As the white-robed man spoke, his figure flickered—and in the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Hoshiyomi.
During their chase the previous night, Hoshiyomi had only thought the man was fast.
But now, seeing him charge head-on, Hoshiyomi's heart skipped a beat—because the man's movements were unnatural.
This high-speed movement wasn't like Body Flicker (Shunshin no Jutsu) or Shunpo—there was no visible burst of power, no obvious technique.
The man simply floated, then rocketed forward at a speed that was almost invisible to the naked eye.
At first glance, it resembled Ōnoki's Super Light-Weight Rock Technique, but at twice the speed or more.
Hoshiyomi even began to suspect that under that fluttering white robe was some kind of personal flight device.
Such a bizarre movement style... is he really from the Ōtsutsuki clan?
Thinking that, Hoshiyomi sharpened his focus, watching every motion of his opponent intently.
The white-robed man lunged forward, thrusting his short blade straight toward Hoshiyomi's chest. Hoshiyomi took a deep breath, raising his Mikazuki Munechika horizontally to block, intending to test his opponent's raw strength.
A sharp metallic clang rang out—
Clang!
Hoshiyomi had perfectly parried the strike, his narrow blade catching the white short sword right at its tip.
But in the next instant, he regretted underestimating his foe.
BOOM!
The moment Mikazuki Munechika clashed with that crystal-white blade, it felt like colliding head-on with a speeding train. Hoshiyomi's whole body was blasted backward.
Thankfully, he was still standing on his Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade, and by quickly commanding it to retreat, he managed to absorb part of the impact—avoiding a humiliating fall from the sky.
Regaining distance, Hoshiyomi steadied himself, staring at the faceless white-robed figure.
As expected… you can never underestimate an Ōtsutsuki. That strike—its power wasn't any weaker than Tsunade's Chakra Enhanced Strengthpunch.
If he hadn't reacted properly, that one blow could've easily thrown him into a losing position.
Even though the exchange was brief, Hoshiyomi had already gotten a rough read on the man's fighting style.
He was one of those types who relied on brute power and raw speed, but with less refined technique.
Given Hoshiyomi's own current strength, if the enemy didn't have some kind of special ability up his sleeve, Hoshiyomi was confident—he could win.
And if he could defeat this possible Ōtsutsuki… maybe he could extract some real information about this bizarre world.
That thought alone made Hoshiyomi's fighting spirit flare even higher.
The white-robed man clearly sensed it. From beneath his hood, the lower half of his youthful face curved into a grin.
"Come again!"
That slightly immature voice startled Hoshiyomi for a moment.
What the…? Don't tell me this guy's like Momoshiki—a bratty Ōtsutsuki type?
But this was no time to be distracted by voices.
As the man charged once more, Hoshiyomi swung his blade in a wide arc—unleashing a slash of pure sword energy, far stronger than before.
This time, it wasn't a probe.
This was full power.
Any ordinary jōnin—or even an elite jōnin—wouldn't stand a chance against it.
The white-robed man's pale blue eyes flickered sharply.
He could tell immediately—this sword strike was on a different level from the one before.
He didn't choose to take the attack head-on. Instead, while midair, the white-robed man twisted lightly, his agile movements allowing him to narrowly dodge the slash of sword energy.
Hoshiyomi hadn't expected that one strike to seriously wound him anyway. The moment his opponent moved to evade, Hoshiyomi's lips curled slightly — just as planned. He stamped down with his foot, and the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade beneath him surged forward even faster.
He shot straight toward the white-robed man, who had just dodged the attack and hadn't yet turned around. The Mikazuki Munechika in Hoshiyomi's hand gleamed sharply as he raised it.
Dragon's Nest Flash (Ryūtsuisen)!
The curved blade of the Mikazuki Munechika lunged out like a striking serpent, its elegant arc leaving streaks of afterimages through the air. The speed of the thrusts was dazzling — a single mistake would mean instant death for any ordinary shinobi.
Facing Hoshiyomi's Dragon's Nest Flash, the white-robed man's eyes flashed with rare seriousness. With a flick of his other sleeve, he drew a second short blade. Holding a weapon in each hand, he met Hoshiyomi's relentless strikes head-on.
His skill was indeed formidable. Even against Hoshiyomi's fierce and unpredictable assault, his twin blades managed to block every thrust flawlessly, without leaving an opening.
But Hoshiyomi was not someone easily handled. Seeing the man completely focused on defending, Hoshiyomi's eyes gleamed — and suddenly he whipped his leg around in a surprise kick.
The unexpected attack caught the white-robed man off guard. Hoshiyomi's heavy kick slammed into his waist with a thunderous crack, sending him crashing down from the sky.
Hoshiyomi wasn't about to waste such an opportunity. He halted his Dragon's Nest Flash mid-flow, raised the Mikazuki Munechika high, and brought it down with a powerful slash.
The white-robed man was clearly startled, but he was quick-witted. In a desperate move, he mimicked Hoshiyomi's earlier maneuver — pulling back rapidly to dodge the descending blade.
But Hoshiyomi's strike was far too fast to evade completely. Even though his opponent retreated at top speed, the edge of the blade still grazed him, slicing through his robe and leaving a visible mark across his body.
As the white-robed figure plummeted toward the ground, Hoshiyomi didn't pursue immediately. His instincts told him something was off.
The feeling of his blade connecting had been… wrong.
He had clearly cut through fabric, yet there was no sensation of flesh beneath.
Even that kick from earlier — though it had landed squarely on an unprotected torso — had felt more like striking a solid wall.
A sense of unease crept over him. Hoshiyomi focused his gaze downward.
Billowing clouds of dust obscured everything, the scene hazy and unreal. Yet deep within, he suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Trusting the battle-honed instincts he'd developed through countless life-and-death fights, he immediately commanded the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade to retreat to a safer distance.
Sure enough — the very next second — a white blur burst through the smoke and shot skyward.
But the danger didn't lie in the man's body itself. It was the white, scythe-like blade in his hands that was truly terrifying.
Now that he had some distance, Hoshiyomi finally got a clear look — and his expression froze.
In just that short span of time, the white-robed man had completely transformed. His skin had turned an eerie, bone-white color, covered in something resembling a chitinous armor.
Even more disturbingly — the two short white blades he had wielded before were now fused seamlessly into his body!