"My space is being blocked? No... this feeling—it's like I can't even touch him."
"No, it's more like I'm unable to touch him."
"Chōmei, the chakra bounced me back!"
That unreachable sense of distance put Kazuyama Gekkō on the defensive.
He was trying to analyze the situation—why weren't his attacks working? To buy some time, he turned to Chōmei for help.
"Boom!"
A powerful burst of chakra exploded beneath Kazuyama's feet, shattering the ground and launching him back with the recoil.
He narrowly avoided Muren Uchiha's strike.
"Hmph, just as annoying as a fly. Still sharp though."
"But it's useless. You'll never be able to touch me."
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
A fierce flame burst into a streak of light in front of Muren. Enhanced by his Dōjutsu, it shot straight toward Kazuyama's chest.
The flames came too fast. His only option was to evade using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
He escaped once more—this time choosing a more distant spot and avoiding detection.
His thoughts turned to the enemy's Dōjutsu.
From what he could tell, it was a formless power—capable of delivering attacks instantly while rendering his own strikes ineffective.
Space ninjutsu? No... it didn't resemble the space-warping techniques he knew.
"Chōmei, what do you think?"
Chōmei was silent for a moment before sharing his thoughts.
"Hard to say. But I don't think it's space–time ninjutsu. Over time, I've gotten familiar with your Flying Thunder God—it's a spatial jump technique."
"If it were space ninjutsu, there should've been spatial fluctuations when he used it. But when you got close and tried using One Thousand Years of Death, I sensed nothing. That's why I don't think it's space ninjutsu."
"But there was one detail: the moment he looked back at you, your attack was interrupted."
"My advice—try using clones to distract him."
Kazuyama nodded. That was his plan anyway. Most Dōjutsu require visual contact to activate. If the user can't see the target, the jutsu likely can't be used.
Just like Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, even Kamui—they all focus on what the eye sees. He needed to confirm what technique the opponent was using.
"I also need to help Yahiko and the others."
"I wonder how they're holding up."
"Tch, my rhythm's been thrown off."
"No time to waste—let's begin. Shadow Clone Technique!"
Kazuyama activated the Shadow Clone Technique. As white smoke burst out, he followed up immediately.
"Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Clone Technique!"
Both his shadow and crystal clones appeared at once.
Kazuyama and his clones now numbered fifteen. Five of them charged toward Yahiko's group.
The rest followed him straight into an assault on Muren.
"Shadow clones, huh..."
"Fire Release: Lotus Technique."
Muren faced Kazuyama's charge without fear.
A torrent of blue flames filled the sky once again.
"Crystal Release: Torrential Pear Blossom Needle!"
Kazuyama wasn't one to take hits lying down. He wasn't about to just sit there and get attacked.
Crystal senbon shot out, rushing straight for Muren.
The clones joined in too—flames, wind, and senbon bombarded him in a combined assault.
"It's pointless. As long as these eyes are locked on you, your attacks are meaningless."
The same scene repeated. All the attacks froze midair, unable to move forward.
"Is that so..."
"Then what about the ones behind you..."
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A cold voice suddenly came from behind Muren.
The next second, a massive wall of fire surged forward, setting the entire jungle ablaze.
For the first time, Muren showed a flicker of seriousness—he was surrounded and under full assault.
"Boom!"
The barrier blocking attacks vanished. Kazuyama and his clones' combined strikes slammed down, triggering a massive explosion in the forest.
The blast was so loud, even Yahiko and the others heard it.
"What the hell was that?"
"Huh? Is that Kazuyama? A clone?"
"Did he find that strange enemy?"
"Hahaha! Kazuyama, you really are my brother!"
"Charge!"
Reinforcements lit a fire in Yahiko. Even with just a kunai in hand, he launched another attack.
When the explosion cleared, a scorched clearing remained in the forest.
Kazuyama's clones had vanished. He fixed his gaze on a distant tree.
His enemy stood there, a smoldering ember clinging to the edge of his clothing.
The attack had worked—it forced him to retreat.
"Chōmei, I was right. His technique can block what he sees, but it can't stop what he doesn't see."
"Yeah, looks like it. But I still don't know how he's blocking the attacks."
Kazuyama stared at the singed edge of his enemy's cloak, his thoughts racing.
If his Dōjutsu was like Obito's Kamui, then that last attack should've burned him before he could phase away.
But it didn't—it only burned his clothes.
In that moment, one sentence popped into Kazuyama's head: Shukuchi.
A movement technique—traversing thousands of miles in a single step.
A power rooted in speed and distance.
If he could move instantly to any place he saw—then this theory made sense.
Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him.
Distance? An unreachable distance?
At that moment, Kazuyama felt like he'd found the key.
"Chōmei, I want to try something. If I'm right... then I think I've figured out his ability."
Chōmei was stunned. Had he really deduced it so quickly?
This kid Kazuyama... really something...
"Bastard!"
Muren's heart burned with rage—but in that fury, there was also a hint of shock.
He was furious at how pathetic he looked... but surprised by Kazuyama's mastery of Fire Release.
The Uchiha Clan's fire jutsu were top-tier in the ninja world. Yet even he was impressed by that last Great Fire Annihilation.
In that moment, he finally understood why Madara Uchiha had marked Kazuyama for death.
With power like this, he really was a problem.
And Muren knew he had to be eliminated—fast.
The killing intent in his heart was almost tangible now...