he could also grasp more opportunities, finding a way to launch a fatal surprise attack against this guy.
Thinking of this, Natsuhiko did not hesitate to mobilize the Jōgan chakra he had already accumulated.
In the next moment, his entire body became blurred, and blue chakra covered him completely, making him look incredibly strange.
Urashiki, who had been struck hard by Natsuhiko, had now also recovered.
He had been left somewhat dazed by Natsuhiko's collision just now, and he had no idea what Natsuhiko's action had meant.
But now, he could not be bothered to think about such things, because when he saw the change in Natsuhiko's state, his expression also shifted slightly.
Because he discovered that this was the very power that had drawn him here in the first place.
"So it was you!"
At this moment, Urashiki's tone changed slightly. He truly had not expected that he would actually encounter this big fish.
"No wonder your level is somewhat beyond my expectations. In truth, I should have thought of this long ago.
"But your power is truly special. It is actually activated through your eyes. No wonder I could never find the person."
"What do you mean?"
When Natsuhiko heard this, his expression became somewhat strange.
Listening to this guy's words, it seemed that he had sensed the power of Natsuhiko's eyes and then come to the shinobi world because of it.
This news truly left Natsuhiko somewhat stunned, because he had always thought that the leaking power of the Tenseigan was what had drawn them here.
But after hearing this, it seemed that after all the twists and turns, the one who had led them here was actually himself. This made Natsuhiko's expression extremely strange.
"Why do you think I came all the way to this place?"
At this moment, the injuries on Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's body had basically recovered. In the next instant, a terrifying aura spread from within him.
Red chakra already surrounded his body. Holding the fishing rod in his hand, he looked indifferently at Natsuhiko and spoke slowly.
"It was because I sensed your chakra, a chakra that belongs to the Ōtsutsuki, yet is extremely unfamiliar.
"I am becoming more and more curious about you now. Likewise, I am also somewhat curious about your eyes."
At this point, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki paused slightly.
However, in the next moment, his figure quickly disappeared, and he had already arrived before Natsuhiko.
That vast power was like a wave, surging fiercely toward Natsuhiko.
"So thank me. I will study you properly!"
Natsuhiko's reaction speed was also extremely fast. He quickly turned, and the damaged ninja blade in his hand carried a sharp edge as he swung it fiercely toward Urashiki.
This time, both of them had almost begun to get serious. The instant the blade and the fishing rod collided, the ninja blade in Natsuhiko's hand finally shattered.
"Boom!"
At that moment, amid an ear-piercing roar, the ground trembled slightly, and large clouds of dust were stirred up. Natsuhiko also could not help taking a step back.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's strength truly was not something Natsuhiko could easily compare with.
However, the instant he stepped back, his gaze narrowed slightly, and his body naturally bent down.
In the next moment, beams of red chakra light flew past close to his scalp.
These red chakra beams were like blades, each one curved like a crescent sword. Even though Natsuhiko did not touch them, he could still sense their sharpness.
"Amenosubaruboshinomikoto!"
At some point, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki had already flown into the sky. He fiercely swung the fishing rod in his hand, and those red chakra blades shot out from it.
When these blades landed on the ground, each one released a thunderous explosion.
Natsuhiko's reaction speed was astonishing, and he quickly avoided the sudden assault of these blades.
However, after countless blades were dodged by him and fell onto the ground, thunderous explosions bloomed beside his ears in an instant.
From a distance, a half-circle red curtain of light suddenly appeared, followed by wild winds.
"The power is that great?"
Natsuhiko had already dodged farther away by now. His goal was to lead this guy even farther away.
Even though Senju Hashirama was assisting with defense on Konoha's side, he did not dare be certain that Senju Hashirama could block every attack.
His gaze looked into the distance, and in the next moment, Natsuhiko's hands began forming seals quickly. All the chakra inside his body fused together at this moment.
"Yin-Yang Release: Earth Stone Dragon!"
Surging chakra swept out wildly, and several enormous black earth dragons suddenly appeared in midair.
