"So, just a youngster."
Isshiki's voice was cold and indifferent, carrying an air of condescending scrutiny and appraisal.
He sensed that this teenage Naruto Uzumaki before him was noticeably weaker than the Seventh he had suppressed earlier with Daikokuten.
And Otohime had not only regressed to childhood; her presence was so feeble that she had less than a tenth of her strength left.
Good. Very good.
Isshiki sneered inwardly.
I'll use that irritating Otohime to grow another God Tree and make up for the fruit she stole from me back then.
And this younger, slightly weaker Naruto Uzumaki...
Perhaps he'll make a fine bonus, too. He also has part of the Ten-Tails inside him.
"Wood Clone Technique."
While Isshiki was scheming, Young Naruto made the first move.
Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly formed hand seals.
Mindful of how precious his chakra was, he used only the bare minimum to create two Wood Clones made of Wood Release chakra.
These two clones were not strong, but they were agile and stealthy enough. Naruto conveyed his instructions clearly through his mind: wait for an opening and prepare to evacuate the noncombatants from the battlefield.
Upon receiving their original's orders, the two Wood Clones immediately used Subterranean Voyage to slip underground.
"Eight Gates Formation-open!"
Young Naruto followed with a low roar. Like floodwaters bursting through a dam, the chakra inside him surged along a forbidden route, furiously battering the seven chakra gates within his body!
A series of muffled, drumlike sounds rang out inside him as the gates opened! With each gate, the waves of chakra bursting around him grew stronger, their color gradually shifting from green to blue tinged with golden light.
Boom!
The instant the Seventh Gate, the Gate of Wonder, swung fully open, an earth-shaking blast of energy erupted