With just a glance at Hiruko struggling desperately in his hands, Shinji did not give it much thought. He casually dug out Hiruko's pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, then tossed Hiruko toward the ground like a piece of garbage.
The reason he did not kill Hiruko was that Shinji still wanted to learn the technique behind the Bloodline Fusion Ritual from him.
In any case, a mere Hiruko could no longer pose any threat to him. Whether to kill him, or when to kill him, was of no importance.
On the ground.
When Ranmaru saw Hiruko thrown down by "A" from the sky, he steeled himself and stepped forward to catch him.
At that moment, Neji and Kimimaro closed in, trapping Ranmaru and Hiruko, who had lost his Mangekyō Sharingan, between them from front and back.
Knowing he could not escape, Ranmaru did not attempt to break through. Instead, he honestly waited for Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and "A" to decide the victor in the sky.
Seeing this, Neji and Kimimaro did not attack either.
In fact, their attention was also focused on the sky, because even if they captured Ranmaru and Hiruko, it would be meaningless if Shinji lost.
For a time, every battlefield stopped fighting.
Everyone's eyes focused on the sky, on Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and "A."
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and "A" were also looking at each other.
Shinji skillfully placed Hiruko's pair of Mangekyō Sharingan into the small nutrient container he carried with him, then waved at Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's face darkened, and his eyes seemed to want to devour someone.
Just then, he suddenly waved his hand and shot more than a dozen Black Rods at Sasuke, Haku, and the others on the ground.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
In an instant, the Black Rods whistled down from the sky and fell