The earth dragons, strengthened by Yin-Yang Release, senjutsu, and even tailed beast power, released their full might. They roared as they charged toward Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
Facing these attacks, Urashiki smiled coldly. With a light flick of the fishing rod in his hand, a red chakra thread flew out quickly with a hook attached.
In only an instant, several of the earth dragons Natsuhiko had created were hooked by him.
And after being hooked, they were quickly absorbed by Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
If it were only absorption, Natsuhiko would not have felt there was any problem. But very soon, Natsuhiko discovered that this guy was actually similar to Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki.
He directly released the technique he had absorbed from Natsuhiko, then sent it fiercely charging back at him.
Although Natsuhiko was somewhat surprised when he saw this scene, he remained extremely calm.
After all, he had seen Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki's combat style before, so these strange abilities of the Ōtsutsuki really did not seem that surprising to him.
"Yin-Yang Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
With his hands pressed together, the chakra inside Natsuhiko erupted once again. In an instant, a row of towering wooden walls rose from the ground.
As for Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, he was much calmer. He did not make any defensive move at all, or rather, he could not even be bothered to defend.
After guiding Natsuhiko's earth dragons away, he simply stood quietly in place, but his eyes clearly revealed a maddened nature.
"Boom!"
A heaven-shaking roar suddenly rang out. That terrifying destructive force changed the color of the world in an instant, and for a time, the sky was reflected in a gloomy gray.
On the other side, Natsuhiko's earth dragons had already slammed fiercely into Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
The vast earth roared under this force, as if it had been pressed down three feet out of nowhere, while countless fragments shot out in all directions.
Natsuhiko silently stood behind his Wood Locking Wall, his gaze somewhat strange.
The Jōgan, like the Byakugan, originally possessed the ability to observe from a long distance, so he had naturally been watching every move Ōtsutsuki Urashiki made the entire time.
However, as he observed, he was stunned to discover that this guy was actually standing in place without moving at all, silently watching Natsuhiko's earth dragons crash toward him.
Natsuhiko did not know whether this guy was truly tired of living, to actually act so recklessly.
But after only a moment, Natsuhiko realized that something was not right.
Through the Jōgan's observation, Natsuhiko noticed a strange power emanating from Urashiki's blue Rinnegan.
As that power spread, he suddenly realized that Urashiki's real body had appeared not far away, while the Urashiki standing before the earth dragons had shifted in another direction.
At that moment, Natsuhiko was somewhat stunned. He discovered that the moving Urashiki had become an illusion, while the Urashiki who had appeared in the distance was the real one.
In the next instant, that peculiar power became violently chaotic. It abruptly came to a halt before rapidly flowing backward.
The entire process created an overwhelming sense of unreality. At the same time, more and more illusory images appeared within Natsuhiko's field of vision.
"What exactly is this?"
Natsuhiko frowned deeply. What he was seeing had already gone beyond his understanding.
Yet for some reason, he felt as though he could guess what was happening.
The only problem was that he genuinely hoped his guess was wrong. Because if it wasn't, then the opponent he was facing would be far more troublesome than he had imagined.
"Yin-Yang Release, the ability to absorb chakra and reflect it.
"And a pair of blue Rinnegan with unknown specific effects, very likely possessing the power of time.
"This guy's upper limit is truly frighteningly high."
Facing this kind of enemy, especially one who had grasped the power of time.
Even though Natsuhiko knew this guy did not have much real combat experience, his heart still could not help feeling a little despair.
Against an enemy like this, what the hell was there even to fight?
The illusory images Natsuhiko had seen just now were clearly the process of this guy constantly testing his options.
Only after he found the most ideal and suitable angle to dodge did he leisurely appear.
Natsuhiko let out a faint sigh. He knew that this time, he was truly in trouble.
How exactly could he kill an enemy like this?
"Hm?"
Just as Natsuhiko was at a loss, he suddenly noticed something interesting.
