Might Duy was absolutely decisive.

After testing the waters with First Step—

Once he realized that his body couldn't perfectly withstand the combined power-up from the Death Gate and the ocular technique...

He immediately accelerated the pace of the battle!

In that moment—

Duy's eyes, blackened by the power of Kagutsuhane, seemed to ignite with his own chakra and blood.

A roaring crimson steam dragon, intertwined with thick golden lightning bolts like pillars, split the earth in two as it surged forward, setting everything in its path ablaze with unrelenting fury!

Originally—

Senju Tobirama had intended to join forces with Uchiha Izuna. With Ame-no-Iwato and Kanrō combined, they planned to prevent Duy's final strike from being disrupted by Isshiki's desperate counterattack.

Tobirama had already devised a method to counter the sudden explosion of Isshiki's black rods.

Izuna would freeze space itself, while Ame-no-Iwato rendered Tobirama immune to Kanrō's effects.

Together, they would anchor their surroundings in stable space—shielded from Isshiki's interference while remaining mobile themselves.

But the moment Night Guy erupted—

Tobirama and Izuna, in perfect sync, were stunned to find—

The sheer force of Duy's explosion was bending space itself, visibly warping the air!

Everywhere the crimson steam dragon passed, the space rippled like a lake struck by a massive boulder, unleashing tidal waves of distortion.

Isshiki stared in disbelief—

A mere mortal… twisting space with brute force alone?

Even at his peak, he had never accomplished that!

This wasn't spatial warping via dōjutsu or connected jutsu techniques—it was pure power, forcibly distorting reality.

Shattering the void—proving one's path through sheer force of will.

"This guy's power… he's actually distorting space…"

After several quick attempts, Isshiki was shaken to discover that Daikokuten could no longer connect to the space around Duy—

Which meant he couldn't summon any black rods, nor launch long-range attacks.

Even though he could clearly tell—Might Duy, for all his destructive might, was at the very end of his strength. If he could just land a single strike, a few black rods might be enough to bring down even this terrifying Night Guy.

But he couldn't get close.

Duy's body, now boiling hot and fused with the head of the crimson steam dragon, was untouchable.

Even as his flesh rapidly broke down, deep molten fissures splitting across his body and his skin taking on a charred, coal-like texture, his killing intent only grew stronger.

His jet-black tiger eyes burned with rage, locked unrelentingly on Isshiki's head—

When it comes to kicking people—

If you want to kill someone with a kick, of course you aim for the head!

After Isshiki's initial counterattack failed—

Duy gave him no second chance. The speed of Night Guy was monstrous, and in a blink, he was right in front of Isshiki!

"I can't take that head-on!" In that fleeting instant, instinct screamed at Isshiki.

He leapt back at once. His golden cross-shaped eye flickered wildly, unleashing the full power of Sukunahikona to rapidly shrink himself, trying to dodge Duy's devastating headshot!

Duy's tiger eyes narrowed sharply.

Isshiki had shrunk himself to the extreme in a split second, vanishing from Duy's vision—

As if he had teleported away.

But Duy's speed did not waver. With no hesitation, he unleashed the full power of Night Guy toward the seemingly empty space!

Teleported? No matter.

Once youth is ablaze, there's no room for hesitation or retreat!

Duy didn't even bother to adjust his angle. Along the original trajectory, he released Night Guy's force at full power, pouring everything into that one kick!

And in that full-force release—

The bone in his leg shattered entirely. This suicidal strike burned away everything he had left.

But—

Duy knew he had hit his target.

He simply no longer had the strength to care about anything else…

A terrifying surge of power erupted across the land, unleashing shockwaves and violent tremors that blasted every shinobi present off their feet. Chaos instantly consumed the battlefield.

Only the towering clouds of smoke and the canyon-like fissure carved into the earth where Night Guy had landed bore witness to the truth—what everyone had just seen was no illusion, but the blazing youth of a man named Might Duy.

The crimson steam dragon's head dissipated midair. Might Duy now lay on the ground, his body scorched with countless red burns, charred black like coal. Though steam still rose from him, everyone understood—

Might Duy had burned himself down to nothing, using his body as kindling and his will to protect Kazuki as the flame.

"Kazuki-sama… as your guardian… I've fulfilled my duty…"

Though his vision had already failed him, Might Duy murmured inwardly, scenes flashing through his mind.

Before meeting Kazuki, he had been a fringe genin no one wanted to team up with for even a C-rank mission. He wandered constantly, struggling to support both his son's training and their livelihood. Even Guy sometimes failed to understand him—thinking his actions embarrassing, grumbling in frustration.

