Listening to Sawara Kiri's words, the young man, full of fighting spirit, was slightly startled, a hint of surprise appearing on his face, but he showed no sign of denial. Instead, he asked with interest:
"You discovered it?"
"However, at this stage, you shouldn't have the ability to see through my true nature."
"How did you notice?"
Sawara Kiri slowly drew his blade from his waist. The blade's surface reflected the faint sunlight as he slowly stepped towards the young man opposite him:
"There are only a few individuals that Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, that idiot, placed such high hopes on, believing they could definitely defeat me."
"And you don't look like an android who would only obey orders."
"In fact, quite the opposite."
"Urashiki's expression, when he saw me leave, was quite terrified, you know."
"Besides, I should be the one who's curious."
"The you from another world isn't dead, then?"
Listening to Sawara Kiri's conjecture, the young Shibai's face showed no anger; instead, his intense fighting spirit and fanaticism grew even stronger, and the smile on his face deepened slightly.
He also stepped towards Sawara Kiri, and behind his head, a red disc, like a ring, appeared in the air, radiating a deep Chakra glow.
The young man reached out, slowly drawing a two-meter-long spear shaft from the red ring behind his head, and chuckled, saying:
"As expected of you, the one I've chosen."
"As for my current state…"
"Ah, you probably don't know yet."
"Unlike you lower beings."
"We Ōtsutsuki, as long as a trace of our bloodline factor remains, can exist as Chakra within others, transforming into a 'Karma,' and through continuously absorbing Chakra, ultimately achieve 'resurrection.'"
"However, as a god of the Ōtsutsuki, my ability in this regard is a level above ordinary clan members."
Shibai's face split into a chilling smile: "As long as there is one Ōtsutsuki Clan member remaining in this world, I can continuously 'resurrect' through their bloodline factor."
"This is why I am called 'God.'"
"Sawara Kiri."
"You must be ready to 'die,' right?"
The moment his voice fell, the black blade and the red spear clashed, their cold gleam flashing.
The surrounding Ninja, under the pressure of this intense clash of auras, involuntarily retreated, voluntarily clearing a large arena for the two sides.
Sawara Kiri looked at the young man opposite him with his azure eyes, meeting those deep Byakugan.
"Of course."
In an instant, a roar erupted.
The two standing opposite each other, the moment the last syllable fell, charged towards each other like two hurricanes, wrapped in violent roars. Their extreme speed made their figures appear as an ungraspable void in the eyes of onlookers.
The jet-black blade, wrapped in Armament Haki, suddenly collided with the tip of the crimson spear.
"Boom!"
The surging force vibrated the surrounding air, causing the short burst of air between them to instantly expand into a bulging air membrane like a water ball, immediately spreading out into a circular fence.
The ground behind both sides, under the terrifying force that poured out, exploded into large areas of shattered earth, making the ground within ten meters around them scatter like blown flour, obscuring the vision of everyone around.
Only Orochimaru and others, looking down from a higher vantage point, could still clearly see the situation in the central battlefield.
'So fast!'
Namikaze Minato, who had returned to the Hokage Building rooftop with Kushina, saw this scene. Even with his reaction speed, he could barely catch the speed of the two, only instinctively judging the movements of their clash by sensing Chakra.
Even though he had never slacked off in the past seven years, and had even trained harder than before, trying to catch up to Sawara Kiri's figure through the Sharpening of time.
But at this moment, the first time he went all out in recent years, Namikaze Minato realized that even in the two aspects he was most proud of, Taijutsu and speed, he had been left far behind by this monster.
"It's not just speed."
As if sensing his thoughts, the snake-like pupils in Orochimaru's eye sockets, at some point, had highly condensed, almost forming a single point, clearly using some genetic technique modified at an unknown time. His voice remained hoarse and muffled as usual:
"Their control over Chakra is the most absurd part."
"Hmm?"
Minato was startled by the words and instinctively turned his head to continue looking at the two.
The spear tip, entirely condensed from Chakra, whistled past at close range, almost grazing his cheek. Sawara Kiri's Six Eyes observed every tiny movement of his opponent with highly precise spatial awareness and judgment, while the black longsword in his hand scraped past the bottom of the sweeping spear tip, then was pressed down with a 'clang.'
