First Battle, Victory

Blood streamed from Naruto's mouth and nose as he endured the tearing pain in his abdomen, staring blankly at Chen before him. "What... what did you... do to me?"

Chen said nothing.

--Toyomiketsunomikoto!

"Shunk!" "Shunk!" "Shunk!" Black rods pierced into the acupoints all over Naruto's body, completely sealing off Kurama's chakra pathways.

The Black Rods of the 'Six Paths Technique' were also products of Chakra, and thus could be stored with energy by 'Toyomiketsunomikoto'. As for why Chen knew the 'Six Paths Technique' that Madara had personally passed to Obito, we'll leave that mystery for now.

"Shunk!" After completing the preparatory steps, Chen used Amaterasu-no-Mikoto to annihilate the Susanoo blade embedded in Naruto's abdomen!

He had been pinned to the tree by that blade like a wedge. The moment that fixed wedge vanished, Naruto immediately collapsed into the mud beneath the tree after the rain.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle." Blood gushed from his exposed abdominal cavity, staining the mud beneath him red.

Even so, Naruto, with your vitality, you won't die for a while yet...

Chen turned to face the towering complete Susanoo!

In that dark purple forehead chamber, Uchiha Sasuke's face was sharp as a blade!

"Sasuke..." Naruto looked with complex emotions at his friend fighting alone, the dizziness from blood loss making his eyelids heavy.

It's my fault, Uchiha Chen. I should have treated him as a dangerous element long ago!

Sasuke... run!

He's a monster who can 'control time'!

"Naruto, pull yourself together, dammit!" Kurama roared in his mind.

"Naruto, wait for me..." Sasuke's Susanoo raised its massive foot high, descending upon Chen like a crushing weight!

If that foot landed, half a mountain would collapse!

Chen's right eye focused on the sole of that massive foot, light trembling continuously!

--Toyomiketsunomikoto!

"Boom, boom, boom...!" Explosive fireballs detonated in layered stacks on the sole of Susanoo's foot, forming a terrifying spindle-shaped curtain of flame that forcibly halted that massive foot in midair!

Using that opening, Chen's right eye released a vortex that sucked himself in!

"Whoosh!" In an instant, he stood in the sky, at eye level with Sasuke in Susanoo's forehead chamber!

"Bam!" He summoned Gohōkaku, using its back as a foothold to launch a second jump in the air.

In the white smoke of Gohōkaku's disappearance, Chen flew forward, lunging toward the forehead chamber where Sasuke sat!

Through the 'light' flowing in Chen's right eye, Sasuke judged that Chen was about to use that 'disintegration' dojutsu.

"Even if you can use your right eye's dojutsu to disintegrate a Tailed Beast Bomb, don't think you can disintegrate this complete Susanoo!"

"Who said anything about disintegrating the whole complete body?" Chen's right eye focused, the light steadying!

--Amaterasu-no-Mikoto!

"Crack!" The front wall of Susanoo's forehead chamber shattered into purple light particles!

"What!? He destroyed just the front wall of this chamber!"

Sasuke was now exposed to Chen's line of sight!

Damn... he can now use his 'flash strike' dojutsu on me!

Without hesitation... Sasuke used Kagutsuchi to create a layer of Black Flames for protection!

In this crisis, his thoughts raced, searching for a godly move that could turn the tables!

Five meters. If Chen could get within five meters of me, I'm confident I could hard-control him with the 'Genjutsu' cast through my Rinnegan!

Just an instant would be enough!

"Crack!" This Black Flame barrier was as good as nonexistent under Amaterasu-no-Mikoto!

The two were now less than ten meters apart!

Sasuke: I'll show him an opening!

But then, to Sasuke's absurd surprise, Chen actively lowered his gaze... giving him no chance for eye contact!

It made Sasuke suspect for a moment that Chen had the ability to 'read minds'!

How could he know that Chen had accumulated a hundred years of combat experience in Samadhi?

He knew perfectly well when he could cut loose a little for fun and when he had to be as cautious as that brave hero!

At this distance, it was no longer suitable to use 'Toyomiketsunomikoto', which required high-precision focusing. Even more, he had to avoid using techniques that relied on 'eye' coordination as much as possible.

After all, Sasuke was once the existence who could trap all nine tailed beasts in Genjutsu with a single glance. Even if he had lost his edge now, the Genjutsu of the Rinnegan still demanded extra caution.

Otherwise, in an instant, victory and defeat could reverse!

