After completely completing his resurrection, the amount of Chakra Isshiki could command instantly swelled, allowing him to use his divine techniques more freely.
The ceaseless barrage of black rods shot out as if they cost nothing, almost covering the entire sky.
However, after a few seconds of this 'saturation strike', Isshiki's expression suddenly sharpened, and his entire body shrank to the size of a speck of dust, just in time to avoid Naruto's fist.
Boom!!!
Again, the force of the fist swept the ground, again splitting the planet.
"Pretty good at dodging, huh—"
With Isshiki's speed, combined with his ability to freely shrink his size, even an Uchiha with the best dynamic visual acuity in the Ninja World would probably find it difficult to keep their eyes locked on Isshiki.
Of course, this was countered by Observation Haki.
After all, in some places, Observation Haki is also called the [Mind's Eye] or [Mantra], an ability that doesn't rely on eyes and can observe from all directions without blind spots.
Seeing his consistently effective move instantly seen through, Isshiki wasn't panicked. Instead, he used the movement to create space again while multitasking, re-covering the Amenotorifune marks Naruto had just applied to himself.
He quickly reviewed the previous encounter in his mind, trying to figure out when and how Naruto had applied the technique.
'…Is it sight?'
Being able to carve marks without any contact, combined with the fact that most Otsutsuki abilities are inseparable from their eyes, made this guess completely reasonable for Isshiki.
With this thought, Isshiki's Kokugan widened again, activating Daikokuten.
The next instant, several massive cubes appeared in the sky.
These cubes naturally couldn't hit Naruto, who could also fly freely, but that wasn't Isshiki's goal.
"Quite sharp, aren't you, bastard!"
The corners of Naruto's mouth lifted slightly, his gaze locked on Isshiki's movement path through Observation Haki.
But those cubes perfectly blocked between them, preventing Naruto's marks from landing on Isshiki.
Bam!
An iron fist struck, sending all obstacles in front flying.
But what greeted Naruto was a thrust from Isshiki.
Thud!
The horn on his head finally came into play.
Naruto coated it with Haki and directly clashed head-on with the black rod Isshiki had created.
"If this is all you've got, I'll be disappointed."
Naruto didn't yield an inch. While holding the black rod with his head, his hands were also coated in Haki, black lightning flashing explosively.
"Stop talking big. Your tricks have been seen through by me."
Isshiki, having returned to normal size, also showed a solemn expression, using the momentum to spin into a kick aimed at Naruto.
Boom—
The terrifying impact sounds of their fists and flesh striking each other were like the gods beating war drums. Ordinary people would probably have their livers and gallbladders shattered just by approaching.
In just a few breaths, they had exchanged over a hundred moves, neither retreating.
But compared to Naruto, who grew more excited and stronger the more he fought, Isshiki's heart sank further as his body frantically sent crisis signals.
'Even now, after resurrecting, I still couldn't match this human in direct confrontation!?'
Isshiki refused to believe it, refused to admit it, so he gritted his teeth, endured the increasing burden on his body, and increased his output.
Bam!
A punch landed squarely on Naruto's abdomen.
The pained Naruto retaliated with an elbow, hitting Isshiki's horn and sending him spinning several times in the air.
"Hahaha! How delightful! It's been so long since I've relaxed like this."
Naruto showed a somewhat fanatical smile. With his lip split from the punch, his blood-stained expression became even more ferocious than the villain Isshiki.
"Compared to Kaguya, your combat skill seems higher."
Naruto wasn't wrong about this.
After all, one was a true elite, the other just material for cultivating the God Tree. Isshiki's Taijutsu level, or close-combat ability, far exceeded Kaguya's.
Even Kaguya eating the Chakra Fruit couldn't close this gap much.
Kaguya's power dimensions and depth surpassed Isshiki's with the fruit's blessing, but her practical combat ability was far inferior.
It could be said that if Isshiki had never considered that his 'servant' Kaguya would rebel and had been completely unprepared, even if Kaguya's strength doubled, she couldn't have defeated Isshiki.
"Hmph, seems defeating someone who only knows how to ambush has made you too complacent."
Losing the fight but not the spirit.
Though in so much pain he could barely speak, Isshiki still forcibly maintained a major villain's dignity, coldly retorting.
"Is that so? That's just great—"
Naruto smiled brightly, then his muscles began to expand again.
Life Return, Full Body Release· Open!
"Then let the real fight begin!"
Looking at the perfect 'Divine Body', Isshiki fell completely silent.
Such a strong sense of oppression, even the him from back then might not have been a match.
But… he still had to fight. Running away now was too late.
Isshiki even struck first.
The next moment, having gathered some strength, Isshiki shot out like a cannonball, delivering a flying kick aimed at Naruto.
As everyone knows, the power of a 'flying kick' can vary greatly, but they often share one significant common feature.
They look incredibly cool.
For reference, think of Guy, who nearly kicked the series to its conclusion with one kick… the Kamen Rider who kicked a monster to death… or Ultraman who kicked and shattered a kaiju.
Isshiki's flying kick was similar… quite stylish, like a meteor streaking across the sky.
But the next moment, his ankle was grasped by Naruto, whose form had expanded, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't pull free.
"Heh, haven't done this in a while, a bit rusty—"
Naruto suddenly showed Isshiki a chilling smile.
Then, Isshiki instantly lost control of his body and was brutally smashed around like a ragged sack.
Even the cubes he released were used as props by Naruto.
In all these years, Isshiki had never before experienced what it felt like for his cheek to intimately contact those cubes.
Bam bam bam bam…
A series of dense smashing sounds continued.
"Huh?"
Just as he was enjoying the smashing, Naruto suddenly felt his hand empty, then looked in another direction.
There, having finally used Sukunahikona to escape his grip, Isshiki had started fleeing.
'Not good.'
'I can't win.'
The current him couldn't possibly be a match for the monster before him.
As confident as he was upon resurrecting, as miserable was his state now.
No matter how unwilling Isshiki was, he had to admit that his initial premonition was correct.
Naruto was indeed unbelievably strong, fundamentally not someone he could handle in his current state, even after resurrection.
Where there's life, there's hope.
Accepting reality, Isshiki decisively began to flee without any psychological burden.
Having done this once before, he had experience.
He also didn't forget to continuously throw out things stored in his Daikokuten to block Naruto's view, preventing himself from being marked.
If he could buy a little time, he could activate a portal and escape this space.
Never before had Isshiki felt his spatial divine technique was so slow to perform.
'Faster, just a little faster.'
Behind Isshiki, all sorts of objects he had collected from different planets were thrown out recklessly.
Rocks, pillars, statues… even a small mountain.
After leaving Isshiki's space, these things reverted to their original sizes, completely blocking Naruto's pursuit path.
"…"
Naruto stared blankly in the direction Isshiki had fled, seemingly not quite reacting.
He hadn't imagined someone could flee so decisively, 'Hadn't the fight just begun?'
"What a shame…"
Sighing deeply, Naruto shook his head, finally giving up on enjoying the pleasure of a full-fledged battle.
He couldn't let Isshiki get away.
So now, he would have to get serious.