"…This…"

Kaguya stared at Might Duy in his Death Gate state, frowning. "Kazuki… he's gathered all the chakra in his body into the chakra point of his heart—trading everything for explosive power…"

"Is he actually going to fight Isshiki in taijutsu? But he's just a mortal!"

Unlike the Gate of Shock, where chakra and blue steam burst out violently and dramatically—

The process of opening the Gate of Death appeared much more subdued. With the amplification from two Mangekyō dōjutsu, the changes to Might Duy's physique were more visibly dramatic than usual.

At this moment—

Within the space frozen by Uchiha Izuna, Isshiki swung his black rod and forcefully broke through the seal. He stared gravely at Might Duy in the distance, then narrowed his eyes and glanced at Izuna, clicking his tongue.

"A struggling ant… how annoyingly troublesome."

Had Izuna not been present, Isshiki would never have engaged Might Duy in close combat like Madara did in the original timeline.

He would've simply opened a portal and avoided the clash entirely.

But Kanrō's space-freezing ability left Isshiki with no choice but to confront Duy head-on.

"The Eight Gates Technique, is it?"

Isshiki slowly searched his memory. "That blood-red steam… I think I've seen it decades ago. But the power wasn't anything impressive."

"Nothing remarkable—just a mortal's pitiful struggle. Whether it's frozen space or burning one's life away, none of it works when I'm serious."

Isshiki sneered coldly, his gaze sliding past Might Duy to rest greedily on the Nine-Dragon Coffin of Black Waters not far behind.

"Just like withered leaves drifting in autumn wind—they may still flutter in midair, but they're already dead."

"The place where Kazuki-sama rests… is the domain I guard."

Might Duy turned to face Isshiki, his pitch-black eyes unreadable. "As guardian of this house, my duty is to cut down all who trespass!"

"And now—this is the moment where I vow to protect what I hold most dear, even if it costs my life. This is the most glorious and passionate final chapter of my youth!"

Isshiki shook his head and let out a soft chuckle. "Youth? What a foolish word…"

But before the smirk could even fully stretch across his lips—

Might Duy had already moved!

In the blink of an eye, he was above Isshiki's head.

Isshiki's smile was still frozen on his face, the mocking glint in his eyes instantly replaced by shock.

How could he be this fast?!

Though Might Duy lacked the flight capabilities of the Ōtsutsuki, the sheer explosiveness of his power—coupled with the blood-red steam—allowed him to dash and maneuver freely through the air.

"First Step!"

With a tiger-like roar, Might Duy twisted his waist and spine in one smooth motion and punched straight down at Isshiki!

And that punch—

Its power exceeded what anyone on the battlefield could have imagined!

The impact was concentrated at a single point. The force of the punch tore through the air like a sky-piercing pillar, blasting the ground apart!

In an instant—

It was as if the earth itself had been struck by an earthquake. The boundless terrain trembled violently from the blow, letting out a dreadful, anguished wail!

The air cannon produced by the punch continued to surge forward, suppressing Isshiki with overwhelming momentum, as if trying to drive him deep into the planet's core!

The situation flipped completely in an instant—

Just moments ago, Isshiki had seemed unstoppable—and now, no one could have predicted that he wouldn't even withstand a single strike from Might Duy…

Yet right as Duy's assault landed, it abruptly stopped.

His thick eyebrows twitched as he rubbed his wrist slightly. "So that's what it feels like… damn, that really hurt…"

And even so—

The Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Hamura were both visibly shaken.

They wondered to themselves—

If it had been them, could they have withstood that punch?

From the other worldlines, Urashiki, Momoshiki, and Kinshiki exchanged shocked glances. Their eyes were filled with disbelief—and a trace of dread.

Are the natives of this planet really this dangerous?

If everyone here were like Might Duy—surging with crimson steam, hair standing on end, surrounded by lightning—then no matter how abundant the planet's natural energy might be, no Ōtsutsuki would ever want to come here to plant a Divine Tree…

"Who the hell is this guy…"

Urashiki couldn't help but ask, "Do we have anyone like him in our timeline? This man is way too dangerous!"