Until I obtain the Rinnegan on my upcoming trip to the Outer World, I still need to maintain appropriate caution when facing Sasuke!

At this moment, the two were less than five meters apart!

If you think this book is good, to avoid not finding it next time, remember to add it to your bookshelf.

Chen's left palm was already covered in a mass of purple lightning, sparks arcing and stretching like threads!

--Purple Lightning!

Purple Lightning, a super-strong thrust technique perfected to its utmost by Kakashi Hatake after losing his Sharingan in the postwar era, requiring no hand seals and no Sharingan to use!

"He's even mastered Kakashi's Purple Lightning? No choice..."

Sasuke's Rinnegan flashed with light, "Swoosh!" Then, with a single Amenotejikara, he swapped positions with Chen!

Chen glanced back, muttering to himself, "The Rinnegan... troublesome after all..."

--Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!

Sasuke formed a single-handed seal, and an explosive torrent of flame instantly engulfed the forehead chamber of the Susanoo.

He knew Chen had the ability to extinguish this Fire Release and terrifying regenerative power, so he maintained the seal with one hand, keeping up a continuous stream of firepower, aiming to suppress!

With the reverse thrust propelling him, Sasuke rose into the sky.

"Boom!!!"

The accumulated heat of the Fire Release blasted through the Susanoo's skull, the overflowing flames burning across the sky like a crimson lotus, instantly creating a towering cumulonimbus cloud!

By then, dawn had already broken, and the rain that had fallen all night had ceased, making that cumulonimbus cloud stand out starkly against the brightening sky!

"Rumble rumble rumble...!!" Fierce lightning churned within the black clouds, taking the form of a thunderous beast!

Lightning flickered in Sasuke's palm as he swung it down fiercely!

--Lightning Release: Kirin!

"Swoosh...!!"

But... just then, Sasuke's figure abruptly vanished from midair!

Then, without warning, he appeared right in front of Chen, his posture even returned to its original state!

It was as if the forehead chamber had never been blown apart by the flames, and the Kirin roaring across the sky was nothing but an illusion!

Madara, watching from the sidelines, witnessed the entire miraculous phenomenon.

As Sasuke returned to the forehead chamber with the reversed time, the chain of flames, the cumulonimbus, and the lightning all vanished like bubbles in a mirror!

He shifted his gaze and said, "I see... so the phenomena being triggered by the person caught in the time reversal are also erased due to the resetting of time's causality?"

"Crack!!" Chen drove the Purple Lightning in his hand through Sasuke's right chest!

I've done my best to avoid the heart...

"Crack!!" Sasuke burst out from the shattered rear of the Susanoo's skull.

Blood sprayed as Sasuke gritted his teeth, "So this is the true power of your right eye..."

I can't fall yet, not like this! He still needs me!

His landing point wasn't far from Naruto. After getting up, he stumbled over to Naruto's side!

Using the last of his dojutsu, he opened a Space Gate with his Rinnegan, sucking both himself and the barely breathing Naruto inside!

As the remains of the Susanoo vanished beyond the sky...

It declared... the first battle launched by Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke against Uchiha Chen had ended in a crushing defeat!

Chen stood atop a great tree, the torn fragments of his waistband rustling in the wind!

He took the [Kusanagi Sword Hilt] from his ninja tool pouch, his right eye gleaming, and gave his wrist a shake.

--Omodaru!

"Shing!" The power of time reassembled the scattered dust, reforging the Kusanagi Sword's edge at the hilt's guard!

Chen held the blade upright, its gleaming surface reflecting a cold, ruthless face.

He praised, "Fine sword."

Tucking the Kusanagi Sword into his belt as a trophy, Chen gazed at the closed Space Gate.

"Naruto, Sasuke, I sincerely hope this defeat teaches you to grow. Though our paths differ, our destination is the same—we all wish for true peace to come to this land."

"Zzz!" The gray of his sclera faded, the silver eye shadow vanished, and Sage Mode came to an end.

"Huff." Chen let out a long breath. "Without Sage Mode, I really couldn't have withstood the drain of the dojutsu."

"Sure enough, subduing those two was way more exhausting than subduing Hikari..."

On a nearby large tree, Madara and Obito revealed themselves.

"Chen, are you still good?"

Of course I am—a man can never say he's not.

He took out a large Soldier Pill and swallowed it, sitting down on the spot, lowering his head to check his watch.

5:18 AM.

"Once I've caught my breath a little, we'll officially begin our plan!"