"You… damn… human!"
Already battered by countless blows, Urashiki Ōtsutsuki was on the verge of collapse under Namikaze Kirito's relentless assault.
The physical pain was one thing.
But the real damage was to his pride.
As a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan, being beaten into such a miserable state by a mere human of a lowly planet was a humiliation he could hardly endure.
And yet, there was nothing he could do.
The energy in his body was being suppressed, leaving him only able to endure the punishment passively.
He was not someone like Uzumaki Naruto, a child seemingly blessed by destiny itself.
There was no miraculous comeback waiting for him in a desperate moment like this.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The deafening sonic booms continued without pause, and the earth beneath them kept sinking lower and lower from the sheer force of Kirito's strikes.
In the distance, young Sasuke could not help but draw in a sharp breath when he saw the scene unfolding before him.
He had never imagined that the man leading everything from the shadows possessed strength this terrifying.
Back then… when he was still a child, he truly had not seen clearly at all.
If he had known from the beginning, he would have sought the leader's help long ago.
Why would he ever have needed to struggle so desperately on his own?
Beside him, Uzumaki Boruto listened excitedly as Sasuke told him what was happening on the battlefield, so thrilled he could barely stay still.
After all, in the future, the village would no longer only be known for the Hokage Rock.
There would also stand the statue of the invincible hero at the very center of the village—
the statue of Namikaze Kirito.
This was the kind of man children admired.
A king destined to dominate the shinobi world and lead it into an era of peace.
If his friends knew he had the chance to witness his uncle's heroic figure with his own eyes, they would probably be so jealous.
On the battlefield, Namikaze Kirito continued to rain down blow after blow.
A fierce smile stretched across his face.
An attack like this could not truly kill Urashiki Ōtsutsuki.
But that had never been Kirito's goal.
What it could do was steadily drain Urashiki's chakra.
And the proof was already there—the duration of the Dark-Dark Fruit's sealing effect had grown noticeably longer.
Because of Kirito's uninterrupted assault, Urashiki's chakra was being constantly consumed to repair his damaged body, leaving him with no opportunity to break free from the binding force of darkness.
That was Kirito's true purpose.
Only after Urashiki's chakra had been exhausted to a certain extent could the next step begin.
Urashiki seemed to sense it as well.
He did not know exactly what Kirito intended, but his instincts screamed danger.
The more he felt it, the more anxious he became.
At last, the suppression inside his body weakened for a moment.
Urashiki's eyes lit up instantly.
The Rinnegan in his palm flared, and a tremendous repulsive force burst outward.
Facing the incoming shockwave, Namikaze Kirito remained completely calm.
His own power erupted in response, darkness surging as he released an opposing force of repulsion.
The two waves collided head-on and canceled one another out.
The clash produced a violent burst of light and flame so bright it was almost blinding.
But neither of them looked away.
Urashiki tried to use that single opening to escape.
Kirito, meanwhile, moved at once to seize him again.
"Time reverse!"
In that instant, Urashiki activated the Rinnegan in his palm.
Time around his body distorted, his figure flickering unnaturally as he attempted to slip away using his space-time ability.
But in the very next moment, Namikaze Kirito thrust out one hand wrapped in dense darkness.
A powerful gravitational pull erupted from it and forcibly disrupted Urashiki's escape.
The distortion around Urashiki's body shattered at once, dragging him back before he could fully disappear.
His figure solidified again—
and he was immediately caught in Kirito's grasp once more.
"Damn it!"
Urashiki knew it.
This time, it really was over.
And just as he feared, the oppressive force returned to his body once more—
followed by another merciless storm of attacks.
This time, the wounds Kirito inflicted no longer healed instantly as before.
They still recovered, but now it was slow—visible to the naked eye.
That alone was enough to prove it.
Urashiki's chakra reserves were reaching their limit.
Seeing that, Kirito's eyes gleamed.
At last.
The plan could finally begin.
He seized Urashiki more firmly, deepening the power of darkness.
Puff!
Billowing blackness swallowed Urashiki's body whole, leaving only his head exposed.
At the same time, half of Kirito's own body was also shrouded in the darkness.
"What are you… doing…?"
For the first time, fear appeared in Urashiki's eyes.
Real fear.
From the beginning of the battle until now, he had been consumed only by anger.
Even after being beaten into this pathetic state, he had never truly panicked.
He had always believed he would win in the end.
And even if he could not win, he had still believed he could escape.
But now, the reaction inside his body told him something else entirely.
And for the first time, true fear took hold.
The power within him was being stripped away at an alarming speed.
Not merely sealed.
Not merely suppressed.
No—
this time, it was truly being taken from him.
A wide smile spread across Namikaze Kirito's face.
Anyone who saw that smile would feel a chill run through their soul.
He had never felt more exhilarated than he did at this moment.
Who could look at Urashiki Ōtsutsuki's powers—those abilities tied to space and even time—and not feel envy?
More than that, once such power was fully mastered, it could open the path to crossing worlds themselves.
"At the start, you said you wanted my powers," Kirito said, his voice edged with madness. "But from the very beginning, I was after yours as well. Everything I've done in this fight… was for your abilities."
Urashiki's heart sank even further.
"I am… a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan… You lowly native… how dare you…"
"The noble Ōtsutsuki clan?" Kirito said with a cold smile. "Then you should be honored. Becoming my nourishment means everything you are will belong to me."
The moment those words fell, Namikaze Kirito poured even more power into the Dark-Dark Fruit.
A violent gravitational force erupted inside Urashiki's body.
By now, Urashiki had already been forced back into his normal form.
There was no escaping Kirito's grip.
His strength was gone.
His resistance was crumbling.
And the Byakugan in his eyes began to fade.
At the same time, a strange golden light appeared in Kirito's eyes.
Not long after, a golden, ripple-patterned Rinnegan fully formed within his sockets.
With that mad smile still on his face, he looked more terrifying than ever.
Urashiki no longer had the strength to fight back.
He was even losing the power to speak.
The Byakugan that marked him as one of the Ōtsutsuki clan disappeared completely.
And it was not only his dōjutsu.
His vitality was also draining away at a visible rate.
In mere moments, his body withered into that of a haggard old man.
Even his pale hair lost its luster.
At that point, Sasuke and Boruto returned as well, both having judged that the danger had passed.
A trace of complexity flickered through Sasuke's eyes as he looked at the once-arrogant and overwhelming Urashiki Ōtsutsuki.
Now, he looked like a candle guttering in the wind.
At last, the thick black darkness receded.
Urashiki's body fell to the ground like a dead dog, utterly devoid of life.
Namikaze Kirito slowly closed his eyes and began to feel the new power flowing through his body.
Author Note:
Here we go again… starting a new project: Jujutsu Kaisen: Gilgamesh The King of Heroes.
If you like global curses not limited to Japan, strong MCs, and heavy 'Quality' moments, give it a try.
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