Then Yue and Kaguya Otsutsuki disappeared and arrived in the arena. This time, the battlefield was a very narrow room.
That was extremely advantageous for Shangguan Yue. After all, this was a Naruto mobile game—with wall pinning, aerial combos, and health bars. He couldn't think of any reason he would lose.
"Stay calm, stay calm.
Take a gamble, and a bicycle becomes a motorcycle. If I win this time, I can save myself twenty years of hard work.
I've got one chance to be invincible. Pin her against the wall and don't let her use Protection. I'm pretty good at stomping, too."
If this were real life, he wouldn't dare be so cocky and challenge Kaguya Otsutsuki to a duel. He couldn't even break through her defenses. But this was a game, and that guaranteed one point of damage could still break through.
A flash appeared before Shangguan Yue's eyes, and Kaguya Otsutsuki materialized in front of him. Her cold, elegant presence and unruffled face made her seem fearsome.
Before he could react, Kaguya-hime was right in his face. She punched him in the stomach, and the fabric around his midsection exploded outward, leaving a round hole. His mind went blank, and his health bar emptied.
Kaguya-hime stood where she was, thinking it was all over. Shangguan Yue lowered his head, looking dazed—but the corners of his mouth curled upward.
"Haha, Kaguya-hime, you wouldn't understand. Let me show you the power of a hardcore gamer."
Shangguan Yue pretended to fall. Just before he hit the ground, he braced himself with one hand, twisted his hips, and swept his leg around.
"I was still wondering how I'd break through her defenses and knock her down for an aerial combo. Who would've thought? That one invincible frame from the Chuunibyou God is this powerful."
Thinking back to what had just happened, Shangguan Yue recalled Kaguya-hime's punch. He'd felt his body crack apart, but the next second, boundless energy surged through him.
His wounds vanished instantly, but the leftover energy rampaged through his body. Shangguan Yue felt as though he were about to explode.
Fortunately, the energy repairing his body matched the energy destroying it. In other words, he was immortal until that energy ran out.
He silently recited the God-Slaying Art. "By my divine power, I slay yours. Slay—"
An enormous amount of energy gathered in Shangguan Yue's mindscape, forming a great blade. It resembled the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, one of the two imperial blades forged when Emperor Wu campaigned against the Xiongnu. This was the first of them.
The whole blade was mighty and fierce, exuding overwhelming power.
Its hilt bore a golden dragon head, and its blade had a pronounced spine and a keen edge. Gilded seal-script characters, like incantations, covered the dark metal, which was marked with hammer dents.
The blade grew more solid. In an instant, it burst out through the space between Shangguan Yue's brows, cleaving through the air as it shot toward Kaguya-hime.
A hint of astonishment surfaced in Kaguya Otsutsuki's blank eyes. The blade visibly transformed into a dragon sparrow, which lunged at Kaguya-hime.
Like a shooting star, Kaguya-hime collided with the dragon sparrow. A violent shockwave erupted, and cracks spread through the air.
When Shangguan Yue came to his senses, the dragon sparrow had vanished without a trace. He couldn't sense the leftover energy in his body anymore, and Kaguya-hime was falling from the air.
"Now's my chance."
Shangguan Yue hurried forward. As Kaguya-hime slid down the wall and was about to hit the ground, Yue swept in with a slide tackle, sending her flying. Then he unleashed a string of basic attacks.
"Haha, Kaguya-hime, you're done for. The heavens are on my side! I'm a hardcore gamer, you know. Do you know how long I spent grinding this combo?
It's etched deep in my mind. I know the next move even with my eyes closed. All just to keep you airborne and break through your defenses.
This punch carries countless days and nights of practice. Now die!"
After that soul-piercing strike, Kaguya-hime looked dazed and barely had a sliver of health left. But even a sliver still amounted to 100,000 HP.
Watching Kaguya-hime's health tick down one point at a time, Shangguan Yue felt his energy surge. He swung his fists rhythmically, occasionally dipping low to sweep at her.
As Kaguya-hime's health bar gradually emptied, the Chuunibyou God and the subconscious will of the Naruto world began to struggle fiercely above the arena.
"Enough, enough. They're just a few glitches. Let's count this as a test run and call off our bet. Our priority now is to fix the bugs."
