532 Naruto the Flame-Flame Fruit

"Space-time ninjutsu, huh? What a nuisance."

Madara let out a cold snort and thrust the black rod in his hand straight toward Sasuke. Sasuke reacted instantly, swapping himself with Jigen's position to force the attack onto him instead.

Jigen snorted and blocked with his own black rod. Kiyosuke flickered behind him, the Kusanagi blade slicing toward his neck.

Clang!

To their surprise, black rods actually sprouted from Jigen's neck, catching the blade and preventing Kiyosuke from cleanly severing his head. His combat instinct was simply too sharp, and he wielded his abilities with terrifying efficiency. Tch. What a troublesome bastard.

Jigen pulled away from the two of them, widening the distance. He couldn't help but remark,

"No wonder you three shook the shinobi world. Your strength truly is terrifying. So I suppose it's time I show a little of the real thing."

As he spoke, a horn grew from the left side of his forehead, curving around behind his skull before emerging on the right. Kāma markings spread across it. A suffocating wave of pressure exploded outward—even Madara and Hashirama stiffened.

"An enemy of this caliber… we've never seen anything like it."

Hashirama said, "Madara, we've never fought anything like this before, right?"

"Otsutsuki power, is it? Fascinating!" Madara laughed loudly. "Then let's test it!"

With a clenched fist, his Perfect Susanoo erupted skyward. At his command, Kurama, the wooden avatar, the flaming giant, and the Perfect Susanoo all manifested before Jigen.

"Quite the spectacle. Then let me see the power of Uchiha, Senju, Asakawa… and the Nine Tails!"

Jigen leapt into the air, dodging Madara's slash. Using Madara's chakra blades as a stepping stone, he kicked off—his heel shattering the wooden avatar's arm in an instant. Splinters flew as a Wood Dragon lunged to bite him, only to be skewered through the body by his black rods.

The flaming giant's fist came roaring in. Jigen absorbed the massive surge of chakra with his Kāma. Seeing this, Kiyosuke immediately withdrew the construct. Kurama's tail slammed down from above, sweeping both Jigen and the giant into its strike zone.

A flicker of flame appeared—reshaping into Kiyosuke's form again.

"What a pain. Even Kurama's reached his limit."

Kurama's tail was suddenly pierced by black rods, pinning it to the ground. Sasuke rushed in to help, but Jigen used the opening to strike him instead. Empowered by Isshiki's layered Kāma, he shattered Susanoo's defense with a single kick.

Isshiki's Kāma boosted Jigen tremendously, far more than Momoshiki's ever boosted Kiyosuke. But it was only natural—Kiyosuke had used Momoshiki's power for mere months, while Jigen had wielded Isshiki's for a thousand years. 

It was less a battle against Jigen, and more a battle against the Otsutsuki controlling him.

"Looks like we're out of options. Hey, Momoshiki—got anything hidden up your sleeve?"

"Hmph. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Of course Momoshiki wouldn't help.

"Damn it!"

Kiyosuke cursed and charged Jigen, joining Hashirama and Madara in a combined assault.

"Multiplying Explosive Tags!"

Kiyosuke didn't hesitate—chaining explosions one after another. Jigen stumbled out of the smoke, but the three veterans emerged as well, their bodies battered.

Madara snapped, "Why are you always using Tobirama's jutsu?!"

"Because it works."

"Tch!"

Their bodies rapidly regenerated. Meanwhile, Jigen was already exchanging blows with Naruto and Sasuke. The five of them swarmed him—no ninjutsu, only taijutsu—and even that alone pressured him hard.

All five were battle-hardened monsters. Their hand-to-hand was precise and lethal—especially Hashirama and Kiyosuke's monstrous raw strength. Jigen began slipping under the pressure.

Crack!

The dark mark on Jigen's abdomen split open. His expression changed instantly.

Madara caught on. "Keep attacking!"

"You pests!"

This time, Jigen lost his composure. His rhythm faltered for a single instant—

And Kiyosuke seized it.

His fist tightened.

Boom!

Jigen flew like a cannonball, crashing through a mountain.

"Summoning: Serpent Swamp!"

Kiyosuke slammed his palms down. The ground beneath Jigen liquefied into a thick, tar-like swamp. It swallowed boulders whole. Then dozens of black snakes with blood-red eyes slithered out, tongues flickering as they swam toward the newly-emerged Jigen.

"This is a swamp from Ryūchi Cave. It's home to venomous snakes. And since I also carry a Kāma, I know its limits—it can absorb chakra, but anything naturally occurring that isn't chakra-based can't be absorbed."

Put simply: if water was made by Water Release, Kāma could absorb it. But water from a river? Kāma couldn't absorb that. It absorbed chakra—not matter.

The snakes lunged, biting at Jigen, but he killed them with black rods.

"These little tricks can't restrain me."

He sneered and tried to rise—

Only for several snakes to coil around his legs.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon!"

Two Wood Dragons burst from the swamp, coiling around Jigen and immobilizing him.

Crimson torii dropped from the heavens, pinning him. Hashirama said,

"Now you can't move. These Wood Dragons will drain your chakra."

Madara spread his hand—dozens of black rods pierced Jigen's body.

"With this, you're even more stuck."

"You filthy lower creatures!"

Jigen glared hatefully as his chakra drained. The Wood Dragons grew thicker around him. His limbs refused to move—a terrible situation for him.

Was this the end…?

"It seems I have no choice. I must eliminate you quickly—and retrieve Kawaki." Jigen lifted his head as an unimaginable surge of chakra erupted from him—like staring down a primordial beast.

His body turned pale, his form shifting. Kiyosuke knew this had to be stopped. He grabbed a flaming spear and hurled it—impaling Jigen's skull.

Boom!

The explosion engulfed him.

"It's useless."

Momoshiki spoke. "Isshiki's vessel has long been thawed. He can use it at any time. We Otsutsuki are nothing like you monkeys. We transcend death. Even if the vessel dies, once reincarnation is chosen, it doesn't matter whether the vessel lives or not."

"So that means…"

Momoshiki smirked. "Isshiki has revived."

From the flames, a figure tore free and shot into the sky.

"How disgraceful—to be forced this far by you lower creatures. I've grown soft. But warm-up is over. Now you can all die."

He gazed down coldly, eyes like frozen blades, as if none of them mattered at all.