Lava churned below as figures flew back and forth in the sky.
Emiya Shirou swung his pitch-black longsword, unleashing powerful gusts of wind that forced Naruto Uzumaki back, who scrambled to dodge the blade formed from a Truth-Seeking Orb.
"Sage Art: Tailed Beast Ball!"
Naruto hastily formed a black-purple Tailed Beast Ball in his hand, intending to smash it into Shirou, but the sword sliced it in two instantly. The follow-through strike nearly split Naruto himself in two.
He doesn't fight like a blind man at all...
Sweat beaded on Naruto's forehead as he watched the longsword miss him by a hair's breadth. He instinctively floated backward to dodge. The battle environment here was unimaginably difficult.
A river of lava that could burn through anything flowed beneath them, forcing Naruto to fight Shirou in the air. Having only just learned to fly using the Six Paths power, he was no match for Shirou's agility.
"This can't go on..."
Kakashi Hatake clung to the cliff wall with a kunai, his expression grim as he watched the battle. "It's only a matter of time before Naruto loses..."
"The situation over there is even worse," Obito Uchiha's voice sounded from beside Kakashi. He held himself in place with a black rod, watching the fight between Kaguya Otsutsuki and Sasuke Uchiha. "It seems Sasuke is no match for that woman either."
A two-on-two battle often turns into two one-on-one fights. Whether it was Shirou against Naruto or Kaguya against Sasuke, both were opponents neither could handle alone.
Sasuke couldn't fly at all.
He could only rely on his Complete Body Susanoo, which he activated after obtaining Yin Power, firing massive purple arrows at Kaguya in a futile attempt to pin her down from a distance.
However, Kaguya was completely unfazed.
She actually caught one of the giant arrows with her bare hands, which dissolved into purple liquid chakra. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled a white bone spike back at him.
A bone spike?
Sasuke didn't realize the danger; he assumed the Susanoo's defense could easily block the attack.
The next moment, the bone spike struck the Susanoo and plunged deep into its form. The most terrifying thing was that the Susanoo immediately began to petrify and disintegrate.
Stunned, Sasuke's face paled. He quickly used his Rinnegan's repulsive force to suspend himself in mid-air.
"Sasuke!"
Kakashi was the first to notice Sasuke's predicament. He activated the Kamui in his eye, trying to pull Sasuke into the Kamui dimension. But there wasn't enough time.
Fortunately, Sasuke already understood his problem. He adjusted his posture in mid-air, his eyes darting across the cliff wall for a handhold. He threw a shuriken toward a rocky protrusion.
At the last second, he used his Rinnegan's Amenotejikara to swap places with the shuriken, grabbing onto the rock to save himself.
But in this state, it was clearly impossible for him to fight Kaguya.
Kakashi let out a sigh of relief but couldn't hide his disappointment. There was nothing he could do to help.
"Our single eyes are useless in this fight," Obito said, sensing Kakashi's frustration. "We need to bring the two Kamui Sharingan together. Only then can we achieve rapid absorption. Frequently using the Mangekyo Sharingan's power will deplete its vision..."
Obito continued, "As a former jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails with Hashirama's cells in my body, I can use Kamui without worrying about the strain on my eyesight, allowing me to bring out its full power. At least then, the two of us can be of some use."
"..."
Kakashi understood what Obito was saying, but he looked around and said something unexpected. "We can go to the Kamui dimension for the transplant, but things are different now. There's no one to help us with the surgery."
"..."
Obito's expression slowly changed. A trace of sadness flashed across his face as he understood Kakashi's hidden meaning.
Was he also thinking of Rin right now?
The last time they transplanted eyes, their friend Rin Nohara was still alive and performed the surgery for them.
He never expected their conversation would bring up Rin after all this time.
"We don't need Rin's help anymore," Obito said, his body slowly distorting as he entered the Kamui dimension. "I have the self-healing power of Hashirama's cells. It's enough to heal the wound from the surgery. Let's not waste any more time."
"Don't worry," he added. "I know what you mean. The Infinite Tsukuyomi is a sham; I already know that. I'm a dead man walking. My life has been on a countdown ever since the Ten-Tails was extracted."
"Now, I just want to do something... so when I see Rin in the Pure Land, maybe she won't be too angry with me."
Kakashi, relieved, used Kamui and distorted his own body into the dimension. They were going to complete the Sharingan transplant surgery there.
However, the battle's situation suddenly changed.
Just as Kaguya had forced Sasuke into a corner, with nowhere to go, Naruto found an opening.
"Ninja Art: Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto created dozens of shadow clones, surrounding Shirou. As Shirou cut down several clones, Naruto finally found his chance. Another clone grabbed Shirou and hurled him toward the lava below.
Shirou's body fell directly toward the torrent of lava.
Just as he was about to be swallowed by the molten river, the man simply placed his hand on the lava's surface. A thick Earth Style chakra flowed from his palm, and in an instant, a massive stone platform erupted from the lava. The platform continued to grow and spread, quickly turning into a solid cliff to stand on.
But this completely wiped out the combat advantage Kaguya had chosen. She had originally wanted to use the lava space to force everyone to fight in the air.
Sasuke jumped from the cliff wall onto the new platform Shirou had created. He drew his own sword, looking at Shirou with vigilance.
"Sasuke, want to switch?" Naruto flew to Sasuke's side, thinking he understood. "I'll take Kaguya, you take Shirou. But just so you know, that Shirou guy is incredibly strong."
"You're no match for Kaguya either!" Sasuke immediately rejected the proposal. "We can't fight separately. We have to stay together, or we'll be defeated one by one."
On the other side, Kaguya's figure landed beside Shirou.
"It's very dangerous for them to be together," Black Zetsu took on the role of strategist, reminding them with a sinister smirk. "Both Shirou and Mother could be sealed by the power the Sage of Six Paths left them. Although with the power they've obtained, they should only be able to seal one person..."
Of course, if Naruto and Sasuke sealed one of them, the other would most likely become the final ruler of the ninja world. But Shirou's goal was certainly not to rule anything.
"I'll be the main attacker," Shirou said, swinging the black sword as he calmly accepted the risk of being sealed. "After all, this world still needs Lord Kaguya to realize a future of eternal peace. It doesn't matter if I get sealed."
"Shirou, you really are something," Black Zetsu laughed sinisterly, as if it had known Shirou's choice all along. "Don't worry, Mother and I will honor your sacrifice."
"But..."
"No need to worry," Black Zetsu's tone was like a devil tempting a mortal. "Mother will support you, too. After all, you are the greatest contributor to Mother's revival. We must let you see your dream come true, let you see how Mother rules the world..."
While Black Zetsu did its best to feign solidarity with Shirou, Kaguya's eyes remained fixed on him, icy and cold.
No matter the result, she would be the final victor. If Shirou was sealed by those two brats, she would avoid the danger of being sealed again.
If Shirou defeated them with her support, she could take everything for herself.