Jigen hid within a crack in space, waiting for his next opportunity.
"This Fifth Hokage really is troublesome. Sending him away was the right decision. As long as he remains in this world, every future plan will be affected."
"Hmph. Not interested in playing anymore? Is it because you can't deal with space-time ninjutsu?"
"I can come and go as I please. Uzumaki Naruto, no matter how strong you are, you can't stop me."
Jigen smiled arrogantly.
That unique Ōtsutsuki pride made his mentality twisted—he feared Naruto's strength, yet still looked down on him.
Suddenly—
His chest tightened.
An ominous premonition surged through him.
The moment he stepped out of the space gap—
A fist filled his vision.
Too fast.
Too close.
Too terrifying.
This will kill me.
He couldn't block it.
In a split second, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
"Daikokuten!"
Black vortices opened everywhere.
Tiny black cubes shot out, lining up between him and Naruto. They only needed an instant to expand into massive walls strong enough to block almost anything.
But Jigen didn't rely on that alone.
"Truth-Seeking Ball — Black Shield!"
A pitch-black shield expanded around him.
Then another.
And another.
Layer upon layer, stacked like petals blooming.
Each shield was an impregnable defense. Even dozens of Tailed Beast Bombs wouldn't break them.
Still—
It didn't feel like enough.
The wedge mark on his body flared violently.
He entered his second stage.
A horn protruded from his head.
The black patterns deepened, growing more intricate.
His chakra surged even further.
"Block it!"
He had used every means at his disposal.
He didn't think he was overreacting.
If anything—
He feared he hadn't done enough.
Because only someone of his level could feel it.
The unstoppable force in Naruto's fist.
The crushing pressure.
Can I stop it?
I have to.
Jigen laughed bitterly, pride shattered, feeling like an ant praying for mercy.
---
Naruto's punch landed.
The shrinking cubes didn't even have time to expand.
They disintegrated under the sheer pressure.
The Truth-Seeking Ball shields shattered like paper.
Half a second couldn't be sustained.
"AHHH—!"
Jigen roared, veins bulging.
He swung his own fist forward.
Chakra condensed into a massive gauntlet. Combined with the Ōtsutsuki clan's devastating physical techniques, the punch was terrifying.
Even Kaguya would have taken it seriously.
Boom.
Naruto's fist met his.
Crack.
The chakra gauntlet shattered.
His fingers broke.
His arm splintered.
His shoulder exploded.
Half his body collapsed under the impact.
Jigen screamed as he was launched into the distance like a falling meteor.
---
"Damn you, Uzumaki Naruto… no matter what, I can't abandon this objective…"
Midair, Jigen vomited blood mixed with fragments of organs.
He was dying.
Resentful.
Terrified.
He formed hand seals with one remaining hand.
"Sprite Transit Formation — Activate!"
The celestial chakra net left behind by the sprite began spinning violently.
At its center—
A tiny black point appeared.
Insignificant at first glance.
But it emitted horrifying gravitational force.
Growing.
Expanding.
Like the origin point of a universe.
"What is that?!"
"This is bad!"
"Move!"
"I can't! The pull is too strong!"
The underground chamber cracked apart.
Magma, stone, debris—all sucked toward the black point.
Like a black hole devouring everything.
Sasuke and the others were caught off guard.
Shikamaru and Shino were lifted off their feet, dragged toward the void.
Hinata gritted her teeth, anchoring herself and clutching Shion tightly.
Sasuke reacted instantly.
Mangekyō flared again.
Susanoo manifested, enveloping everyone.
Boom!
The giant took a step forward.
But the gravitational pull dragged it backward.
"Move!"
Sasuke roared.
Blood streamed from his eyes.
He forced Mangekyō's power to its limit.
The giant trembled.
It managed half a step.
Then stopped.
Locked in stalemate with the black hole.
---
Outside, Neji and the others panicked.
"We have to save them!"
"We can't! That force is beyond us!"
"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama is here!"
"Yes! Naruto will save them!"
Neji activated Byakugan to analyze the black point.
Instantly—
He staggered.
Blood poured from his eyes.
Just looking at it nearly destroyed him.
The information density was overwhelming.
They could only look toward Naruto with hope.
---
Naruto observed calmly.
"This guy… even injured, still accurate."
He had originally intended to capture Jigen.
But the sudden activation of the formation forced him to stop.
He studied the black point carefully.
"It resembles Planetary Devastation… but that's sealing-based. This contains unstable space-time attributes. Similar to that time-space turtle… but far less stable. Much more dangerous."
Seeing Sasuke reaching his limit—
Naruto descended.
He appeared directly in front of the black point.
The gravitational pull stopped.
As if cut off entirely.
With a casual backhand wave—
Sasuke and the others vanished.
Reappearing instantly beside Neji's group.
Relief flooded the crowd.
Hinata set Shion down, eyes fixed anxiously on Naruto's back.
---
Far away, Jigen laughed weakly, blood pouring from his mouth.
"The vessel is ruined… I'll need a new one."
"Uzumaki Naruto… I know your type. Curious. You won't ignore this."
"This trap was designed for your curiosity."
"I used all the sprite's chakra to create an incomplete space-time transit formation."
"Even I don't fully understand where it leads."
"But no matter what… once you enter, you will leave this ninja world forever."
He coughed violently.
"In this world… there is no need for a monster like you."
He wanted to kill everyone there—
But he was too injured.
Mangekyō Sharingan alone could threaten him now.
He had to retreat.
Dragging his shattered body, Jigen slipped into a spatial rift and disappeared without a trace.
-------------------------
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