A wriggling sensation on Isshiki's forehead was followed by a blood-red Rinnegan tearing through the skin. A massive pressure instantly swept the entire area.
"He's gotten stronger again. Is this the power of the Otsutsuki clan?"
Hashirama Senju's brows furrowed. If more of this terrifying race were to appear, the ninja world might plunge into a hellish scenario.
Madara Uchiha's face was also grim. Though known as a "Shura," he only killed people. He found Isshiki Otsutsuki's inhumane actions utterly repulsive, even disgusting.
"What? You find it unacceptable? This is how our clan passes down its abilities. It's infinitely simpler than how you humans gain power!"
At this moment, Isshiki had completed his transformation, his injuries healed. He could even use Urashiki's abilities, his strength greatly enhanced.
"The power gained through such methods just makes me sick!"
Madara Uchiha snorted, his figure flashing before Isshiki. He decided to take the offensive.
"You are no longer able to contend with me."
A beam of red light erupted from the red Rinnegan on Isshiki's forehead. Madara Uchiha's body seemed to freeze in front of Isshiki, his punch slowing to a snail's pace.
"This is my newly acquired ability: slowing down the target's speed or accelerating my own."
As soon as he spoke, Madara Uchiha was sent flying with a punch. The red armor on his body shattered, and a large hole was pierced through his chest.
However, Hashirama Senju, standing nearby, hadn't seen how Isshiki attacked at all. It was as if a punch was thrown and retracted instantaneously.
"Shrinking and enlarging, decelerating and accelerating. Simple, yet troublesome abilities."
Even though he was an Edo Tensei and wouldn't sweat, Hashirama Senju couldn't help but clench his palms.
Suddenly, Isshiki vanished before his eyes. Hashirama's pupils contracted. Just as he was about to use Wood Style, he realized his hands were lifting incredibly slowly.
He had been slowed down.
*Squelch!*
Several black rods pierced Hashirama's body, pinning him to the ground. His chakra was disrupted by the black rods, and Hashirama instantly lost his combat ability.
"Dead people can just wait over there. I'll send you off to the afterlife later."
Isshiki didn't want to waste any more time on these two corpses. Killing Edo Tensei was useless. It was better to restrain them with black rods.
Isshiki slowly walked towards Madara Uchiha, who was recovering his body not far away. Black rods appeared in his hand, giving him no chance. Several black rods were inserted into Madara Uchiha's limbs, restraining him.
However, the moment the black rods pierced his body, Madara Uchiha completed his hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
*Boom!*
A burst of white smoke rose, and a fox with nine orange tails appeared on the battlefield.
"Damn you, Madara Uchiha, you're playing the fox!"
...
At the reinforcement camp, Kurama's disappearance put everyone on high alert.
"Everyone, pay attention! Prepare for battle immediately!"
Tsunade, after receiving news that Kurama had been summoned away, immediately gathered everyone to prepare for battle.
Madara Uchiha had his "great-grandfather" with him, so he wouldn't need to summon Kurama. This left only one explanation: they might be defeated, and this was a signal to inform them.
As for why Madara Uchiha would kindly notify them, it was because Obito, Shisui, Itachi, and other Uchiha prodigies were here. Madara, despite his dislike for Konoha, valued talent immensely.
"What's going on, Tsunade? Are we ready to provide support?"
The giant thousand-armed Buddha statue had disappeared. Everyone thought the battle was nearing its end and it was time to go support them.
It wasn't that they deliberately waited until the end to provide support, but who could withstand the full power of the Great Thousand-Armed Buddha's attack!
Tsunade's expression was grim. Just as she was about to say something, Isshiki's cold voice echoed from above.
"So the ants are all hiding here. Stay put and don't move. Let me see if any of you are lucky."
Hearing the familiar voice, the wounded soldiers who were lying on stretchers all jumped up. Although Isshiki's appearance had changed slightly, the pressure he exerted was even more oppressive than before.
Had even the God of Shinobi and the Shura of the Ninja World been defeated?
Suddenly, Isshiki seemed to sense something. His gaze swept past the crowd, landing on the Konoha genin at the very back.
"This little guy..."
*Swish!*
Isshiki vanished, reappearing instantly in front of Naruto, grabbing him.
"Let go of Naruto!"
Despite his fear of the pressure Isshiki exerted, Sasuke still roared at Isshiki, his kunai aimed at Isshiki's chest.
*Clink!*
The kunai was flicked away by a finger. Isshiki then grabbed Sasuke by the neck, his indifferent eyes looking at him. "Who is he to you? Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Damn it! Let go of Sasuke, you can come at me if you have the guts!" Naruto's face turned red, and he struggled to breathe.
Sasuke's Sharingan activated automatically. He said coldly, "Naruto is my best friend. I won't let you hurt him."
Isshiki laughed. "Interesting."
Isshiki flicked Naruto away and grabbed Sasuke's arm. A series of black markings spread across his body.
"Since you're good friends, you should be companions."
