Blood flowed down Naruto's arm. Because of the injury, the spatial lock he had created—something that could normally be maintained much longer—collapsed.
A sneer appeared on Yushento's face as he slipped through space again and appeared behind Naruto.
The instant he appeared, Naruto sensed him.
Naruto clenched his fist and threw a powerful punch.
His other arm had not fully recovered yet, and the people watching—including Sasuke—couldn't help but show knowing smiles.
Yushento swung out chains that instantly wrapped around Naruto's incoming punch. Naruto had already lost one arm, and although it was regenerating, that short moment was enough time for Yushento to strike.
"Die!!!"
The scythe cut through the air toward Naruto's neck.
But in the next instant, Yushento suddenly coughed up blood.
His body froze mid-attack.
Everyone stared in shock.
A hand—Naruto's hand—had pierced straight through Yushento's chest.
Yushento looked down in disbelief at Naruto's arm, which had somehow regenerated.
Sasuke smiled faintly.
"Naruto possesses an immortal body. A severed arm is nothing to him. It can regenerate in the blink of an eye."
The others nodded slightly.
Naruto had clearly taken advantage of his opponent's ignorance about his abilities to land a devastating counterattack.
"Damn it!!"
Yushento roared in fury.
Under Naruto's slightly surprised gaze, Yushento's body slowly dissolved into countless starlike particles. A moment later, those particles gathered again a short distance away, reconstructing his body.
His injuries were already gone.
The reason the Shinigami Clan was so powerful was because they existed between illusion and reality.
As long as a member of the Shinigami Clan's soul remained intact, their body could regenerate no matter how severe the damage.
Moreover, once a demigod-level Shinigami reached a certain level, they could freely shift between reality and illusion.
It was like a spirit body—most people could neither touch it nor even perceive it.
For a moment, the atmosphere grew solemn.
"You possess a Super-Speed Regeneration ability?"
Yushento stared coldly at Naruto.
Naruto's recovery just now had been astonishing—far beyond normal regenerative abilities.
It could even be described as Rapid Regeneration.
Such recovery speed was difficult to deal with even on a cosmic scale.
Even Senju Hashirama's famed regenerative ability—known as Healing Without Hand Seals—could only heal injuries. Recovering from fatal damage was nearly impossible.
Regrowing a completely severed arm was also impossible; at most, one could reattach an amputated limb.
"Your strength is impressive as well."
Naruto spoke sincerely.
But to Yushento, the words sounded like mockery.
He—a powerful being—had actually been injured by a native from a remote world.
It was an absolute humiliation.
Dark-red energy coiled around his body as he swung his scythe again.
To Madara and the others watching from afar, the motion seemed casual.
But in the eyes of Naruto and Sasuke, dozens of attacks were unleashed in a single instant.
Countless energy blades filled the void and slashed toward Naruto.
Naruto shot into the sky, the attacks chasing him relentlessly.
These strikes were powerful enough to threaten even Naruto.
His speed was terrifying.
Soon, he broke through the Moon's atmosphere and entered outer space.
Originally, the Moon had no atmosphere. But after Ōtsutsuki Hamura settled there, he altered the environment—allowing the Moon to sustain one.
Yushento pursued him without hesitation.
Once Naruto reached space, he suddenly stopped moving.
The attacks slammed directly into him and exploded.
Flames erupted.
After the explosions faded, Naruto's figure reappeared.
A faint barrier surrounded his body.
It was a compact Sealing Technique.
The chakra consumption was minimal, yet its defensive capability far surpassed many ordinary ninjutsu.
Meanwhile, the observers below suddenly lost sight of the battle.
Kaguya, the Six Paths Sage, Sasuke, Madara, and the others could still see clearly because they possessed the Rinnegan.
But Shisui and the rest were completely lost.
Shisui could barely make out faint silhouettes in space, but he couldn't see the battle clearly.
Noticing their predicament, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya raised her hand.
A surge of chakra flowed into the giant Tenseigan, and a projection appeared before everyone, allowing them to clearly witness the battle unfolding in space.
Naruto and Yushento moved at incredible speeds, colliding dozens of times in a very short span of time.
Flames continuously burst around them, scattering across the void.
Naruto unleashed an endless stream of techniques, seamlessly switching between various ninjutsu and combat methods.
However, from the repeated clashes, it was clear that Naruto held no real advantage. Under Yushento's powerful attacks, Naruto's strikes rarely produced any meaningful results.
At the same time, Yushento also struggled to gain the upper hand.
No matter how sharp or difficult to defend against his attacks were, Naruto always managed to block them with techniques that appeared at the last possible moment.
Within a short period of time, Yushento had witnessed an astonishing variety of Naruto's abilities.
Elemental ninjutsu, taijutsu-like martial combat, sealing techniques, barrier techniques—Naruto used them all fluidly. His combat style was complex, dazzling, and unpredictable.
Yushento frowned deeply.
Most people specialized in a single field.
Just like him.
He specialized primarily in Fire Release–type abilities. Of course, he could use other techniques, but they were neither refined nor particularly useful.
Naruto, however, was completely different.
It was as if he had mastered every discipline.
If an ordinary person tried to specialize in everything, the result would only be mediocrity. Their progress would slow, and their power would stagnate.
But Naruto seemed to be the exception.
He was proficient in everything.
Yushento could clearly sense that Naruto's divine-level power was still somewhat weaker than his own.
Yet Naruto's complicated techniques—combined with his uncanny ability to counter Yushento's moves as if he could foresee them—prevented Yushento from gaining any real advantage.
In truth, Naruto was also secretly complaining.
The opponent's attack power was slightly higher than his own. If Naruto did not possess such a wide range of techniques, defeating Yushento would have been extremely difficult.
Moreover, Naruto had already begun using his rudimentary understanding of time-based abilities.
The reason he hadn't used it earlier was simple: the ability consumed an enormous amount of mental energy.
If his Philosophical Visualization Method had not already reached the stage of "Nine Suns Soaring in the Sky," he likely wouldn't even be able to utilize this basic time-related power.
But during the battle, Naruto discovered something unexpected.
As he continued to use his time-based perception in combat, his mastery of it was rapidly improving.
[Time Mastery +5!]
[Time Mastery +6!]
[Time Mastery +4!]
Naruto could feel it clearly.
Given enough time, he would soon be able to use basic techniques such as Time Slow and Time Acceleration.
As for the slight predictive ability he was currently using—anticipating his opponent's movements—Naruto preferred to think of it as a passive ability.
Of course, he could also activate it deliberately.
As his understanding of time powers deepened, Naruto noticed that the mental strain was gradually decreasing.
This only made him more eager to continue fighting Yushento.
To him, Yushento was the perfect sparring partner.
Strong enough to push him, yet not so powerful that Naruto was overwhelmed.
With his immortal body, Naruto already held an enormous advantage.
Therefore, facing such a top-tier opponent, Naruto fought with increasing ease—and growing excitement.
(End of Chapter)
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