A rapidly spinning *Rasengan* formed in Jiraiya's palm.
The chakra sphere expanded wildly, growing into a massive, blazing ball of rotating energy—easily the size of ten basketballs combined.
Jiraiya gritted his teeth and thrust upward.
Compared to the enormous purple-red energy sphere that blanketed the entire proving ground, his Rasengan looked like nothing more than a marble.
Completely insignificant.
"Die."
Otsutsuki Urashiki's lips curled into a delighted smile.
*Dragon Palace* was his ultimate technique—a pure, overwhelming power move. Unless the opponent had enough chakra to counter it head-on, they would be crushed and erased by the blast.
The two energy spheres collided.
Jiraiya's Rasengan was instantly swallowed and erased. The purple-red sphere continued downward without slowing.
The attack was already right in front of him.
Jiraiya let out a sigh and closed his eyes, prepared to die.
Then—
The spectators froze.
Their scalps went numb as they witnessed something impossible.
The massive energy sphere continued downward… but it kept shrinking.
Smaller.
Smaller.
Smaller.
Until it vanished completely.
All that remained was a gust of wind that ruffled Jiraiya's hair.
"…Huh?"
Jiraiya opened his eyes in disbelief.
He was unharmed.
Otsutsuki Urashiki's eyes went bloodshot.
"That's impossible!"
Roaring in rage, he lunged forward. The red-light fishing rod slashed toward Jiraiya like a blade.
Still shaken, Jiraiya barely managed to defend. After a few clumsy exchanges, the rod pierced straight toward his chest—aimed squarely at his heart.
But suddenly, the rod bent.
It was as if it had struck solid steel.
It could not move forward even an inch.
"What the hell—?!"
The fishing rod snapped straight again, violently throwing Urashiki backward.
He landed hard, stunned, staring blankly ahead as realization slowly dawned.
His gaze snapped to Naruto, who was watching with interest.
"Oh, right," Naruto said casually. "I set some rules here. Any attack that would cause fatal damage is automatically nullified. This is a friendly sparring ground—no need to kill anyone."
He shrugged, smiling.
Creating this system had taken real effort.
The barrier absorbed excess chakra from every battle, recycling the energy to sustain itself. All combat output—ninjutsu, shockwaves, impacts—was converted into fuel to keep the space running.
The real challenge was preventing lethal damage.
Luckily, Naruto had access to a *wish statue*.
Using it, he obtained a *spiritual core*, which now served as the heart of the barrier. It constantly monitored chakra fluctuations, instantly intervening the moment a fatal threat appeared—neutralizing attacks before they could kill.
An artificial intelligence of chakra.
It never slept.
Never blinked.
Never missed a thing.
Far more reliable than any human.
Even Naruto himself couldn't monitor everything at all times.
But the core could.
"Hateful…!"
Urashiki collapsed onto the ground, utterly defeated.
For the first time, despair completely overtook him.
"Jiraiya, Tsunade," Naruto said, scanning the prison corridor, "I've unlocked permissions for you. You can come here anytime to spar—or bring Konoha shinobi in batches."
His smile widened as his eyes swept over the prisoners.
Everyone shuddered and instinctively lowered their heads.
"This place is yours now. I'm done here."
With a single step, Naruto vanished.
"…I thought space-time techniques were blocked?" Urashiki muttered, his eyes briefly lighting up—before dimming again.
He knew better.
Naruto would never leave him a loophole.
"Orochimaru," Tsunade sneered, stepping onto the proving ground, "I will beat you to death."
*Whoosh.*
Orochimaru appeared directly in front of her.
He wasn't surprised at all—only intrigued, sensing the subtle distortions in the surrounding space.
"Tsunade," he said gently, "is your blood phobia cured?"
A thin cut appeared on his palm. Blood dripped slowly.
Tsunade's pupils contracted—then relaxed.
"…Looks like it," Orochimaru said with regret.
Tsunade clenched her fists.
The two clashed violently, trading blows at terrifying speed.
Meanwhile—
"Lord Danzo," Uchiha Shisui said quietly, eyes filled with complex emotion, "it's been a long time. How about a spar?"
Hatred.
Relief.
Burning battle intent.
All of it surged together.
Back then, Shisui had willingly given up his eyes—yet Danzo still tore them from him.
The pain had never faded.
If there was a chance to return it…
He would take it.
"Uchiha Shisui," Danzo sneered, "so you faked your death. The Uchiha really are ungrateful beasts, turning their fangs on Konoha—"
"Shut up, Danzo," Shisui cut in coldly. "You've told yourself that lie for years. You're the one rotting Konoha from the inside."
He shook his head.
There was no point talking to a madman.
Better to beat him instead.
*Whoosh!*
Shisui vanished and reappeared beside Danzo, kunai flashing.
*Clang!*
Danzo blocked.
Shisui accelerated.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
He steadily increased the pressure.
Danzo fell behind almost immediately.
*Bang!*
A punch to the face.
*Bang! Bang!*
Another. And another.
Shisui toyed with him—letting him breathe, then striking again.
Soon Danzo's face was swollen, blood streaming from his nose and eyes, utterly miserable.
"So… as long as it's not fatal, minor injuries are allowed?"
Shisui tested the rules—then smiled.
He unleashed everything.
Punches.
Kicks.
Relentless brutality.
Danzo screamed, crawling and rolling like trash.
He tried to activate *Izanagi*—
But all his Sharingan were gone.
He had nothing.
Only screams.
"Hey, Urashiki!" Jiraiya shouted mid-fight. "Why aren't you fighting? Come on!"
Urashiki glanced at him lazily.
"You're not worth it. I can't kill you anyway—why waste my power?"
Jiraiya's grin widened.
"Then I'll make you fight."
Hand seals flashed.
"*Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!*"
Urashiki split it effortlessly with his fishing rod.
But then his gaze shifted to Danzo being brutalized.
A cruel smile crept across his face.
"If killing's not allowed… then let's just enjoy the beating."
He became serious.
Warping through space, attacking from impossible angles.
Hooks lashed out unpredictably.
Jiraiya barely kept up.
Sweat poured down his face.
That old pressure—the kind he hadn't felt since facing Hanzo of the Salamander—came flooding back.
"Damn… this guy's strong," Jiraiya thought. "But I'm Jiraiya. I'm not losing here."
Across the proving ground, three brutal battles raged.
The earth shook.
Chakra exploded.
Only *Uchiha Itachi* remained still.
Standing quietly at the edge.
His Mangekyo Sharingan rotated slowly.
Invisible chakra spread outward, subtly weaving through the battlefield.
In this chaos, he thought, how do you keep an illusion stable? How do you simulate reality without being noticed?
His mind raced.
And slowly—
Very slowly—
The battlefield itself began to change.
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