Beyond the boundary of the Six Paths Life-and-Death Shogi.
Space here was relatively stable, and the turbulent energy had grown calmer, as though this were a buffer between two worlds.
Below lay the hazy, illusory scenery of the Pure Land; above stretched an ever-shifting canopy of energy.
Two figures hovered quietly in the void at this boundary, seemingly apart from the grand game that would decide the Shinobi World's future, yet watching everything within it closely.
One was a white-haired boy.
His delicate features still held a trace of childishness, but his purple eyes were unusually composed, as though they could see through the workings of the world.
Now those eyes were fixed on the distant battlefield, which the crimson dragon had just ravaged and where the dust and smoke had yet to fully clear. They were filled with indescribable shock.
His lips parted slightly, as though he wanted to say something, but the unimaginable power before him left him speechless. Only after a long while did he murmur:
"Is this a level humans can reach?"
That strike, which burned away life and shook a descendant of the gods-that ultimate expression of Taijutsu, so utterly pure that it transcended Ninjutsu-had profoundly challenged his understanding.
As he understood it, the human body had limits, and chakra was the source of power.
Yet those two had unleashed destructive power equal to, or even greater than, a divine technique through the raw strength of their bodies alone.
Beside him stood a blond young man.
He was tall and handsome, with the steadiness and wisdom of someone who had weathered many storms in his expression, yet the faint hint of a sunny smile still lingered at his lips.
Most striking were his azure eyes, like the clearest sky.
Hearing the white-haired boy's question, the