Sasuke let out a silent roar, as if something was drilling into his body, but he was helpless. He could only endure Isshiki carving his Karma into him.
"I never expected, truly never expected, that two people could withstand the power of the Otsutsuki simultaneously."
Seeing a black diamond pattern appear on Sasuke's palm, Isshiki finally let go of his last concern and had no reservations.
"Let go of Sasuke!"
At this moment, the Konoha shinobi also arrived at the rear. Seeing Sasuke in Isshiki's hand, Itachi's face changed drastically. His Mangekyo Sharingan instantly activated, and a ball of black flames directly burned Isshiki.
Isshiki raised his hand, absorbing Amaterasu, then released Sasuke with a chuckle. "Let's talk nicely. I won't hurt children."
No one present believed Isshiki's words. He had definitely done something to Sasuke.
"Next, I can play with you slowly. We have three days to..."
"To your mother!"
An invisible barrier instantly enveloped the area, and a figure with disheveled red hair appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Lin Yu!"
Isshiki looked at Lin Yu, who had suddenly appeared before him, with a grim expression. This reminded him of how Lin Yu had beaten him into a stray dog years ago, even stealing the Ten-Tails.
"Whirlpool Lin Yu, you've come at the right time. We'll settle old and new scores today!"
Isshiki didn't hesitate. The red Rinnegan on his forehead unleashed a beam of red light, reducing Lin Yu's movement speed to the absolute minimum, then increasing his own speed to the maximum.
At this moment, Isshiki unleashed his fastest speed and strongest power. He had surpassed the speed of light. A black rod was instantly inserted into Lin Yu's heart and driven violently into the ground.
Isshiki grinned menacingly. "Whirlpool Lin Yu, I know you won't die so easily. I want you to watch me torture your family and friends, to watch them die before your very eyes."
Lin Yu, pierced through the body by Isshiki's black rod, had blood trickling from his lips, but his eyes were full of mockery. He said, "I won't be so cruel. I'll cut your corpse into eight pieces and send it to the lab for research. There seems to be an idiom for this, called..."
"Waste utilization!"
Isshiki glared, punching Lin Yu's head, splattering blood all over him.
But looking at the headless corpse on the ground, Isshiki couldn't help but take a few steps back. It was too easy. Whirlpool Lin Yu had died too easily.
This wasn't right!
Isshiki quickly turned around, only to find that the surroundings were already empty. Even the original forest had transformed into a desolate land.
"This is... my other dimension?"
"Congratulations, you guessed correctly."
Lin Yu's figure seemed to peel away from space. His originally black pupils transformed from a three-tomoe Sharingan to Mangekyo, Eternal Mangekyo, Rinnegan, Tenseigan... finally, a brilliant golden light filled Isshiki's vision.
"This is... Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
Isshiki snarled. "So what if it's Space-Time Ninjutsu? So what if you can invade my other dimension? These are just things our Otsutsuki clan has long since played with. You will die today!"
Lin Yu shook his head and said, "The space-time you understand is different from mine. In the sight of these eyes, every second represents a time-space, and I can freely traverse through each of them."
"You killed the me of this time-space, but you couldn't kill the me of the previous time-space."
Isshiki didn't believe Lin Yu's words at all. The red Rinnegan on his forehead opened, and he angrily said, "I can kill you once, and I can kill you a hundred times. I don't believe your dōjutsu has no limit."
Lin Yu tapped the space with his finger, and a clockwise pendulum clock appeared in the sky.
"There are indeed no perfect ninjutsu in this world, but you, Isshiki Otsutsuki, cannot see my limit. Time·Clockwise!"
*Tick-tock!*
The hour hand of the pendulum clock in the sky spun rapidly clockwise. There was no day or night in the other dimension, but Isshiki could clearly feel his vitality constantly draining.
Three days, two days... one hour, ten minutes... one minute!
In just a few seconds, Isshiki's life had only one minute left.
"How... is this possible!"
Isshiki collapsed on the ground, cracks appearing all over his body. His life had only a few tens of seconds remaining.
Lin Yu descended from the sky, and a black katana glowing with black flames appeared in his hand.
This was Lin Yu's first time using the Eternal Mangekyo's dōjutsu: Manifestation! (For those who forgot, please check chapter 164. Honestly, I forgot about this thing myself.)
"I'm a merciful person. I'll give you a chance to say your last words."
Isshiki glared at Lin Yu, his expression unwilling, and roared, "Whirlpool Lin Yu, you will pay for what you've done. This planet will eventually become a breeding ground for the Otsutsuki clan..."
"Heh heh heh, you don't think the Otsutsuki clan... only sent these few people, do you... Momoshiki failed, and the clan will definitely send stronger people to the ninja world. And on our home planet... there are plenty of people stronger than me, Isshiki."
"Inferior humans are destined to be..."
*Whoosh!*
The black katana sliced through Isshiki's body. The black flames on the blade devoured Isshiki's soul. The demon sword let out a low hum, as if rejoicing at having devoured a powerful soul.
"Sorry, your words were unpleasant. I broke my promise!"