Chapter 673: Overwhelming Power, Legendary Strength!

Chapter 673: Overwhelming Power, Legendary Strength!



Enma initially thought Son Ryouka was a stronger version of Hanzo.

Now it seems, this is no ordinary Hanzo, he's practically another Uchiha Madara.

Moreover, unlike Yu Sheng Mu Yue, who is still growing, Son Ryouka's strength is already approaching that of the two legendary ninjas.

At this moment, Enma's heart was filled with bitterness. With such power, why didn't you fiercely wage war, seek benefits for the Rain Country, and make a name for yourself? Instead, you hide in Six Paths City as the leader of a small ninja organization.

If Enma had known Son Ryouka's strength, he would have never wanted to stand against him before Yu Sheng Mu Yue grew up.

"He just disappeared like that!" Mizuhoto Monen's eyes widened in shock.

Son Ryouka's abilities gave him the feeling that they were not ninjas of the same era.

Even with the Third Raikage's Lightning Chakra Mode, Mizuhoto Monen could tell that it was the effect of the Lightning Chakra activating his body. But Son Ryouka's ninjutsu was beyond his comprehension.

It was either an unknown defense with no blind spots or an incomprehensible annihilation out of thin air.

From start to finish, he hadn't seen Son Ryouka form a single hand seal. Was he even a ninja?

"This is dangerous." Orochimaru's expression also turned grim.

Forget about gaining the upper hand, Enma's attack had no effect whatsoever.

Actually, it did have some effect; they learned another piece of intelligence about Son Ryouka. But the problem was that Son Ryouka's displayed strength was too powerful, and knowing this information couldn't change the battle situation.

"What's going on here? If this continues, how did Shinshu disappear, and how did the Evil Akatsuki appear?" Zhi Shui furrowed his brows.

He originally thought the battle would end with Enma killing Son Ryouka, and then Shinshu would decline, with some members forming the Evil Akatsuki to continue their activities in the Shinobi World.

But with Son Ryouka's current display of strength, even if Zhi Shui used his Eye Technique on Enma, it might not be enough to turn the tide.

At this moment, the Shinshu ninjas finally understood the true value of their leader's promise to return soon.

What's so great about the Third Hokage's Jutsu Instructor? He's no match for their teacher, Son Ryouka.

"Confidence truly comes from raw power," Kakudo marveled in his heart.

Before, he had always wondered why Son Ryouka wasn't afraid of Konoha and what his backup plan was. Now he understood completely.

If he had this strength, he wouldn't be afraid either.

With Son Ryouka's level of strength, whether it was an elite squad's pursuit or a ninja force's encirclement, it might be like a meat bun hitting a dog—gone without a trace.

When Konoha realized Son Ryouka's true strength, Danzo's death became insignificant.

Compared to the loss of face and the consequences of going to war with Son Ryouka, it was like comparing sesame seeds to watermelons.

"I can only look for an opportunity to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. That invisible shield should be unable to defend against the God of Death." Enma grasped the Golden Wish Staff that had been withdrawn, his mind made up.

The Dead Demon Consuming Seal was not an ordinary ninjutsu; it was a soul-level attack, theoretically impossible to be blocked by defensive ninjutsu.

Of course, while it couldn't be blocked, it could still be evaded. So, Enma had to choose the right moment to use it.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Enma swiftly formed hand seals and created two shadow clones.

Whoosh!

The two shadow clones immediately rushed towards the charging Son Ryouka at high speed, while Enma's main body followed slightly behind.

Whoosh!

Enma drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and threw it towards Son Ryouka.

But before Enma's shadow clone could multiply the kunai, Yu Sheng Mu Yue's gaze swept over the incoming kunai, directly shrinking it to an invisible size.

"Wind Style: Cyclone!"

One of Enma's shadow clones ran while swiftly forming hand seals, unleashing a massive storm.

The other shadow clone silently gathered chakra, preparing to use Earth Style to trap Son Ryouka.

Whoosh!

Yu Sheng Mu Yue switched from the Fire Style to the Rock Style, then focused his breathing to enter the Rock Style Chakra Mode, greatly enhancing his physical abilities and increasing his speed.

Boom!

With limitless defense, Yu Sheng Mu Yue directly broke through the storm filled with sharp wind blades and punched the shadow clone using Wind Style, shattering it.

