"Urashiki!" Jigen gritted his teeth and growled: "Stop spacing out!"
Urashiki snapped back to his senses from his horror.
He looked at the fist, so close, barely blocked by Jigen's black rod, then at the clump of dark red Chakra still faintly writhing on the fishhook in his hand. His expression was extremely grave.
"This guy's Chakra... is very wrong!"
He said in a low voice, his voice carrying a tremor.
Having traversed the universe for thousands of years, he had harvested countless life planets, seen all kinds of 'native power systems', but never seen this kind of Chakra Nature.
Violent, yet orderly.
Full of malice, yet not pure hatred.
As if it didn't belong to any known source of Chakra.
One must know that all Chakra in this world is condensed and refined from the Natural Energy of life planets absorbed by the God Trees planted by the Otsutsuki clan!
Even more bizarre...
Urashiki instinctively looked at the red fish basket at his waist.
That was a treasure he used to store his 'harvest', capable of temporarily sealing extracted Chakra for him to slowly digest and absorb.
But at this moment, that red fish basket was trembling, was resisting!
When Urashiki tried to send the clump of dark red Chakra on the fishhook into the fish basket, a strong repulsive force came from inside the basket, as if saying: No! This thing... is dangerous! Is 'dirty'!
"Even the 'Fish Basket' is resisting..." A drop of cold sweat slid down Urashiki's forehead.
"What the hell is this thing?!"
Menma's right fist was blocked by Jigen's black rod, but his movements showed no stagnation whatsoever.
As if all of this was within his expectation.
No, not expectation.
But rather, simply didn't care.
Right fist blocked?
Then switch to another direction of attack!
The moment it was blocked, Menma's left leg suddenly flexed like a spring, his left knee, like a cannonball, viciously ramming towards Jigen's completely exposed side abdomen!
Fast! Fierce! Precise!
Jigen's pupils suddenly contracted.
Can't dodge!
Can only endure!
He suddenly lifted his left leg, his calf blocking the trajectory of the knee strike.
Thud—!!!
After the dull sound of impact, Jigen's body shook violently. The terrifying force transmitted to his left leg made his entire leg slightly numb, his body sliding several meters to one side uncontrollably.
And Menma, using the recoil force of the knee strike, spun his body lightly in the air, his right foot sweeping out like a whip, towards Urashiki, who had just steadied himself!
Urashiki cursed inwardly, hurriedly blocking with his red light fishing rod.
Smack!
The fishing rod collided with Menma's foot, wrapped in dark red Chakra. Urashiki only felt the web of his hand go numb, the fishing rod nearly slipping from his grasp, and his body was also shaken backward by the immense force.
However, Menma's attack, like a raging storm, showed no intention of stopping.
Menma's body had just returned to position, his left fist was already punching from another ingenious angle, aimed straight at Jigen's face.
Jigen gritted his teeth, the black rod in his hand turning into streaks of black afterimages, desperately blocking and parrying.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The dense, breath-stealing sounds of impact connected in the air.
On the roof, Jiraiya, Adult Sasuke, Boruto, and even Orochimaru, all held their breath, watching the aerial battle without blinking.
"Too fast..." Boruto murmured, his eyes wide open, trying to capture every movement of the three figures in the air.
"Can't... see clearly..." Perhaps benefiting from these eyes, he could only see a blurry afterimage, and the dark red and black light bursting forth when the afterimages collided, but his body couldn't keep up with that reaction speed at all.
Adult Sasuke's Rinnegan was firmly locked on the aerial battle, also feeling unprecedented pressure at this moment.
What Menma displayed was not just speed.
But also that absolute control over the rhythm of battle, precise prediction of the enemy's psychology, and perfect application of every muscle, every ounce of strength in his body.
"His Taijutsu..." Adult Sasuke's voice was doubtful.
"Incorporates more than one style."
Jiraiya slowly nodded, his expression grave.
"The ferocity and speed of Konoha-style Taijutsu... the using softness to overcome hardness, striking enemy vitals of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist... and some... techniques I've never seen before."
Some of those techniques looked like variants of Strong Fist, yet had an added strange flexibility... some looked like certain unseen stances, yet were simplified and modified to be more suitable for actual combat.
Some simply defied common sense, as if the body's joints and muscles were used in some unimaginable realm.
"And, his combat experience... is terrifyingly rich."
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, his gaze closely following every subtle movement of Menma.
"That's not experience gained through training. It's instinct... earned through blood and pain in life-and-death struggles."
Orochimaru stood on the giant tree atop the roof, his golden vertical pupils glimmering with fervent light. He licked his lips and murmured to himself:
"Perfect body coordination... ultimate control over power... and that creativity to integrate various Taijutsu styles, to use them effortlessly..."
"Shura... after knowing you for so long, this is the first time I've seen you show your strength..."
In the air, the battle continued.
Menma's offensive, like a never-ending tsunami, wave after wave, higher and higher.
His fists, feet, knees, elbows… every part of his body became a deadly weapon.
The angles of his attacks were ingenious and strange, his speed alternating fast and slow, his force alternating heavy and light, with no pattern whatsoever, leaving Jigen and Urashiki exhausted dealing with him, in a sorry state.
Jigen's expression grew increasingly ugly.
He had activated the second stage of Kama, his physical abilities comprehensively enhanced. Logically, in a pure Taijutsu clash, he shouldn't be at a disadvantage.
But the reality was that he was being beaten back step by step.
Five years ago, in Amegakure, he could at least use the power of the second stage of Kama to barely suppress the other party in Taijutsu.
But now...
This guy's Taijutsu was stronger by more than just one level than five years ago!
No, it wasn't just that he had become stronger.
Five years ago, although this guy's Taijutsu was strong, and his techniques had no shackles of any style, his fighting style leaned towards 'ferocity', overwhelming with power.