The Chuunibyou God watched as the world's power stopped crashing into him from every direction, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. "What a piece of work. You really can't stand to lose even a little."
He looked down at the arena. "So that's what you were waiting for. Fine, I suppose I came out ahead this time."
He turned toward the howling in the void. "All right, I'll give you a trace of world power. That should make up for your loss this time."
When the other party still refused to let it go, the Chuunibyou God sighed. "You're so greedy. Now you're not getting even that trace."
He glanced around. Seeing that the other party had finally settled down, he secretly chuckled. Compared to the other party's losses, the trace of world power he'd given up was nothing—he'd come out far ahead.
In the arena, when Kaguya-hime had only one point of health left, her eyes cleared and came alive. She stared intently at Shangguan Yue, as if she wanted to etch him into her memory.
Shangguan Yue threw his final punch. Her gaze surprised him, but—"Explode already!!!"
The moment Shangguan Yue's fist touched Kaguya-hime's body, she fell from the air and vanished. Then the Balance began to make its announcement.
"Congratulations, you won the battle."
"Congratulations, you obtained the Otsutsuki Clan's bloodline power (incomplete).
Congratulations, you obtained the Favor of the Otsutsuki Clan.
Congratulations, you obtained the Gaze of Kaguya Otsutsuki."
"That's it?... Ah!!!"
Shangguan Yue was about to complain, but a sudden, excruciating pain tore through his body.
After a long while, Shangguan Yue regained his senses. He looked around and clutched his head.
"How did I get back to the control room? My head hurts so much.
Chuuni, Chuuni, come out! What just happened to me?"
The Chuunibyou God's figure appeared in midair and circled Shangguan Yue.
"Hmm~ You seem to have recovered well. But you should thank the one outside. Her energy made your fusion go twice as smoothly."
"Chuuni, what are you talking about?"
Before Shangguan Yue could figure it out, he was kicked out of the Balance of God. His soul returned to his body.
"Ugh."
Shangguan Yue groaned. Feeling the touch on his arm, he jolted awake and opened his eyes, looking to his side.
"Hm? Tsunade? What are you doing here?"
"You're awake? How do you feel?"
"Feel? What's wrong with me?" Shangguan Yue patted himself all over, then got up and stretched. "I'm fine, aren't I?"
"Are you sure you're okay? Just now... Ah, never mind. As long as you're fine. Poof~"
A cloud of smoke appeared where Tsunade had just been standing, then dispersed. "Was that the Body Flicker Technique?"
His envious voice lingered. At that moment, Tsunade suddenly appeared on a tree branch nearby. She stumbled and nearly missed her footing.
Tsunade glanced back at Shangguan Yue's home. Through the light, she saw him moving around inside. Only then did she jump down from the branch and walk away unsteadily.
Before long, Shangguan Yue stepped out of his home and into his yard. It wasn't large, but since he'd always wanted to turn his life around, he'd tinkered with a few little projects there.
Shangguan Yue walked up to a wooden dummy he'd made, clenched his fist, drew back, and punched. With a crack, the dummy split apart and flew several meters away.
"What the heck? Is this really my strength?"
"Chuuni, what's going on?"
"You've already absorbed the rewards you just received. Focus your mind between your brows to inspect your body's attributes."
Shangguan Yue concentrated. Several lines of text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Host: Shangguan Yue Bloodline: Kaguya Otsutsuki's Incomplete Bloodline (can advance; condition: obtain the bloodline branches of Kaguya Otsutsuki scattered throughout the Ninja World), Unknown Bloodline Abilities: God-Slaying Art (Basic Chapter) Amenominakanushi (changes with strength) Devour Evolution (a special evolutionary method of the Otsutsuki Clan, leading straight to the divine realm, the pinnacle of this world) Sage Body (Beginner) Passive Abilities: Favor of the Otsutsuki Clan (Bearing the name of the Otsutsuki Clan, you share in its fortune and inherit its burdens.) Gaze of Kaguya Otsutsuki (Having defeated a fragment of Kaguya Otsutsuki's soul, you have been remembered by her. Blessings and misfortune go hand in hand.) Skills: None Items: Great Xia Dragon Sparrow (a mental weapon that changes with your spiritual power)
"Wait, Chuuni, why is it incomplete?"
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