"Earth Style: Yellow Springs Swamp!"

The other shadow clone, who had already prepared, instantly unleashed the gathered chakra, turning the ground beneath Yu Sheng Mu Yue into an inescapable swamp.

"Dead Demon..."

Enma also seized this opportunity to form hand seals and gather chakra, intending to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to trade his life for Son Ryouka's.

"Explosive Punch!"

Yu Sheng Mu Yue burst forth with terrifying power, flashing to Enma's side and delivering a powerful punch.

He had been trapped in the Yellow Springs Swamp earlier simply because Yu Sheng Mu Yue wanted to demonstrate his strength; he never thought this ninjutsu would be useful against him.

Whoosh!

Yu Sheng Mu Yue, already in the Rock Style Chakra Mode, had immense strength, and with the additional gathered chakra, his power rose to another level.

With this terrifying power, Yu Sheng Mu Yue's mere punch created a gust of wind that hit Enma's face, causing him to wince in pain.

Whoosh!

At this critical moment, the Golden Wish Staff standing beside Enma swiftly elongated and thickened, blocking Enma behind it.

Boom!!

But this overwhelming power even knocked the Golden Wish Staff back, and Enma was sent flying.

"Hiss, this guy's power is even stronger than yours." The Ape Summon, who had been knocked to the ground, gasped in shock.

The weight of the Golden Wish Staff increased as it grew in size, and Enma, with his extraordinary strength, wielded it with ease as if it were an extension of his own body.

Son Ryouka's punch was so powerful that the Ape Summon felt as if he had been struck by a meteorite.

"Cough, cough." Enma quickly got back on his feet, but couldn't stop himself from coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Although the Ape Summon's transformation into the Golden Wish Staff had blocked Son Ryouka's attack, the heavy staff had also hit him, causing significant damage to his body.

"Huff." Enma panted heavily, and before he could decide on his next move, he saw the Shadow Clone that had stopped Son Ryouka's pursuit being swiftly destroyed by Son Ryouka.

Enma's heart sank to the bottom of a valley.

He realized that he had underestimated Son Ryouka. The Dead Demon Consuming Seal was indeed powerful, but when the strength gap was too great, achieving mutual destruction became incredibly difficult.

"Go!"

Enma swung the Golden Wish Staff, aiming it at Son Ryouka.

No matter how difficult it was, as the Third Hokage, he couldn't give up.

Forcing a feud with the Shinshu was a grave mistake, but it was too late to change things now. The only option he had left was to ensure mutual destruction with Son Ryouka.

If Son Ryouka survived and Enma died, the path to Konoha's peak would once again be shrouded in mist.

Enma believed that given time, Yu Sheng Mu Yue would not be inferior to Son Ryouka and might even surpass him. However, the problem was that Son Ryouka might not give Yu Sheng Mu Yue the time he needed to develop.

As the Golden Wish Staff flew through the air, it grew thicker and longer, transforming into an incredibly massive club that smashed towards Son Ryouka.

"Lightning Style: Sixteen Pillars Binding Technique!"

Enma ran while gathering chakra and swiftly performed hand seals to use his ninjutsu.

He had given up on using offensive ninjutsu, as even his strongest technique, the Five Elements Continuous Shot, had proven ineffective against Son Ryouka.

Instead, he turned to sealing and barrier ninjutsu, hoping that they would give him a chance to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and achieve mutual destruction with Son Ryouka.

The Golden Wish Staff, upon approaching Yu Sheng Mu Yue, quickly created dozens of clones, and numerous massive Golden Wish Staffs rained down on Yu Sheng Mu Yue.

At the same time, the ground shook with loud rumbling as numerous thick stone pillars rose, adorned with lightning.

"Great Black Heaven!"

Yu Sheng Mu Yue paid no attention to the onslaught of giant kunai, and with a glance at the incoming Golden Wish Staff, numerous gigantic black cubes appeared and crushed the original staff and its clones to the ground.

Boom!!

The Ape Summon, struck by the black cubes, suffered severe injuries and was forced out of its transformed state. Enma immediately severed the Summoning Jutsu, and the Ape Summon dissipated into white smoke before everyone's eyes.