The spear shaft and the black blade rubbed against each other, emitting a subtle, humming, high-frequency vibration, and a series of sparkling flames burst forth.
Before Sawara Kiri could make a move, Ōtsutsuki Shibai, who was noticeably shorter than him, stepped forward and shifted his body. The long spear in his hand, pulled by the movement, pressed into a semicircle with the shaft, then slammed towards Sawara Kiri's lower leg.
Sawara Kiri, whose blade was held by the spear shaft, suddenly let go of the hilt. Under the immense pressure from the spear shaft, the black blade actually slid in a semicircle in mid-air, adhering to the shaft.
When the hilt spun to the top, he suddenly grabbed it with a backhand.
His raised left foot stomped down on the descending spear tip with a bang, while the blade in his hand suddenly slashed upwards, cutting a dense arc through the air.
The young Shibai, who was leaning forward, suddenly had his pupils constrict under this unexpected attack. His already slightly petite figure immediately tilted to the side, avoiding the strike. At the same time, his small body seemed to defy gravity, stabilizing sideways. His forward-stepping foot quickly exerted force, causing his body to almost scrape the ground and the spear shaft as he crashed into Sawara Kiri's embrace. His delicate face showed no fear of death, but rather a nearly fanatical fighting spirit.
"Buzz—!"
The strike he avoided quickly cut a deep arc behind the young Shibai, plunging directly into the large pit of the factory building. The long sword mark extended for tens of meters.
However, the moment he realized it had been dodged, Sawara Kiri's azure eyes simultaneously glanced downwards. The black blade, already held in a reverse grip and slashing upwards, precisely stabbed towards the charging young man's back with a piercing whistle.
"Pfft!"
However, facing this vital strike, the young Shibai did not dodge at all. His left arm, held close to his side, lifted and moved horizontally, directly blocking the black blade. The blade tip plunged straight into his left arm, making a muffled sound of a hollow cavity bursting and spraying a large amount of blood.
At the same time, his figure had already charged to a distance almost touching Sawara Kiri's embrace.
Advancing punch!
From the moment he faced Shibai, Sawara Kiri's body surface had already been covered by a full-power Limitless. With Tiamat assisting him with energy, he could, to a certain extent, disregard the Chakra consumption brought by this technique.
However, just as he was about to withstand this wild strike and tip-toe to prepare for a knee strike, he keenly caught the fleeting smile on the young Shibai's face.
Sawara Kiri's azure eyes suddenly constricted.
The next moment, he saw that the surface of Shibai's charging punch had, at some point, opened up a void that seemed to lead directly into empty space.
"Dojutsu: Yomotsu Hirasaka"
"Boom—!!!"
The explosive sound, like a great bell, slammed into the ears of all the Ninja present, instantly depriving them of their hearing. The vibrating sound of breaking air even caused a straight gully to appear in the open ground behind Sawara Kiri.
Immediately after, a slender figure was seen tumbling through the air, and after his feet landed on the ground, he still slid for more than ten meters due to the residual impact.
"Whoosh!"
The young Shibai in the center of the battlefield pulsed with power, sweeping away all the surrounding smoke and dust, and looked at the man opposite him with a playful gaze.
Sawara Kiri remained in his sword-wielding stance, ignoring the still humming and vibrating blade, and calmly looked at the young man opposite him.
What astonishing power.
However, that Dojutsu just now, shouldn't it be Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's spatial travel ability?
Can he use it too?
"Not just that one move."
As if seeing through his thoughts, the wounds on the young Shibai's arm and fist quickly healed as if burning, emitting a faint layer of smoke. He then chuckled, wanting to put more psychological pressure on him, and said:
"I can use all the Dojutsu abilities currently mastered by the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
"This is also one of the reasons I can be called 'God.'"
Looking at his calm smile, Sawara Kiri's face also couldn't help but curve slightly. He lightly flicked the blade in his hand, shaking off the vibration caused by taking the blow head-on:
"That's truly unfortunate."
"However, the body you are using now shouldn't be able to support your full power, right?"
"Otherwise, your plan wouldn't need to be so complicated; it would be more logical to just come and kill me directly."
"Having been defeated by my future self, how much ability can you display now?"
The smile on the young Shibai's face froze, and he looked at him silently with chilling eyes.
"Crack."
He cracked the knuckles of his left index finger, making a crisp sound.
"Then let me show you."
