Naruto and Sasuke were struggling desperately against the two Ōtsutsuki.
Above them, Maishiki sealed within the massive sphere created by Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei was also attempting to break free.
The situation was terrible.
There seemed to be no hope.
Every passing second brought Naruto and Sasuke closer to their limits.
Meanwhile, Chinatsu had completely lost track of time.
Her consciousness drifted aimlessly through an endless space.
She couldn't feel her body.
She couldn't even tell where she was.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
She felt nothing.
Yet, at the same time…
She felt everything.
An enormous amount of information continuously poured into her consciousness.
The smallest details.
A conversation taking place somewhere in a village.
A bird flying through a forest.
A leaf falling from a tree.
The movement of rivers.
The changing of clouds.
And then…
Something even greater.
Chinatsu could see the entire earth from above.
She could perceive the world from a perspective that no ordinary human could ever experience.
It was overwhelming.
Yet strangely…
Comfortable.
Too comfortable.
So comfortable that Chinatsu didn't want to leave.
She wanted to remain here forever.
To close her eyes.
To simply surrender herself to this warm embrace.
Maybe this wasn't so bad.
Maybe she could just…
Sleep.
[Is that all you've got?!]
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice suddenly rang through the endless darkness.
Chinatsu's hazy consciousness trembled.
Who…
Whose voice was that?
So noisy…
If she were lying in bed, she would have already rolled over, pulled the blanket over her head, and buried her face in the pillow.
"Is that all you've got?! Didn't you just boast to me that you'd definitely succeed?! Wake up now!!!"
The voice came again.
This time, it was clearer.
More urgent.
And somehow…
Familiar.
Chinatsu's consciousness stirred.
Her eyes slowly opened.
The endless darkness around her began to tremble.
"What…"
Her thoughts gradually returned.
"My body…"
Sensation slowly returned to her.
Then Chinatsu's expression changed.
"This is bad…"
Her eyes widened.
"I almost got reverse-assimilated!"
She covered her forehead with one hand.
"What a disaster…"
She gritted her teeth.
"I even boasted that I would definitely succeed…"
How embarrassing!
Since her reincarnation, Chinatsu had experienced countless dangers.
Physical pain.
Mental pressure.
Life-and-death battles.
But despite everything…
She had never truly suffered a substantial defeat.
Perhaps that was why her confidence had gradually turned into arrogance.
This time, however…
She had failed.
No.
She had almost lost everything.
If Kaguya hadn't shouted at her at that critical moment, Chinatsu wouldn't have merely failed to complete the technique.
She would have disappeared completely.
But Kaguya's voice had also proven something.
She had only lost.
She hadn't been completely defeated.
If you fail…
Get back up.
Try again.
Chinatsu's chaotic thoughts gradually became calm.
After nearly being assimilated by nature, her existence had reached a strange boundary.
She was no longer completely human.
But she wasn't completely part of nature either.
She stood somewhere in between.
One more step forward…
And she might become nature itself.
But there was no road behind her anymore.
That path had already collapsed.
Therefore…
She could only move forward.
And succeed.
Chinatsu's eyes became sharp.
"I don't have time to waste."
Her consciousness suddenly expanded.
In her current state, which existed somewhere around the boundary of three and four dimensions, information from the entire ninja world flooded into her mind.
The Ōtsutsuki had arrived.
Naruto and Sasuke had fought back.
Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei had successfully sealed one of them.
The remaining two had overwhelmed Naruto and Sasuke.
They were reaching their limits.
Chinatsu's expression became cold.
"Naruto…"
"Sasuke…"
She understood everything.
Then her voice echoed directly into their minds.
"Hang in there a little longer!"
Her eyes hardened.
"Once I succeed…"
"I'll settle this score properly!"
Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke were barely standing.
Their backs were pressed against each other.
Their bodies were covered in sweat.
Their breathing was rough.
Their clothes were torn.
Neither of them looked like they could continue much longer.
They had reached their limit.
Their vision was blurry.
Their muscles were screaming.
Every breath felt heavy.
Yet they still stood.
Because falling meant death.
Just as the last trace of hope in their hearts was about to disappear
A voice suddenly echoed in their minds.
[Naruto.]
[Sasuke.]
[Wait for me to come back…]
Both brothers froze.
Their eyes widened.