"Even the Ape Summon couldn't withstand it," Orochimaru speculated that the black cubes summoned by Son Ryouka were not ordinary.

In Orochimaru's understanding, the Ape Summon was a top-tier summoning beast, even stronger than his Ten Thousand Serpents.

Boom!!

Under the onslaught of the black cubes, many of the lightning pillars created by Enma shattered.

Enma quickly retreated and gathered his chakra.

"He can use so many at once," Enma realized with each battle that Son Ryouka was an unfathomable opponent.

"I have no choice but to take a gamble!" Enma knew that at this moment, he had lost the right to choose. His hands moved swiftly.

Even if using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal might not seal Son Ryouka, he had no other option now.

If he didn't use it now, his condition would only deteriorate further, making it even more difficult to achieve mutual destruction with Son Ryouka.

However, if he used it now and brought Orochimaru and the others into the battle, there was still a chance to kill Son Ryouka.

Enma was relieved that Mizuhoto Monen had come along, as Orochimaru, Zhi Shui, and the Jonin might not have been enough on their own.

After all, the Shinshu side also had Kakudo and Nagato.

Although it was his idea to challenge Son Ryouka to a duel, Enma couldn't worry about that now. He was willing to bear some criticism if it meant protecting Konoha from harm.

"Dead Demon Consuming..."

Just as Enma was about to complete the final hand seal, Son Ryouka's speed suddenly increased by several levels, disrupting Enma's plan with this sudden change.

According to Enma's estimation, the distance between them allowed him to complete at least three more hand seals.

Bang!

An incredibly heavy force swept over Enma, sending him flying and causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood as he fell to the ground.

"Third Hokage-sama!" The Konoha Jonin revealed expressions of disbelief.

Their incredibly powerful Third Hokage had been defeated so easily, losing to a Rain Country ninja in a one-on-one battle.

Shush!

The Konoha Jonin became agitated, drawing their weapons and gathering chakra.

With their leader in danger, they couldn't afford to worry about rules.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Mizuhoto Monen, without hesitation, summoned a pile of kunai with explosive tags and threw them at Son Ryouka to stop his pursuit.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Orochimaru gathered his chakra and summoned the Ten Thousand Serpents.

Zhi Shui quietly activated his Trifoliate Sharingan and approached Enma, ready to use the Divine Emperor's Soul Production to save Enma's life.

"Godly Hell Sign!"

Nagato, who had been closely observing the battlefield, swiftly moved forward and detonated the explosive tags on the kunai, sending them flying.

"Haha, so you Leaf ninjas call this a one-on-one challenge, but it's a group of you against our leader alone?"

Kakudo formed hand seals, and behind him, numerous thin black tentacles erupted, with two Earth Grudge Fear masks moving to his shoulders.

Old Purple quietly stepped forward, gathering his chakra and preparing to take action at any moment.

His unique identity meant that acting rashly might cause trouble for the Shinshu, so he had to wait until the full-scale battle erupted.

The other Shinshu ninjas also bravely drew their weapons, ready to fight the Leaf ninjas.

The atmosphere became tense as both the Leaf and Shinshu ninjas prepared for a life-or-death battle.

Yuya Mumon ignored the Leaf ninjas and quickly approached the fallen Monkey Fly Hashirama.

A barrage of attacks rained down on Yuya Mumon, but they were all blocked by the Shinshu ninjas.

Ten Thousand Serpents, with its massive body, broke through the defense line and lunged at Yuya Mumon, only to be forced back by a huge cube falling from the sky without warning.

Seeing that the battle had officially begun, Old Purple also took action, spitting out numerous Melt Style fireballs towards the Leaf ninjas.

"It turns out the Shinshu has a powerful Melt Style ninja," Mizuhoto Monen frowned.

This situation caught him off guard. He had only accounted for the two powerful ninjas, Long Door and Kakudo, and never expected the Shinshu to have another Melt Style expert.

Mizuhoto Monen was perplexed. How could the ninjas of this faction be so good at hiding?

As he watched Son Ryouka and Monkey Fly Hashirama getting closer, Mizuhoto Monen felt extremely anxious.

Whether considering their identities or personal relationships, he did not want Monkey Fly Hashirama to die.

