The oppressive presence of the dark-armored figure weighed heavily on the battlefield as he stepped out from the rift. His glowing eyes, visible through the slits of his mask, seemed to pierce through the very souls of those facing him. The echoes of the Akatsuki, who had already been dispatched, were mere warm-ups for what lay ahead. This man, whoever he was, commanded an energy that rippled with both time and void—an unfamiliar, dangerous combination.
Ryusei's eyes narrowed as he felt the subtle currents of energy surrounding the figure. It wasn't just the void. The figure had an almost tangible connection to time itself, bending it with a level of finesse Ryusei had never encountered before. This was no ordinary enemy; this was someone who had mastered forces even Ryusei had only begun to comprehend.
Naruto, standing beside him, felt a chill creep down his spine, but his determination remained unshaken. "So you're the one behind all of this, huh? Well, whatever your plan is, it stops here!"
The man tilted his head, his voice as cold and hollow as the void itself. "You think this is my plan? You've misunderstood your place in this game."
With a flick of his wrist, the air around him shifted, and in an instant, the entire battlefield warped. Trees bent at unnatural angles, the sky above seemed to ripple, and the ground underfoot twisted as though it had forgotten the laws of gravity.
Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life as he analyzed the change. "He's distorting everything around us," Sasuke muttered, his grip tightening on his sword. "This isn't just an illusion. He's manipulating reality itself."
Ryusei took a step forward, his gaze locked on the figure. "What do you want? Why manipulate these timelines and pull echoes of the past into our world?"
The man's eyes glowed brighter. "The timelines are irrelevant. I'm not bound by the constraints of your reality. My only goal is to ensure that those who would stand in the way of the Void's true potential are removed."
Naruto's fists clenched, his knuckles white. "Removed? You mean killed?"
The man didn't respond directly, but his silence spoke volumes.
Ryusei's expression darkened. "We're not going to let that happen."
Without waiting for a reply, Ryusei made the first move. He surged forward, his body flickering through time as he moved faster than any normal shinobi could track. He reappeared behind the man, his blade drawn and infused with the energy of both time and void. The blade arced downward with deadly precision, aimed directly at the man's neck.
But the figure was faster. In the blink of an eye, he twisted through the air, bending space around him as he dodged Ryusei's strike effortlessly. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a torrent of dark energy that surged toward Ryusei like a tidal wave.
Ryusei raised his blade, slicing through the energy with a single, powerful stroke. The attack dissipated, but the man was already on the move again. He flickered out of sight, only to reappear above Ryusei, his hands glowing with void energy.
"Time Crush!" the man roared, slamming his hands down toward Ryusei. The space around them seemed to collapse inward, creating a crushing force that threatened to compress everything into nothingness.
Ryusei's eyes glowed with determination as he activated his own time manipulation, stepping out of the collapsing space just before it could consume him. He reappeared several meters away, his breathing steady despite the intensity of the attack.
Sasuke and Naruto, watching the exchange, knew they couldn't afford to stand idle. Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly as he locked onto the man, his Chidori crackling with the void-infused energy he had learned to harness during his training.
"Chidori: Temporal Surge!" Sasuke called out, launching himself at the man. The void energy in his Chidori pulsed with time-bending power, causing the air around him to warp as he charged forward.
The man's head turned slightly, his eyes flickering with a momentary spark of recognition as Sasuke closed the distance. But instead of dodging, he raised his hand, and the space in front of him distorted. Sasuke's Chidori struck the distortion, but instead of hitting its mark, it slowed to a crawl, as if time itself had been frozen.
"What the—" Sasuke gritted his teeth as he tried to push through the temporal barrier, but his Chidori barely inched forward.
The man's voice was a low whisper. "You've learned to harness time, but you're far from mastering it."
With a flick of his wrist, the man shattered the temporal barrier, sending Sasuke flying backward as his Chidori dissipated into the air.
Naruto, seeing Sasuke thrown aside, let out a roar of fury. "I've had enough of this guy!"
His chakra flared as he entered his Kyūbi Chakra Mode, the golden cloak of the Nine-Tails enveloping him in raw power. He raised his hands, forming a massive Rasengan that pulsed with void energy.
"Void Rasengan Barrage!" Naruto shouted, hurling the Rasengan forward. As it flew through the air, it split into dozens of smaller Rasengans, each one crackling with unstable void energy. The barrage rained down on the man, the impact sending shockwaves through the battlefield.
But once again, the man was unfazed. He raised his hand, and the void energy from the Rasengans seemed to bend toward him, absorbed into the dark aura surrounding his body.
"Futile," he muttered, his voice cold.
Naruto's eyes widened as he watched the Rasengans disappear. "What?! How did he—"
Before he could finish, the man retaliated with a wave of his hand, sending tendrils of void energy shooting toward Naruto. They moved faster than lightning, wrapping around Naruto's arms and legs, immobilizing him in an instant.
Naruto struggled against the tendrils, but they held him tight, squeezing tighter with every second. "Damn it!" he growled, trying to summon more chakra, but the void energy was sapping his strength.
The man's eyes gleamed as he stepped closer to Naruto, his hand glowing with dark energy. "Your power is meaningless against the void."
But just as the man was about to strike, Ryusei appeared beside Naruto in a blur of motion, his blade flashing as he cut through the tendrils with surgical precision. The void energy dissipated, freeing Naruto from its grip.
"Get up, Naruto," Ryusei said, his voice calm but firm. "We're not done yet."
Naruto grinned, despite the situation. "Heh, thanks, Ryusei."
Sasuke, having recovered from the earlier attack, rejoined them, his Sharingan still active. "We need to hit him together. He's too strong to take on individually."
Ryusei nodded. "Agreed. We'll combine our techniques. Naruto, infuse your Rasengan with as much void energy as you can. Sasuke, synchronize your Chidori with my time manipulation."
Naruto's grin widened. "Got it!"
Sasuke's eyes glinted with determination. "Let's end this."
The three of them moved in unison. Naruto formed a massive Void Rasengan, the swirling energy growing darker and more unstable with each passing second. Sasuke's Chidori crackled with lightning and void energy, the two forces blending together in a deadly dance. Ryusei focused his chakra, bending the flow of time around them, slowing their perception of the battlefield as they prepared for the final strike.
The man watched them, his eyes narrowing as he sensed the convergence of power. "You're wasting your energy. The void consumes all."
But Ryusei wasn't listening. With a roar, the three of them charged forward, their combined attacks aimed directly at the man. The Rasengan, Chidori, and Ryusei's time blade collided with the man's dark aura, creating a blinding explosion of energy that shook the entire battlefield.
For a moment, everything was consumed by light and sound.
When the dust finally settled, the battlefield was silent. The man stood in the center of the crater, his armor cracked and his aura flickering. But he was still standing, his eyes burning with fury.
"You've… made a mistake," he hissed, his voice filled with venom.
Ryusei, Naruto, and Sasuke prepared for the next round, their bodies tense, ready to strike again. But before they could move, the man's body began to ripple, his form distorting as if it were being pulled back into the void.
"This isn't over," the man spat, his voice fading as he disappeared into the rift. "I'll return… and when I do, this world will fall."
The rift closed with a final, violent snap, leaving behind only silence.
Ryusei sheathed his blade, his eyes still locked on the spot where the man had vanished. "He'll be back," Ryusei said quietly. "And next time… we'll need to be even stronger."
Naruto, breathing heavily, nodded. "Yeah… but we'll be ready."
Sasuke remained silent, his Sharingan fading as he gazed out over the battlefield. The threat wasn't gone. It had only just begun.