The next moment, he suddenly clasped his hands together.
Violent Chakra surged from within him, condensing underground, accompanied by tremors that made one's heart tremble.
The surrounding Ninja were completely unable to stand at this point. Even the distant buildings rapidly cracked with each tremor and low rumble. Large fragments of earth and stone quickly rose from beneath the young Shibai's feet, finally converging into monstrous, dragon-shaped serpent-bodied creatures that lifted him high.
He let out a low roar.
"Inukai Kenmei!"
With this roar, the stone dragons, whose forms were previously unclear beneath his feet, quickly condensed into ferocious giants, forming nine dragon heads that roared deafeningly in unison towards the front.
"Roar—!!"
A cruel and bloodthirsty smile appeared on the young man's originally delicate and handsome face, making his current appearance look particularly twisted and monstrous.
The young Shibai, high above, held the long spear, entirely composed of Chakra, in a reverse grip, looking down at Sawara Kiri's figure. This scene deeply imprinted itself in the minds of all the observing Ninja, making everyone present involuntarily clench their fists in apprehension.
Only Sawara Kiri remained calm, watching the scene before him with a composed expression.
Suddenly, the stone dragon heads, exhibiting a speed utterly contrary to their massive size, shot out in unison towards Sawara Kiri.
The one the young Shibai stood upon was at the forefront, the entire person like a knight riding a flying dragon, extending the long spear in his hand directly towards Sawara Kiri.
"Buzz—"
However, immediately after, Sawara Kiri suddenly brought his two fingers together and raised them upwards.
"Technique Reversal: Blue"
A cyan-blue light mass rapidly spun around his already tall figure. Countless massive dragon statues, appearing as hard stone, all emitted unbearable shattering sounds before this cyan color, which was based on space and possessed infinite attractive force.
Before Shibai could make any move, Sawara Kiri's figure had already left the protection of the cyan-blue light mass. Crushing dust billowed beneath his feet as he shot directly towards the young man.
The jet-black blade scraped against the ground. The stone, as tough as steel, offered no resistance whatsoever to this extremely sharp edge. Instead, it continuously sharpened the blade tip like a diamond, tearing open a long and fine gully, igniting a thunderous roar.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form—"
"Thunderclap and Flash!"
The sudden flash of light caused Sawara Kiri's already imperceptibly fast figure to instantly accelerate severalfold. He became like a true bolt of electricity, tearing open a golden fragment, and shot towards Shibai like a brilliant light.
Accompanied by bursts of shrill thunder.
"Clang!"
The tip of the extended spear was torn open by the roaring thunder. The blade, running straight up the spear shaft, scraped against the Chakra-composed shaft, emitting a ringing sound that seemed to bore deep into the eardrums. The edge pointed directly at his neck.
The young Shibai's expression changed. The pale eyes in his eye sockets suddenly constricted. Almost instinctively, he raised the spear shaft and braced it with his left hand from behind.
However, it was still powerless.
The black Armament Haki and the resonance of Thunder Breathing caused this black blade, which had already transcended the scope of ordinary weapons, to vibrate at high speed, exhibiting a terrifying sharpness that ordinary people could not even imagine.
Almost the instant the blade came into contact with the Chakra spear shaft, the Chakra, which should have been extremely tough, snapped before it.
Immediately after, it was the young Shibai's arm.
"Rip!"
A shrill flash of blade cut through the air, making a muffled sound like tearing cloth.
The young Shibai leaned back, his severed arm spinning in mid-air. Bright blood specks gushed from the stump of his arm. While his expression was tense, his other hand, which had released the spear shaft and extended forward, was about to touch Sawara Kiri's arm.
"Dojutsu: Daikokuten"
—This technique only requires one touch to banish a person or object to a dimension where time is stopped.
However, just as the pupil in his eye socket was about to turn black, Sawara Kiri's figure suddenly turned, and the wrist that was about to be touched by him shifted horizontally, causing his outstretched hand to miss.
At the same time, his body leaned forward with a stepping motion, stooping low and charging to within an inch of Shibai's face. The blade, swept out by inertia, was forcefully twisted in mid-air, its tip pointing directly at his chest.
At the tip of his blade, a dark red light point had condensed at some unknown time.
The young Shibai's pupils suddenly constricted.
"Technique Reversal: Red"
"Boom!"