"Is he dead?"
The two of them used their respective sensory abilities to probe the deep crater and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
But in the very next second, Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki, whose sleeves had been blown apart, silently reappeared behind them using his space-phase abilities.
"Watch out!"
Naruto reacted instantly, shoving Sasuke out of the way—only to take the blow from Kinshiki's massive axe to his own back. Fortunately, Sasuke managed to swap places with Naruto just in time using Amenotejikara, then immediately activated his Susanoo to defend.
However, at such close range—and against someone with such overwhelming physical prowess—his full-body Susanoo only held out for a moment before it shattered like a cheap plastic chair left under the scorching sun for three summers, completely annihilated by Kinshiki's weapon.
Naruto instantly began healing with his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode while simultaneously manifesting a golden energy fox head to block the next blow.
But again, it only took a moment before that defense was torn apart by Kinshiki.
"Pathetic. Such crude chakra control... So this is all the so-called natives tainted with Ōtsutsuki blood can manage on this planet?"
That was Kinshiki's cold evaluation of the two.
With their Susanoo destroyed, both Naruto and Sasuke began to tire rapidly. They had already unleashed their strongest techniques. And yet, even with all their experience from the Fourth Great Ninja War, when faced with Kinshiki, who had conquered countless worlds, they could do nothing but endure a one-sided beating.
The way chakra was used in the Shinobi World was far too shallow—in the eyes of a true Ōtsutsuki, it was nothing more than a child's toy.
Their only chance was to find a moment, recover enough strength, and then activate the Armored Susanoo to launch an all-out, one-hit-kill strike on Kinshiki.
But that was easier said than done.
All they could do now was rely on Naruto's healing energy and Sasuke's Amenotejikara to stall Kinshiki—buying time for someone else to make their move.
Earlier, Neji had arrived with the Five Kage, but he hadn't joined the fight.
Instead, using the resonance ability he developed through the Breathing Art of the Sage Path, he concealed his presence entirely—melding with the earth and sky to bypass Kinshiki unnoticed.
What he found was a group of young ninja, all unconscious from an earlier encounter with Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, being harvested for energy.
Even though Neji's path had diverged from that of traditional shinobi due to his Breathing Art training, they were all still people of the Shinobi World. Against an external enemy, they stood united.
Without hesitation, Neji revealed himself from the fusion of heaven and earth.
Divine Void Strike!
A massive, overwhelming fist imprint—imbued with various forms of energy—burst forth from Neji's strike.
It was the ultimate evolution of his Gentle Fist, developed entirely on his own.
Even someone as experienced as Ōtsutsuki Urashiki was caught off guard by the sudden attack. Though he managed to dodge, the blast still tore part of his robe.
"A new form of energy… Interesting."
Floating into the air, Urashiki distanced himself from the range of the fist imprint. He was clearly intrigued by this unfamiliar Breathing Art and Neji's state of resonance with nature itself.
He whipped out his fishing rod and cast it toward Neji. If the hook made contact—even someone as powerful as Neji would have their energy extracted and analyzed through the fishing basket, turned against them.
But although Neji didn't possess any specific special abilities, the infinite energy he could draw from natural resonance via his Breathing Art was more than enough.
With two swift punches, he deflected the incoming hook.
Still, Urashiki got what he wanted—the hook made contact with the fist imprint and extracted the energy it contained.
He continued rising into the sky while pestering Neji, analyzing the energy from the imprint.
But he gained nothing.
The energy seemed powerful and complex at first glance, but in reality, it was merely a temporary blend of various chakra types—formed due to Neji's resonance with nature through his breathing technique.
There was no deeper variation or transformation within it. And once separated from Neji, the energy naturally disassembled into recognizable forms.
Staring at the dissipated mass in his hand, Urashiki first grew irritated.
Then he noticed it—before and after every one of Neji's attacks, his breathing pattern subtly shifted. It was an incredibly refined technique.
He realized that Neji's value didn't lie in some bizarre energy or even a trace amount of Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
It was Neji himself.
Urashiki retracted the fishing rod and dove down with two black rods in hand.
Divine Void Strike!
Neji unleashed countless fist imprints, pouring out energy far beyond his body's natural limits and directing it all at Urashiki.
Almighty Push!
Urashiki activated his Rinnegan, creating a powerful repulsive force to drive back the attack—then followed up with numerous violet energy beams from his palms aimed at Neji.
But Neji didn't flinch. He didn't speak. He just kept punching.
His energy was unending.
As long as the Shinobi World existed—his fists would never stop.
The barrage of fist imprints grew denser and denser, scattering the purple beams instantly. Urashiki couldn't even react before his body was shattered on the spot.
But the victory Neji expected… never came.
He stared in shock at the red fishing rod now piercing through his body.
The instant he destroyed Urashiki's body—everything changed.
His position, his posture—all returned to the moment just before they clashed.
Except this time, Urashiki was already prepared, launching a sneak attack.
Thin, razor-sharp fishing lines wrapped around Neji tightly.
It was all thanks to the blue Rinnegan in Urashiki's eye, granting him a powerful time-reversal ability—stronger and even harder to deal with than Izanagi.
However, even though his body was pierced and bound, Neji had not actually suffered any real damage.
Like the black rods, the fishing rod was designed to disrupt chakra—but Neji had none within his body.
He had only paused his Breathing Art to hide his energy signature—making it appear as if he had no energy at all.
In truth, Neji could now be considered the number one mortal of the Shinobi World.
His strength did not come from the Sage of Six Paths, nor from any chakra fruit—it came solely from the Breathing Art, and his power had grown steadily through self-cultivation.
Not long ago, he had even broken through the third shackle. In this state, even losing limbs wouldn't stop him—he could instantly absorb ambient energy and heal through resonance.
This entire performance was about timing.
He was waiting for the moment—the one instant he could kill Urashiki in a single blow.
Because in their earlier clash, which appeared all-out but was really just a test, Urashiki had already revealed how troublesome his time-reversal ability was.
Now bound and drained of visible energy—reduced to the level of an ordinary human—Neji posed no threat.
Urashiki didn't charge in recklessly.
Instead, he pulled out his black rods and struck several of Neji's vital chakra points and pressure centers.
Neji cried out in pain, his resistance thoroughly broken.
Only after confirming that it was safe did Urashiki begin to approach.
Ten steps… five steps… two steps...
The distance between them grew shorter and shorter.