Yami thought Black Zetsu was truly irritating.

He and Kaguya had been fighting fiercely and with full focus, yet that annoying slime kept chattering endlessly, nearly driving him insane.

Now, it was finally quiet.

In the boundless yellow sand space, without Black Zetsu's guidance, Kaguya's cold face showed a fleeting moment of unease before returning to indifference.

Even if she lacked battle skill, after consuming the chakra fruit and gaining immortality, she could rely on her overwhelming power to stand victorious.

She stretched out her hand, releasing nine surges of energy in various forms. This was the power condensed from the nine tailed beasts, amplified by her own might, surpassing all ninjutsu.

The air quickly filled with dust.

Yami calmly blocked the barrage of tailed beast chakra, his fists shattering multiple attacks with a single strike.

Suddenly, two gray bone spurs shot through the sand, attacking from different angles.

"Isn't it too early to use your killing move?"

He leaned forward, dodging both attacks with ease.

Though it looked simple, this was Kaguya's most lethal ability.

Anyone struck by these bone spurs would be reduced to nothing in moments, even those with Six Paths power.

(Even without the Rinnegan and Ten Tails, traces of Six Paths power still lingered. Black Zetsu had once compared Obito's survival ability to that of a cockroach.)

"Chakra is mine."

Kaguya's voice was calm, but filled with unshakable determination.

This was the core nature of the Ōtsutsuki clan—their insatiable hunger for energy. It was the same greed that had driven Kaguya to betray her own kin after consuming the God Tree fruit.

The cracks of the Yomihira Board opened once more. This time, she did not approach personally. Instead, she sent the Gudōdama into it, appearing suddenly beside Yami.

Since keeping his distance wasn't interesting, he simply invited close combat and engaged her directly.

Without Black Zetsu interfering, his attacks were bolder, and every exchange tore something away.

Sleeves, collar, chest, waist.

Within moments, Kaguya's pale, flawless skin was revealed through tears of various sizes, making her seem both pitiful and dangerously alluring.

Just as Yami was about to enlarge the damage for a better view, Kaguya shifted the battlefield again.

This time, they appeared in a space filled with thick sulfuric acid, erupting like a river the moment they arrived.

Sizzle—

Hard blue skeletal armor wrapped around Yami, shielding him from the acid's intense corrosion, far stronger than Mei's attacks.

Kaguya's eyes reddened.

"Susanoo of Hagoromo…"

He understood she wasn't emotional over his blows, but that the sight of Susanoo had triggered memories of her defeat at the hands of her two sons.

Still, after merging Indra and Ashura's chakra, Susanoo now carried traits of the Sage of Six Paths.

Yami sighed and dismissed it with a wave.

"I won't bully you anymore, alright?"

Whoosh!

Dozens of gray bones mixed with rabbit hair needles flew at him again. This woman truly changed her mind as quickly as her attacks.

Yami jumped repeatedly, evading the strikes from all sides, then used Water Release to manipulate the sulfuric acid river to strike back.

Kaguya's composure was fading.

This space… was supposed to be hers.

So why did it feel like Yami was using it better than she was?

He had used her ice space to control the ice dragon, her magma space to cut off Black Zetsu, and now her sulfuric acid space was turned against her.

It was a mistake to use Ame-no-Minaka. Outside, Yami might have held back to avoid collateral damage, but here, he could go all out.

Did she not realize her clothes were already torn?

Determination flashed in her eyes.

Control space? Be flexible.

Buzz—!

The stench of sulfuric acid vanished, and the two fell to the ground instantly. Yami's waist bent slightly, then straightened in an instant.

A far heavier gravitational force pressed down around them, distorting the air itself.

Kaguya herself was barely upright, nearly flattened against the ground, her small horns slightly shrunken.

Still, she managed to lift her palm and fire several bone spurs.

Transporting them to the super gravity space, she poured vast chakra into crushing Yami's movements, aiming to finish him in one blow.

Under such gravity, the Gudōdama's speed was slowed drastically. She was certain he could not evade when the gravity here was hundreds of times greater than in the ninja world.

"The fifth space…"

Yami's lips curved upward in a knowing smile. He calmly watched the bone spur approach, then— it passed harmlessly through him.

Boom!

The ground rumbled as all the gravity she had applied collapsed downward, compressing the solid terrain and leaving a deep hole.

"Space ninjutsu?"

"That's right, space ninjutsu." His smile widened, lit by the glow of his scarlet Mangekyō.

Kaguya suddenly felt light. Though she stood in place, the crushing gravity had vanished.

She realized she had stepped into Yami's personal space domain.

His earlier words about the fifth space echoed in her mind, and unease gripped her.

"Do you know why I held back until you used all five spaces?"

"Because my Mangekyō ability, Takamagahara, evolved as my eye power grew. It can now devour other spaces to strengthen itself…"

"So… I left marks in all five of your spaces."

His gentle smile was like that of a devil in her eyes.

"Thank you, Kaguya-san, for the supplements."

"No!"

Her scream echoed, but it was already too late.

(To be continued.)

***

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