The bombardment lasted for tens of minutes before it finally ceased.
Hashirama and Madara stopped at the same time, staring at the spot where they had unleashed their combined assault.
Before them, the once-flat land now held a crater stretching dozens of kilometers across, its depth unfathomable.
Thick smoke and dust shrouded the pit.
The battlefield went silent. Both men fixed their gazes on the void below.
"With Yuto's strength, even this wouldn't kill him," Madara said grimly.
Hashirama nodded, closing his eyes to sense carefully. In Sage Mode, his perception was several times sharper.
Inside the crater—
Yuto lay on the broken ground, eyes closed, his clothes torn to rags. For once, bruises and welts marred his body.
The combined assault had been too rapid. Even if he could absorb the energy, he couldn't take it all at once. He had absorbed part of it—while the rest slammed into him directly.
Both Hashirama and Madara had unleashed their strongest states. Not the half-measures shown in anime—their true terrifying strength.
And Yuto now understood just how dangerous these two were.
So he waited.
Suddenly—
A faint, hidden chakra pricked his senses.
It's here!
His eyes snapped open. Slamming both palms against the ground, he launched himself upward in a streak of light, blasting out of the pit and into the sky.
"Sage Art—Myōjinmon (Gate of the Great God)!"
Hashirama's seals blurred. His shout shook the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gigantic red torii gates rained down from above, each etched with binding seals, descending to crush Yuto.
He twisted midair, hurling a punch at empty space. The sonic boom exploded, and with the recoil he flung himself backward.
The Myōjinmon had once pinned down the Ten-Tails, even suppressing Madara's Edo Tensei body.
If it landed, even Yuto would struggle to break free.
But in dodging, he flew straight into Madara's path.
Boom!
"Bijūdama (Tailed Beast Bomb)!"
Kurama roared. Black chakra swirled at its jaws, condensing into a sphere tens of meters wide, then blasted forward.
"Lil' Mad, thanks for the energy top-up!"
Yuto grinned at the incoming bomb, shoving both hands into it.
There was no explosion. The massive sphere shrank rapidly until it was gone, absorbed completely.
But the instant he finished, dread stabbed his heart.
Madara was already there—close, too close—using the Bijūdama as cover.
His Mangekyō eyes glared into Yuto's, the eerie pattern burning into him.
Not good—genjutsu!!
By the time he realized, it was too late. His body froze in place.
And in that instant, even the Black King's absorption faltered.
Hashirama and Madara's eyes lit up. Their gamble was right!
Boom! Boom!
They struck without hesitation. Power cascaded down like an avalanche.
Blood sprayed.
Yuto was wounded—truly wounded for the first time since gaining the Black King's power. And the wound could kill.
The moment he felt the illusion take hold, Yuto summoned his Ajin ghost. But not to block their attacks.
In the Ajin world, ghosts were devastating—but here in the shinobi world, at best they held the strength of a chūnin. They would be shredded instantly against foes like these.
No—he summoned it for himself.
Splurt!
The ghost's claws pierced straight through his body. He had practiced this countless times.
Agonizing pain ripped through him, snapping his mind back into clarity. Alongside the chaotic disruption of his chakra flow, he tore himself free from Madara's genjutsu.
A technique to break illusions by wounding himself—injuring the enemy a thousand, but harming himself eight hundred. Who else but Yuto would dare?
But even a heartbeat of weakness was fatal. Against monsters like Hashirama and Madara, a single moment was enough for dozens—hundreds—of attacks.
Blood poured from Yuto's mouth. Half his body was gone.
"Yuto. You've lost."
Hashirama's voice was cold.
"The moment you revealed your weakness, victory was no longer possible."
Madara crossed his arms, his tone tinged with regret.
At their level, no flaw was too small. Any weakness became fatal.
Their eyes held some respect for Yuto—but far more killing intent.
The era of Yuto was ending.
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