Momoshiki's Byakugan pierced through the smoke and terrain, locking onto Isshiki—now drenched in blood, his skin cracked and torn. He spoke solemnly: "Prepare to retrieve Isshiki. A noble Ōtsutsuki must not be killed by a mortal—that would be a disgrace to the entire clan!"

"If we save the Isshiki of this timeline, we won't need to share this planet's chakra with him later…"

Urashiki sighed and shook his head. "Senior, you're still too soft-hearted… Can't you just let him die?"

Momoshiki shot a cold glance at Urashiki.

And at that moment—

Lying deep within the crater, Isshiki caught a fleeting red gleam in Uchiha Izuna's eyes. Enraged, he sprang to his feet—

That bastard again—still haunting him like a ghost!

With Might Duy unable to maintain his combo due to his physical state, Senju Tobirama quickly tossed a Flying Thunder God kunai and teleported himself and Uchiha Izuna to the crater's edge, wary of Isshiki attempting to escape using space-time ninjutsu amidst the chaos.

This—was the vigilance of the Second Hokage!

"You're worried I'll run away?"

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Isshiki rose into the air, furious. "No—I'm not running. I'm going to kill all of you!"

If Izuna hadn't been there, Isshiki really might have done just that…

But with Tobirama and Izuna working together, Kanrō's spatial disruption slowed Isshiki's portal generation to a terrifying degree.

"A troublesome dōjutsu user, a revolting enemy… and one idiotic madman."

Suspended in midair, Isshiki glared dangerously at Senju Tobirama.

Might Duy's aura was certainly fearsome—

But the true threat—the one orchestrating the entire battlefield—was Tobirama!

If not for Tobirama…

Then before Might Duy could activate the Gate of Death, and before Shisui and Yashiro could empower him with ocular techniques, they all would've been impaled by black rods emerging from space, ending the process prematurely.

And Uchiha Izuna, already wounded and pierced by black rods—if not for Tobirama's aid—would never have been able to unleash Kanrō in such a critical state…

Everything—everything—had been held together by Senju Tobirama!

Isshiki had to admit: compared to Might Duy, the one he had most underestimated… was this white-haired mortal, Tobirama.

He didn't know how Tobirama did it—

But it was as if he had shed his skin like a snake; the injuries Isshiki inflicted during his sneak attack had left no visible marks on his body at all.

That level of regeneration… was not something a normal human should possess!

"You wretch… this power comes from Kazuki—combined with my original secret technique—Tobirama Style: Serpent Substitution Technique…"

Tobirama gave Isshiki a mocking smile. "What do you think? Want me to teach you?"

Isshiki scoffed, the golden cross in his eye narrowing dangerously.

And the very next second—

Tobirama grabbed Izuna and vanished with the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Moments later, several black rods exploded violently in midair.

But this time—they missed Tobirama.

"I've seen through your attack patterns, you nameless monster…"

Tobirama's voice rang out sternly, "Duy—are you ready? Whatever lies ahead, just charge straight through!"

In perfect sync with Tobirama's command, blood-red steam and golden lightning intertwined. Might Duy's eyes burned with absolute killing intent.

"I've adjusted to this power now… Thank you, Second Hokage-sama…"

"I won't give him another chance!"

With all four limbs pushing off the ground like a hunting leopard about to pounce, blood-red steam surged violently around Duy's body. It looked like crimson flames were igniting from within him. An overwhelming presence—raw chakra and killing aura—exploded again!

The blood-red steam twisted into the shape of a massive, ferocious dragon's head. Duy's body, now bearing the burden of this power, cracked with jagged fractures like molten branding marks scorched across his skin.

At that moment—Isshiki's expression finally changed.

His face twisted, and he activated his golden cross-shaped eye with a roar: "You won't!"

He could smell the stench of death closing in.

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. patreon.com/TitoVillar

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