"What exactly is going on?"
Inside Konoha, countless ninja gathered around the red barrier, while in front of them, ANBU ninja and members of the Police Force blocked their path.
They had all received orders to come here and stop people. Although they did not know why, since their commander had given the order, they had to carry it out.
However, once they arrived here, they knew that something was wrong. In particular, the barrier before them was definitely not something an ordinary ninja could touch.
Not only that, the terrifying roars outside and those frightening energy waves showed that a battle beyond their imagination was currently taking place outside.
But who exactly is fighting whom?
The ANBU ninja silently wondered this in their minds. It was not only them; even the ordinary Konoha ninja were filled with curiosity.
Not long ago, they had suddenly received a village-wide notice. The one who issued the order was Nara Shikaku, the Department Head of Administrative Affairs.
He had used Yamanaka Inoichi's secret technique to send the message to everyone. His voice echoed in all their minds, and his order was very simple—evacuate all civilians.
Although this order made them feel somewhat confused, as ninja, what they needed to do was obey orders.
Especially with those violent roars constantly sounding outside, they realized that the situation was probably extremely serious.
Many of them wanted to go out and help, but unfortunately, as soon as they arrived at the village entrance, they were blocked by the red barrier.
They could only watch anxiously as continuous rumbling echoed through the air and violent tremors shook the ground from time to time. Everyone could tell that the situation was extremely serious.
However, when towering trees suddenly rose beyond the village and completely blocked their view, they finally realized that the situation was far worse than they had imagined.
After all, the only person in Konoha capable of using Wood Release was their Hokage-sama.
This was especially true for the ninja who had fought alongside Natsuhiko during Konoha's war against Kumogakure. They were all too familiar with this technique.
In an instant, they understood.
The person fighting outside was none other than their Hokage-sama.
Who exactly is it that made Hokage-sama defend so carefully, and even forced him to face them alone?
This question immediately arose in the minds of all the Konoha ninja, but before they could think any further, a terrifying scene unfolded before their eyes.
In the distance, two blurry figures suddenly unleashed two completely different chakra spheres.
The instant the black and purple spheres collided, almost everyone reflexively covered their eyes in pain.
At the moment of impact, a blinding aurora swept across the entirety of Konoha. The dazzling light was so overwhelming that no one could adapt to it.
What was even harder for them to imagine was that, before they could reopen their eyes, a vast and suffocating shockwave had already swept over them.
Many ninja were thrown through the air by the violent gale created by the shockwave. At the same time, a deafening roar filled their ears.
For a moment, it seemed as though they could hear nothing at all, yet an intense ringing continued to echo inside their heads.
No one knew how much time had passed. Only after everything had finally settled did they slowly open their eyes.
However, the moment they saw the scene before them clearly, a deep sense of shock—and even despair—began to rise within their hearts.
At this moment, Konoha had completely become an isolated city. Everything around it had already turned into ruins.
Whether it was the once-lush forest or the towering mountains in the distance, at this moment, they had all completely vanished from this world.
The only thing left was the Wood Release still standing in the distance, cast by their Hokage-sama.
And there was also the scorching red barrier, already badly damaged, yet still standing.
Of course, they also noticed the Wood Release blocking the front of Konoha, as well as those shattered giant ghost-faced gates.
In their eyes, these were all released by their Hokage-sama to protect them. In truth, thinking this way was not wrong. They simply had not figured out which Hokage it had been.
"What… what exactly is happening?"
The same question appeared in their minds once again, but this time, they felt a shock unlike anything they had ever felt before.
Perhaps the ninja who had once fought alongside Natsuhiko against Kumogakure were still a little better off, since they had seen the thousand-meter-tall Wood Release giant Buddha Natsuhiko had summoned.
But those who had never truly seen all this and had only learned about it through newspapers and the words of frontline ninja were completely frightened by everything before them.
They truly could not imagine what would happen if such a terrifying attack landed on them.
In truth, they had long known the answer. They simply did not dare, nor were they willing, to think in that direction.
"Is this Hokage-sama's mighty power? This is too unbelievable…"
"If not for Hokage-sama, I am afraid all of Konoha would already no longer exist."
"Look! Hokage-sama and that damned guy are fighting again!"
"But if even someone as powerful as Hokage-sama has to be so careful, and the battle has reached this level… then who exactly is that person?"
After confirming that they were safe, the Konoha ninja couldn't help but whisper among themselves, using conversation to ease the pressure and release the relief of having survived a disaster.
However, when the discussion reached that point, the entire group gradually fell silent.
That was right. What kind of enemy could possess such overwhelming power—someone capable of pushing their Fifth Hokage, a man comparable to the First Hokage, to such an extent?
