Their eyes locked. Facing Menma's invitation, Uchiha Hikari took the initiative to attack, charging forward like an arrow loosed from its bow.
Her small feet, still bound by chains, kicked off the wall, turning her entire body into a blur as she shot toward Menma with a gust of fierce wind.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Within the ruins of Uzushiogakure, two figures clashed fiercely among the vine-covered, broken walls and rubble.
Hikari displayed the exquisite Taijutsu of the Uchiha Clan, her Sharingan precisely tracking every movement of her opponent as her fists and legs rained down like a storm.
Meanwhile, Menma, shrouded in a Chakra Cloak, countered with his unique, self-created Taijutsu, engaging in a fierce battle with this girl who had been sealed away for centuries. Their exchanges were brutal, each collision sending shockwaves that shattered the surrounding debris.
Yet, this Taijutsu confrontation was merely the appetizer.
After a final clash of fists, the two were sent flying several meters apart. Hikari's lips curled into a faint smile.
Having been sealed for hundreds of years, this pure Taijutsu battle had loosened her stiff muscles and bones, filling her with such exhilaration that she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of satisfaction.
Moreover, she felt an inexplicable sense of camaraderie with the boy before her.
"I'm getting serious now!" Hikari called out playfully before swiftly forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A huge amount of Fire Attribute Chakra gathered in Hikari's mouth.
As her fingers pressed against her lips, a torrent of flames erupted, a raging inferno surging toward the boy.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!" Menma remained unmoved, forming his own hand seals in retaliation.
A high-pressure water jet tore through the wall of fire, shooting straight for the girl's forehead.
Hikari dodged with a Body Flicker Technique, closing the distance while Menma defended against the flames with his Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak.
By the time Menma had withstood the Fire Release Ninjutsu, Hikari was already in front of him. Amid the dissipating flames, her scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan gleamed as its Ocular Power instantly invaded Menma's mental space.
"Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi!"
The scene in front of Menma's eyes suddenly changed, and he found himself in a vast, mirror-like azure space.
Stars hung inverted above, and ripples spread beneath his feet. This boundless Genjutsu World reflected Hikari's inner world… empty, lonely.
This was Hikari's Dojutsu, [Tsukuyomi]. Here, time, space, and even the laws of physics were entirely under her control.
In the game, Uchiha Hikari had used Tsukuyomi to create the virtual world of [Ninja Heroes]. After her battle with Boruto and the others, she had even relied on this technique to restore her injuries by reshaping the illusion to her advantage.
"I win." Hikari's lips curled into a playful smile, her tone light, as if she were just playing a game with a close friend.
"While your Dojutsu is very powerful, I'm sorry, I've been in the Tsukuyomi World for too long, so this technique-" Menma suddenly raised his head, his right eye flashing, "…is useless against me!"
Zzzzt-
Hikari's illusionary space trembled violently before collapsing entirely.
As shock spread across her face, a blood-soaked battlefield replaced the serene blue illusion!
The stench of smoke and blood flooded her nostrils, as if she had been dragged back into the Warring States Period.
Her pupils contracted. Looking down, she saw the scorched earth littered with countless corpses of Ninjas and broken weapons.
Following the trail of bodies, Hikari lifted her gaze and saw a throne piled high with the corpses of fallen warriors.
A dark red Nine-Tailed Fox lounged atop the mountain of corpses, and the boy from earlier reclined against its head like a king surveying his domain.
Even Hikari, the strongest weapon of the Warring States Period, couldn't suppress a shudder in this nightmarish battlefield.
But she refused to surrender. Gritting her teeth, she channeled more Chakra into her eyes, causing the pattern of her Mangekyo Sharingan to spin rapidly: "Engraved Tsukuyomi!"
Hikari's Ocular Power was reflected on the moon in the Genjutsu World, and the originally scarlet moon showed the pattern of Hikari's Mangekyo Sharingan.
This technique was so powerful it could even restrain Adult Naruto!
Just as Hikari thought she had secured victory-
The scarlet moon hanging high in the sky suddenly severed its connection with her. A bamboo scroll unfurled across its surface in an instant.
"How is this possible?!" Hikari's Mangekyo Sharingan suffered backlash, blood seeping from the corners of her eyes.
The two of them also snapped back to reality from the Genjutsu World.
Hikari gasped heavily, clenched her teeth and staggered back two steps. She had never imagined that her most prideful Dojutsu could be broken so easily.
The young man before her was far stronger than she had anticipated!
And from the way he stood there so casually, it seemed he hadn't even come close to his limits.
Seeing this, Hikari decided to use the third power of Mangekyo Sharingan!
Dark red Chakra surged from Hikari's body like a tide, rapidly condensing around her into a tangible form!
First, a skeleton of dark red energy erupted from the ground. Then, the Chakra spread across the bones, forming muscles and flesh before finally encasing the colossal figure in armor!
Behind the dark red giant, Chakra morphed into a pair of massive wings, each bearing a huge hand… one of which gripped a Chakra Sword in its sheath.
Standing atop the giant's crow tengu-masked head, Hikari manipulated the Susanoo.
As the wings spread wide, the metallic shing of the Chakra Sword unsheathing echoed across the sky. A gale-force wind flattened the surrounding forest into a sea of trembling green.
From her perch atop the dark red Susanoo, Hikari, now unleashing her strongest technique, eagerly awaited the look of shock on the young man's face.
Unbeknownst to her, the good impression in her heart was beginning to blossom into something deeper.
On the ground, Menma stood firm against the raging winds, his black cloak whipping violently behind him.
This was his first time seeing a Susanoo.
Back in the Limited Tsukuyomi World, he had never encountered anything like this.
"Alright, Kyu-chan… it's your turn now." Menma casually flicked a stray leaf from his fur collar.
The next moment-
A far more terrifying, dark red Chakra erupted from his body. The massive form of the Black Nine-Tails burst from beneath him, her colossal claws slashing toward the crimson giant!
"What?!" Hikari's eyes widened in shock. The sudden assault left her no time to react.
Menma stood atop the Black Nine-Tails' head as she lunged upward, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Seeing the girl's startled expression, Menma couldn't help but grin and shout, "You're not the only one who can pilot a Gundam!"
"Kyu-chan! Let's go! Use Tailed Beast Bomb!" Menma was in a good mood as he controlled the Black Nine-Tails.
Hikari barely had time to react before the Susanoo instinctively raised its Chakra Sword in defense.
Even in the Warring States Period, Hikari had never fought a Tailed Beast before. This battle was unlike anything she had experienced.
The Black Nine-Tails' Claws clashed against the dark red Chakra Sword, but its momentum carried her forward… Her jaws widening as a swirling orb of black and dark-red energy condensed within her maw!
Boom-!!!
The island trembled under the force of the two titans colliding. A shockwave like a tsunami tore across the land, shaking the very world!