Chapter 187:
Sasuke's Susanoo launched the first strike against Jigen.
Wielding the Kusanagi Sword, Susanoo brought it down in a vertical slash, shattering the ground and kicking up debris and dust—but there was no sign of the enemy.
"Hm? So this is the Uchiha Clan's so-called pride and legacy—Susanoo? Tsk tsk…" Jigen shook his head from atop the massive Kusanagi Sword's spine. "Seems like it's lacking in speed. I wonder how it holds up in terms of defense…"
"You're underestimating me!"
Sasuke had Susanoo charge forward in sync with his voice, but Jigen was a step faster. In an instant, he flashed to Susanoo's front and, without any flashy moves, simply kicked Susanoo squarely.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, watching as Sasuke was sent flying out of Susanoo. "He broke through Susanoo's defense that easily? This guy…"
Sasuke hit the ground hard before he could even catch his breath, and black rods immediately pierced his limbs, pinning him to the ground.
As Jigen charged toward him, Sasuke once again used his Rinnegan ability to swap places with Jigen.
"Another position swap? Damn it! That damned Rinnegan!" Jigen growled in frustration, spinning around—only to find Naruto in front of him, Sasuke having used Amenotejikara to switch positions again.
"Take this, Jigen!"
As Naruto shouted, one of Kurama's tails swung toward Jigen.
"Naruto, I didn't feel any impact," Kurama's voice rang out inside him.
At that moment, nine black rods descended from above, each piercing one of Kurama's nine tails.
"Damn it, this move again!" Naruto looked up at the airborne Jigen.
Jigen dove down at the immobilized Kurama, throwing a punch with his left hand that knocked Naruto out of Kurama's body and pinned him to the ground.
"Naruto!"
Sasuke dashed toward Naruto.
"Hmph!" With a glance at the approaching Sasuke, Jigen raised his right hand and fired a rapid series of black rods into the air.
The rods fell around Sasuke, forming a cage and trapping him inside.
Although Sasuke could leap into the air, without a foothold to propel himself again, he was a sitting duck—unable to rescue Naruto, and potentially putting himself in danger.
From opening the dimensional rift and forcefully dragging Jigen into another dimension, to using Amenotejikara three times in a row, Sasuke had nearly exhausted the Rinnegan's chakra.
"Damn it!" Sasuke glared at Jigen. "Amaterasu!"
"Amaterasu, huh? The inextinguishable flames that burn everything they touch… It's nothing special." Though black flames burned on Jigen's body, they were quickly absorbed by his Kāma.
"Next up… time to seal you away, you dumb Hokage. After all, the Nine-Tails is quite the nuisance."
"How many times do I have to tell you—I'm not dumb!" Naruto gritted his teeth and struggled against Jigen's hand, which was pinning him down.
"You're still hung up on that at a time like this? You really are something else, Uzumaki Naruto…" As Jigen spoke, cracks suddenly formed on the "horn" atop his head. "…Looks like this vessel is reaching its limit. Once I take care of you, I'll go after Kawaki next. Without the two of you, there's no one left in Konoha who can stop me."
"What do you want with Kawaki?!"
"Kawaki is merely a vessel, Naruto. My real name… is Ōtsutsuki…"
"Ōtsutsuki Isshiki!"
A voice rang out suddenly.
"Who's there?!"
Jigen turned toward the source of the voice.
"Old man! I'm here to save you!"
"Boruto?!" Naruto turned his head toward the voice too. "And Sarada, Kawaki, Hanabi, and… who's that?"
"I'll hold off Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. You guys save Dad and Uncle Sasuke."
Future Boruto stared at Jigen as he spoke calmly.
Though he had fought Jigen during the Fifth Great Ninja War, back then, he had only barely escaped thanks to sheer luck and Mitsuki's help.
"So you're the one who said my name…" Jigen narrowed his eyes at Future Boruto. "Who are you?"
"…" Future Boruto said nothing. Instead, he entered Super Nine-Tails Mode. Golden chakra surged from his body, and his spiky hair stood upright.
Jigen released Naruto and instantly appeared before Future Boruto, engaging in a rapid, close-quarters clash.
The sound of air being torn apart filled the battlefield. Their positions changed constantly—within a single second, they shifted locations four or five times.
"Boruto… thank you."
After being pulled up from the ground, Naruto looked at Boruto with a smile.
"Jeez, old man… you actually needed me to come save you."
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly and looked toward the two fighting figures. "Boruto, do you know who he is?"
Just then, Sasuke leapt out from the black rod cage and joined Naruto, his gaze also fixed on the intense battle.
With a proud expression, Boruto said, "That guy? You're gonna be shocked—he's…"
"He's the Eighth Hokage from the future: Uzumaki Boruto."
"Huh?! Hanabi, that was my line to say!"
"You were too slow, Boruto."
"The Eighth Hokage?" Naruto turned to look at Boruto in astonishment, then smiled brightly. "Not bad, Boruto. You always said you weren't interested in becoming Hokage, that you never even thought about it—but I knew it. Deep down, you still care about becoming Hokage."
Boruto looked embarrassed. Honestly speaking, he still wasn't interested in being Hokage. What he really wanted was to become a ninja like Sasuke.
"Hmph." Sarada looked at Boruto. "Boruto, I'll never give up on my dream of becoming Hokage."
"Uh… well… Sarada, actually, I…"
Just as Boruto awkwardly fumbled for words, the battle on the other side was nearing its conclusion.
The second stage of Kāma couldn't be maintained for long, and combined with the intense high-speed combat, Jigen's defeat was only a matter of time.
Jigen's eyes shifted toward Kawaki, who stood beside Naruto.
There was still one chance at victory—replacing his vessel with Kawaki.
"I won't give you that chance! Ōtsutsuki Isshiki!"
Future Boruto instantly saw through Isshiki's intention.
"Damn it!"
Seizing the moment, Isshiki pulled away, and a dimensional portal opened behind him.
This too was an ability granted by Kāma—allowing him to open a rift in space-time anytime, anywhere, without expending chakra.