He suddenly discovered that Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's time power did not seem as exaggerated as he had imagined.
The power of time had always been terrifying, especially a method that allowed one to reverse one's own time. That gave Natsuhiko an indescribable fear.
However, Natsuhiko now seemed to have noticed some details. A strong Yang Release power was spreading over Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's body.
Along with this Yang Release power, white smoke was also faintly rising from his body.
Clearly, this was a process of healing his injuries.
Through the Jōgan's careful observation, Natsuhiko discovered that Urashiki had been wounded by his attack.
Was he injured by me?
Natsuhiko silently waited for the torrent of energy to subside while carefully observing Urashiki's condition.
If he was wounded by me, then that meant this guy's power of time was not as powerful as Natsuhiko had imagined.
The power of time was indeed terrifying, but it still depended on how it was used and the skill of the user.
Natsuhiko could not deny how Ōtsutsuki Urashiki used this power, but he could tell that it seemed limited to manipulating time itself.
More accurately, it was a technique that affected external time, but did not affect his own body.
If everything could be reversed through time, then Ōtsutsuki Urashiki would have no need to spend chakra healing his body.
This discovery made Natsuhiko's eyes brighten slightly, because to him, this might bring some unexpected results.
"He cannot use the power of time to reverse physical injuries, but he can twist external time."
This also meant that when he used the power of time to test his options, he might come into contact with the same attack even more times.
As soon as Natsuhiko thought of this, he already had a plan in his mind.
After the impact of the energy torrent disappeared, Natsuhiko immediately began forming seals.
The Wood Locking Wall in front of him had already been destroyed by the earth dragons, so his speed had to be fast.
"Yin-Yang Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
The instant Natsuhiko completed the technique, the earth began shaking wildly. Countless giant trees rose from the ground, covering the sky.
And at the same time, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki had already crossed through space and arrived.
The fishhook in his hand, glowing with red chakra, shot out with its fishing line and swiftly wrapped toward Natsuhiko.
Now that Natsuhiko already knew this thing could absorb chakra, he naturally would not let it touch him.
His body twisted slightly, and Natsuhiko had already dodged the current attack. Then his body floated up slightly, and in the next moment, he shot straight toward Ōtsutsuki Urashiki like lightning.
A Tailed Beast Bomb had already formed in his hand. The pitch-black sphere contained countless different chakra natures perfectly fused together, making it clear that Natsuhiko had poured all of his chakra into this attack.
With a fierce thrust, Natsuhiko launched the Tailed Beast Bomb forward. But the instant it struck Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, he realized that the figure before him had vanished.
At the same time, a powerful surge of chakra suddenly erupted behind him.
He dodged again? What an annoying opponent.
Natsuhiko cursed inwardly. He wasn't sure whether his attack had actually connected.
By his own judgment, it should have hit. But because of the displacement caused by the power of time, he had no way of knowing how much damage, if any, he had truly inflicted.
Still, Natsuhiko did not dwell on it. That attack had never been his real objective.
Spinning around at once, he immediately drew upon the Nine-Tails' power. His arm transformed into the head of the Nine-Tails, and in the next instant, the Tailed Beast Bomb in its jaws was unleashed.
"Amenosubaruboshinomikoto: Gyokko!"
Just as the Tailed Beast Bomb was fired toward Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's attack also arrived.
A huge chakra sphere glowing with purple light condensed in his palm, and he fiercely shot it toward Natsuhiko.
This chakra sphere looked like a Tailed Beast Bomb, but its structure and the combination of Yin-Yang Release within it were completely different from a Tailed Beast Bomb.
However, what could not be denied was that it possessed the same terrifying power.
The instant the two spheres fiercely collided, the world seemed to lose all sound. At the center of the clash, a flash of aurora quietly appeared.
At this moment, that blinding aurora stole everyone's sight. After that, circles of visible, wave-like, invisible air currents scattered wildly in every direction.
For a time, the earth shook, and dust filled the sky. The towering trees Natsuhiko had created were almost cut in half at this moment.
