Staring at Shinji, Kokushibo's face stiffened!
Sasuke had been able to keep him occupied for three days for another important reason: Shinji had been watching from the sidelines the entire time, making him wary of going all out against Sasuke.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The storm over the snowfield grew even more violent. All they could hear was the howling wind.
Even from just a few dozen meters away, the Iwagakure Ninja's shouts were difficult for both Shinji and Kokushibo to hear.
But neither of them paid any attention to the Iwagakure Ninja. Their eyes were fixed on each other.
"About time."
Shinji muttered to himself, then started walking toward Kokushibo.
He had originally planned to look for an opportunity to test the potion as soon as he arrived. But after seeing Sasuke relentlessly pursue Kokushibo and grow rapidly in the process, he had temporarily held back and continued observing.
But now, Iwagakure and Kumogakure had clearly reached some sort of agreement and begun a joint operation in earnest. With the Third Tsuchikage and Fourth Raikage—two formidable fighters—on the scene, Shinji decided to make his move and begin testing the potion, just in case something went wrong.
As Shinji slowly approached, Kokushibo held his breath and focused.
The distance between them steadily closed, but neither spoke. In this increasingly harsh weather, even if they wanted to say something, the other might not be able to hear.
Soon, they were only ten meters apart.
That distance might have seemed considerable to an ordinary person, but to Shinji and Kokushibo, it could be crossed in an instant. So when Shinji reached the ten-meter mark and took another step, Kokushibo finally lost patience.
"Moon Breathing, Tenth Form: Piercing Face Slash, Waning Moon!"
Kokushibo leaped into the air and swung the Evil Blade, its momentum carrying