Chapter 345: The Unseen Truth

Chapter 345: The Unseen Truth

Eight Gates Guy proved to the world what it means to "match gods with a mortal body" through taijutsu.

However, at this moment, when the god in the eyes of the world also fights purely with taijutsu, it becomes evident that matching gods is merely an illusion, for gods will always remain gods.

Boom!!!

In the once clear sky, thunderous roars, more deafening than lightning, continuously echoed. Along with it, came scenes of space distortions one after another.

Under the influence of the Rinnegan's Heavenly Absolute Order technique, all jutsu is prohibited in this area. Hagoromo Gengetsu, along with Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, and Naruto on the opposite side, began their close-combat brawl.

In this regard, Hagoromo Gengetsu, who had fought his way out of the Warring States period, was already highly experienced and had completely mastered taijutsu.

On the other hand, Kaguya, who had been in seclusion for thousands of years; Ōtsutsuki Toneri, who had been a shut-in on the moon; and Naruto, who always relied on numbers rather than taijutsu, appeared far too immature in front of Hagoromo Gengetsu.

Initially, Kaguya tried to use her immortality and Byakugan's support to suppress Hagoromo Gengetsu. But after several exchanges, she was sent crashing into the ground by one punch from him, creating a massive crater.

Hagoromo Gengetsu did not pursue Kaguya. After effortlessly dodging Naruto's incoming punch, kicking him away, he then focused on chasing after Ōtsutsuki Toneri.

Among the three opponents, Kaguya was unkillable, Naruto still had his uses, leaving only Ōtsutsuki Toneri as the primary target.

Furthermore, Hagoromo Gengetsu sensed something amiss from Toneri. It was as if another pair of eyes was spying on his deepest secrets.

"The Sage of Six Paths, perhaps?"

Hagoromo Gengetsu's expression became serious as his Rinnegan swiftly rippled with layers of purple, the eye power of the Rinnegan surging violently. In a place where jutsu was forbidden, the Sage of Six Paths was likely using his own Rinnegan to spy on him.

Although Hagoromo Gengetsu had no countermeasures, he was well aware of the nature of eye power versus eye power. Regardless of the effect, he would obstruct it for as long as possible.

Moreover, to ensure his plans weren't discovered prematurely, he had to put even greater pressure on the Sage of Six Paths, forcing him to divide his attention.

Hagoromo Gengetsu looked at Ōtsutsuki Toneri.

In the next moment, an even more intense explosion rang out.

Staring into Hagoromo Gengetsu's cold, unyielding eyes, the pressure on Ōtsutsuki Toneri grew heavier. With little experience in close combat, he found it hard to adapt to Hagoromo Gengetsu's direct, fierce, efficient, and ever-changing taijutsu.

Rip!

Before long, Toneri's left arm was torn off by a grab and pull from Hagoromo Gengetsu. Blood splattered everywhere.

Toneri grunted, retreating rapidly as a brand-new left arm grew segment by segment from the severed part.

"Toneri!"

Naruto arrived quickly, anger flaring, blocking Hagoromo Gengetsu.

He didn't care about Kaguya's injuries, but Toneri was clearly on their side, and Naruto wouldn't stand by idly.

"It's been so long, Naruto, and your taijutsu still hasn't improved much," Hagoromo Gengetsu remarked as he casually deflected Naruto's punch with one hand and reached forward with the other. Naruto quickly swung his other arm to defend.

Hagoromo Gengetsu's outstretched hand seized Naruto's arm, yanking him forward and abruptly kneeing him in the gut. Thud! Naruto's abdomen contracted as he involuntarily opened his mouth.

Before he could cry out in pain, Hagoromo Gengetsu had already thrown him aside and was once again charging at Ōtsutsuki Toneri.

Toneri, who had just regrown his arm, felt the crushing pressure once more.

Sweat began to bead and roll down his forehead.

"Sage, I'm afraid I can't hold on much longer," Toneri gasped heavily, having been sent flying yet again by Hagoromo Gengetsu's heavy blows.

Hagoromo Gengetsu was already stronger than him, and now, he had ventured into the opponent's area of expertise, a domain where Toneri was least skilled—taijutsu.

As for his teammates, Naruto's help was limited, and Kaguya cared nothing for his life, only looking for the right moment to strike again.

If he continued to follow the Sage of Six Paths' instructions to stall, he feared for his own life.

The Sage of Six Paths sighed.

Not only was Toneri in a dire situation, but the Sage himself was also struggling. It seemed that Hagoromo Gengetsu had noticed something. Under the interference of his Rinnegan's eye power, it was difficult for the Sage to fully discern Hagoromo Gengetsu's Rinnegan techniques.

During this time, the Sage had only managed to identify the more common or already revealed abilities of Hagoromo Gengetsu's Rinnegan, such as Shinra Tensei, Banshō Ten'in, Chakra Integration, and the Heavenly Absolute Order.

As for the deeper powers, they were blocked by the profound eye power of Hagoromo Gengetsu's Rinnegan. Breaking through would likely take considerable time.

However, Ōtsutsuki Toneri could clearly not survive for much longer under the time limit of Heavenly Absolute Order.

"Let's hope the situation doesn't spiral into the worst possible outcome," the Sage of Six Paths thought as he retracted his gaze from Hagoromo Gengetsu, casting one last glance at the desert below.

"This place..."

The Sage of Six Paths seemed to realize something, but said no more, merging the last bit of chakra he had reserved for exploring Hagoromo Gengetsu into Ōtsutsuki Toneri's body.

Instantly, Toneri's aura surged.

"Now I can keep up!"

Toneri's eyes locked onto Hagoromo Gengetsu's every move. Compared to before, where his eyes could perceive but his body couldn't keep up, now his reflexes finally matched his perception. Although he couldn't overpower Hagoromo Gengetsu, at least he was no longer on the brink of death and could drag out the fight.

Hagoromo Gengetsu also noticed Toneri's transformation.

"The Sage of Six Paths' chakra, is it?"

At that moment, the vague feeling of being spied on, which had persisted since the beginning of the battle, completely vanished.

Hagoromo Gengetsu understood. The Sage of Six Paths had ceased his probing and used the remaining chakra to keep Toneri alive.

Facing the newly empowered Toneri, with his objective achieved, Hagoromo Gengetsu was no longer in a hurry.

The high-altitude battle at the Six Paths level continued to rage. Compared to the initial location, the four combatants had already crossed over a hundred kilometers, arriving at another desert.

This area was still within the influence of the Heavenly Absolute Order. However, as time passed, the golden paper on the Great Sealing Pole was nearly burned out.

One minute... thirty seconds... ten seconds...

Under Hagoromo Gengetsu's final burst of power, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, Toneri, and Naruto all sustained various injuries.

But at this point, even Naruto knew that if they could hold on just a bit longer, everything would change.

The three remained calm, refusing to make any major mistakes despite their injuries.

Finally!

As the last second passed, the golden paper burned to ash. The Great Sealing Pole that had been anchored in the void disappeared.

With the binding completely lifted, the eyes of Naruto, Toneri, and Kaguya suddenly brightened.

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