But now...
Ferocity like a mountain pressing down, gentleness like a spring breeze brushing the face, speed like lightning and flint, heaviness like the depth of the earth.
All these completely different, even contradictory, traits were perfectly fused within him, forming a unique fighting style that belonged only to him, could not be categorized, could not be imitated!
Even more terrifying, Jigen could sense that the other party looked calm and unhurried, at ease, as if... not even using his full strength.
'Was this guy... using the two of us... as practice dummy?!'
'Unforgivable... unforgivable... unforgivable!' Jigen's heart roared.
Just then, Menma's right fist broke through Jigen's dense defense network, viciously slamming into Jigen's face.
Thud—!!!
A dull, loud impact.
Jigen's face visibly caved in. Skin, muscles, even bones, were twisted and deformed under the terrifying force of this punch.
"Gwaah—!!"
He let out a short cry of pain, and his entire body, as if hit head-on by a speeding train, flew backward, tracing a parabolic arc through the air, finally barely steadying himself dozens of meters away.
"Now!"
Urashiki's eyes lit up.
The moment Jigen was knocked away, Menma's attention would inevitably distract for an instant.
This was a perfect opportunity!
His left hand suddenly reached into the red fish basket at his waist, pulling out a crackling, dazzlingly bright clump of Chakra.
That was the Lightning Release Chakra he had 'fished' from Adult Sasuke earlier with his fishing rod.
"Taste this!"
Urashiki growled, fiercely throwing the clump of Lightning Release Chakra in his hand!
That clump of Chakra rapidly expanded and deformed in the air, transforming into several thick, fierce lightning serpents, emitting an ear-piercing 'hiss', baring their fangs, madly biting towards Menma, who had just withdrawn his fist!
The lightning was dazzling, dyeing half the sky a ghastly white.
However, facing this furious Lightning Release capable of vaporizing steel, Menma didn't even assume a 'defensive' posture.
He just raised his right hand.
Fingers spread, palm aimed at the approaching lightning serpents.
Shhh—!!!
The several fierce lightning serpents, before even touching Menma, like a mud ox entering the sea, vanished into Menma's palm, instantly absorbed.
Menma's palm seemed to have an invisible black hole, swallowing every last bit of the incoming Lightning Release Chakra.
Urashiki's smile froze on his face.
His eyes widened, his white eyes filled with unbelievable shock.
"Ho-How is this possible..."
"This guy... can also absorb Chakra?!"
And, the way he absorbed!
It was almost exactly like their Otsutsuki clan!
As if absorbing Chakra was, for him, like breathing… a bodily instinct.
Just as Urashiki was stunned, Menma's figure suddenly disappeared.
By the time Urashiki reacted, Menma had already charged before him again at that terrifying speed.
"Dam—"
Urashiki's pupils suddenly contracted.
'Origami Replacement Technique!'
Urashiki's eyes instantly switched to blue Rinnegan.
Hum—!!!
His body instantly transformed into countless red thousand paper cranes, scattering in all directions.
Menma's fist, wrapped in dark red Chakra, passed through the afterimage of the flock of paper cranes, hitting empty air.
Dozens of meters away, the red paper cranes recondensed, reassembling into Urashiki's body.
"Damn it... this guy..."
Urashiki gritted his teeth, his blue Rinnegan filled with lingering fear and shock-anger.
'So close...'
'Just a little bit, and that punch would have crushed my head.'
"Urashiki!"
Jigen's roar came from the other side.
He had already steadied himself. His sunken cheek was rapidly repairing under the power of Kama, but the anger in his eyes was even more fierce than before.
"Stop dawdling! Together! Kill him!"
Before his voice faded, Jigen charged again.
This time, he chose not to clash head-on with Menma.
He raised his right hand, and dozens of Chakra black rods again appeared abruptly around Menma, trying to seal off his movements.
However, they were still blocked by that invisible barrier.
But this time, Jigen's purpose was not to attack with the Chakra black rods.
It was to distract.
Just as Menma's attention was drawn to the black rods around him…
The originally clear sky suddenly darkened.
As if something... had blocked it.
Menma slowly raised his head.
Above his head, at some unknown time, over a dozen huge black cubes had appeared.
Each face of those cubes was the size of a house, their surfaces smooth as mirrors, their edges distinct, each face bearing three red square frames, one layer within another, emitting a faint red glow.
"Those are..." On the roof, Adult Sasuke's Rinnegan suddenly widened.
He felt an extremely pure Yin-Yang Release power from those black cubes.
These black cubes were not only extremely heavy but also carried a power to interfere with space.
As if the very space where those cubes were located was twisted and solidified.
"Daikokuten!"
Jigen's cold growl echoed in the air.
Hum—!!!
Over a dozen huge black cubes, like meteors, carrying terrifying howls, viciously smashed down towards where Menma stood!
Their impact points not only covered Menma but also enveloped most of the roof below within their attack range!
"Not good!"
Adult Sasuke's expression drastically changed. He grabbed Boruto, who hadn't yet reacted, and jumped to another side of the roof.
"Quick! These cubes are not right!"
Jiraiya reacted extremely quickly. Almost the moment Adult Sasuke spoke, he had already leaped.
The moment the three just jumped away from their original spot…
Rumble—!!!!
Terrifying sounds of impact, as if countless mountains were collapsing simultaneously, shook the entire Konoha.
Those over a dozen huge black cubes viciously smashed onto the roof.
The sturdy glazed tile roof was easily pierced and crushed like paper.
The towering trees created by the Deep Forest Emergence, before these black cubes, were like fragile stalks of grain, crushed, broken, and ground into wood chips in patches.
Smoke and dust shot into the sky, enveloping the entire area.