What was this person's purpose in coming here? Could Hokage-sama truly focus on dealing with him while still worrying about Konoha?
For a time, all kinds of complicated and slightly pessimistic thoughts began to rise in their hearts.
However, in the end, they were Konoha ninja with enough faith. No matter how pessimistic they felt, they would still adjust and control themselves.
After all, the ninja of this era had almost all experienced the most painful wars, and they all knew how to adjust their emotions.
Although the current situation felt extremely difficult, they still chose to believe in their Hokage-sama.
This battle had already surpassed anything they could participate in; they were no longer capable of contributing at all.
All they could do now was trust. Trust in their Hokage, just as they had during Kumogakure's previous invasion.
Meanwhile, Natsuhiko had no idea what was happening inside Konoha—and even if he did, he had no time to care. The only thing that mattered to him now was ending the battle in front of him.
The ninja blade formed from the Truth-Seeking Ball sliced through the sky, slashing fiercely toward Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
Urashiki's entire body had already gone numb, and his mind felt slightly dizzy. He knew exactly what was happening—he had been poisoned.
Although he could not figure out when or how it had happened, his current situation was clearly far from optimistic.
As he watched the blade draw closer and closer, and felt a pressure of death he had almost never experienced before, his pair of blue Rinnegan suddenly turned crimson.
In that instant, the fluctuations of space turned chaotic and unstable, and Urashiki's body was swiftly enveloped in a black halo.
"Yomotsu Hirasaka? This time, the speed is much faster than before. Is this the ability of the Red Rinnegan?"
In just an instant, Natsuhiko figured out quite a few things. Even though he did not have the high-speed insight of the Sharingan, his Jōgan could still help him in many ways.
Moreover, ever since the battle began, he had been collecting every piece of information about this guy. Although the more he gathered, the more jealous he became of this guy's abilities.
The more he gathered, the more confident Natsuhiko became that he could find a way to defeat him.
To be honest, although Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's abilities were ridiculously powerful, the feeling he gave Natsuhiko truly could not compare to the grace of Uchiha Madara in his memory.
Likewise, he could not compare to Senju Hashirama's presence either. This guy was purely someone who relied on his own abilities and messed around without any order.
In game terms, he had no skill at all, nor any room for real technique. He had basically paid money at the start and then crushed everyone.
Natsuhiko truly had no good feelings toward someone like this, because when fighting him, one had to be careful and go all out.
But fighting this guy brought no gains at all, because his combat skill was almost zero. There was simply nothing to learn from him.
As these thoughts passed through his mind, the ninja blade formed from the Truth-Seeking Ball in Natsuhiko's hand had already slashed down fiercely.
In an instant, the blade brought out a spray of blood. Unfortunately, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki still escaped.
In the distance, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's figure appeared once again, only this time, there were already clear wounds on his body.
This scene made Natsuhiko think of something, because this time, the guy had not used that hateful time ability again.
Was he panicking after being tricked by me, or was it that after his Rinnegan turned red, he could no longer use that ability?
Natsuhiko's reaction speed was extremely fast, and he immediately thought of something interesting.
Although he could not be certain whether it was true or not, it was clear that this guy had already altered his battle strategy.
This kind of change was somewhat unfamiliar to Natsuhiko, but the advantage was that the opponent had also abandoned his usual fighting style.
An unfamiliar style meant a lack of proficiency.
Even when using his normal combat approach, this guy's performance had only been average at best. Now that he had switched to an unfamiliar style, his performance would likely become even more "interesting to watch."
However, Natsuhiko also realized that this guy's abilities were truly abnormal. Whether it was time or space, he could actually use both.
As the saying went, comparing oneself to others could easily drive a person to despair.
If I can really kill him, then this guy's body will be excellent material.
Such powerful strength, along with those eyes that can change. These guys really are treasures from head to toe.
Natsuhiko silently muttered to himself, but in the next instant, he had already shot forward. The ninja blade in his hand once again slashed fiercely toward Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
This time, Urashiki seemed to have been completely enraged. He no longer chose to dodge, instead forcefully stirring his chakra without hesitation.
As a member of the Ōtsutsuki, being pushed into such a state by someone he regarded as an ant—especially someone with only an incomplete Ōtsutsuki bloodline—was far beyond what he could tolerate.
His fury was completely ignited. In a surge of rage, Urashiki charged forward without hesitation and launched his counterattack.
Natsuhiko also hadn't expected him to become so decisive this time. And before fully understanding the power of those red Rinnegan, he still maintained a certain level of caution.
But no matter how cautious he was, Natsuhiko, who held the advantage in technique, was not afraid of this guy.
