Uchiha Yue's chakra was poison. Not just poison—a living, predatory parasite. Having absorbed it, Isshiki realized his mistake: this energy was impossible to assimilate. Instead, the alien chakra, like an intelligent predator, began to devour his own strength from within. He couldn't wait. If he didn't expel it immediately, he risked becoming an empty, burned-out shell.
"What are you..." flashed through the Ōtsutsuki's mind.
Limitless growth potential, absolute immortality, this predatory, living chakra... Could such a creature have originated in the shinobi world? Appeared on this pitiful, insignificant planet? Even their clan, the supreme beings of the Ōtsutsuki, didn't possess such a diabolical array of abilities.
A monster.
Despite all his pride, Isshiki couldn't find another word. The boy opposite him was a true monster. A demon incarnate. If not for his Mangekyō Sharingan and his human form, Isshiki would have thought he was not a creature of this world, but something alien and incomprehensible, drawn from the dark depths of space.
"Me?" Yue slowly rose to his feet, a mad grin playing on his lips. He spread his arms, as if preparing to embrace the universe. "Of course I'm human. Come on! You thirsted for my power, didn't you? Then take it! I'll give you every drop!"
The next moment, his azure aura exploded, transforming into a pulsating, searing crimson cocoon, crackling with myriad sparks. Yue's silhouette darted forward, instantly closing the distance, and unleashed a crushing blow on Isshiki.
Ishiki extended his hand to block. Their fists met again. Previously, such a collision would have shattered Yue's arm, and he himself would have received a fatal counterblow to the head. But now...
The crimson shroud of chakra enveloping Yue's fist compressed into a point at the instant of contact, and then...
BOOM!
A deafening explosion created a small mushroom cloud that slowly rose into the sky, piercing the dome of the Field of Dead Silence.
This sight became irrefutable proof for the ninja observers watching the anomaly from the surrounding mountains. All these days, the Field had only been expanding, but today it began to move, swaying chaotically, like a giant tossing and turning in its sleep. This alarmed everyone: such a vast area, shifting, could wipe out an entire country. The observers had speculated, but now they understood everything.
What a warm-up! A battle raged within the Field of Dead Silence!
"Unthinkable... Who possesses such power to fight Uchiha Yue himself on his own territory?!" the ninja from Iwagakure stared in shock at the mushroom cloud of the explosion and hastily relayed the message back to the village.
The others followed suit. A few brave souls reached the very edge of the Field, but to no avail. A deathly silence reigned outside. Only at the very edge of the darkness could one discern something faintly, but beyond that, only impenetrable darkness stretched. If not for the explosion that tore through the curtain, no one would have even suspected the battle.
Inside the Field, amid the smoking ruins, stood Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. For the first time since the battle began, he was wounded.
Captain
A heavy drop of blood fell onto the molten ground. He looked down at his hand—a bloody mess. The bones of his fingers had turned to dust. The outside of his hand still retained its shape, but inside it had become a shapeless mass.
"Impressive power... But this surge can't last forever," Isshiki muttered, taking a step back and rising into the air.
Yue's figure slowly emerged from the clouds of dust. Grinning, he charged again.
"Monster!"
At that moment, countless black chakra receivers rained down on Yue, piercing his body. But the rods, composed of chakra, became nothing more than food for him. His body immediately began rapidly absorbing their energy.
Isshiki tried everything. He increased his power to the absolute limit and sealed Uchiha Yue with a complex technique. But not even a few seconds passed before Yue absorbed the sealing jutsu itself and was free once more.
Cannot kill. Cannot seal.
At that moment, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki completely lost his composure. The scenario he had been plotting crumbled to dust. According to his plan, Yue should already be dead, his eyes lying in his palm. Ninety seconds had passed, but the target wasn't just alive—he was invulnerable.
The problem wasn't that Isshiki couldn't kill him.
The problem was that Uchiha Yue couldn't die at all.
Such a monstrous form of immortality wasn't even possessed by their clan! Ōtsutsuki who hadn't tasted the fruit of the Divine Tree were mortal. He himself, cut in half, was on the brink of death and only miraculously survived by finding Jigen. Even for resurrection, they needed a vessel and a pre-existing "Kama" mark.
And Uchiha Yue? He didn't need any conditions. He simply returned to life. Again and again.
In those dozens of seconds of fighting, Isshiki seemed to begin to understand the essence of his abilities. One eye...