When Otsutsuki Kinshiki abruptly appeared in the center of the arena, the three contestants froze momentarily.
"Uh... Naruto-san over here, is that part of the exam program too?"
Karin gently nudged Naruto's shoulder, asking uncertainly.
"They're Otsutsuki invaders, Karin-"
Naruto recognized the distinctive Chakra and appearance instantly, but before he could finish, Karin had already vanished from beside him.
Below.
Boruto, Sarada, and Shinki all grew wary of the strange old man who had suddenly intruded.
But to Kinshiki, the three brats before him weren't the main concern.
He needed to destroy this place, force out the guy with the fox Chakra, and capture him.
Chakra flames ignited on Kinshiki's fingers, and he prepared to punch the ground.
Before he struck, no one knew the extent of his power, so most people were still stunned.
Boom!!!
Almost no one could see clearly as a golden figure appeared before Kinshiki as if teleporting.
Was it the Seventh Hokage!?
No, it was the young girl with golden wings sprouting from her back.
At that moment, Karin's ankles had beastified, transforming into Garuda's sharp claws that collided fiercely with Kinshiki's Chakra-engulfed fist.
The impact created a massive sound, the shockwave sending fabric flags and sunshades flying into the sky.
"Pretty strong, huh! Boruto, you and the other two brats, evacuate now! This is beyond your level."
Karin's words stopped the three contestants who were about to rush in and help. Boruto wanted to say something, but Naruto and the other strong fighters had already reacted and arrived on the field.
"Sasuke, your help please."
Naruto called out to his old partner, and Sasuke, understanding, manipulated Susanoo to create a giant hand that protected and transported people to safety.
Meanwhile, Karin's now golden-glowing eyes were fixed on Kinshiki's every move. Before he could attempt anything with his other hand, she delivered another punch.
Boom-
A giant axe seemingly composed of red light swung heavily towards Karin. Even before contact, Karin sensed its danger.
The wings behind her quickly shielded her front, the metallic-feathers successfully blocking the giant axe.
But Karin didn't stop moving.
Wings were wings, arms were arms. With the wings blocking, she seized the opening and delivered another iron fist to his forehead.
This punch was coated with black Armament Haki.
Kinshiki was sent staggering back several steps by the direct hit, only stopping when his back hit the wall.
"After all this training, I've grown too."
Shaking her fist, Karin retracted her wings. Aside from a few feathers severed by the axe, there was no damage.
The lost feathers regrew in just a second.
Sasuke watched Karin's display with astonishment.
He was certain now: the person before him wasn't the Karin he knew.
That Karin never possessed such formidable combat prowess.
Across from them, seeing Kinshiki achieve nothing, his companion, Otsutsuki Momoshiki, slowly descended.
This Otsutsuki, who appeared youthful, looked down upon the people below with a condescending gaze and spoke casually.
"Kinshiki, you're too slow."
"My apologies, Momoshiki-sama!"
The giant-like Kinshiki was as humble as a servant before the so-called Momoshiki.
Their relationship was indeed like that.
Momoshiki was a member of the [Main Family] within the Otsutsuki Clan. According to the Otsutsuki principle of operating in pairs, Kinshiki was his servant, destined to become nourishment for the God Tree when necessary.
Their relationship was even more disparate than the Hyuga Clan's main and branch families.
The former Otsutsuki Kaguya held a similar 'servant' status. But just before planting the God Tree, she betrayed her partner, Otsutsuki Isshiki, making him the nourishment instead.
This was considered a betrayal of the Otsutsuki Clan.
Kinshiki and Momoshiki had come because, on the scheduled date, there had been no response from Isshiki's side, prompting them to travel across the stars to investigate.
They were shocked to find that the two Otsutsuki had completely vanished. In their place, nine aggregates possessing massive Chakra still existed in the world.
Their mission now was to feed the Nine Tailed Beasts to another Ten-Tails, transforming it back into the God Tree, essentially cleaning up after Kaguya and Isshiki.
"Although I'd prefer not to dirty my clothes, it can't be helped."
Momoshiki looked at everyone as if they were toys, then took out a red Chakra Pill, which is refined from a Chakra Fruit.
After swallowing the pill, this smaller Otsutsuki erupted with Chakra far surpassing Kinshiki's.
"Consider it stretching my limbs. Entertain me, lower life forms."
With that, he prepared to act, but his movement froze mid-air.
Looking back, he saw Shikamaru using his Shadow Imitation Technique to restrain him.
The Konoha's Jonin had somehow completed the evacuation and now had personnel available to assist.
Unfortunately, such restraints seemed trivial to Momoshiki.
The shadows binding him were absorbed into the center of his palm as if they were substance.
It was then that Naruto and the others saw clearly: the opponent had a red Rinnegan on his palm.
"Be careful! He can absorb Ninjutsu!"
Naruto reacted quickly, perhaps due to his past encounters with Pain's Preta Path and Madara. He immediately recognized the opponent's suppression of Ninjutsu.
Sure enough, besides Shikamaru's shadow, the elemental Ninjutsu used by several other Jonin were also absorbed.
"Absorbing Ninjutsu? A troublesome ability indeed."
Sasuke, after delivering the kids, returned to the center of the battlefield and heard Naruto's words.
Karin also heard this.
'So, did Naruto-san's training for us accidentally counter the Otsutsuki Clan?'
After all, neither she nor Sasuke relied solely on pure Ninjutsu anymore.
"Then let's use Taijutsu against him!"
The 'old couple' exchanged a glance and charged at Momoshiki in perfect sync.
Karin wasn't idle either. In a flash of golden light, she fully transformed into her beast-human form.
In this state, she was more agile and better suited for close combat.
The Garuda's ability activated. Her speed multiplied instantly, turning her into a streak of light.
A certain Marine Admiral once said.
"Speed is power."
The next moment, a lightning-fast kick struck the unprepared Kinshiki, sending him flying high into the air.
But his durability was completely incomparable to that of ordinary Ninja in this world.
Momoshiki, hit by this kick, only suffered a cut on his face without showing any signs of being stunned.
He even reacted in time, transforming his giant axe into a kusarigama, more suitable for combat.
[Amanohabaya]
This was one of his abilities, allowing him to create terrifyingly powerful weapons using chakra.
The kusarigama flew towards Karin with a whooshing sound.
"Ha… You think you can hit me with that speed?"
Karin didn't even need to use Observation Haki, as a slight twist of her body dodged the attack.
But the sickle, guided by the chain, traced a bizarre arc and slashed towards the back of her heart.