"I can't believe he's still alive…"
A hidden observer spoke in disbelief, his voice carrying a trace of excitement.
"If that's truly an Immortal Body, then the Ōtsutsuki Clan is in trouble. That kind of existence is notoriously difficult to kill."
He had long harbored dissatisfaction toward the Ōtsutsuki Clan, but their overwhelming strength meant he had never dared to act against them.
"Legend says the so-called Evil God who roams the universe is also immortal."
"You mean that strange entity that occasionally spreads faith?"
"Keep your voice down. That's not something we should be discussing."
The surrounding figures fell silent.
The Evil God was infamous throughout the cosmos. Unlike most godlike beings who rarely revealed themselves, it would occasionally appear, spreading belief and influence.
But there were just as many rumors.
Those who had encountered it often lost their sanity.
…
"I didn't expect you to possess such a troublesome ability."
Ōtsutsuki Shiki stared at Naruto, his voice cold.
"As expected of someone guided by destiny. It seems eliminating you won't be simple."
His expression darkened.
"Then I'll freeze your soul itself. Let's see how you escape that."
With a wave of his hand, an extreme cold spread outward.
Wherever it passed, even space seemed to solidify and freeze.
Naruto only smiled faintly.
Did he really think Naruto had done nothing all this time?
Long before the battle reached this stage, Naruto had already refined his body to a deeper level.
Beyond cells.
Beyond flesh.
He had reduced his existence to microscopic chakra particles.
Even if his physical body was completely annihilated, as long as those particles remained, he could reconstruct himself instantly.
The reason his recovery had taken time earlier…
was because he had been analyzing Shiki's power.
More precisely, his domain.
And now, Naruto had fully grasped its structure.
That mysterious power was the very foundation of Shiki's strength, allowing him to rival a Half-God Ninth Revolution despite being one step below.
Strictly speaking, it was not a power a demigod should possess at all.
Naruto raised his right hand.
A new kind of energy began to gather.
"Did you think I was just enduring your attacks?"
"Let me show you what I've learned."
The air trembled.
Naruto had already understood the core principles behind domain construction.
Using chakra as the foundation and natural laws as the framework, he chose time as the basis of his domain.
The moment that power manifested, Ōtsutsuki Shiki's pupils shrank.
"This… this is…"
He recognized it instantly.
That was the nature of his own Rinnegan-derived ability.
How could Naruto replicate it?
Before he could fully process it, Naruto's domain expanded outward, spreading across the starry sky.
It pressed down on Shiki's domain, forcing it to contract.
Shiki immediately mobilized his power to resist.
But within Naruto's domain, he felt it.
The passage of time.
The сменing of seasons.
The endless cycle of years.
"This is… the power of time?"
"No… impossible!"
A surge of killing intent erupted from him.
At this moment, his desire to eliminate Naruto surpassed everything else.
Even his long-standing hostility toward other Ōtsutsuki.
"A being like you should not exist."
"Die!"
Shiki unleashed his full strength.
His domain surged, reinforced by an even greater output of chakra, clashing head-on with Naruto's.
The two forces collided, locking the battlefield into a tense stalemate.
Naruto frowned slightly.
"It's still not refined enough…"
His control over the domain was not yet perfect.
Then, he spoke softly.
"Time Reversal."
A strange fluctuation spread instantly.
Shiki's domain began to shrink again.
But this time, it wasn't suppression.
It was regression.
His domain was being forced back to its previous state, as if time itself had been rewound.
Shiki's expression changed drastically.
Without hesitation, he abandoned reliance on his domain and launched a direct attack toward Naruto.
For the first time, fear appeared in his heart.
He understood what this meant.
If Naruto fully mastered this power, then defeat would be inevitable.
And he would never allow that outcome.
Drawing upon immense chakra, Shiki forcibly condensed his domain back into his own body.
In an instant, Naruto's ability to analyze it was cut off.
Although Naruto's domain was more advanced in concept, it still operated within the same fundamental system.
Within this world, chakra remained the ultimate source of all power.
Everything in this world ultimately operated under the fundamental system of chakra.
It was the underlying rule that governed all power.
Because of this, once Ōtsutsuki Shiki drew more of that power into himself and absorbed his domain, Naruto could no longer interfere with it directly.
Although Naruto's domain was superior in concept, the gap between them was not overwhelming enough to completely suppress him.
However, while absorbing the domain increased Shiki's defense, it also came at a cost.
He could no longer fully utilize the advantages of his domain in battle.
His offensive capabilities dropped.
The balance shifted.
The battle resumed.
But this time, Naruto stood in control.
"Time Acceleration."
A faint fluctuation spread through his domain.
Unable to break through Shiki's defenses directly, Naruto instead turned the power of time inward, enhancing himself.
His movements became smoother.
Sharper.
Faster.
When faced with attacks that were difficult to evade, Naruto simply accelerated his own time flow, pushing himself to the very limit of speed.
At this moment, the true terror of time-based abilities was revealed.
Time itself was the fastest force in existence.
"Time Reversal."
Shiki's attack struck.
Naruto's body was torn apart, damage spreading instantly.
But in the very next moment, everything reset.
His injuries vanished as if they had never existed.
It was not regeneration.
It was a rollback.
His state had returned to the instant before he was injured.
"Lightning Release: Yin Thunder Annihilation!"
Shiki's attacks grew increasingly violent.
He understood exactly what Naruto was doing.
And for the first time, his expression turned truly solemn.
Even Naruto's Immortal Body had not shaken him this much.
But this…
This terrifying ability to replicate and evolve power in such a short time was something else entirely.
A monster.
Such a being should not exist.
So this was the so-called guidance of destiny?
Then it had to be erased.
Completely.
Naruto, however, only smiled.
Golden chakra surged outward as he raised his hand, forming a radiant barrier that shattered the incoming lightning.
"Seems like the facts are clear."
"You're the weaker one."
His calm mockery struck deeper than any attack.
Shiki's anger erupted.
Lightning once again filled the sky, countless bolts descending like divine punishment.
But this time, Naruto expanded his Time Domain over them.
In an instant, the structure of the lightning collapsed.
The underlying chakra patterns destabilized.
Their power dropped sharply.
Then, Naruto made his move.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
A technique he had not used in a long time reappeared in his hand.
But this time, it was different.
Naruto infused it with the power of his domain.
With the law of time woven into its core, the Rasenshuriken began to transform.
An aura of absolute sharpness spread outward.
Space itself seemed to tremble.
The Rasenshuriken expanded rapidly, growing larger and larger until it spanned several kilometers.
Before it, even a Tailed Beast would appear insignificant.
Any being below the demigod level would not even be able to look at it directly.
Across the universe, those observing through various means felt their vision distort.
Machines failed.
Sensors collapsed.
Even distant observers felt a sharp pain in their eyes.
This was no longer just a ninjutsu.
This attack had begun to touch the level of laws themselves.
A Rasenshuriken that could cut through not just matter, but time.