But from the day Might Guy became friends with Kazuki—

Kazuki personally examined Duy's body, healing hidden ailments and offering him a rare position as a personal guardian.

And once he entered Kazuki's household, Might Duy was treated like family. From daily needs to training resources, nothing was lacking. Kazuki and Shisui would often call him 'Duy-ojisan' with genuine respect—never treating him like a mere servant.

In Kazuki's world, Duy had been introduced to a realm of taijutsu he never knew existed. His once-limited body and sparse resources were replenished. And most importantly, his beloved son now enjoyed top-tier support—some of the finest resources available, even by Konohagakure's standards.

Everything had been arranged perfectly.

Might Duy had long resolved to burn himself for Kazuki.

Even though Kazuki had emerged from the coffin today, this beast of youth was determined to gather intel and ensure that Kazuki would not have to face an enemy like Isshiki on the front lines.

He was the Kazuki household's guardian. He had to carry out his duty at least once—not just sweep floors, mop, or do the laundry all his life.

A faint, barely perceptible smile of satisfaction formed on his charred face.

At last—

He had stopped an enemy that no one else could.

"Kazuki-sama… ever since I began following you, my youth has become so full of color…" Duy's fading consciousness echoed silently within him. "I'm truly lucky to have met you."

In the distance—

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had returned to normal size, but only half of his body remained.

"H-How… how is this possible…"

He glared furiously at the now-consumed Might Duy, rasping with hoarse disbelief, "A mere mortal… how could he possess such power? He actually… he actually…"

He wanted to say it—killed him.

Yes…

Though Isshiki wasn't completely dead, his attempt to shrink and evade Night Guy hadn't fully succeeded.

He had hoped to deceive Duy—stalling his killing blow with hesitation, reducing its force so he could escape or at least minimize the damage.

But Duy had not hesitated at all.

He unleashed Night Guy in full, aiming straight at the seemingly empty space.

And so—

Night Guy landed squarely on Isshiki.

He hadn't struck the head.

But the result was overwhelming nonetheless.

Just moments ago, this proud and mysterious Ōtsutsuki had been dominating the battlefield, slaying powerful shinobi with ease—arrogantly exerting his presence after millennia in the shinobi world…

And now, he was once again laid low.

Only a portion of his head remained, his golden cross-shaped eye wide in disbelief, panting heavily as he muttered in rage—his breaths shallow, his life clearly nearing its end.

Strictly speaking, Isshiki's current body was never truly his. It was merely a vessel—one that carried his essence.

The real Isshiki—or rather, the essence of any Ōtsutsuki—lay within what they called a Kāma. So long as a suitable vessel could be found, they could always be reborn into their original form.

"I have to… I must find a new vessel. This body has been completely destroyed—I'm going to die!!"

"I can't die! I still have to take revenge on Kaguya. I must become the strongest Ōtsutsuki, devouring planet after planet! I will follow the path of the Gods—I will become the second Ōtsutsuki Deity!"

Madness flared in Isshiki's eyes. With only half a head remaining, he desperately dragged his mangled body toward Uchiha Obito.

To Isshiki, Obito—whose body had been transformed using precious chakra from Kaguya by Black Zetsu—seemed like a perfectly viable vessel.

Even Uchiha Madara, who had awakened the Rinnegan, had only done so by merging the chakras of Asura and Indra to induce the power of the Sage of Six Paths.

Compared to him, Obito was a superior fit in both compatibility and 'nutritional value' for Isshiki…

But no matter how hard he tried, Isshiki could only writhe grotesquely like a maggot. He couldn't even close the gap of a single step between himself and Obito.

To possess Obito? That was nothing but wishful thinking now.

Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Izuna exchanged glances. Both had a hard-to-describe look in their eyes.

This battle… had turned utterly bizarre.

It had started with Izuna and Madara ambushing Tobirama—an encounter that triggered the first clash.

Then Uchiha Obito suddenly rebelled with a massive boost in power, even managing to contend with Madara without being overpowered…

And then, out of nowhere—

Isshiki had appeared. With mysterious dōjutsu and overwhelming taijutsu, he shattered Madara's Susanoo and instantly incapacitated Tobirama, Obito, Izuna, and others with black rods forged from Yin-Yang Release.

Only for an obscure 'youthful freak' to burst onto the scene moments later—shouting about loyalty as a house guardian—before opening the Eight Gates Formation and literally kicking Isshiki into half a head.

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

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