Gluttony staggered backward in a panic, trying to escape the area covered by the icy mist.
He couldn't understand—this body, constructed from Ōtsutsuki cells, supposedly immune to chakra-based damage as much as possible, why had it become so shattered and ruined?
Even if his opponent had somehow broken through his defense, with the Ōtsutsuki cells' regenerative ability, those wounds should have healed quickly.
Then why...
"Rasengan."
Takeshi's figure emerged from within the icy fog. Only then did Gluttony realize that, despite possessing the Byakugan, he had completely lost sight of Takeshi's presence.
The markings on Takeshi's face explained why this jutsu had been able to pierce his defenses.
Sage Mode.
This was Takeshi's most efficient method of attacking artificial beings.
Ordinary ninjutsu found it extremely difficult to breach their defenses.
After driving a massive crater into Gluttony's back with a Rasengan, Takeshi once again vanished into the fog.
The wound slowly began to heal as Gluttony gritted his teeth through the pain and continued retreating.
Of course… this was the guy who had killed Sloth. How much stronger could he possibly be compared to Sloth himself?
It was only at this moment that Gluttony realized—the brat in front of him truly had the power to kill him. Desperately, he tried to escape the killing formation Takeshi had woven around him.
Power, black rods, Byakugan—
That was the intel Kakashi had gathered from their previous encounters. And through combat, Takeshi had now confirmed Kakashi's information to be accurate.
If his opponent had no hidden trump cards, then this battle's outcome was already decided.
"Sage Art: Giant Rasengan!"
Just in case, Takeshi still created a shadow clone and sent it charging to the frontlines.
The enormous Rasengan hurtled straight toward Gluttony's head. Just as it was about to crush him where he stood, the man who had been running so frantically suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Under the confused gaze of the clone, Gluttony opened his mouth wide and expelled a stream of pale yellow gas.
In an instant, the surrounding white mist was pushed back by the gas. The Giant Rasengan's structure remained intact, but the clone controlling it dissolved the moment it touched the mist.
"Acid?"
Sensing the feedback from his clone's dissolution, Takeshi felt a wave of relief that he hadn't charged in personally.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Confirming that his opponent's final trick amounted only to those harmless-looking yellow fumes, Takeshi unleashed his best wind-style jutsu.
The yellow gas was blown away instantly. Gluttony blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
His ultimate hidden technique—dispersed by mere wind?
Buffeted by the violent gusts, Gluttony raised his arms to resist the overwhelming air pressure. As his body was pushed backward, his feet gouged a deep trench across the frozen ground.
When the wind finally began to die down, Gluttony saw two kunai flying toward him and immediately prepared to defend.
Sure enough, as the first kunai passed his flank, Takeshi appeared in his line of sight.
With a swift motion, Takeshi grabbed the kunai and smashed forward with a Rasengan he had already prepared.
Gluttony opened his mouth again—only this time, what emerged was not yellow mist but dark, shapeless masses faintly glinting with fangs.
The black creatures shot toward Takeshi faster than lightning, too fast for him to react.
Their sharp teeth sank into Takeshi's pale neck—but Gluttony didn't relax. Instead, he conjured two black rods in his hands.
He had a feeling. The one he'd just hit so easily—was only a decoy.
Sure enough, another sound sliced through the air behind him. A second Takeshi appeared beside the other kunai, also wielding a Rasengan.
Gluttony thrust one black rod backward—this time, it pierced Takeshi's shoulder.
Two explosions sounded at once—both Takeshis dissolved into clouds of smoke.
The two kunai clattered softly to the ground.
Just as Gluttony tensed for a third attack, Takeshi appeared again beside the second kunai and struck Gluttony squarely on the back with his palm.
This was Takeshi's newly developed technique. Its principle was simple—rapidly compressing ice-natured chakra and forcing it into the opponent's body, destroying them from the inside out.
Perfect against these thick-skinned Ōtsutsuki hybrids.
"Ah… Aaaahhh!"
Moments after Takeshi's strike landed, Gluttony dropped to his knees, howling in agony.
Blood began to gush from his mouth—but before long, the blood crystallized into frozen shards. Frost crept across his face, consuming his entire body.
His pure white Byakugan cracked and shattered. His skin splintered apart, revealing pale, frozen flesh beneath.
"Damn… damn it… damn—"
Twisting his neck at an unnatural angle, Gluttony glared toward Takeshi with hollow, empty sockets, spitting curses through his stiffening tongue. But as his mouth froze solid, his voice turned to nothing but silence.
At last, the artificial being who had once driven Kakashi out of the Land of Snow collapsed before Takeshi's eyes, crumbling into glittering shards of ice.
"Tch. Artificial beings… that's all they amount to."
Takeshi stepped on the pile of ice fragments, stomping a few more times just to make sure Gluttony wouldn't come back. Then, lifting his gaze, he looked toward the castle ahead.
Their battle, obscured by mist and terrain, had left the snow-nin guarding the castle unable to see what had truly happened.
All they knew was that as the fog cleared, only Takeshi stood upon the battlefield.
As for the mysterious Gluttony—his fate seemed clear enough from the mound of half-man-high ice shards at Takeshi's feet.
The commander of the Snow-nin troops swallowed hard, his throat bobbing visibly.
The others instinctively stepped back, glancing at their commander with pleading eyes.
"Don't panic... this is the Land of Snow. We have the advantage here..."
He spoke words he didn't even believe himself, hoping they would somehow rally his men.
But whether they worked or not...
The sight of Takeshi slowly approaching the castle said it all.
Each step crunched against the snow, leaving clear footprints behind as he advanced.
When he finally stood beneath the castle walls, Takeshi lifted his head, expression cold and unreadable, waiting for their decision.
The commander shuddered.
Maybe it was an illusion—but though he was the one looking down from above, the moment his eyes met Takeshi's, it felt as if he were the one being looked down upon.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, finally dripping to the ground.
"Kh..."
The commander instinctively cleared his throat, trying to issue an order to attack.
But before he could speak, Takeshi's chilling voice cut through the air:
"Surrender—or die."