If Natsuhiko had not immediately supplied more chakra and made them quickly regrow, this Wood Release would probably have been completely ruined.
As this energy continued to spread, the scorching crimson barrier outside Konoha also became extremely distorted.
Countless cracks had already begun climbing across the barrier. At this moment, the barrier looked as if it could collapse at any time.
Seeing this, Senju Hashirama immediately gritted his teeth and rushed out. But the instant he had just run outside the barrier, countless bloody cuts had already appeared on his body.
That terrifying energy wave could injure even him if he touched it. If it were an ordinary person, they might already have died.
"Sage Art: Fivefold Rashōmon!"
While quickly healing himself, Senju Hashirama silently entered Sage Mode. At the same time, he brought his hands together and completed his technique.
In an instant, five giant iron gates with ghostly faces quickly rose from the ground.
However, the first gate was crushed into pieces by the shockwave in only a moment, and the second gate soon followed in its footsteps.
Senju Hashirama did not remain idle either. When he felt that the energy of the shockwave had weakened greatly, he pressed his hands together once more.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: Hōbi Technique!"
Vast chakra surged endlessly inside his body. Under his superb control, a wooden shield shaped like a fanged demon face slowly rose and blocked the front of Konoha.
After this mask rose, Senju Hashirama finally let out a slight breath of relief.
He knew just how risky his actions had been. If this were a normal battle, he would have used defensive ninjutsu in advance.
But facing a shockwave and energy torrent like this directly, while running into a place with no cover, was truly no different from courting death.
However, just as he had said, he was willing to risk his life for Konoha. He had said so, and he had done so.
Raising his head, Senju Hashirama looked deeply into the distance. His mission was to protect Konoha's safety, so the enemy had to be left to Natsuhiko to deal with.
"You had better do your best, kid…"
When that seemingly endless torrent of energy finally stopped, the entire world seemed to have changed completely.
At the center of the battlefield, the area was still covered by a strange dense forest.
But outside this forest, all that remained was a vast scene like hell.
The originally lush forest had vanished, and the mountains that once stood in the distance had also been flattened at this moment.
Countless cracks of unknown depth spread everywhere, as if they stretched all the way to the end of the earth and connected directly to the sea.
Perhaps because these long, thin cracks were truly too deep, underground water even seeped out and poured into them.
At this moment, the only thing left in this area was deathly silence. Only Konoha remained, still surrounded by the damaged red barrier, with the misshapen Wood Release shield protecting its front.
And above that strange forest, two figures constantly crossing each other showed that there were still living people and living things in this area.
"Bang!"
One red and one blue stream of light collided, but in the next moment, they quickly separated again.
Very soon, they closed in on each other once more, and the sound of air being torn apart kept ringing through the sky.
When the aftermath caused by the collision of their techniques finally ended, Natsuhiko, who had been locked onto Ōtsutsuki Urashiki the entire time, decided to move.
In his eyes, he saw many illusory figures using different methods to avoid the aftermath this time.
From the careless attitude at the beginning to the later constant attempts with various techniques, Natsuhiko knew that his attacks were working.
Unfortunately, the previous torrent of power had destroyed his Deep Forest Emergence. Otherwise, Natsuhiko could now seriously consider trying to end the battle.
But this was not a major problem. This guy's overly arrogant personality, combined with his weak combat experience, gave Natsuhiko great hope.
Especially since Natsuhiko had also seen that this guy's time reversal seemed to have an upper limit of only a few seconds.
This meant that when the energy torrent formed, in order to find the best way to avoid it, he had stayed within that period for dozens of seconds.
The fact that he had endured the impact of such power for dozens of seconds without dying could only prove that this guy truly was worthy of being an Ōtsutsuki.
"However, you will not be so lucky next."
Natsuhiko admitted that his own power was definitely inferior to Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's, but his combat experience and attitude toward battle were far stronger than this guy's.
Perhaps because his starting point was too high, and because he had grown used to crushing any trouble with raw power.
