With a loud "boom," the pile of rocks exploded violently, sending stones flying into the air, blown by the blast wave, scattering fragments and rolling dust clouds everywhere.
"Cough, cough."
As the dust settled, a disheveled figure emerged, coughing a few times, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His clothes were tattered, mostly shredded, revealing a dark red, scar-ridden upper body.
"It seems it's over."
Kaguya lightly tapped her toes on the ground, walking gracefully toward Momoshiki, ready to end this battle. Initially, she thought there would be a fierce fight, but she hadn't expected it to end this way. This was something Kaguya had not anticipated.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came from a distance. The loud noise from the battle had also alerted the Konoha ninjas, who were now rushing toward the scene in large numbers.
"What happened?"
"Is there an intruder?"
At that moment, Momoshiki, who had been crouching on the ground, suddenly moved. With a stomp of his foot, the ground cracked instantly, and using the rebound force, he shot out like an arrow, not towards Kaguya, but instead toward the incoming ninjas.
Could he be thinking of using them as hostages? That's too naive.
Kaguya snorted slightly. He underestimated her too much. These people had nothing to do with her, so if they were killed, it was no concern of hers.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter Technique!"
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Lightning Style: Lightning Current!"
Seeing the enemy rushing toward them, the well-trained ninjas quickly formed hand seals. Multicolored jutsu shot forth, spreading out like scattered flowers, enveloping Momoshiki in their attack.
It was at this moment that Kaguya realized something was wrong.
Momoshiki had no intention of attacking these people; he was using them to absorb their jutsu. She had to remember that his Rinnegan allowed him to reflect techniques. His Rinnegan could not only absorb ninjutsu but also amplify it and counterattack.
As expected, Momoshiki's lips curled into a triumphant smile. He raised his arm and opened his palm, the Rinnegan in his hand acting like a black hole, drawing in the attacking jutsu as strands of chakra, which were absorbed in the blink of an eye.
"Thank you, fools," Momoshiki laughed heartily, raising his left arm. The Rinnegan in his palm glowed, releasing countless red chakra spheres, crackling with electricity, and firing like a machine gun.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In the series of explosions, the rocks hit by the red chakra spheres shattered instantly, and the ground cracked like a spiderweb. The ninjas who had arrived were also hit, sent flying uncontrollably and falling to the ground in disarray.
"Next, it's your turn."
Having dealt with the incoming ninjas, Momoshiki turned, fixing his gaze on Kaguya with a smile and a flash of cold light in his eyes.
Suddenly, a gigantic black sphere appeared in his hand, continuing to expand until it reached the size of a soccer field before stopping. This black sphere was several times larger than the previous one and was surrounded by chakra of fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind elements, exuding a terrifying aura.
Kaguya's eyes narrowed as she realized Momoshiki was about to unleash his Ninjutsu Reflection technique. The energy emanating from the black sphere was far greater than before, and she knew she had to stop him before the jutsu was completed.
Without further delay, Kaguya transformed into a stream of light and charged toward Momoshiki at lightning speed.
However, Momoshiki had already completed his jutsu. With a wave of his arm, the massive black sphere shot out like a cannonball, heading straight for the oncoming Kaguya.
"Die!" Momoshiki roared angrily, a twisted smile on his face.
"Boom!"
An extremely bright light erupted in the sky, so brilliant that even the sun seemed dim in comparison. Then a deafening explosion shook the heavens, causing the earth to tremble and rivers to flow backward. Everything in the surrounding area—whether lush forests or towering mountains—was reduced to dust by the shockwave of the explosion. For a moment, thick smoke billowed and flames shot skyward, with dust swirling through the air.
When it was all over and the dust had not yet settled, a shadowy figure could be seen faintly through the swirling smoke and dust.
"Still not dead?"
Momoshiki was surprised, but considering Kaguya's strength, he understood. He assumed Kaguya was seriously injured, as no one could survive such an attack. Even he couldn't guarantee his own survival under such circumstances.
"Let's try that again."
Another massive black sphere appeared in Momoshiki's hand, dark and terrifying, radiating incredible energy.
Grinning viciously, Momoshiki took a few steps forward, preparing to throw the black sphere in his hand.
Suddenly, a small figure appeared not far away. This person had long, flowing hair, split into two strands that rested on her shoulders. Her features were delicately drawn, her bright eyes and white teeth were striking, and her skin was white and smooth. Though she was young, her figure was already curvaceous and well-proportioned.
It was Hanabi.
At this moment, she stood with her arms outstretched, blocking Momoshiki's path.
"I won't let you hurt my sister."
"Oh? Just you?" Momoshiki laughed as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world, doubling over in laughter until tears nearly fell from his eyes. A human as insignificant as an ant dared to block him? It was utterly laughable.
Hanabi bit her lip, her delicate face showing a determined expression as she stubbornly stared at Momoshiki, who was laughing hysterically in the distance, without saying a word.
Gradually, Momoshiki stopped laughing. His expression turned somber, his sinister eyes exuding a chilling light as he coldly said, "Since you wish to die, then die you shall."
As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his crimson arm, and the terrifying black sphere broke through the sound barrier, shooting toward Hanabi like a cannonball, carried by a violent gale.
The black sphere grew larger in Hanabi's vision. She couldn't help but close her eyes, turning her head away and clenching her fists as she awaited her impending death.
She knew what she was doing was meaningless, yet she did it anyway. She wasn't sure why—perhaps she hoped she could help, even if it was just to delay things by a second.
But the expected pain didn't come. Instead, she heard the gentle sound of wind and the rustling of clothes. Suddenly, a hand patted her head, making Hanabi shudder. She quickly opened her eyes and turned to look.
What she saw was a beautiful silver-haired girl, smiling gently at her. That smile was so tender.