Naruto and Sasuke stood behind Chinatsu, staring at her back with complicated expressions.
Something was wrong.
They couldn't sense her.
Not even slightly.
If they hadn't been able to see her with their own eyes, they wouldn't have known she was standing right in front of them.
Even more strangely, if they closed their eyes, Chinatsu's presence disappeared completely.
It wasn't concealment.
It wasn't a barrier.
It wasn't even a suppression technique.
It was as if she simply didn't exist as an individual anymore.
Otsutsuki Reishi felt the same thing.
And that was precisely why he was afraid.
A powerful person's perception could usually reveal countless details about their opponent. Their chakra, physical condition, injuries, emotions, even their approximate strength could often be determined without relying on sight.
But Chinatsu?
Nothing.
With his eyes closed, she was no different from the air around him.
Damn it…
What is happening to her?!
Reishi had traveled through countless worlds.
He had planted Divine Trees, consumed chakra fruits, and fought tens of thousands of powerful beings.
He had encountered strange bloodlines, bizarre abilities, immortal beings, and creatures that defied common sense.
But this was the first time he had encountered something like Chinatsu.
This unknown existence was what truly frightened him.
For a fleeting moment, a thought appeared in Reishi's mind.
Run.
His pupils contracted.
But he immediately shook his head violently, crushing the thought.
No!
I am Otsutsuki Reishi!
I stand at the pinnacle of the Otsutsuki clan!
I am destined to become an Otsutsuki God!
How could I possibly run from a mere native of this world?!
Reishi gritted his teeth.
His expression gradually became ferocious.
"Fine."
"Then I'll destroy everything around you."
His divine technique, Omnipotence, activated.
Until now, Reishi had already demonstrated several terrifying abilities through Omnipotence.
Corrosive Blood.
Gravity Manipulation.
Frozen Space.
But those weren't his only options.
Reishi slowly raised his hand.
Space around his palm began to distort.
Then
A tiny black sphere appeared.
Unlike an ordinary Truth-Seeking Ball, it didn't expand.
Instead, it compressed.
And compressed.
And compressed again.
The black sphere became smaller and smaller, until it was almost the size of a grain of sand.
Yet the smaller it became, the more terrifying the surrounding space became.
Crack…
Crack!
The space around the sphere fractured like glass.
Reishi's eyes gleamed with madness.
"[Amatsukami]."
This was one of the most terrifying divine techniques he could reproduce through Omnipotence.
Its principle was simple.
Annihilation.
Anything that came into contact with it would be reduced to nothingness.
But that wasn't the most frightening part.
The technique didn't simply travel toward its target.
It destroyed the space between itself and the target.
The distance itself disappeared.
There was nowhere to dodge.
Once activated, the attack would inevitably reach its target.
Touch it
And you died.
Reishi's cold sweat finally disappeared.
A confident smile returned to his face.
This is over.
There's no way she can escape.
He had originally wanted to say something provocative, but when he looked at Chinatsu's calm expression, his confidence faltered again.
Why wasn't she moving?
Why was she still so calm?
Does she have a way to counter this?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible!
Reishi gritted his teeth.
"Die!"
He threw the black sphere.
It appeared to move slowly.
But that was merely an illusion.
The space between Reishi and Chinatsu continuously disappeared as the sphere advanced.
There was nowhere to dodge.
"Sister!!!"
Naruto's expression changed.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
But Chinatsu didn't move.
She simply stood there.
"Don't worry."
Her voice was calm.
The black sphere finally touched her body.
BOOM!
Chinatsu's body instantly began to disintegrate.
Her flesh, chakra, and entire physical form were reduced to countless fragments before disappearing into nothingness.
She was gone.
Naruto and Sasuke froze.
Their minds went blank.
For a brief moment, the entire world seemed to lose its color.
Their sister
Was gone.
The grief that had been building inside them erupted like a dam breaking.
But before either of them could completely lose control
Smack!
Two hands slammed down on their heads.
