The Fourth Beast

31

Enter ExE

III

"My name is Naruto Ōtsutsuki. And I am the one who will put you down."

As Naruto expected, his opponent responded to his taunt with violence. Faster than any regular Deity could react, he was right in front of Naruto, his right arm transformed into a simple blade. His intention was clear, to decapitate Naruto.

And he backed off without missing a beat when his blade clashed with Naruto's katana. But Naruto knew it was not his block that made his enemy retreat. Still, this single collision was quite a revelation for Naruto.

His opponent not only had unique skills but also was quite experienced in battles. And, his opponent was...

"Interesting," Regalzeva took a more cautious stance. Even with Naruto's unique Rinnegan, he had difficulty reading his opponent's facial expression, "You can manipulate 'Reality'."

"And your domain falls under 'Time Manipulation'."

"No reaction," Naruto smiled. At least he was able to pinpoint his opponent's core domain.

It was simple, really. Naruto had created an 'Absolute Domain' around him using his 'Reality Manipulation'. When one entered the area, they would not be able to use their abilities if they relied on core concepts of a world. Because in that small area, his power was absolute.

Of course, it did not work that well against strong opponents such as the one in front of him. Still, it was advantageous when it came to identifying his opponent's domain. From the moment one stepped inside his area, he could feel the connection as his opponents would try to subconsciously wrestle him for control of that conceptual domain.

As the saying went, knowledge was just as powerful as strength.

Unfortunately, he could not use this technique against opponents of this caliber since the cons outweighed the pros. One major issue was that it required constant focus and put a heavy toll on his mind, something that would definitely put him in a disadvantageous situation during a battle. The other weakness was that this technique could not block long-range fast attacks, even if they had indirect links to concepts.

And he could tell that this particular opponent would utilize that technique's weaknesses once he found them.

But before all this, he needed to clarify, "Why do you fight?"

"And why does it matter to you?"

Naruto waved his unarmed hand around him, "Our world has done nothing to you. I mean, today is the first time that we have met. And yet, you seek war against us."

"Does an Empire need a reason to expand its territory? To subjugate the lesser?"

"What a twisted bastard, ey partner?"

Naruto let out a serene smile, "So it seems, Kurama."

Naruto took a deep breath as he steadied his heartbeat.

Unlike what anyone else had said, he knew that he was not perfect.

His mindset, his view on the world, his approach toward enemies... they were flawed. He acknowledged it. Regardless he still held onto that belief, both in the past and the present, since it was his 'Nindo'. It was his belief, a flawed one, that many people could be saved through words and compassion instead of fists and might, regardless of their origins.

Yes, his belief was not perfect, but it was not completely wrong either. After all, his way of handling his enemies got him quite a few friends and favors. One prime example was his partner, Kurama. The Biju, who was rejected by everyone gave all of his powers and wisdom to help Naruto achieve his dreams, regardless of the consequences. His partner gave him his unconditional support until the very end.