Moreover, Natsuhiko still had the protection of the Truth-Seeking Balls. Even though he only had three Truth-Seeking Balls, that was already enough.
Two blurry figures, so fast that ordinary eyes could not see them clearly, collided within the forest Natsuhiko had created in an instant.
However, it was clear that one of the figures, while constantly attacking, was also continuously pulling toward the outside, as if trying to leave this artificial forest.
But the other figure, whose whole body shone with brilliant blue chakra, did not give him any chance. Every time he gained even the slightest opening, he would be stopped.
Every time he finally reached the edge and was even about to rush out of the forest, he would quickly be blocked by the black spheres together with that blue figure.
Natsuhiko's timing was extremely precise. Earlier, he had basically already told Ōtsutsuki Urashiki that this forest was poisonous.
No matter how arrogant or stupid this guy was, he could not possibly continue staying here and wait for the poison to keep spreading through his body.
Even though he could indeed use Yang Release to continuously dispel the poison, doing so would still consume both his focus and his strength. He did not want to waste either unnecessarily.
However, once they truly engaged in close-quarters taijutsu again, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki realized that he was not acting out of arrogance this time—he had simply lost his temper.
In their exchange of blows, he found that he could not gain even the slightest advantage. In fact, his so-called strength advantage had become virtually meaningless against this opponent.
Natsuhiko also noticed this. He realized that this Ōtsutsuki's mindset had already fallen into complete disarray, and his fighting style had become almost reckless.
Beyond that, Natsuhiko observed one more thing: those red Rinnegan did not seem to possess any additional special abilities.
At least from their exchanges so far, aside from allowing Yomotsu Hirasaka to activate more quickly, the red Rinnegan appeared to offer nothing else.
The blue eyes control time, and the red eyes control space. Their strengths and weaknesses are both obvious. If this is all there is...
As Natsuhiko thought this, the ninja blade in his hand once again slashed toward Ōtsutsuki Urashiki. However, this time, his opponent's evasion speed was noticeably faster than before.
The blade failed to land, but Urashiki's retreat was incomplete, and his counterattack lacked sharpness.
Natsuhiko immediately seized the opening and suppressed him once again.
Then he's finished.
That thought flashed through his mind as he continued pressing forward. In their prolonged taijutsu exchange, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki revealed more and more openings.
Facing those openings, Natsuhiko endured patiently and did not rush to act, deliberately ensuring that Urashiki would not notice his own condition.
Finally, after the two of them clashed back and forth like phantoms and streaks of lightning more than ten times, Natsuhiko stopped holding back and gave Urashiki no further opportunity.
The instant his blade struck Urashiki's fishing rod, he shifted his body backward.
Urashiki had originally gathered a powerful force to counter the attack, but this time, he missed completely.
His expression changed slightly. In the next instant, the red Rinnegan in his eyes—marked with transparent tomoe—began to spin.
A black spatial passage had already opened behind him, but Natsuhiko was faster.
Before Urashiki could enter it, Natsuhiko had already made his move.
"Yin-Yang Release: Konohanasakuya-hime!"
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki saw the phantom of a woman with long silver hair appear in the void.
In the next moment, a terrifying chakra, along with an extremely sharp blade, came rushing toward him.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's expression became extremely ugly. At this moment, he seemed to know that he could not dodge this fatal strike at all.
Facing this terrifying scene, he finally gritted his teeth, and the chakra inside his body began surging wildly without restraint.
The instant Natsuhiko's blade was about to touch him, a giant chakra oarfish suddenly appeared between the blade and him.
This giant oarfish used its own body to block Natsuhiko's blade, and with Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's nearly endless chakra supporting it, its body began to swell wildly.
"Amenosubaruboshinomikoto: Ryūgū!"
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's face was filled with madness. Countless cuts like blade wounds had already appeared across his body, but he did not care in the slightest.
He held one hand forward, ignoring the blood that kept spilling from his arm. In his palm, a purple four-pointed star of chakra flickered continuously.
And the tail of that monster, which looked like a giant oarfish, was still connected to this purple chakra.
However, the chakra monster's condition was also extremely bad. Under Natsuhiko's blade, the chakra inside its body had already begun to twist, and even its form was becoming difficult to maintain.
Only because Ōtsutsuki Urashiki was pouring chakra into it without caring about loss or cost could it continue maintaining its form and resist Natsuhiko's blade.
And with the help of that crazed chakra, the monster suddenly opened its huge mouth. In an instant, an enormous purple-red energy sphere formed inside it.
At the same time, because Natsuhiko's fierce and precise close-range assault had stopped, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki could finally use his teleportation technique safely.
