"Bastard! I'll definitely kill you!"
Enraged, Isshiki transformed into a streak of black light, frantically charging at Minato.
*SWOOSH!*
Minato instantly activated Flying Thunder God Technique, teleporting with Obito to another meteor thousands of meters away.
With Flying Thunder God, Isshiki couldn't touch Minato at all. Especially now, with his Black Eye gone while Minato's Black Eye and Rinnegan remained intact, the gap between them had reached its historical low.
"Damned lowly creatures, die! Die!"
Isshiki raged on, chasing Minato with all his might, completely losing his sanity, heedless of whether he could catch up.
Obito watched, slightly puzzled.
"Sensei, why's he still chasing us? Shouldn't he just keep flying to Earth to slaughter the village?"
Obito's greatest worry was still the safety of Kakashi and the others in the village.
He was also curious why Isshiki, knowing he'd been tricked, didn't turn back to Earth to massacre in revenge as before?
"Because he's out of time. He has less than ten minutes to live at most…"
Minato answered.
After obtaining all the Kama information, Minato quickly assessed Isshiki's current condition. With the time wasted earlier, Isshiki likely had less than ten minutes left!
That amount of time might not even suffice for him to fly to Earth alone.
In short, for Konoha village, Isshiki was no longer a significant threat… And Isshiki, knowing his time was short, could only vent his fury on Minato and Obito, desperately trying to kill them.
Hearing this, Obito's heart lifted—they'd finally pushed Isshiki to the brink of death. But he grew puzzled again.
"Got it. Then why don't we just teleport away and wait for him to die?"
Since Isshiki had so little time left, shouldn't Minato just teleport away? Let Isshiki wait for death alone here.
Why keep engaging him here? Constantly blinking and teleporting? It was utterly disadvantageous!
"Keeping him here is best. Without you, he could open a portal and return to Earth."
"Without me, you might not hold him alone…"
"And though he doesn't have enough time to fly to Earth, don't forget the Moon…"
Minato explained while teleporting with Obito. He could indeed flee with Flying Thunder God. But the now-mad Isshiki, losing his targets, might turn his attention to the Moon.
With Isshiki's current power, he could destroy the entire Moon!
That would shatter the Moon, sending countless meteors crashing to Earth under gravity, bringing catastrophe to the ninja world!
They'd won ninety percent; they couldn't afford to be careless at the end.
"I see…"
Obito suddenly understood, silently sighing.
(Minato-sensei is indeed quite cunning… no, quite cautious!)
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
Isshiki erupted with full force, each move causing deafening sonic booms, despite the thin air.
Every meteor he touched shattered into pieces under high-pressure shockwaves, his terrifying power melting them into red magma. His flight path even faintly distorted space.
Clearly, he was burning his scant remaining lifespan, pushing his strength and speed to the absolute limit—all to kill Minato!
Sadly, he still couldn't touch Minato. Flying Thunder God's mechanics and Minato's reaction speed were too unstoppable, especially since Minato could use Rinnegan and Black Eye dōjutsu to disrupt and slow Isshiki.
Instantly, Minato was like a cat toying with a mouse. With Flying Thunder God's advantage, he kept blinking and moving, leaving Isshiki unable to touch him.
If his Black Eye were still intact, Isshiki might have had a slim chance to turn things around. Sadly, it was gone.
And Obito's Double Kamui threat blocked Isshiki's chance to escape via space-time portals, turning the arrogant, self-proclaimed supreme Isshiki into a directionless clown.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Minutes later.
Isshiki, unable to touch Minato, finally collapsed, giving way to rare despair and extreme calm.
He was certain he couldn't survive or reach Earth in time. He only wanted to deliver the most horrific revenge on Minato and the others.
So, the despairing Isshiki turned his gaze to the Moon.
Right, he realized it too. Though he lacked time to fly to Earth, he had enough strength left to destroy the entire Moon!
Shattering the Moon, letting a meteor shower devastate the ninja world—that was the best revenge against Minato and the others!
Once the thought arose, Isshiki immediately shifted targets, abandoning Minato and Obito, accelerating back toward the Moon.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Sensei, trouble! He's flying to the Moon!"
Obito shouted in shock again, urging Minato to help. If Isshiki truly destroyed the Moon, it would threaten the shinobi world and Konoha's safety!
But this time, Minato wasn't rushed, even relaxed.
"Don't worry. He only has a few minutes left. And with them there, Isshiki can't destroy the Moon."
