In the sealed space, Mahito's hands—strong enough to distort ordinary souls—clamped tightly around Naruto's consciousness-form throat as he snarled and activated Idle Transfiguration.
He expected to hear a scream and watch the annoying blond brat twist into a warped toy in his hands.
However, the next second, the savage grin on his face froze.
"Huh?! What's going on?"
He felt his power slam into an invisible yet indestructible barrier!
Naruto's soul was countless times "harder" than he had imagined. His transfiguration power was like a stream crashing against a boulder, unable to shake it in the slightest!
"Damn it! Let go of me!" Naruto's consciousness-form began kicking wildly. Although he felt pain, his soul was not being kneaded at will as Mahito had expected.
"Impossible! As long as it's a soul, it can't resist me!" Shocked and furious, Mahito continued increasing the force he exerted, but it was still futile.
While the two were locked in a stalemate, no one noticed that, in the outside world, the Talisman bearing the "Sheep" symbol inside Naruto's clothing was radiating a gentle glow.
It turned out that the Sheep Talisman possessed the ability to protect souls, which was why Mahito's Idle Transfiguration had failed to take effect.
Just as the Sheep Talisman's glow reached its brightest—
Whoosh!
The scenery surrounding Naruto in the sealed space rippled like water before shattering!
The dark and oppressive sealed space vanished in an instant. Cold sea wind, damp mist, and the damaged bridge deck once again filled their senses.
They had actually returned to the bridge in the real world! At the critical moment, the Sheep Talisman's power had interfered with the soul level and forcibly dragged them back to reality!
The sudden spatial shift left both Mahito and Naruto stunned.
Mahito recovered first. Although he did