The gap in combat experience is an objective reality. Naruto was too young, and indeed
had an unbridgeable gap with Zenin Naobito.
However, clinging to such things meant the "purity" was too low.
The essence of purity was sheer numerical strength, and Naruto showed them this.
"This is impossible!"
Zenin Naobito cradled his aching arm, watching Naruto emerge from the smoke.
Their full-power attacks had merely caused Naruto to unleash a burst of Chakra, and it had blocked everything.
Although there was a gap in combat experience, Naruto wasn't a complete novice. The Nine-Tails' Chakra was difficult to control, but simply releasing Chakra to form a defense didn't require precise control.
Anyone with even a slight understanding of Tailed Beasts or Jinchuriki wouldn't be surprised by this; it was a veritable human-shaped nuclear bomb.
The Nine-Tails' power was completely from a different world than theirs, in every sense.
Facing such a terrifying opponent, could they win?
Absolutely no chance!
"Retreat first! Naoya!"
Zenin Naobito understood that a wise man submits to circumstances. His Cursed Technique activated instantly; Projection Sorcery, combined with his long-trained body, unleashed terrifying speed.
As expected of the man hailed as the fastest Jujutsu Sorcerer apart from Gojo Satoru, Zenin Naobito's voice had barely faded before he vanished from his spot.
"Huh?" Naruto hadn't expected them to be so decisive. This was the old man's powerful judgment, knowing when to do the right thing.
Zenin Naoya was a step slower, but he also knew that following his old man wouldn't be wrong.
Unfortunately, they had underestimated one thing: Naruto's speed was not slow. The essence of Body Flicker Technique was to stimulate the body with Chakra, instantly bursting to a speed far exceeding normal.
The cost was that such a burst required some recovery time, meaning there would be an after-effect. That's why ninjas mostly used it to evade attacks and create distance.
After all, in a place like the shinobi world with high offense and low defense, using Body Flicker Technique to charge an opponent's face was practically suicide.
But Naruto wasn't in the shinobi world now. The short skirmish just now had made him understand the weakness of this world's people's attack methods.
Innate Cursed Techniques, while indeed superior to ninjutsu in functionality and strangeness, could not compare to ninjutsu in terms of pure damage.
Furthermore, Naruto wasn't truly foolish enough to bet his body on whether the opponent had a killing move.
His most proficient ninjutsu, and currently his only proficient ninjutsu, was—Shadow Clone Technique!
Without waiting for Zenin Naoya to leave, Naruto, having used Body Flicker Technique, intercepted him. As for the others...
Zenin Naobito had already escaped a considerable distance. Normally, no one could catch him, unless someone had already been waiting for a long time.
"Hmph, trying to escape?"
Just as he felt a little relieved, thinking he had gotten away, an orange-red figure descended from above.
Seeing this figure, Zenin Naobito's eyes widened. He instinctively turned his head and saw, in the distance, another Naruto, similarly enveloped in orange-red Chakra.
"What kind of Cursed Technique is this? A clone?"
Confirming that Naruto still existed behind him, Zenin Naobito ruled out the possibility of teleportation. With two Narutos appearing simultaneously, it was highly likely to be a clone ability.
His judgment was not wrong, but that was all he could do.
Projection Sorcery divided one second into twenty-four frames. While this certainly increased his speed, the cost was that he had to move along a pre-planned 'path'.
This meant Zenin Naobito couldn't evade. At least for this one second, he couldn't. His pre-determined movement trajectory forced his body to continue forward, crashing into Naruto, effectively throwing himself into his arms.
"?"
Feeling the impact in his arms, Naruto was full of questions. Are you Jujutsu Sorcerers all that brave?
Zenin Naobito was already prepared for an attack, yet after a full second, he hadn't been hit.
"Indeed, no matter how strong, the opponent is just a child, lacking such a heavy killing intent?"
Being soft-hearted towards an enemy wouldn't do. Even if he didn't want to kill, he had to ensure the opponent lost the ability to resist.
Naruto had expected him to stop, but instead, they were now practically pressed together, in a rather ambiguous posture.
Zenin Naobito couldn't let such an opportunity slip. He decided to take a gamble; the power gap between them was too vast, so he had to probe for a possibility.
He didn't understand Chakra. After all, people only became aware of its existence after the public revelation two days ago, but it was, after all, a form of energy.
The instant their bodies touched, Cursed Energy surged from him, precisely canceling out the part of the Chakra it made contact with. For a moment, Zenin Naobito saw an opening.
'It's possible!'
Naruto's only vulnerability was this: his control over the Nine-Tails' Chakra was too weak. That small gap was rapidly disappearing as Chakra replenished itself.
Zenin Naobito immediately pressed on. Although it was only for an instant, his palm did indeed touch Naruto's body, and the power of Projection Sorcery spread to Naruto.
Anyone touched by his palm had to move in the same 24-frames-per-second rhythm as him; otherwise, their body would be controlled for one second, unable to move.
"What's going on? My body won't move?"
As a ninja, Naruto naturally didn't know this. He found his body completely stopping as if beyond his control.
Having tasted success, Zenin Naobito pressed his advantage. He knew that doing so was extremely dangerous, like dancing on the edge of a blade.
If he failed to precisely use Cursed Energy to counteract the Chakra at the point of contact, all would be lost. But he couldn't stop now; at this range, if Naruto attacked, he would surely die.
Focusing all his mental energy, allowing for no error, Zenin Naobito's palm slowly counteracted the Chakra it touched, and finally, successfully made contact with Naruto's body again.
The second second, the third second, the fourth second...
Without knowledge of Projection Sorcery, it was impossible for Naruto to autonomously break free from the control. For several consecutive seconds, he made no movement.
While Zenin Naobito affected him, large numbers of air blocks were frozen.
With enough time accumulated, this strike would be many times more powerful than before, but the damage to him wouldn't be low either.
No hesitation! Zenin Naobito slammed his fist down, and dozens of air blocks stacked together exploded. Instantly, his hand lost all sensation; even with Cursed Energy reinforcement, the front half of his bones suffered a comminuted fracture.
At the cost of one hand, he delivered his strongest attack within the Chakra cloak.
Inside the explosion, Naruto, held in place by Projection Sorcery, completely took the full force of the blow. The explosion then engulfed him entirely, leaving no trace...
'Did I win?!'
Zenin Naobito paused, then erupted in wild joy. The Chakra in front of him had vanished. He hadn't expected to actually seize that tiny opening and succeed, but that was how the Jujutsu world was: if mechanisms were used well, a desperate comeback wasn't just a dream.
"What an amazing Cursed Technique, to be able to control my body."
Just as he was about to burst out laughing in joy, another Naruto appeared behind him.
From beginning to end, the one who took the attack was a Shadow Clone. The opening he deliberately exposed was precisely to understand the opponent's Cursed Technique.
"?!"
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