This caused his attitude toward battle to never be serious enough from beginning to end, and when he encountered trouble in battle, he would not think too much. He would only rely on power to recover and make up for it.
With such a fatal weakness present, Natsuhiko truly felt that his chances were growing larger and larger, so he decisively chose to take the initiative.
However, this time, Natsuhiko did not forget one thing, and that was to make the Deep Forest Emergence truly bloom.
Facing Natsuhiko's fierce assault, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki could only brace himself and meet it head-on at this moment.
He truly had not expected that this damned person, whose bloodline could not even be considered complete and who was still evolving toward the Ōtsutsuki, would actually be troublesome to this extent.
This kid's taijutsu was extremely strange, and the techniques he mastered were not only varied, but also extremely powerful.
Most importantly, there were his eyes. This kid's eyes had clearly inherited the power of the Byakugan and evolved from it.
Moreover, those eyes had obvious power that only belonged to the Ōtsutsuki.
And this kid seemed to be relying on those eyes, along with those strange techniques of his, to make Urashiki feel such great pressure.
But no matter how difficult or troublesome he was, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki could not stop now.
He had already been completely drawn in by the abilities of the person before him. He planned to properly study this person's body, as well as his eyes.
Natural energy had always been something he dreamed of obtaining, and Natsuhiko's eyes had given him great inspiration.
There was no way he would miss out on this kind of power that could bring him a huge improvement.
"Buzz!"
When Natsuhiko once again deceived Ōtsutsuki Urashiki and smoothly stabbed a kunai into Urashiki's chest, unsurprisingly, the man disappeared.
Illusion and reality intertwined with each other, and time seemed to shift. Then this man strangely appeared again in another position.
"I have to say, you really are quite impressive."
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki felt his own pain and could not help grinning.
"I have lived for so long, and this is the first time I have been made to feel this uncomfortable. You should feel proud, kid."
"Proud?"
Hearing this, Natsuhiko could not help giving a soft laugh before calmly continuing.
"How can I be proud when I have not killed you?"
"You are very arrogant, kid."
The smile on Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's face began to sink, and his tone also became colder and colder.
"I do not know where your confidence comes from, to actually think you can kill me. I admit that your taijutsu and your techniques are very impressive.
"But even so, you still have to be able to hit me. Yet every move you make has been avoided by me, so I do not know why you are still so confident."
"Did you really avoid them?"
At this moment, the smile on Natsuhiko's face instead became brilliant. The chakra inside his body stirred slightly, and immediately after, black spheres appeared behind him.
The appearance of these spheres immediately made Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's expression darken even more. He naturally knew exactly what these black spheres were.
These were Truth-Seeking Balls, a technique that even he did not possess, or rather, had no way to obtain.
Because for them, they were always missing one important power. This power did not need to be fused into the Truth-Seeking Balls, but it was crucial and indispensable.
And Natsuhiko's words also made Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's expression somewhat ugly. Those words gave him a faintly bad premonition.
Could it be that his technique had been seen through by this kid?
However, very soon, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's expression recovered quite a bit. Even if it had been seen through, so what?
Could this guy really break it? The power of time had always been the strangest and most terrifying thing in this world.
Even within the Ōtsutsuki clan, his power was extremely rare and extremely precious.
"Haven't you noticed something feels… off?"
Natsuhiko spoke once more. As he did, a Truth-Seeking Ball slowly transformed into a ninja blade in his hand.
The moment the blade took shape, the destructive aura emanating from the Jōgan chakra surrounding him intensified once again.
That faint aura of death had already begun to wrap itself around Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
Urashiki froze for a moment upon hearing those words, but his expression changed in the very next instant.
He could feel his body gradually growing numb, while a wave of dizziness crept into his mind.
At that moment, Natsuhiko moved again.
Like a phantom, he appeared beside Urashiki. Blue chakra instantly enveloped the ninja blade in his hand.
In a flash, the blade swept through the air, carrying a terrifying sharpness as it slashed toward him.
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