"You're not half bad."
"You're worth me taking seriously."
Seeing that Fugaku had already summoned Susano'o, Dai became excited.
Kitsuchi's strength was truly formidable, having lasted a long time against him with his immense power and excellent defense.
Dai hadn't come across a fighter this resilient in quite some time.
After exchanging punches, both fighters stepped backward.
At this moment, Kitsuchi still didn't understand what Dai meant, but it didn't matter anymore—he wouldn't get the chance to comprehend.
In the next instant, an extremely powerful chakra violently erupted from Dai's body.
"View Gate, open."
With a roar, Dai forcibly unlocked the sixth gate.
His face darkened as blood rushed to it, twisting into a grotesque expression, and his eyes turned completely white.
His entire body was enveloped in green energy, radiating an extremely terrifying aura.
"This is the secret technique my father spoke of?"
Kitsuchi stood there, staring blankly at Dai in the distance, his mind somewhat dazed.
He couldn't believe it—this was the same man he'd been fighting only moments ago?
"Ready to meet your end?"
Dai in Six Gates form was brimming with excitement, his tone turning arrogant.
"You're speaking way too early."
Ōnoki's stubbornness had been perfectly inherited by Kitsuchi.
Even though countless thoughts ran through his mind, he still refused to show any weakness in words.
"Hahaha~ Then let's see."
Dai let out a booming laugh before instantly vanishing like a streak of lightning, leaving only a blurry afterimage behind.
*Bang!*
A thunderous boom erupted as a devastating punch smashed straight into Kitsuchi's face.
An overwhelming force exploded outward. His entire body flew backward like a leaf swept up in a raging storm.
At that moment, his mind went completely blank—as if time itself had frozen.
Only one thought echoed through his mind: Fast… way too fast!!!
Attacks he had barely managed to withstand before now left him utterly defenseless.
Had Dai's speed increased more than double?
It was as if he had been completely reborn—utterly unpredictable and unfathomable.
"Enjoy this feast!"
Dai's voice rang clearly in Kitsuchi's ears even as he was still falling, like a demon whispering in his ear.
A wave of dread surged through Kitsuchi. He realized something was terribly wrong, yet right now, he was powerless.
*Punch! Punch! Punch!*
A series of dull thuds abruptly sounded off.
Kitsuchi was like a helpless sandbag, mercilessly beaten back and forth by Dai.
Under Dai's lightning-fast assault, he couldn't even begin to counter, nor could he track Dai's movements.
When Dai finally ceased his attack, Kitsuchi crashed heavily down onto the ground from midair.
His body, bones shattered beyond count, looked like a broken puppet.
His internal organs were nearly all damaged, agony crashing over him in tidal waves.
Blood poured from his seven orifices, staining the ground crimson and completely obscuring his original appearance.
At this point, even twitching a finger felt like an impossible luxury for Kitsuchi.
His eyes had lost their former brilliance, with only faint breathing proving that he was still alive.
It was like a lamp on the verge of extinguishing, swaying precariously in the wind.
"Goodbye."
"Let me send you off for the last time."
Dai seemed nearly immune to the aftereffects of the Eight Gates. Calmly ending the View Gate state, he slowly walked toward Kitsuchi.
Dai bent down and gently pinched Kitsuchi's neck, like picking up a helpless little chick.
Then, he lifted Kitsuchi high, facing Ōnoki's direction.
He deliberately paused for several seconds, waiting until Ōnoki noticed the situation before his hand slowly tightened.
A sharp snapping sound rang out—like the toll of a death knell reverberating through the air.
Kitsuchi's head tilted sideways; he had stopped breathing.
"KITSUCHI!!!"
Seeing the scene unfold, Ōnoki was instantly overwhelmed with surging grief.
His scream was filled with endless sorrow and despair, tears bursting forth like water from a breached dam.
It could only be said that he had gravely underestimated Dai's strength.
After so many years, could Dai possibly remain stagnant?
Even now, with six gates open, his power was nothing like what it had been during the Second Shinobi World War.
From the moment Ōnoki agreed to let Kitsuchi fight Dai alone, today's outcome had already been destined.
"You dare lose focus *again*?!"
Blocking the Yasaka Magatama, Fugaku felt no regret at all.
But this Dai had intentionally created an opportunity for him—if he failed to seize it, Fugaku would seriously want to slap himself.
[Curse of Disconnection: Divine Arrow]
Under Fugaku's command, Susano'o suddenly transformed its previously held black chakra katana into a bow and arrow.
As the bowstring was pulled taut, a chilling force began to spread through the air.
A completely black arrow, like a mysterious entity born from the abyss of darkness, silently formed on the bow.
Though the arrow had yet to be released, its terrifying power was enough to make anyone gawk in horror.
Still caught in his grief, Ōnoki suddenly shivered involuntarily, a powerful sense of danger surging from deep within him.
Shoooo—
A piercing whistle tore through the sky like the cry of the Shinigami.
With Susano'o releasing the string, the black arrow shot straight toward Ōnoki at an astonishing speed.
Racing across the heavens, it left a blurred afterimage trailing behind.
The very air tore apart under the force of the arrow's supersonic flight, forming ripple after ripple visibly expanding outward.
Oh…! [Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade] Please bookmark: (m.
Watching the black arrow rapidly closing in, Ōnoki immediately realized he had been taken advantage of.
In just the blink of an eye, death's shadow loomed over him like dark clouds, and he realized—he might actually die here.
Yet now wasn't the time for deep thoughts.
If he couldn't block this black arrow, then there was nothing left but death.
[Dust Release: Detachment Reversal!]
Instinctively, he unleashed his most proficient ninjutsu.
As the Dust Release activated, a large portion of Ōnoki's remaining chakra was instantly depleted.
He quickly retreated at full speed while activating Dust Release.
Time seemed to freeze. Each breath was thick with tension and danger.
Just as the black arrow reached him, he finally managed to block it.
As the white and black lights erupted midair, nearly every fighter on the battlefield turned toward the spectacle.
After all, even the aftereffects of a clash between powerhouses could easily kill ordinary ninjas.
No one wanted to die such a humiliating death.
The explosion's mighty shockwave sent Ōnoki flying backward, his body arcing through the air like a broken kite.
The power of such a close-range blast was enough to wound any strong expert, and Ōnoki was no exception.
Fortunately, he had survived.
Gritting through the pain, Ōnoki quickly buried the grief of losing his son.
At that moment, he had already started planning his retreat. After all, as the saying goes, "Live to fight another day."
But who would actually let him escape?