Shihōin Naraku tilted his head aside, avoiding the short blade Momoshiki Otsutsuki thrust at him.
Momoshiki gritted his teeth, and the short blade in his left hand immediately swept toward Naraku's waist.
Naraku kept his feet planted, leaning only his upper body backward in a very slight arc.
The movement was small, but it let him dodge Momoshiki's attack with ease.
At the very instant he leaned back, Naraku swept Kurikara upward in his right hand.
The slash was not fast, but its angle was exceptionally tricky.
The tip passed between Momoshiki's twin blades and struck precisely at the center of his chest.
It was the very spot that had been pierced earlier and that he had only just forcibly healed with medicinal pills.
The moment the tip touched his clothing, Momoshiki's pupils contracted, and the chakra throughout his body erupted.
He shot backward, narrowly avoiding having the blade pierce his chest.
But the force at the tip still struck his chest through his clothing.
Momoshiki stumbled half a step after landing, his face paling as he let out a muffled grunt.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki stepped in the instant he retreated.
He had clearly seen that the moment Momoshiki was forced back was a gap between Naraku's attacks. Even an opening of half a second was worth an all-out attempt.
Isshiki spread the five fingers of his right hand.
The next second, three thumb-thick black chakra rods appeared out of thin air, shooting toward Naraku in a triangular formation.
The chakra rods appeared without warning, moving extremely fast at close range.
Naraku's figure swayed slightly just as the rods reached him.
The three black chakra rods pierced his "body" and struck the ground behind him, burying themselves deep in the rock.
But the pierced "Naraku" was slowly fading into the air.