"Them—who?"
"The seniors are itching for a warm-up."
Minato looked toward the Moon, brimming with confidence.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the Moon's spectator area, seeing Isshiki turn back toward them, Hashirama and the others were slightly puzzled.
"What's up? Why's that guy flying back at us?"
"Maybe he can't beat Minato, so he's planning to destroy the Moon, trying to take us down with him."
Madara chuckled lightly, instantly seeing Isshiki's intent.
"Then it's our time to strike?"
Hashirama grew excited. He didn't love fighting, but to eliminate threats to the ninja world, he was always fired up.
"But Minato hasn't asked for our help, has he?"
Nagato Six Paths was unsure whether to act.
"Why so timid? Can't we all take down a weakened Ōtsutsuki?"
Backed by his brother, Tobirama grew bold, eager to pummel the floundering Isshiki.
"It's time we step in. If Isshiki's set on destroying the Moon, Minato and Obito alone can't stop him."
Madara from Parallel World 1 decided, ready to act.
*SWOOSH!*
A Minato clone also teleported beside them, voluntarily requesting aid, hoping Hashirama and the others could help restrain Isshiki.
As Madara analyzed, though Minato could outmaneuver Isshiki with Flying Thunder God, in a direct clash, he couldn't counter Isshiki's absolute power. He and Obito could restrain Isshiki.
But they couldn't stop Isshiki from forcibly destroying the Moon… In such a situation, pride didn't matter—if help was needed, ask for it. The Moon and Earth's safety came first.
If they could hold Isshiki for a few minutes, he might die on his own…
The group glanced at Lux.
Seeing Lux nod in approval, they all grew excited.
They'd watched so long, eager to face Isshiki directly. Even if outmatched, this was the best chance to gain experience against a Six Paths-level foe. Missing it meant facing strong enemies alone later. Gaining more experience in relatively safe conditions was ideal!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
High above, Isshiki accelerated back to the Moon.
Minato and Obito kept appearing and vanishing along the way, unleashing various abilities to attack Isshiki. But at Isshiki's terrifying speed, most attacks couldn't touch him.
Only wide-area Rinnegan gravity abilities like Super Shinra Tensei could briefly affect Isshiki. Sadly, they only slightly slowed his speed, unable to stop his return to the Moon.
Soon, with less than five minutes of life left, Isshiki reached the Moon's surface. He prepared to crash into its core, using sheer force to shatter the entire Moon!
But at that moment.
"Eight Gates · Sixth Gate of View!—Open!"
A loud shout erupted.
The next second, an emerald green light with shocking chakra aura shot from underground, meeting Isshiki head-on.
"Courting death!"
Isshiki recognized Hashirama, the First Hokage who last teamed with another Uchiha to challenge him.
Last time, those two were soundly defeated, their Buddha-clad Susano'o destroyed. Yet now he dared come seeking death, trying to block him directly—purely suicidal!
Isshiki didn't dodge, flying straight at Hashirama and colliding.
*BOOM!!!*
Black and green lights clashed violently, unleashing boundless shockwaves, like a dark green chasm wall splitting the sky.
As a peak Sage Mode above Kage-level, Hashirama, boosted massively by the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates, surpassed super-Kage limits, wielding semi-Six Paths-level taijutsu power.
But compared to Isshiki's Six Paths combat strength, there was still a significant gap.
The clash instantly shattered Hashirama's right arm, his entire body flung back like a cannonball, crashing into the ground and forming a massive crater!
Yet he succeeded. He blocked Isshiki's brute-force attack head-on and survived. This was real progress—previously, Hashirama couldn't withstand Isshiki's direct strike.
Simultaneously, Isshiki was only pushed back slightly, barely injured, his physique far surpassing the ninja world's so-called Sage Mode. Though nearing death, his taijutsu remained the shinobi world's best.
"Still not dead?"
"What's this ability? Why's this guy so strong?"
Seeing Hashirama alive on the ground, Isshiki couldn't help but be shocked.
Ninjas grew too fast, didn't they? After such a short time, the First Hokage could block his full strike? Given a few more years, what would happen?
(I must kill this guy!)
Isshiki flew toward Hashirama again, ready to finish him, then destroy the Moon!
But the next second, several figures appeared instantly beside Hashirama.
Tobirama brought Madara and Nagato Six Paths, entering the battlefield together.
Limbo: Border Jail!
Six Red Yang Formation!
The ninja world's justice delivered an unethical gang-up once more.