Chapter 320: Time Rewind
"The ninja world's master of Genjutsu is nothing more than this."
Otsutsuki Urashiki mocked as he looked down at Tonbo Tobitake, who had been sliced in half. Despite his taunt, he felt a lingering fear looking at the sealing jutsu below. If not for the power of his Rinnegan, he might have actually fallen there.
"Is that so?"
Tonbo appeared behind him and drove a blade into his back.
Tear!
Urashiki shifted his body just in time, launching a rapid counterattack with a chakra-infused fist.
Swish!
Tonbo also evaded the strike, landing nimbly on the sea surface and backing off to a safe distance. His eyes locked onto a fresh wound that had suddenly appeared on Urashiki's body.
"Damn it, his sensory perception is actually this strong," Urashiki muttered, his face darkening as he saw Tonbo evade yet another "sure-kill" attack. An uneasy premonition began to settle in his heart.
"I've figured it out. Your ability is time-related. It's either brief precognition or time reversal. Judging by that wound on your body, it should be a Time Rewind technique, shouldn't it? Furthermore, you can only rewind the time of the world around you; you cannot rewind your own personal timeline."
Tonbo performed a stylish flourish with his blade and pointed it at Urashiki, his tone brimming with certainty.
Ever since reading the memories of Jiraiya regarding prophecy—and recalling the "Ten Directions" Shinjutsu of Kashin Koji he'd heard about in short videos in his previous life—he had been obsessing over how to counter future-sight. While he hadn't reached a final conclusion, he had gained unique insights.
From the details of the clash just now, Urashiki's ability was exactly as he suspected: he could rewind the world's time while his own mind remained unchanged. Urashiki used this to "experience" Tonbo's attacks and then react. However, the future is constantly shifting. When a person changes their behavior, the enemy continues to adapt. Urashiki's reactions were simply not fast enough to match Tonbo's peak reflexes.
It seemed his future self had let this guy return to this timeline precisely because he had calculated their relative strengths.
"Tch!" Urashiki stared at Tonbo. Hearing the analysis, the smile vanished from his face. He also realized a critical problem: if this man still exists in the future, it is impossible for him to die here today.
"Damned ninja world trash. The Otsutsuki do not yield to time."
Urashiki's eyes began to change. The blue Rinnegan gradually turned red, and six tomoe began to slowly rotate within them.
Six-Tomoe Rinnegan.
Hm? Tonbo noted the change. Tomoe—it reminded him of the Sharingan, which granted the ability to see the flow of a target's chakra. Perhaps the opponent's ocular power had grown stronger, or they intended to use this power to break his Genjutsu. Moreover, Sasuke had mentioned that when the eyes turn red, Urashiki can manipulate space through space-time ninjutsu. He wondered if there were other hidden abilities.
Swish!
Tonbo suddenly tilted his body as the red fishing rod streaked past him, slicing a small piece of flesh from his waist. He retreated a distance, watching the smug Urashiki.
"Without the power of the Otsutsuki clan, you cannot defeat me." Urashiki laughed, looking at the blood on his hook. He had convinced himself that Tonbo had likely been saved in the future by Sasuke Uchiha—someone who possessed a portion of Otsutsuki power.
Zip!
A black "mosaic" distortion appeared behind Urashiki as he stepped backward into it. When he reappeared, he was swinging his rod directly for Tonbo's waist. The physical strength of the Otsutsuki was enough to cleave a man in two.
Poof!
Tonbo disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Recognizing the clone, Urashiki immediately used a spatial technique to vacate his position. A blade swept through the space where his waist had been a millisecond prior.
"This space-time ability... is Obito's Kamui considered a low-level version compared to this?"
Tonbo relied on his Sage Mode sensory abilities to duel with Urashiki. "Fast" was his primary impression of this spatial jutsu. He couldn't even sense the typical spatial fluctuations; he could only react the moment Urashiki made his move. Compared to Kamui, which the Konoha Barrier Team could still detect, this was far too smooth.
Clang!
One side used supreme sensory and reaction speed to strike at the moment of movement; the other used high-level spatial travel to launch relentless attacks. Blade and fishing rod clashed repeatedly. They were moving so fast that Tonbo had no time to weave signs for complex ninjutsu.
"Die! Die! No one can save you!" Urashiki's face grew increasingly frenzied. This man was simply too difficult to kill.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
It was like a game of whack-a-mole. Wherever Urashiki appeared, Tonbo's blade followed. But every time Tonbo tried to land a decisive blow, the "rat" would scurry back into its hole.
"Is this all the strength the Otsutsuki clan has?"
As he grew accustomed to the rhythm, Tonbo began to handle Urashiki's attacks with composure. An elite ninja would never let the same trick defeat them twice. The wound on his waist had already closed, revealing a powerful self-healing factor.
The longer they fought, the more familiar Urashiki's combat patterns became. In Tonbo's eyes, Urashiki's actual combat experience was inferior to his own. Or perhaps Tonbo was simply adapting too quickly, rendering Urashiki's advantages moot.
"In that case, let's end this. And to think I was worried this Otsutsuki would be formidable... I spent so much time fretting that my strength wouldn't be enough when the 'crossing' happened, constantly training myself. It turns out he's just this. A three-year-old child holding a kitchen knife, relying entirely on the power of his bloodline."
Tonbo felt a sense of calm. Otsutsuki Urashiki's power was underwhelming. His strength was entirely dependent on the "bugged" mechanics of his eyes and the physical baseline of his clan; his actual combat skill was garbage.
He had time reversal, time stop, spatial displacement, and the insight of the Byakugan—yet he played it like this? It was a waste of divine gifts. Perhaps it was because this Otsutsuki lacked a "Karma" seal? Tonbo knew the core elements of Boruto, though he hadn't watched it due to poor reviews. Throughout the fight, Urashiki hadn't used any "Karma" power.
"What's with that look in your eyes?!"
Urashiki was infuriated. This man actually dared to let his mind wander while fighting him? Enraged, he thrust out his right hand as purple light condensed into a sphere.
Amenosubaruboshinomikoto: Ryūgū
The yellow sky under the sun suddenly shifted to the color of burning purple clouds. A giant oarfish, carrying a sphere similar to a Tailed Beast Bomb in its mouth, dived toward Tonbo Tobitake.
"Go to hell!"
"Heh, it seems your brain really isn't your strong suit."
Tonbo sighed, feeling pity for those legendary eyes for having such a master. In the time it took Urashiki to charge that flashy move, Tonbo could have escaped with space-time ninjutsu dozens of times.
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