Naturally, Natsuhiko saw this scene, but he was not anxious.
His eyes flickered slightly, and one Truth-Seeking Ball suddenly disappeared from behind him, while another quickly moved onto his body.
Once everything was ready, the destructive chakra in Natsuhiko's eyes suddenly erupted.
The phantom of the silver-haired woman behind him seemed to become solid at this moment.
And the blade he swung also received the infusion and stimulation of his chakra, becoming even sharper and more violent.
Natsuhiko had no intention of letting Ōtsutsuki Urashiki leave so easily. He almost displayed all of his strongest chakra at once.
At this moment, his blade had turned into a vast glow, and as it fell wildly, it fiercely cut through the enormous chakra sphere that had just condensed.
"Boom!"
Along with a roar that seemed to explode inside the soul, that radiant blade directly split the purple-red energy sphere in half.
The purple-red energy sphere exploded, and the sweeping energy once again completely destroyed the forest Natsuhiko had created.
It was not only the Deep Forest Emergence. Even the chakra beast released by Ōtsutsuki Urashiki was blown to pieces under Natsuhiko's blade and the exploding energy sphere.
After Natsuhiko's blade, which was like a ray of light, passed through Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's body, it quickly sank into the ground.
At this moment, the earth split apart wildly like tofu. Together with the cracks left behind by the earlier destruction caused by Natsuhiko and Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
A winding canyon of unknown depth, so deep that its bottom could almost be seen, stretched from beneath Natsuhiko's feet endlessly into the distance.
Under the roar of that overwhelming power, the barrier protecting Konoha had already shattered, and the Wood Release and Rashōmon summoned by Senju Hashirama had completely collapsed.
If not for a small black sphere suddenly flying in at the critical moment and rapidly expanding into a shield that firmly blocked that terrifying force, Konoha would likely have been erased from the shinobi world from that very day onward.
Natsuhiko hid behind the barrier formed by another Truth-Seeking Ball, breathing slightly heavily.
The consumption just now had been far too enormous. Even with Natsuhiko's powerful recovery ability, at this moment, he was somewhat unable to endure it.
To be honest, Natsuhiko truly did not want to take such a risky action, because an attack like this was almost no different from dragging the enemy down with him.
Fortunately, Natsuhiko possessed Truth-Seeking Balls. Otherwise, if he had relied only on his body to withstand the scattered force of such power, he would probably have been reduced to ashes long ago.
In the end, his body had still not reached the level of the Ōtsutsuki.
His strength was indeed powerful, but his power was a combined power. If it came down to the basics, he simply could not compare with these Ōtsutsuki.
It could only be said that these people's battle awareness and combat experience were truly far too poor, while Natsuhiko relied on powerful abilities like the Jōgan, along with the experience he had gained from years of fighting.
Otherwise, his ending would probably have been no different from the others who were directly crushed to death by the Ōtsutsuki's raw power.
"But everything is almost over."
Natsuhiko took a deep breath and recalled the Truth-Seeking Ball that had protected Konoha behind him. However, as soon as the Truth-Seeking Ball flew back, it directly entered his body.
This made Natsuhiko frown slightly, but after sensing it for a moment, he understood what had happened.
Some cracks had appeared on this Truth-Seeking Ball. Clearly, they had been caused by the impact just now.
Because Natsuhiko had expanded this Truth-Seeking Ball to its maximum size to act as a shield, it had endured unimaginable pressure despite not being an Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball.
The final result was that its power distribution was not dense enough to protect it completely, causing damage to appear in the end.
Fortunately, this was a Truth-Seeking Ball. If it had been any other protection, it would probably have been destroyed like every technique Senju Hashirama had used.
This Truth-Seeking Ball needed time to be nourished before it could recover to its previous level and combat strength.
However, Natsuhiko still had two Truth-Seeking Balls, and that was enough for him.
Thinking of this, Natsuhiko took a soft breath, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked into the distance.
With the battle reaching this point, Natsuhiko had also reached the end of his rope. Whether it was his senjutsu chakra or his Yin-Yang Release chakra.
Or even the state of his Jōgan, all of them were already in a rather bad condition. He needed to end this quickly.
His eyes had already locked onto Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, who had relied on Yomotsu Hirasaka to escape at the last moment. This guy's chakra was still so abundant that it made others envious.
But his physical condition was not as optimistic as imagined. His whole body seemed to be soaked in blood, and he was half-kneeling on the ground, constantly panting.
At the same time, he was also relying on his own Yang Release to recover from his injuries.
He was very alert, but no matter how alert he was, there was no way for him to fully investigate everything now, and this was Natsuhiko's chance.
