So, what next...
Should he go find the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, or stay here and deal with Taki Chiba first?
Phew...
That was close.
If Taki Chiba had not run out of Chakra at the end, he would probably have been left scrambling.
Fortunately, Taki Chiba had not fully matured yet.
If he had not been so eager to stand in his way and had stayed hidden in Konoha, then given another ten or twenty years, he might have driven him into a desperate corner.
So-called friendship, family, and bonds were nothing but burdens.
If not for those things, Taki Chiba would not have revealed himself now and recklessly stood in his way.
Tsk, tsk...
What a pity.
Letting out a long breath, the Masked Man raised his eyes to look at the sturdy, spiked sphere atop the five pillar-like Rock Spikes. He slowly rose to his feet, the face beneath his mask relaxing as though a burden had been lifted. Then, a mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Still...
Fortunately, this time, I went along with it. If it had been like last time, then Taki Chiba would probably have been my...
After the mocking smile appeared on his lips, the Masked Man's expression stiffened slightly. A trace of lingering fear flickered within his scarlet Three Tomoe Sharingan.
At the same time, his hand unconsciously touched the mask that was already covered in cracks.
Every detail of this battle, large and small, ran through his mind without omission.
Honestly, whether he wanted to admit it or not, this had been the toughest battle of all the battles he had experienced.
It was also the most exhausting battle among those where the difference in strength had been obvious.
Good thing that Secret Technique could not be maintained for