"Crack."
A blue arrow was embedded in the fractured wall of the Pure Land.
But the massive giant that had been there moments ago had already vanished.
"This guy is such a rat."
Danzo drew his bow again, aiming at the fruit atop the Divine Tree while keeping his senses sharp for any movements around him.
"Whoosh!"
An explosive burst of chakra detonated the entire tree crown, but the Divine Tree rapidly regenerated, and the crimson fruit reappeared as if untouched.
"Crack, crack, crack, crack!"
Four enormous pillars slanted toward Danzo in an attempt to crush him.
Susanoo leaped back.
"Crack! Crack!"
Two more pillars suddenly shot up from behind, cutting off his retreat.
With a swift turn, his giant blade swept in a half-moon arc, severing the incoming pillars behind him.
Just as he landed, a deep cracking sound resonated beneath his feet, followed by faint tremors.
"How long is this going to go on?"
Senjutsu: Explosive Rasengan!
The giant hand of Susanoo slammed a glowing white sphere infused with Yang energy into the ground beneath him.
"Boom! Crack, crack, crack..."
The shockwaves rippled outward like waves on water, rapidly spreading across the entire Pure Land.
The impact caused fractures to extend across the surrounding walls.
"This space is shrinking," came Kaguya's voice from above.
Hearing her warning, Danzo finally took a moment to observe his surroundings.
Sure enough, the battlefield had shrunk to nearly half its original size. As the fractures generated by their attacks were repaired, the space itself seemed to be slowly contracting, with the Divine Tree at its center.
Danzo couldn't immediately determine whether this was good or bad, but there was no time to think.
"Crack, crack, crack..."
The sky above them fractured, and countless massive spikes descended, piercing into the ground. Looking around, the entire space was filled with these towering spikes crashing down from the heavens.
"Creak... Crack..."
To Danzo's surprise, the spikes began shifting and closing in, pressing the remaining space inward like a colossal grinding machine.
A gigantic hand emerged from the cascading spikes, reaching toward Kaguya, who had just activated Yomotsu Hirasaka.
"Swish! Swish!"
Spears rained down from above, sealing off her escape routes.
The ever-tightening spikes further restricted her movement.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Several of the spikes shattered under the force of her Truth-Seeking Orbs, but in the blink of an eye, more descended to take their place.
Dodging the incoming spears that streaked like shooting stars, while also fending off the elusive giant hiding in the shadows, even Kaguya found herself struggling.
Gritting her teeth, she prepared to take a spear strike if necessary just to activate Yomotsu Hirasaka once more and escape—
"Boom!"
A flash of blue sword light sliced through the merging spikes, severing two cleanly.
A massive blue hand reached in, snatching Kaguya from danger like a beast claiming its prey.
Leaping back, Susanoo landed in a safer zone.
"You're not hurt, are you?"
Danzo remained on guard, scanning their surroundings. The enemy was getting craftier.
The last large-scale attack had separated him from Kaguya. While it seemed aimed at him, its true objective had been her.
Perched on Susanoo's shoulder, Kaguya gazed at the long spears burning with soul flames embedded in the armor. Her eyes flickered with concern and guilt.
She knew Danzo was stronger than her. If he hadn't stepped in to save her, he wouldn't have been struck.
"You don't have to worry about me."
"I'm fine. His attacks can't break through my defense."
As Danzo spoke, the flaming spears fell from Susanoo's armor.
Blue chakra surged again, forming a fresh layer of armor over the colossal entity.
"The space is getting smaller. I don't know what he's planning, but you'd better stay inside me for now."
Danzo was beginning to appreciate just how formidable Susanoo's defense was. Even if Hagoromo could break through it, the time it bought him was more than enough to react.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Two more rows of massive spikes crashed down, embedding themselves into the Pure Land's ground.
Simultaneously, spikes began emerging from the ground, reaching toward the sky.
Rather than spikes, they resembled massive conical pillars.
Interlocking from above and below, they formed a monstrous abyssal maw.
"Crack... Crack... Crack..."
The spikes began closing in again, furrowing deep trenches into the ground as they converged.
Danzo, now trapped at the center of the encroaching spikes, charged forward, gripping his sword tightly. With one hand raised—
"Boom!"
Four or five of the massive spikes instantly shattered into dust, yet more remained behind them.
A sweeping chakra blade carved a luminous arc, obliterating the obstructions ahead.
Yet beyond the destruction, more spikes loomed, grinding ever closer.
The entire space now resembled the gaping maw of Charybdis, the monstrous whirlpool from Greek mythology, lined with countless teeth.
(T/N: Charybdis is a sea monster in Greek mythology.)
Danzo furrowed his brows and stopped in his tracks.
He could feel that cunning bastard lurking nearby, watching him, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Gripping his sword, he slammed it into the ground and brought his hands together.
Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!
A golden radiance flashed.
The abyssal maw halted its closure.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The massive conical pillars crumbled into pieces, scattering haphazardly across the battlefield.
What was once a smooth Pure Land had been transformed into an uneven wasteland, nearly impossible to traverse for an ordinary person.
Danzo noted that the space had shrunk even further—so much so that even a jump from Susanoo might touch the ceiling.
Then he saw him.
Floating near the Divine Tree, Otsutsuki Hagoromo had finally revealed himself.
Danzo reached for his sword, but before he could unsheathe it, the translucent Pure Land underwent a sudden transformation.
The once clear sky and ground darkened, taking on a murky brown hue.
The entire space began to warp, twisting and writhing as though it were alive, rapidly consuming the already diminishing battlefield.
"This... This is the interior of the Divine Tree? The Pure Land is inside the tree?!"
Danzo instantly grasped the situation.
A rare, manic glint flickered in Hagoromo's eyes.
"Figured it out, have you? Too late. Your attacks, your power, and you—everything will become nourishment for the Divine Tree.
Only I am fit to dictate the rules of this world."
He turned to Kaguya and shook his head.
"Mother, you are always so foolish."
"Despite possessing overwhelming power, you are constantly shackled by fear."
"You seek reliance on others, only to be used and betrayed in return. But don't worry—after today, that will never happen again..."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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