Chapter 399: Thanks
Uchiha Dali hadn't lied—he truly had planned to deal with Ōtsutsuki Urashiki last.
After all, he'd already waited this long. A little longer wouldn't have made a difference.
But now, he'd changed his mind.
Because that guy had said something he shouldn't have.
Though Dali wasn't really affected by it—he still had plenty of ways to handle the remaining enemies—he was irritated.
"Can't do anything right, but when it comes to stirring up trouble, you're number one."
"Yeah, I'm talking about trash like you."
As he spoke, Dali suddenly struck. His five fingers curved like claws as he grabbed at the empty air before him.
In an instant, a terrifying, irresistible force burst forth and slammed into Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
Before Urashiki even realized what had happened, his body spun uncontrollably as he was dragged toward Uchiha Dali.
Seeing this, the ten enforcers nearby all reacted with shock.
The enemy had attacked—so naturally, they couldn't just stand there and do nothing.
"He dares strike right in front of us? Hmph! He's treating us like we don't exist!"
"How bold! You dare attack one of our clan!"
"Stop!"
"…"
The ten enforcers shouted as they all launched counterattacks at once.
But the next moment, they were dumbfounded.
Their attacks weren't slow—in fact, they struck almost simultaneously, given that they were less than twenty meters apart.
Yet, as their jutsu hit, they discovered something bizarre.
Every single attack passed straight through the enemy's body, completely harmless.
Meanwhile, Dali's own attack had forcibly dragged Urashiki to him.
"My lords, s-save me!"
"Please, help me!"
Urashiki screamed in panic.
He had tried to resist, was still struggling with all his might—but against Uchiha Dali's overwhelming power, could resistance mean anything?
If it could, why would he be begging for help?
In the blink of an eye, Dali's hand clamped around Urashiki's throat.
"Become the source of my growth."
With that calm declaration, Uchiha Dali activated the Devour and Refine Technique.
Even before he'd absorbed Kinshiki and Momoshiki, his power had far surpassed Urashiki's.
As the technique took effect, the energy within Urashiki's body surged out, streaming endlessly into Dali and being refined.
Urashiki's body shriveled before their eyes.
The ten enforcers watched in stunned disbelief, their expressions grim and furious.
They shouted in outrage, trying to stop Dali, attacking him again and again.
By the time they acted, Dali had already absorbed every trace of Urashiki's chakra.
The sensation—how to describe it?
Like a starving man who'd eaten, but only enough to fill a third of his stomach.
It wasn't satisfying at all.
He could feel his power growing, his cells surging with vitality, showing signs of evolution—
—but it still wasn't enough.
"The great Ōtsutsuki clan's guardian… and that's all the energy he had?"
"Seems like your clan's been squeezing its own dry."
Dali looked at the ten enforcers with amusement.
At his words, their faces darkened, and they shouted back angrily:
"Such arrogance!"
"Who are you?! Do you even understand what you've done?!"
"The Celestial God will never forgive you!"
"Attack! Seal him!"
"…"
Since physical and ninjutsu attacks couldn't harm this mysterious man, they immediately switched tactics.
These were veteran warriors—they knew how to adapt.
At once, all ten enforcers began forming seals to unleash a sealing technique.
And in truth, sealing techniques were what Uchiha Dali was most wary of in this state.
Seeing them preparing, he chuckled and vanished using the Flying Thunder God.
"He disappeared!"
"Such speed?!"
"Be careful! His stealth ability is extremely strong—our senses might not detect him!"
"…"
As Dali vanished, the ten enforcers instantly switched into full defensive mode.
Brilliant light erupted from their bodies.
That light—clusters of pure energy—merged together, forming a unified barrier around them, a powerful joint defense.
One glance was all it took for Dali to see through its nature.
Through shared defense, they could distribute incoming damage and dramatically increase their overall durability.
A highly effective formation in group battles.
At this point, no matter what direction Dali attacked from, their defensive barrier would react instantly to block him.
Whether it was an overwhelming barrage or a precise strike, the defense field surrounding these ten elite Ōtsutsuki warriors maximized protection.
Conventional attacks wouldn't threaten them at all.
"Flowing defense, huh…"
That was the phrase that naturally formed in Dali's mind.
The energy barrier around them flowed like water—normally dispersed evenly for all-around defense, but whenever a single point came under attack, all defense particles converged there in an instant.
An unbreakable shield—
—but only for ordinary opponents.
For someone like Uchiha Dali, there was no need to break it by force.
"Thanks a lot."
Dali's figure emerged from the void, grinning as he offered the enemy a cheerful "thank you."
The ten enforcers stared in confusion, unable to understand why he was thanking them.
Then they saw him press his hand against their glowing barrier.
In that instant, realization struck, their pupils contracting sharply.
But it was too late. Even as they tried to withdraw their defensive energy, the moment had already passed.
"Damn it! He's trying to—!"
The ten powerful warriors could only watch as Dali's hand pressed firmly onto their barrier—
—and in a blink, the entire thing was gone.
Their proud, "unbreakable" defense had been absorbed on the spot.
Uchiha Dali looked at the ten enforcers with a playful, almost disappointed expression.
"So this is the might of the great Ōtsutsuki elite?"
"This little bit of energy doesn't even fill the gap between my teeth… got any more? Come on, don't hold back."
He hooked his finger at them, taunting.