In an instant, the two Ōtsutsuki attacked again—this time targeting both Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara simultaneously.
Their coordination was flawless.
Both were geniuses among geniuses, and their teamwork reflected that—precise, ruthless, and perfectly synchronized.
Far above, in the depths of space, planets shattered one after another under the shockwaves of their clash. Fortunately, this region was a barren expanse, merely bordering the solar system.
Unlike Naruto Uzumaki, whose mastery over space allowed near-complete control, these two only relocated the battlefield—moving it far away from the shinobi forces below.
Their fight spanned millions of miles.
Every exchange warped space itself.
Meanwhile…
Naruto's battle against Ōtsutsuki Shiki was on an entirely different level.
With each collision, the surrounding void trembled. Flames raged across thousands of miles of empty space, forming a blazing domain in the vacuum itself.
"I can feel it…" Ōtsutsuki Shiki said, casually blocking Naruto's strike. "That persistence in your heart. Tell me—what is your belief?"
Naruto's expression remained calm.
"And someone like you… speaks of belief?"
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Ōtsutsuki Shiki burst into laughter, his presence surging with overwhelming dominance.
"Why wouldn't I believe? My conviction is stronger than anyone's!"
"As for those useless beings—I have no interest in them!"
Naruto studied him carefully.
In that moment, he understood.
This man was similar to Madara—yet even more extreme.
If Uchiha Madara was driven by a twisted ideal, then Ōtsutsuki Shiki was something purer—
A being of absolute ego.
"I don't care about your purpose," Naruto said coldly. "Anyone who dares invade the shinobi world… will pay with their life."
As the battle intensified, the fire within him—long dormant—finally ignited.
"Space Imprisonment!!!"
"Absolute Blade Storm!!!"
Naruto sealed the surrounding space. Instantly, countless wind blades surged forth, sweeping across the battlefield like a devastating storm.
"Anything that stands in my way… will be reduced to dust!!!"
Ōtsutsuki Shiki roared in response.
His eyes gleamed.
An invisible ripple spread outward.
In an instant, the very space around them changed.
Naruto's attacks slowed… weakened… and then dissipated, as if swallowed by a swamp.
Naruto's gaze sharpened.
What is this?
He immediately heightened his vigilance.
Seizing the moment, Ōtsutsuki Shiki closed in, launching a direct assault that forced Naruto onto the defensive. Worse—
Naruto realized he could no longer use space-time movement to escape.
"This… feels like a domain…"
As he observed carefully, the truth became clear.
He had been trapped inside a sealed field.
Seeing Naruto's realization, Ōtsutsuki Shiki smirked.
"Within my Takamagahara… you are no match for me."
Naruto's blue eyes locked onto him.
"This is your Rinnegan ability?"
"That's right."
Ōtsutsuki Shiki didn't bother hiding it.
"In this isolated domain, your power is suppressed… while mine is enhanced."
"And more than that—Takamagahara absorbs the energy from our battle to sustain me."
His tone was calm, almost amused.
After all—
Many had witnessed this ability before.
Not a single one had managed to break it.
It was precisely for this reason that even the powerful members of the Shinigami Clan had once regarded him with extreme caution.
"Within my domain… unless your level surpasses mine, you have no chance of victory."
Ōtsutsuki Shiki's gaze was cold and absolute, as if he were already looking at a corpse.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"It's impressive… but there's no such thing as an invincible technique."
There was no fear on Naruto Uzumaki's face—only calm confidence.
That alone irritated Ōtsutsuki Shiki.
He enjoyed watching despair. To him, it was proof that another had succumbed to fate.
But Naruto… showed none.
Disgust flickered in his eyes as he attacked again.
Countless high-speed strikes pierced straight through Naruto—
Only for his body to disperse into smoke.
A clone.
Despite being unable to freely use space-time movement, Naruto had relied on a basic yet effective technique—
The Substitution Technique.
He had swapped places with a Shadow Clone Technique at the critical moment.
Even within Takamagahara, Naruto's control over space was precise enough to create localized spatial links within his own body—forming a closed loop.
The domain interfered with large-scale teleportation—
But it couldn't completely sever Naruto's internal spatial connections.
"I didn't expect that," Ōtsutsuki Shiki said coldly. "My mistake."
"But now that I'm aware… your tricks won't work again."
He spoke while continuing his relentless assault, as if proving his claim through action.
Naruto didn't argue.
It was true.
Once Shiki became cautious, repeating the same tactic would be difficult.
But Naruto had far more than one method.
Looking at the incoming attacks, Naruto suddenly smiled.
In the next instant—
The starry sky was filled with Narutos.
Thousands upon thousands.
At least ten thousand clones spread across the battlefield.
This was the Multi Shadow Clone Technique—but modified.
Unlike the original, these clones didn't divide chakra evenly. Each clone only carried a small fraction of Naruto's power.
If he had split his chakra equally at this level of battle—
He would already be dead.
Ōtsutsuki Shiki glanced at the sea of clones with disdain.
"Pointless."
With a casual wave, he unleashed a sweeping surge of energy.
Most of the clones were instantly erased, bursting into smoke.
But a handful broke through, closing in on him.
Their bodies began to glow.
Then—
All the remaining clones ignited at once.
Boom!!! Boom!!! Boom!!!
Though no sound carried through the vacuum, violent energy fluctuations rippled outward.
A vast white light engulfed everything.
When it faded—Ōtsutsuki Shiki stood unharmed.
Not even a scratch.
He was about to sneer, when suddenly—Mist began to spread.
Thick, dense, and unnatural.
It enveloped him in an instant.
His expression shifted slightly.
This wasn't ordinary mist.
It carried Naruto's chakra—his will.
Even with the Rinnegan, pinpointing Naruto's exact location became difficult.
Within the mist, faint runic patterns flickered—countless tiny seals woven into the haze.
Naruto's modified Hidden Mist Technique.
A fusion of mist and sealing jutsu.
Simple, yet extremely effective.
Then, the attacks began.
From within the mist, waves of strikes surged forward like a tide—constant, relentless, impossible to predict.
Individually, none of them could harm Ōtsutsuki Shiki.
But that wasn't the point.
Naruto had disappeared.
Hidden.
Untraceable.
And endlessly probing.
Annoying.
Persistent.
Like a shadow that refused to be grasped.
(End of Chapter)
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