At almost the exact same moment, they raised their hands and covered their heads.
Shock.
Confusion.
Excitement.
Disbelief.
All of these emotions appeared on their faces.
Was that…
Their sister's voice?
Was it a hallucination?
Maybe.
There was perhaps a ninety-nine percent chance that it was.
But even if there was only one percent chance that it was real…
They were willing to believe it.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a faint smile.
If their bodies had reached their limits…
Then they would simply push beyond those limits.
"How are you?" Naruto asked.
"Still holding on?"
Sasuke wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Of course."
His eyes sharpened.
"I won't fall until you do."
The brothers separated.
Naruto faced Shiki.
Sasuke faced Reishiki.
Naruto's opponent was covered in corrosive blood, making close combat extremely dangerous. Even avoiding the countless blood projectiles was already a tremendous challenge.
Sasuke's opponent was even more troublesome.
Reishiki's abilities remained largely unknown.
His taijutsu was superior.
His ninjutsu was superior.
And his strange combat rhythm made it extremely difficult for Sasuke to establish his own pace.
Yet something strange happened.
The two brothers seemed to understand each other without speaking.
Their movements became synchronized.
Their minds connected through years of fighting together.
It was an understanding so deep that…
It annoyed both of them.
"What a disgusting level of teamwork."
Naruto grinned.
"Don't say that like it's a bad thing!"
Sasuke shouted back.
Shiki slowly approached them.
His expression was indifferent.
"The game is over."
He stepped forward.
The atmosphere became suffocating.
Naruto and Sasuke took deep breaths.
They had only one chance.
Before either of them could say anything
Sasuke's Rinnegan flashed.
"Amenotejikara!"
Space twisted.
Their positions instantly switched.
Sasuke appeared before Shiki.
Naruto appeared before Reishiki.
The battlefield had been rearranged.
Sasuke versus Shiki.
Naruto versus Reishiki.
Shiki's eyes narrowed.
Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan suddenly ignited.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames erupted.
They instantly engulfed Shiki's entire body.
The Ōtsutsuki's expression remained unchanged.
Although Amaterasu's burning speed and destructive power were inferior to Shiki's corrosive blood, its characteristics were surprisingly similar.
Both abilities were extremely difficult to deal with.
Sasuke immediately took advantage of that.
"Amaterasu!"
More black flames erupted.
"Amaterasu!"
Again.
And again!
Sasuke continuously manipulated the flames.
He even used Kagutsuchi to shape the black flames into armor around his body.
A black flame armor formed around him.
Sasuke had essentially copied the principle behind Shiki's blood armor.
If Shiki could use his blood to create defensive armor…
Then Sasuke would do the same with Amaterasu.
The two fought violently.
Meanwhile
Naruto turned toward Reishiki.
His eyes narrowed.
"Let's see how many of me you can deal with!"
He crossed his fingers.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
POOF! POOF! POOF! POOF!
White smoke exploded across the battlefield.
One Naruto became ten.
Ten became fifty.
Fifty became hundreds.
In moments, the battlefield was flooded with Naruto clones.
"Get him!"
Hundreds of Narutos charged simultaneously.
Reishiki's expression changed slightly.
BOOM!
The first clone attacked.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Punches and kicks rained down from every direction.
The sudden change in tactics disrupted the Ōtsutsuki duo's rhythm.
It wasn't enough to turn the tide completely.
But…
It was enough.
The two brothers had finally created an opening.
It wasn't exactly the clarion call of a counterattack.
But it was close.
Very close.
"Amaterasu!"
Sasuke continued to unleash the black flames.
"Amaterasu! Amaterasu!"
The flames of annihilation covered Shiki's body again and again.
Sasuke's black armor grew denser.
He was fighting fire with fire.
On the other side, Naruto's clones continued attacking Reishiki relentlessly.
One clone disappeared.
Another replaced it.
Then another.
Naruto poured chakra into his fists without restraint.
His attacks were simple.
Brutal.
Direct.
There was no need for complicated techniques.
Naruto's taijutsu had never been ordinary.
When he couldn't overpower something with technique…
He simply used overwhelming force.
BOOM!!!
The impact shook the battlefield.
And for the first time since the arrival of the Ōtsutsuki…
Naruto and Sasuke were no longer merely trying to survive.
They were fighting back.
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