"Didn't I tell you I'm alright?"
Naruto and Sasuke froze.
They slowly turned around.
Chinatsu was standing behind them.
Completely unharmed.
"What…?"
Naruto's mouth hung open.
"Shadow Clone?"
Sasuke stared at her in disbelief.
Chinatsu smiled.
"Hmm… not exactly."
As soon as she finished speaking
Another Chinatsu appeared behind Reishi.
Bang!!!
Her leg slammed into Reishi's waist.
The impact sent him flying hundreds of meters.
He crashed into the ground, rolled more than a dozen times, and finally came to a stop.
"Cough! Cough!"
Reishi struggled to stand.
His clothes were disheveled, his hair messy, and the calm arrogance he had displayed earlier was completely gone.
He stared at Chinatsu in disbelief.
"Why…?"
"Why didn't Amatsukami destroy you?!"
Chinatsu looked at him calmly.
"It did."
Reishi's pupils contracted.
"Then why are you still alive?!"
Chinatsu tilted her head.
"Because it only destroyed a very small part of me."
Silence.
Reishi's expression became ugly.
Chinatsu slowly raised her hand.
"The consciousness of nature is my consciousness."
"My consciousness is the will of nature."
She looked around.
"At this point, the ninja world and I have already become one."
"The Chinatsu you're looking at isn't my entire existence."
"It's merely a manifestation of my consciousness."
She snapped her fingers.
Snap!
One Chinatsu became ten.
Ten became a hundred.
A hundred became thousands.
In the blink of an eye, countless Chinatsus appeared around Reishi.
Above him.
Behind him.
In front of him.
On the ground.
In the sky.
Every single one wore the same playful smile.
Reishi's face twitched.
"What… are you?"
The Chinatsus looked at each other.
Then they all smiled.
"A problem."
Reishi's face flushed red with anger.
His fists clenched.
These weren't Shadow Clones.
Shadow Clones possessed individual consciousness and could act independently.
These Chinatsus were different.
They shared one consciousness.
One mind.
One will.
Every single manifestation was Chinatsu.
It was somewhat similar to the Six Paths of Pain.
Nagato could control six bodies simultaneously, sharing their vision and directing their movements through a single consciousness.
But even that comparison wasn't entirely accurate.
Nagato controlled six bodies.
Chinatsu controlled herself.
And she could create as many manifestations as she wanted.
Reishi stared at the countless Chinatsus surrounding him.
His expression became increasingly grim.
He finally understood.
The battle had changed completely.
Otsutsuki Reishi was undoubtedly terrifying.
With Omnipotence, he could reproduce countless divine techniques belonging to the Otsutsuki clan.
If an Otsutsuki God truly existed, Reishi was undoubtedly one of the beings closest to that realm.
But Chinatsu had spent all this time preparing for exactly this moment.
She had mastered the Sage Arts of three sacred regions.
She had repeatedly pushed her body to its limits.
She had nearly been completely assimilated by nature.
She had even lost her physical existence and crossed the boundary between human and nature.
All of that suffering had led to one final result.
She had become the will of this world.
As long as she remained within the ninja world
As long as she stood upon its earth…
Breathed its air…
Existed within its space-time…
Then no matter how powerful her enemy became
Chinatsu would always have the home-field advantage.
And against an opponent like Reishi, that advantage was absolute.
Chinatsu's expression slowly became serious.
"It's time to end all of this."
The ground beneath Reishi suddenly trembled.
BOOM!
Two enormous vines erupted from the earth and wrapped around his legs.
Reishi's eyes widened.
He immediately tried to break free.
But before he could
The countless Chinatsus surrounding him simultaneously took a step forward.
Their expressions became identical.
Their eyes locked onto him.
Then
BOOM!!!
Thousands of Chinatsus rushed forward at once.
Reishi stood at the center.
For the first time, the so-called future Otsutsuki God found himself completely surrounded.
And Chinatsu had only just begun.