"Teleportation?"
"No—!"
"He shrank!"
Isshiki's eyes narrowed sharply, initially thinking Minato had used Hiraishin no Jutsu again, but he instantly sensed something off. He was too familiar with his Sukunahikona dōjutsu. Clearly, Minato hadn't teleported—he'd shrunk!
*KLANG!*
A sharp metallic clash rang out. Minato returned to normal size before Isshiki, thrusting a special kunai at his forehead.
Isshiki's combat experience and reflexes weren't weak. In a split second, he activated Sukunahikona, enlarging dozens of pre-shrunk black rods scattered around, forming a sturdy barrier around his head that blocked Minato's lethal strike.
But the kunai thrust was merely Minato's feint, meant to draw Isshiki's attention and maneuver to his side.
Ordinarily, Minato couldn't breach Isshiki's front; getting close risked being crushed in one blow. Isshiki's Stage Two Kama mode strength could shatter even perfect Susano'o!
Sukunahikona was indeed highly effective, dodging most attacks…
After closing in, Minato scattered countless pre-shrunk black rods of his own around the space.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
The next second, dozens of black rods enlarged and returned to normal, piercing Isshiki's body and limbs. Sadly, the head was untouchable, blocked by Isshiki's own black rod barrier.
"What?!?!"
Isshiki was stunned—pierced by his own black rods?
No, not his rods. These were Minato's! He could shrink black rods too! The Black Eye in his socket was real! Not fake! A true Black Eye!
"Where did you get that Black Eye?!?!"
"Impossible!!!"
Isshiki had never been so hysterical. The humiliation of his unique, precious "treasure" being acquired by an enemy nearly drove him mad. He couldn't fathom where Minato got the Black Eye.
A Rinnegan was plausible for ninjas, stemming from God Tree power, and natives' power derived from it too. But the Black Eye was different!
It was his eye, a dōjutsu exclusive to pure Ōtsutsuki. He'd never had children, left no genes or lineage.
Breeding with lowly natives was, to Isshiki, as vile as humans mating with monkeys; beyond reproductive isolation, it held no sexual appeal.
The only possibility was the Kama he left on Obito; but last time, using Kama to save Obito's life, it had weakened. It couldn't fully manifest or replicate the Black Eye.
Could this wild ninja world have advanced tech to restore Kama?
Impossible! Utterly impossible!
From start to end, Isshiki never considered the Black Eye might come from Parallel World 1's Isshiki. In his mind, space-time only had past and future, no parallel dimensions!
If the Black Eye truly came from his past self, his current self should be dead. This information and perception gap was starkly evident.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Minato ignored Isshiki's question; his goal was to kill Isshiki, not chat casually.
Currently, over a dozen black rods pierced Isshiki's body and limbs, somewhat sealing his chakra and weakening his taijutsu. This was exactly what Minato needed.
Isshiki's taijutsu was too strong; almost no one in the ninja world could match him in a single strike. Restricting his movement gave their side a slim chance of victory.
But even with his body riddled with black rods, it meant little to Isshiki. A strong shake could dislodge them, and Kama's power could rapidly heal him. Unfortunately, Minato gave him no chance.
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
Minato and his shadow clone activated Hiraishin no Jutsu, instantly swapping positions. The clone took the original's place, appearing before Isshiki.
Crucially, the clone brought someone—Fourth Hokage's wife: Uzumaki Kushina!
"Kongo Fūin!"
Five gleaming golden chains shot from Kushina's back, seizing the moment Isshiki was distracted by the rods, tightly binding him. Kongo Fūin not only had powerful binding effects but also suppressed the target's chakra. Though less effective on humans than Bijuu.
It sufficed to suppress some of Isshiki's chakra. More importantly, Kongo Fūin chains were essentially chakra and life force, linking Kushina's life to the target, as seen when she bound Kurama.
Normally, this effect was negligible; but against Isshiki, it was a key to success! Even with his body locked by rods and chakra suppressed, Isshiki could still activate dōjutsu!
If he used Sukunahikona to shrink, he could evade most damage and escape the rods.
But Sukunahikona's sole weakness was its inability to shrink other living beings besides himself. Now, Kushina's Kongo Fūin linked her to Isshiki, making him an external living being. Thus, he couldn't shrink himself!
Minato discovered this after gaining the Black Eye. He even had Kushina test it at home, binding him with chains. Now, it proved invaluable against Isshiki!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Fool, you think these chains can trap me?"
"Utterly stupid!!!"
Isshiki sneered.
As expected, realizing his disadvantage, Isshiki tried to use dōjutsu to shrink. But he suddenly found it didn't work. He couldn't shrink!
"What's this?"
"You?"
"These chains are the problem!"
Isshiki sensed the anomaly, enraged again, locking his killing intent on Kushina.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
Pre-shrunk black rods roaming nearby expanded instantly, piercing toward Kushina like a hail of arrows, aiming to kill her!
"Shinra Tensei!"
Minato's clone activated Rinnegan, using a powerful repulsive force to deflect all incoming rods. At Six Paths level, Rinnegan seemed weak, but its specific effects shone against certain attacks. Like now, clearing microscopic, invisible rods around Kushina.
"Damn it!"
Isshiki grew angrier, summoning large black-red cubes from Daikokuten's dimension, dropping them from the sky to crush Minato and Kushina. Daikokuten's might was unstoppable even for semi-Six Paths Naruto.
Sadly, Isshiki forgot—not only did he have a Black Eye, so did Minato.
As the giant cubes appeared, Minato activated his Black Eye, storing them in his own static Daikokuten dimension. They appeared to no avail!
"You—!"
Isshiki was furious, feeling betrayed by his 'little lover'. But he had no time to complain. A new combo attack arrived.
"Kamui!"
Obito, outside the barrier, seized the perfect moment per his teacher's orders. Once Kushina locked Isshiki, he aimed Kamui at Isshiki's head, activating it instantly!
The long-awaited 'Kamui head twist' finally debuted!
And it didn't disappoint. No matter how tough Isshiki's body or dense his head's rod barrier, before Dual Kamui's space-warping power, it was meaningless.
Isshiki's entire head was sucked into Kamui's dimension.
(Success!)
Everyone rejoiced, but the combo wasn't over. Minato's caution rivaled Parallel World 5's Nagato.
*SHUA!*
Minato's real body reactivated Hiraishin, using Kushina's mark, returning to the battlefield's center.
Beside him was another—Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki.
In Ōnoki's hands, a fully charged Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!
"Kurotsuchi, watch me avenge you!" Ōnoki roared, unleashing Jinton.
A square-shaped barrier formed, enveloping Isshiki's body, then activated!
Blinding white light burst forth, instantly disintegrating all matter within into atoms, reducing it to dust…
Minato understood Kama's power. A vessel with a fully active Kama mark, even burned to ash, could reform and revive Isshiki.
But there were always exceptions. Minato doubted revival from atomic disintegration. This was why he invited Ōnoki to fight—Jinton's absurd, terrifying decomposition effect to end the battle.
With Hiraishin no Jutsu, enabling instant battlefield entry and activation, Jinton's sole weakness—long charge time—was nullified. It was the ultimate technique for killing and annihilating bodies!
From the start, this was Plan A to behead Isshiki, crafted by Minato and Orochimaru. Step by step, giving Isshiki no chance to react or counter! Moreover, Isshiki's abilities were almost fully understood.
Never fight a prepared Konoha!