He made the last of his chakra surge wildly, and while holding the ninja blade formed from the Truth-Seeking Ball, the blade was once again covered in blue chakra.
In the next moment, Natsuhiko's figure completely vanished from where he stood, while Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's expression changed slightly in the distance.
In an instant, his body was covered by a layer of red chakra. This red chakra formed a half-circle barrier that completely enclosed him inside.
Bang!
A muffled impact echoed across the shattered ground as Natsuhiko's ninja blade slammed heavily into the red barrier.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's face was twisted with hatred, yet a trace of his remaining pride still lingered within it. Gritting his teeth, he stared at Natsuhiko and spoke in a low, heavy voice.
"I truly never expected that I would be forced to this point by a bug like you, someone who only possesses such an incomplete Ōtsutsuki bloodline. You really can be proud."
"Defeating someone like you truly gives me no sense of pride." Natsuhiko gently shook his head. He was telling the truth. There was indeed nothing here worth being proud of.
If the opponent had powerful strength and unmatched skill, then even if Natsuhiko had only won by luck after using everything he had, it would still be something worth being proud of.
But the problem was that he had encountered someone whose skill level was basically zero, and who was only lucky enough to be born with "paid privileges."
Defeating someone like this did not make Natsuhiko feel there was anything worth being proud of. If anything, feeling a sense of satisfaction would be more appropriate.
After all, he had gained some understanding of these Ōtsutsuki. More importantly, he might even be able to use an Ōtsutsuki body as material in the future.
Natsuhiko's words instantly made Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's expression turn ugly. He opened his mouth to respond, but for a moment, he could not find the words.
The loser had no right to speak. This was an unchanging truth since ancient times, and even someone as proud as him could not immediately find a way to refute his current situation.
He had lost. Defeated by someone he regarded as an ant. At this moment, any harsh words would only deepen his humiliation.
Gritting his teeth tightly, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki stared at Natsuhiko with a face full of hatred.
If he had not been so severely injured, he would have dug out his own eyes and launched one final counterattack.
But what he could at least be relieved about was that the defensive barrier before him did not seem to be something this brat could break through for the time being.
Of course, he also understood that someone who had already beaten him to this extent would eventually be able to break through his defense.
When he recalled the power this man had unleashed earlier, even he could not help but feel a trace of fear.
He was regretting it now. Regretting why he had been so arrogant—and why he had not rushed into the village to slaughter everyone.
If he had done that, it would have certainly made this man hesitate, and the situation would never have escalated to this point.
But it was already too late. Thinking about it now held no real meaning.
What was fortunate was that this brat was not a true Ōtsutsuki after all. His chakra was now close to exhaustion.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki admitted that Natsuhiko's taijutsu was also the strangest and strongest he had ever seen so far.
But no matter how strong taijutsu was, if he used a technique to completely turtle up in defense, and Natsuhiko no longer had chakra to break it, then what could he do to him?
Although Ōtsutsuki Urashiki was seriously injured, his own chakra was still abundant. He could completely afford to drag this out.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki had already made a decision in his heart. Once he recovered, he would definitely kill every single person in this man's village.
At the same time, he would also turn this man into a puppet, making him follow at his side forever and obediently become a guardian.
"I do not need you to feel proud, but I will definitely return the humiliation you gave me several times over."
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki gritted his teeth as he spoke. At this moment, even his chakra seemed somewhat unstable, but this did not affect his defensive barrier.
"You no longer have much chakra left at all. You cannot use the power from before anymore. I would like to see what else you can do."
"What else can I do?" Natsuhiko gently tilted his head, then revealed a smile.
In the next moment, the ninja blade in his hand trembled slightly, and the blue chakra spun as it matched the flow of the red chakra.
Not only that, this blue chakra also trembled faintly along with the vibration of the ninja blade, and its frequency was exactly the same as the chakra of the red barrier.
"Buzz!"
Along with the soft hum and vibration of chakra, under Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's unbelievable gaze, his red barrier was directly broken by Natsuhiko.
"Naturally, I have my own methods, because I am a ninja."
Natsuhiko looked calmly at Ōtsutsuki Urashiki before him. In the next instant, without the slightest hesitation, his ninja blade pierced straight into Urashiki's body.
The strike went deep—so deep that the tip of the blade emerged from his back.
The ninja blade itself had been formed from a Truth-Seeking Ball, and Natsuhiko had further reinforced it with every power capable of harming an Ōtsutsuki.
His target was the heart. He would not give his opponent even the slightest chance of survival.
"And you are nothing more than someone lucky enough to be born with power.
"There is a vast difference between us—and the greatest difference is that I am still alive, while you…
"will only die!"
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