"Huh!?"
Karin froze for a moment, then looked at Momoshiki in front of her.
Momoshiki had long since lost his earlier arrogance. His nose was crooked, his eyes were swollen, and his whole body was covered in bruises and wounds. There wasn't a single part of him that wasn't injured.
"How did this happen?"
Karin was completely baffled.
Hikari shrugged. She looked just as confused, with no idea what was going on.
After sensing the Otsutsuki's arrival in the Shinobi World, Karin and Hikari had followed Shinji's orders and lain in wait at the place where Shinji was cultivating his second Chakra Fruit in the Shinobi World. Shinji believed that if an Otsutsuki really had been drawn to the Shinobi World by the Chakra Fruit, they would follow its energy to investigate the area.
Sure enough, Shinji had used the Chakra Fruit's energy to lure Otsutsuki Momoshiki here.
But they couldn't contact Shinji, and Toneri on the moon hadn't responded either. To keep their target from escaping, Karin and Hikari had no choice but to make their move.
Since their opponent was a genuine Otsutsuki and they had no information about him, Karin and Hikari had decided to play it safe. Karin, who wielded the Tamatsukuri Spear, would attack first, gathering information and wearing him down as they fought.
Hikari would remain hidden at the edge of the battlefield as a reserve, stepping in to finish the job once Karin had worn him down. Hikari's Heavenly Rock Door could protect her and conceal her presence when used on herself, so Momoshiki hadn't noticed her hiding nearby.
At first, everything had gone smoothly. Karin and Momoshiki had fought fiercely and managed to wear each other down.
But soon, things took a turn.
First, Momoshiki had used the chakra he'd stored up