Naruto: Manipulation-Chapter 224: The Gap

"Mother, kill him!"

"Kill that madman now!"

As Black Zetsu saw the look of pity in Shigen's eyes, it could no longer contain the humiliation. Rage boiling over, it screamed furiously.

Ōtsutsuki Kaguya raised her hand and immediately launched two bone spikes at Shigen. From the moment she struck, she intended to kill. These were All-Killing Ash Bones—a fatal technique.

Because...

This man's power was beyond control.

Kaguya understood the might of the Ten Tails better than anyone. And someone capable of creating a new Ten Tails... was a threat of unimaginable proportions.

Letting him live...

No—

Even now Shigen was already too dangerous.

Even in this battle, she held no clear advantage.

"Kamui Mirror."

Shigen lazily lifted his eyes.

A strange mirror appeared before him, absorbing the incoming Ash Bones—then reflected two identical spikes back at Kaguya, as if her own attack had been rebounded at her.

"It reflects attacks..."

Black Zetsu immediately recognized the ability, recalling a similar jutsu used by Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage.

"But it's stronger than his technique..."

After all—

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Yagura could never reflect something as powerful as the All-Killing Ash Bones.

Kaguya's face twitched as her veins bulged with tension.

She watched Shigen closely and suddenly unleashed a barrage of chakra fists from her palms—

Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack.

The ultimate taijutsu born from the Byakugan.

A technique combining offense and defense. She hoped the strange mirror couldn't handle the sheer volume or precision of her strikes.

But...

Shigen's mirror seemed capable of reflecting everything.

It instantly expanded to envelop him, absorbing and redirecting all the chakra fists.

Kamui Mirror.

The ultimate ocular jutsu of the Rinnegan.

No one whose chakra was inferior to Shigen's could break through its defense. More importantly—it copied every jutsu it absorbed.

And now...

After absorbing the Ten Tails, Shigen's chakra had utterly surpassed even Kaguya's.

"What the hell is that technique..."

Kaguya didn't understand its mechanics.

Black Zetsu couldn't explain either.

Because...

When it came to Shigen, nothing was outside the realm of possibility.

That's what made being his enemy so terrifying.

"It's a Rinnegan technique..."

Sasuke recognized the timing of the activation.

"It's like my Amenotejikara—looks like a perfect counter-defense ability."

But... wasn't it a bit useless?

Pure defense couldn't defeat a monster like Kaguya. Sasuke remembered how she'd shattered his Susanoo with brute force alone. Her physical strength was off the charts.

Yet...

Black Zetsu's perspective was entirely different.

It had seen Shigen's strength long before Sasuke did.

And even then, Shigen hadn't reached his prime.

"Mother..."

Black Zetsu dove into Kaguya's sleeve, whispering urgent warnings.

"You must be cautious of Shigen's..."

"Only cautious?"

Kaguya softly shook her head.

She didn't need warnings.

With her Byakugan, she could see everything clearly—

"His chakra is stronger than mine."

"..."

Black Zetsu fell silent.

It had always believed Kaguya to be the supreme force.

But now...

Shigen didn't attack right away.

His eyes closed, calmly absorbing and analyzing the techniques through his Kamui Mirror.

That was the mirror's true power.

To extract every enemy jutsu and make it his own.

"Use their own skills against them, huh?"

Shigen's hand clenched and suddenly swung forward.

A barrage of chakra fists launched toward Kaguya—her own Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack, now hurled back at her!

"!!!"

Black Zetsu panicked.

"That's my technique!"

Kaguya's Byakugan fixated on the incoming fists, trying to locate an opening in the attack—

That was her only advantage.

The Byakugan.

Its perceptive powers were indeed formidable.

More accurate than the Sharingan in this case.

She tried to find a blind spot—

But...

There was no blind spot.

As a technique combining offense and defense, a full-powered Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack had no flaws.

Kaguya tried to change the battle space—

"Don't change space—!"

Black Zetsu shouted too late.

Kaguya always relied on her chakra and often made rash calls in battle.

Changing space consumed immense chakra—

And worse...

It wouldn't help.

Black Zetsu had already considered that Shigen's mastery of space-time ninjutsu was so advanced, even their dimensional techniques might not keep him away.

Especially since he'd replicated the Yomotsu Hirasaka, a technique exclusive to the Ōtsutsuki clan—something even Kaguya's sons hadn't done.

Next moment—

The entire world changed.

Kaguya transferred herself to a desert dimension, only to realize she'd made a grave mistake.

But it wasn't a complete blunder—

She brought Naruto and Sasuke with her, hoping to absorb their chakra first.

But...

It was too late.

Shigen had already locked onto her with his Kamui Mangekyō.

A space-time gate opened—

And as soon as she appeared in the new world, Shigen was already there.

"Close combat!"

Black Zetsu cried.

"If it's close combat, he might not be able to use that invincible mirror technique. Mother's Byakugan is superior to his Sharingan in taijutsu!"

"Understood."

Kaguya trusted Black Zetsu.

She charged at Shigen, white hair flowing, striking forward with deadly precision!

"Wait..."

Black Zetsu suddenly panicked.

"Shigen's swordsmanship is also elite—!"

Too late.

Shigen, seeing Kaguya charge him, was almost impressed by her boldness.

He summoned a pitch-black sword made of Truth-Seeking Orbs—

And slashed directly at her throat!

"!!!"

Kaguya had no time to dodge.

She retreated desperately, using her hair to defend—

But strands were instantly severed!

Shigen closed in—

And pierced her chest.

In less than a minute of true combat—

Kaguya was seriously wounded.

Her pristine robes now smeared in red.

Yomotsu Hirasaka!

A black portal opened behind her.

The goddess staggered back, wrenching the blade from her chest, and vanished through the portal.

But—

It didn't save her.

Shigen, already opening another portal, twirled his sword and stabbed through his own gate—

Elsewhere—

Kaguya barely escaped—

Only to be impaled again, Shigen's blade piercing through her back from another dimension.

"Unbelievable..."

Shigen's voice echoed behind her, tinged with disappointment.

"So this is the famed Rabbit Goddess..."

"Less battle experience than two Konoha genin."