"Well said. We will only know after we fight."
Isshiki Otsutsuki looked at the smiling Yuzuru before him. For some reason, a surge of anger rose within his heart.
Power from his black eyes churned, and several black chakra rods instantly appeared in front of Yuzuru.
Clang!
Unlike before, when the black chakra rods struck Yuzuru's body, they produced a clear metallic ring.
Then, all of the black chakra rods fell to the ground.
"How is that possible..."
Isshiki's pupils contracted as he stared at Yuzuru in disbelief.
Was his body really that durable?
"Do not bother with such childish tricks."
Yuzuru gave a disdainful snort.
Having pushed his Shikotsumyaku to its limit, ordinary attacks could never hope to pierce his body.
"Do not get cocky!"
Seeing that even the chakra rods could not break through Yuzuru's defenses, Isshiki immediately charged at him.
The two collided in an instant, and a massive shockwave rapidly spread in every direction.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
...
"They are so fast. It feels like they are teleporting."
"Even the Mangekyō Sharingan can barely follow their movements. This is terrifying."
"And their strength! Their fists and kicks alone are enough to collapse buildings and leave the ground covered in countless cracks..."
"Even Susanoo probably could not withstand attacks with that much power."
As they watched Yuzuru and Isshiki clash in the sky, Obito Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Jiraiya, and the others all clenched their fists.
They were all outstanding figures in the shinobi world, yet they could now feel the overwhelming gap in strength with absolute clarity.
They could not evade such terrifying speed.
Nor could they endure such horrifying power.
This...
Was the Otsutsuki Clan.
This...
Was the power of a Six Paths-level expert!
"Hahahaha... This is incredible. Absolutely incredible!"
"Isshiki Otsutsuki, among all the opponents I have faced, no one has ever possessed strength as great as yours. I, Uchiha Yuzuru, acknowledge you as the strongest!"
Yuzuru laughed loudly.
It had been a long time since he had fought so freely. The sensation was so exhilarating that he found himself unable to get enough of it.
Yuzuru finally understood why Goku from Dragon Ball became so excited whenever he fought a powerful opponent.
Having great power was meaningless if one could not find a worthy opponent.
In contrast, Isshiki's expression grew uglier and uglier.
Because he had discovered that Yuzuru was actually stronger than him.
More importantly, as a superior member of the Otsutsuki Clan, he was being "praised" by a lowly human.
This was not glory.
It was humiliation!
"You insignificant brat, die!"
Isshiki roared, and even greater power erupted from his body.
But in the next instant, Yuzuru's aura rose once more.
The two clashed again, and Isshiki gradually began to lose ground.
Before long, a thunderous bang rang out as Isshiki was kicked out of the sky like a cannonball.
Boom!
His body crashed into the ground with a deafening roar.
The earth trembled as though a great dragon had turned beneath it.
When the smoke and dust cleared, a gigantic crater appeared before everyone, while countless spiderweb-like cracks spread across the surrounding ground.
"You cannot afford to lose focus in battle. Otherwise, you will not even be worth the trouble of entertaining me."
Yuzuru looked down at Isshiki from above, his tone full of mockery.
Isshiki crawled out of the crater, his eyes filled with shock and fear.
The arrogance from before was gone, and the elegance he had deliberately maintained had completely vanished.
"Damn it! Why do you have such overwhelming strength?!"
Isshiki gritted his teeth as he spoke.
Although he was currently using Jigen's body, after forcibly reincarnating, he could still wield the power he had possessed at his peak.
Yet even so, he could not gain the slightest advantage against Yuzuru.
"Daikokuten!"
Realizing that taijutsu alone could not deal with Yuzuru, Isshiki immediately activated his dōjutsu.
A massive black cube that he had stored in another dimension appeared directly above Yuzuru's head and came crashing down.
Boom!
The cube struck the ground with a deafening impact, making the earth shake violently.
Yet in the next moment, Yuzuru lifted the gigantic cube with one hand.
Yuzuru looked puzzled.
"Your methods are really primitive. Do you honestly think something like this can crush me to death?"
"N-No, that is impossible!"
Seeing Yuzuru casually hold up the massive cube, Isshiki looked as though he had seen a ghost.
He had collected those objects from a planet with incredibly powerful gravity while traveling through the universe.
Even if he used every ounce of his strength, he could not lift one of those cubes!
At that thought, Isshiki steeled his resolve. Every gigantic cube stored within his other dimension was transferred out one after another.
In the next instant, all the cubes came crashing down toward Yuzuru under the force of gravity.
"You Otsutsuki have always called yourselves the noblest race in the universe, treating every form of life on other planets as beneath you."
"Humans of the shinobi world are no exception in your eyes."
"But you have only applied your immense power in the crudest ways possible. The moment you encounter an opponent with strength equal to yours, you become completely helpless."
"To us, you are nothing more than uncivilized savages."
"Watch carefully. This is the true use of power."
Yuzuru snorted coldly. The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon within him instantly pushed its power to the limit.
A scarlet flame-shaped mark appeared on his forehead.
It was the Sage Mode he had developed some time ago, one that was most suited to the human physique.
Then, countless purple-black arcs of lightning wrapped around Yuzuru, as though he had pushed Lightning Chakra Mode to full power.
Pitch-black Truth-Seeking Orbs covered Yuzuru's right hand.
Yuzuru bent his arm back...
Then threw a devastating uppercut toward the sky.
"Heaven-Piercing Punch!"
With Yuzuru's furious roar, the terrifying force of his fist reduced every massive cube above him to dust.
Isshiki stood frozen in place.
A despair unlike anything he had ever known spread through his heart.
This was...
What kind of power?!