Momoshiki redirected the chakra sphere that contained Neji's full-powered attack.
It exploded midair, and the resulting blast instantly leveled the entire headquarters of Kara, along with the surrounding mountain range.
Most of the shinobi below didn't have time to evade. Fortunately, the Slug Sage's clone was quick enough to cover and shield them, barely allowing them to escape death.
In midair, Neji had anticipated Momoshiki's counterattack, but against such raw, overwhelming numbers, he could only take it head-on.
He unleashed countless fist imprints and sword strikes in an instant, but in the end—
His body was torn apart entirely.
The power was simply too overwhelming!
Takamimusubinokami had absorbed millions of attacks earlier and then released them back with doubled force—no one in the Shinobi World could withstand that.
At least not on its surface.
However, even after suffering such a crushing blow, Neji's shattered body began rapidly regenerating in rhythm with his Breathing Art of the Sage Path.
Having now understood Momoshiki's abilities, he made the decision to fight at close quarters.
Momoshiki's active ranged attacks were easy for Neji to handle.
After several exchanges, having lost his advantage in ranged techniques, Momoshiki was quickly drawn into close combat.
Even with the taijutsu enhancements from Isshiki's abilities, trying to fight Neji—someone who had taken both hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship to their absolute peak—was still incredibly difficult.
Every strike of Neji's Gentle Fist was like an invisible silver needle, hitting the critical chakra pathways in Momoshiki's body and steadily weakening his combat power.
Moreover, due to the sequential connection between his chakra pathways and his Rinnegan, Momoshiki realized he couldn't absorb chakra to unlock his blocked meridians until those pathways were first freed.
Gentle Fist—this technique was showing remarkable effectiveness against an Ōtsutsuki!
Perhaps it was created from the beginning by someone who once faced Kaguya… forged specifically to resist the main family of the Ōtsutsuki!
Suddenly, Momoshiki activated Sukunahikona, shrinking his body to dodge one of Neji's strikes.
He then seized the moment to use the power of the Byakugan to break through the blocked chakra pathways.
Time Freeze!
Neji was frozen in place for a brief moment—but perhaps because of his prior experience being ambushed by Urashiki, or because after breaking his Fourth Shackle he'd gained some resistance to temporal manipulation…
Neji's thawing was rapid. The moment he was frozen, subtle movements already began to return to his body. With less than ten more cycles of his breathing technique, he would be completely free.
Momoshiki noticed this and chose not to attack Neji during the freeze.
Because in such a short time, without energy absorbed through Takamimusubinokami, he couldn't do it!
Instead, he instantly retreated and activated his Rinnegan. From the ground below, he summoned a towering lava titan—
Monkey Rock!
A being with enough power to rival—no, crush—Susanoo itself. This was a manifestation of the Ōtsutsuki Clan's masterful control over chakra energy.
Several fiery birds, outlined in flame, circled around Monkey Rock, continuously spewing fire onto the fleeing crowd below.
Monkey Rock then formed a massive sword from elemental energy, swinging it down at Neji.
If that blow landed—
Even with the protection of the Breathing Art of the Sage Path, even with his body regenerated, Neji would be completely obliterated.
Luckily, Neji had held Momoshiki off long enough.
During that time, Naruto and Sasuke—thanks to the Slug Sage's help—had rapidly recovered.
This time, they didn't hold back. They joined forces immediately.
Complete-Form Susanoo Armor!
A golden, armored fox rose from the ground, clad in violet plate and wielding a massive sword, clashing directly with the lava titan's great blade.
The impact was tremendous.
Even the mountains nearby were shattered by the shockwaves.
Super Massive Rasengan!
Both sides activated their strongest techniques using massive energy constructs—a blue and a red sphere, each the size of a football field—colliding in midair.
Shockwaves rippled outward again and again, making it difficult for either side to maintain full control of their respective constructs.
A few flame birds attempted to blast the armored Susanoo's head, but before their flames could reach it, the shockwaves had already torn them apart.
The ground beneath the battlefield looked like it had been pummeled by a continuous meteor shower. The land cracked open, the massive energy constructs sank deep into the terrain, even triggering earthquakes.
This was no longer a battle that even Kage-level shinobi could spectate!
Everyone—except Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji—was desperately fleeing the area.
Finally, the beam clash reached its climax.
Both energy spheres exploded simultaneously, the constructs disintegrating from the sheer power.
But neither Momoshiki nor Naruto and Sasuke lacked chakra. They swiftly rebuilt their energy bodies.
Then came the blade clashes.
Steel met steel. Power met technique.
Whoever broke first would lose their energy construct—and expose their real body, defenseless.
The two giants continued to fight, gouging deep craters into the earth with every step, slicing through mountains with every swing.
And at the same time—
Neji had finally thawed completely!
Divine Void Strike!
He launched a massive fist imprint that shattered one of Monkey Rock's legs.
Momoshiki stumbled, his grip on the giant sword faltering—only to be immediately bisected by the armored Susanoo.
Neji seized the opportunity and leapt onto Susanoo's shoulder, pouring his boundless energy into Naruto and Sasuke.
Quickly replenishing the chakra they'd nearly exhausted from this extended battle.
But Momoshiki had no such source of support.
Still, he was far from finished.
As a genius of the Ōtsutsuki, Momoshiki could not accept defeat at the hands of descendants of once-defeated shinobi from a backward planet, nor creatures of lower blood tainted by the Ōtsutsuki line.
He bore the name of a true Ōtsutsuki prodigy—he could not lose!
Yet after this long and grueling battle—fighting Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji in rotation—and after using Time Freeze repeatedly, even swallowing a pill refined by Isshiki, Momoshiki's chakra was nearly depleted.
Compared to Naruto and Sasuke, who were now supported by Neji's energy—
He had almost nothing left.
So, he made a bold decision.
Abandoning the severely damaged Monkey Rock, he used the last of his strength to hurl half the giant's body toward the armored Susanoo, trying to smash it apart.
It was doomed to fail.
With a stylish sword draw, the armored Susanoo unleashed another mighty slash—
And sheathed its blade.
In midair, the lava giant's remains were hit by a radiant cross-shaped slash and exploded into fragments.
But in that moment, Momoshiki had used the world's laws to take hold of the severed corpse that Kinshiki had once cut from his own body.
Chakra Edible Creation!
Kinshiki was no Isshiki. He was utterly loyal to Momoshiki—even in death.
The moment Momoshiki got his hands on Kinshiki's remains, he began refining them into a chakra pill.
Though Kinshiki had already reincarnated and much of his essential power had faded, there was still enough chakra left.
And that was all Momoshiki needed!
He swallowed the pill. Though it didn't grant him the explosive boost he once gained by consuming Isshiki, it restored his strength—
Returning him to his peak, just as he had been when he first descended upon the Shinobi World.