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"I understand now."
Kaguya suddenly smiled.
"You dare to defy me."
"Yes."
Kaito nodded.
"It is only natural."
"Then let me see if you possess the qualifications to stand before me, Onmyōji."
Kaguya's right hand emerged once more from the folds of her sleeve.
The fate of Kumogakure's Hope still fresh in their minds, everyone immediately tensed, bracing themselves.
"Eighty Gods Vacuum Fist!"
Kaguya swung her palm toward Kaito with a deceptively light motion.
"That is—!!!"
Neji, witnessing the attack, froze in shock.
Chakra erupted from Kaguya's palm, solidifying into a tangible force—dozens of monstrous fists superimposed into a single devastating strike.
Neji saw it clearly.
Layer upon layer of chakra compressed and overlapped, surging like a hidden tide, wave after wave.
Though the destructive power was incomparable, at its core, it was still the Gentle Fist!
Neji's eyes blazed with realization.
"Ryūmyaku Protection!"
Kaito swiftly formed hand seals.
A translucent golden barrier manifested around him, layer upon layer, countless shields stacking in an instant until a blinding radiance engulfed him, obscuring his form within a spherical dome of light.
The moment Kaguya's chakra collided with the golden barrier, those standing near Kaito scattered, leaping away in evasion.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted, followed by a thick cloud of dust.
As the obscuring haze gradually dispersed under the watchful eyes of the onlookers, the aftermath of the blast was revealed.
The multiple layers of the golden barrier had shattered, leaving only a few remaining around Kaito, the outermost shield riddled with cracks.
"All-Killing Ash Bones!"
Kaguya raised her hand again, and from her palm, a gray bone shot forth like a shadow, piercing through the remaining barriers before impaling Kaito's chest.
"So this is how it is." Ignoring the horrified gazes of many, Kaito mused aloud. "A technique that ensures certain death."
No sooner had he spoken than his body disintegrated into scattered paper fragments.
"You hid yourself away earlier?"
Kaguya, floating in the air, abruptly turned.
"Eh? You noticed already?"
From the ground nearby, a mass of golden liquid surged upward, elongating rapidly until it took the form of Kaito once more.
"I was hoping to catch you off guard."
He shook his head, feigning disappointment.
"A fine idea."
An irregular black portal yawned open behind him, and Kaguya's voice echoed as another gray bone shot from her palm, aimed at his back.
"Close call!"
Kaito twisted his upper body, liquefying it into a bizarre circular shape, allowing the bone to pass harmlessly through empty air.
Before Kaguya could react, his entire form dissolved into droplets, merging with the earth.
"That was really close."
Moments later, he emerged from another direction, repeating the same tactic.
Kaguya vanished into her portal, instantly reappearing behind him.
Thus began a deadly chase, the two traversing vast distances in mere moments.
"No more running?"
Kaguya closed in once more, her killing intent palpable.
"I'd like to take a short break."
Kaito stomped his foot.
"Ryūmyaku Chains!"
Golden chains burst from the ground, entangling Kaguya under Kaito's control.
After dispersing the chains with a wave of her hand, Kaguya's patience finally wore thin. She opened another portal.
By now, the remaining conscious shinobi had regrouped around the battlefield, watching for an opportunity to strike.
"Right here!"
Kaito's golden barrier flared to life again, barely withstanding Kaguya's assault.
Yet, in this critical moment, he calmly closed his eyes and formed a new set of hand seals.
"Wind!"
"Fire!"
"Water!"
"Earth!"
"Lightning!"
Five figures of varying heights materialized, encircling the combatants.
Howling gales, roaring flames, surging tides, jagged earth, and crackling lightning—each element manifested in a grand display around the five.
Kaito's hands froze in the final seal.
"Ultimate Five Elements Severance Barrier!!"
Pillars of light erupted from the five figures, shooting skyward as golden lines etched themselves across the earth, connecting the pillars to form a colossal pentagram.
In an instant, a vast sealing array enveloped the entire battlefield, trapping everyone within.
At the same time, Kaito's barrier shattered, and he narrowly dodged another strike from Kaguya.
"This is…" Kaguya sensed the array's effect. "A spatial confinement technique."
Among the crowd, Tobirama and Minato (users of the Flying Thunder God), along with Kakashi and "Obito" (wielders of space-time dōjutsu), suddenly found themselves the focus of many stares.
"Do you truly believe this can defeat me?"
Kaguya scoffed.
She used her spatial abilities frequently merely for elegance!
"Heh."
Kaito didn't argue. Instead, he replied, "From what I know, you possess your own personal dimensions. You even dismantled this world's Yomi, the underworld, refining it into your own. Your spatial prowess must have evolved further."
"Amenominaka," Kaguya admitted without hesitation. "I possess the primal dimension, the Core Space, as well as five others connected to it—all carved from the remnants of Yomi."
"Truly a terrifying ability."
Kaito grinned. "If trapped within those interlinked dimensions, escaping would be… troublesome."
Yet Kaguya remained unperturbed.
She firmly believed herself to be on an entirely different plane from these insects.
Even without relying on spatial manipulation, she was untouchable.
Moreover, after a millennium in darkness, she was now thoroughly enjoying this game.
There was no need to rush their despair.
"I can sense…" Her gaze swept over the crowd. "Some among your allies also wield space-time techniques. And more importantly… an Onmyōji's strength lies in their summoned shikigami. This barrier restricts both sides."
"That's true." Kaito chuckled. "But unfortunately, I am not a traditional Onmyōji like Lord Seimei."
Suddenly, he raised his voice. "You've arrived just in time, Santarō! Yūta! Kaori! Kizue! Onikiri!"
"Enough talk, Kaito!" Santarō's shrill voice rang out. "It's been a thousand years, Kaguya! We yōkai have come for vengeance!!"
"Yōkai?!"
"So they really are yōkai?!"
"They actually exist?!!"
The battlefield erupted in shock as the monstrous figures made their grand entrance.