Chapter 371: The Curtain Falls
Masahiko's expression was grave as he floated in mid-air, using his senses to track Itomi's figure.
In the seawater below, giant waves occasionally rolled, or ice spikes shot up, lunging towards Itomi.
"First Step!"
"Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack!"
Countless fist shadows tore through the air, clashing once again with the glowing white air cannon, intertwining and detonating.
The waves beneath their feet froze for a fraction of a second before exploding upwards. Centered on the collision point of the two jutsu, the seawater rapidly spun, and then, like a volcanic eruption, a column of water a thousand meters in diameter shot into the sky.
Masahiko concentrated, using attractive force to draw out part of the water flow from the towering column, forming a giant waterfall to block the line of sight between him and Itomi.
Itomi, who was about to launch the Second Step, was forced to abort.
Masahiko's face lit up. "As expected, Sekuzo's continuous attacks require him to lock onto my position. Using water to block his line of sight can interrupt him."
Itomi's figure flickered, appearing behind Masahiko. Masahiko hurriedly turned around and raised his hand, causing another waterfall to rise and block his path.
"This is good. How much blood can Nakajiki's body burn? After stalling for a little while longer, it should be over."
Masahiko breathed a slight sigh of relief, then frowned. "Why has Itomi... suddenly stopped moving?"
"Sensei, you... be careful." From behind the waterfall came Itomi's slightly dejected voice, causing Masahiko's heart to sink.
"It's not Sekuzo this time! No, you could say it's a special Sekuzo. It's not a continuous attack, just a single strike."
Masahiko's expression instantly changed. Itomi actually had a second method of attack? Of course he remembered Might Guy's Night Guy in the original story, which almost kicked out the finale, but wasn't that Guy's original technique?
Ceasing to control the water flow, letting the waterfall 'fly straight down three thousand feet', Masahiko fixed his eyes on Itomi.
Itomi was adopting a somewhat peculiar stance. His right leg was pulled back deeply, the tip of his left foot touching the water, and his arms were spread outward, forming a motion similar to a giant bird spreading its wings.
It was clearly a bit comical, but Masahiko was in no mood to laugh, because streaks of lightning were snaking across Itomi's body.
"Damn it, I forgot Itomi is also a Lightning Release ninja, and Nakajiki... also has the Lightning attribute." Masahiko's expression was solemn. He drew both arms back simultaneously, faint white light condensing on both fists. "First time using it like this, I hope it works. Turning around to run... it's probably too late."
"Sensei, this should be the final strike! You can definitely do it!" Itomi was still cheering him on. "Sekuzo! Lightning Step!"
"Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack x 2!"
He successfully launched the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack with both hands simultaneously. The fist shadows were even denser, clashing with the glowing white air cannon intertwined with lightning, but they instantly crumbled.
Facing the air cannon—its lightning only slightly diminished—heading straight for him, the veins on Masahiko's forehead bulged. "Shinra Tensei!!!"
Crack... crack...
Although the repulsive force shield only lasted for two seconds, it was enough for Masahiko to lay down dense defensive formations on his body.
The space in front of him distorted. Masahiko was firmly locked onto by this strike, with absolutely nowhere to run. He directly brought his right arm to his mouth and bit down. In the instant the final layer of his defensive formation shattered, he added another 100 points to his Yang Attribute.
Pfft!
The residual power of the Sekuzo hit Masahiko squarely in the chest. Under the dual healing of biting himself and adding points, Masahiko's chest continuously shattered and healed as he was once again driven into the deep sea. This time, the seawater acting as a buffer was instantly evaporated by the lightning. Masahiko was pushed by the impact and crashed onto the seabed, another large mouthful of blood spewing from his mouth.
A full half-minute later, Masahiko finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. Under his multiple layers of protection, he had finally survived this move.
With a leap, Masahiko flew into the sky, avoiding the surrounding seawater rushing in to fill the void left by the evaporated water.
"Finally over..." Just as Masahiko breathed a sigh of relief, his expression froze on his face.
On the sea surface, Itomi had assumed the same stance again.
"Didn't you say the one just now was the final strike?!"
Itomi had a tearful face. "Sensei, if it were my original body, I could indeed only launch one strike. But this body seems a bit weird... You can definitely do it!"
Masahiko took a deep breath. "You're complaining that your Sensei has lived too long, aren't you? What do you mean 'I can definitely do it'... Fine, I can do it, I'm the best!"
...
At the same time.
In the northwest corner of the Land of Fire, in a mountain forest bordering the Land of Rain, the young man who had been kicked a hundred miles away by Itomi was leaning half against a giant tree, unconscious.
Masahiko's curse seemed about to come true. A sturdy wild boar came grunting along and noticed the young man under the tree.
Wild boars are omnivores; they eat anything when hungry, including people... Moreover, it didn't have the intelligence to judge whether the young man was dead or not; it just wanted to land the finishing blow anyway.
But just as it was about to gore the young man, the young man suddenly opened his eyes. The Rinnegan in his sockets pulsed, and the wild boar's soul instantly collapsed. Its body fell to the side, but its forward momentum was still there, and it still crashed into the young man.
"Pfft... cough, cough!"
The young man spat out a mouthful of blood, his injuries worsened by a third from the boar's impact.
"Phew... to think I don't even have the strength to deal with a pig." The young man smiled bitterly. "No gains this time, and I even lost the trump card that was Itomi Uzumaki... Damn Madara Uchiha, how did he break free from my control?"
"And that damn Masahiko Uzumaki..."
Before the young man could finish cursing, his expression stiffened.
Two giant pythons slithered over slowly. They didn't attack him, but instead cooperated to drag away the wild boar in front of him.
From the jungle ahead, a figure slowly walked out.
"Sorry, this wild boar is my prey." The newcomer stuck out his tongue and licked his lower lip. "And now, so are you."
"Crap!"
...
Above the vast ocean, the surging waves finally calmed down. The battle... was over.
Masahiko stood on the sea surface, looking at the 'mummy' floating before him, his expression complex.
"Big Brother Minato..." Even though he had lost all the blood in his body, Nakajiki was still not dead.
"It's me."
The inhuman face of Nakajiki actually managed to squeeze out a smile, but in the next second, the smile froze, and his body slowly crumbled.
Masahiko withdrew the bone spur in his hand and let out a long sigh. "Let me help you find release. If only you had died just like that back then..."
After doing this, Masahiko staggered and sat down on the sea surface, his right hand clutching his chest, which had been half-burned through by lightning.
"I can't heal myself anymore. Truly beaten miserably." Masahiko's Witness Points were exhausted, and his consciousness was gradually blurring. He lightly bit the tip of his tongue to stay awake and forcefully formed seals: "Summoning Jutsu!"
...
The Land of Whirlpools, Ichiraku Ramen.
The reunion dinner was over. On the massive Wood Release round table, only some leftovers remained.
The Fat Cat was finally freed from Kushina's embrace and sat in the seat originally belonging to Masahiko, its face full of displeasure.
"Meow~ To actually make this cat eat these leftovers, it's too much!"
"Forget it, forget it, having some is better than none. This cat is starving." The Fat Cat opened its giant mouth and disappeared with a poof...
"Meow~ The ocean?" The Fat Cat looked around, its feline face utterly bewildered. "Poop-scooper! You're bullying this cat too much! You want this cat to catch its own fish to eat?!"
"Eh? Poop-scooper?"
☆☆☆
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