Chapter 5: Titans of the Otsutsuki
The ground shook.
Not with footsteps — but with the slow, deliberate movements of something impossibly heavy.
From the jagged fissures in the battlefield, they emerged.
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The Children Awaken
Each was a towering colossus of pale, shifting energy, their forms humanoid yet alien — elongated limbs, featureless faces except for the burning white Byakugan in the center of their foreheads.
Chakra radiated from them in suffocating waves, enough to make the air taste like metal.
The smallest stood as tall as a tailed beast. The largest… cast a shadow that swallowed entire platoons.
Boruto's throat tightened. "These aren't illusions."
"No," Sasuke said flatly, Rinnegan tracking every movement. "They're constructs of pure Otsutsuki chakra. And they're solid enough to crush us."
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Kage's Counterattack
"ALL UNITS — ATTACK!" Gaara's voice cut across the battlefield.
Lightning rained from the Cloud's side as Darui led his squad forward.
"Lightning Style: Storm Bolt Barrage!"
The arcs danced across one giant's chest, exploding in bright flashes — but the giant barely flinched, raising a hand the size of a house to swat away the attackers like insects.
Gaara's sand surged upward, forming a massive spear that punched clean through another giant's torso.
It roared — a deep, rumbling sound that rattled teeth — and the wound immediately began to seal itself with liquid white chakra.
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The Mist Strikes
On the opposite flank, Chōjūrō leapt high, Hiramekarei glowing like a second sun.
"Hidden Mist Style: Twin Wave Slash!"
Twin arcs of compressed water cut into a giant's leg, forcing it to kneel.
"NOW!"
Mist shinobi swarmed up the leg like ants, detonating explosive tags by the dozens. The blast rocked the titan back — but then a ripple of chakra swept over it, and the wounds closed in seconds.
"Regeneration this fast…" Chōjūrō gritted his teeth. "We need to hit them harder!"
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Boruto, Sarada, Kawaki
Boruto darted across the battlefield, weaving between the giant's sweeping blows.
"Vanishing Rasengan!"
The sphere disappeared mid-flight, reappearing inside a titan's chest before detonating. The resulting explosion staggered it, sending cracks through its frame.
"Good one, Boruto!" Sarada's voice came from above as she dropped onto the same titan's shoulder, her blade flaring with Chidori's light.
"Piercing Fang!" She drove it deep into the Byakugan on its forehead — the giant screamed, the sound tearing through the air like thunder.
Kawaki's Kāma mark blazed black as he slammed his arm into the giant's side.
The black flames spread like ink through its form, destabilizing its chakra — and with a deafening crack, the titan collapsed into dust.
"One down!" Boruto shouted.
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Naruto and Sasuke's Veteran Fury
Across the field, Naruto's golden aura burned brighter as he slammed a massive Rasengan into another titan's jaw, launching it backward into a mountain.
Sasuke appeared above the downed giant in a flash of lightning, his sword a streak of blue light.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
The blade pierced through the giant's core, tearing it apart from the inside.
Landing beside Naruto, Sasuke didn't smile. "Two down. Six to go."
Naruto grinned anyway. "Race you to the last one."
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The Turning Point
For a moment, hope surged through the shinobi ranks.
The giants could be destroyed. They could win this.
Shukuyomi's voice drifted down like a whisper carried by the wind.
"…Grow."
The remaining six titans shuddered — and their Byakugan blazed to life.
From each eye, beams of concentrated chakra lanced across the battlefield, slicing through shinobi and terrain alike.
Entire platoons were erased in an instant.
The ground split open, swallowing squads whole.
Boruto's stomach dropped as he saw the Cloud's left flank vanish under a single sweep of white light.
"NO!" Darui's voice broke across the comms — then silence.
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Desperation
"Everyone fall back!" Gaara's command rang out, but there was panic in his voice now.
The alliance pulled away from the titans, but the giants pursued relentlessly, their strides covering miles in seconds.
Shadows of the progenitor's earlier army began to reappear at their feet, cutting off escape routes.
Boruto, Sarada, and Kawaki fought tooth and nail to clear a path, jutsu colliding with the blinding beams again and again.
Naruto and Sasuke stayed at the very rear, cutting down anything that got close enough to threaten the retreat.
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When the shinobi finally regrouped at the far edge of the shifting battlefield, their numbers had dropped by nearly half.
The air was thick with smoke, blood, and the acrid scent of burning chakra.
Shukuyomi remained above it all, untouched. Watching.
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End of Chapter 5
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