"Wait, he doesn't seem to have murderous intent." Zhi Shui, who had gathered a large amount of chakra in his Trifoliate Sharingan, suppressed the idea of using his eye technique.

He felt that Son Ryouka might not kill Monkey Fly Hashirama.

If Son Ryouka wanted to kill Monkey Fly Hashirama, he wouldn't need to get close; he could just use a ninjutsu.

As for why others didn't think of this, Zhi Shui thought it might be because they were too hasty.

Of course, it was also possible that others believed Son Ryouka wanted to get close to kill.

Zhi Shui silently observed the two.

With the insight of the Trifoliate Sharingan, he should be able to provide Divine Emperor's Soul Production to Son Ryouka before he made a move.

Sensing Son Ryouka's approach, Monkey Fly Hashirama, who was struggling to get up, subconsciously drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and threw it at Son Ryouka.

Under Yuya Mumon's gaze, the kunai in Monkey Fly Hashirama's hand rapidly shrank, and in an instant, Monkey Fly Hashirama felt his hand become empty.

At that moment, Monkey Fly Hashirama felt a sense of helplessness that was hard to describe.

This feeling of helplessness was even stronger than when he witnessed the battle between Uchiha Madara and Senju Tsunade in his youth.

It wasn't that Son Ryouka's strength surpassed theirs, but at that time, Monkey Fly Hashirama only needed to watch, while now he was personally fighting against Son Ryouka.

Suddenly, Monkey Fly Hashirama laughed.

It wasn't a sycophantic laugh, nor a smile of relief, but a self-deprecating one.

It was too ridiculous; he found himself truly ridiculous this time.

He had confidently sought a fight with Son Ryouka, yet he couldn't even touch Son Ryouka once.

It was supposedly for the sake of the Leaf's reputation, but in reality, it was mostly due to personal grudges.

Monkey Fly Hashirama wasn't afraid of death. During the Warring States period decades ago, the average lifespan of a ninja was only thirty years, and he was already fifty-four this year, the combined age of two short-lived Warring States ninjas.

What troubled him was that in the final stage of his life, he had made such a huge mistake.

His death was insignificant compared to the potential setback for the Leaf Village. If the village suffered because of him, he would have no face to face the First and Second Hokage after his death.

"Sorry, Yuya Mumon," Monkey Fly Hashirama apologized in his heart.

Yuya Mumon could have trained for a few years as the Hokage Advisor and then ascended to the position of Hokage, leading the Leaf Village to a new pinnacle.

But due to his impulsiveness and wrong judgment, Yuya Mumon was about to be forced to succeed as the Hokage, possibly facing Son Ryouka's retaliation and the chain reaction of his mistakes.

Even his favorite disciple, Zhi Shui, might be harmed because of him, which made Monkey Fly Hashirama feel guilty.

At this moment, Yuya Mumon reached out and grabbed Monkey Fly Hashirama's hand.

Monkey Fly Hashirama made his final resistance and struggle. As the Hokage, as long as he had a shred of strength left, he would fight to the end, so as not to disgrace the name of the Hokage.

Zhi Shui, who was fighting the Shinshu ninjas, had beads of sweat on his forehead, and his tension reached its peak.

There was no other way; once Divine Emperor's Soul Production was used, it might not be available again for several years or even longer. He had to use it cautiously; otherwise, what if Yuya Mumon encountered danger again?

"Hashirama!"

Mizuhoto Monen was extremely anxious but couldn't escape Kakudo's entanglement and couldn't get close to Son Ryouka.

"Hmm?"

Orochimaru, who was fighting Long Door, noticed Monkey Fly Hashirama with his peripheral vision and sensed something, withdrawing some of his power.

"Hokage, you can't just lie down to rest after intense exercise."

Yuya Mumon directly pulled Monkey Fly Hashirama up and performed a Palm Healing Technique on his shoulder.

Despite various factors, Monkey Fly Hashirama had indeed helped Yuya Mumon a lot, and he never had the intention to kill Monkey Fly Hashirama.

Of course, since Monkey Fly Hashirama had initiated the conflict, Yuya Mumon didn't hesitate to take advantage of him.

In fact, if Yuya Mumon wanted to defeat Monkey Fly Hashirama, Monkey Fly Hashirama wouldn't be able to use many ninjutsu.

He had Enma continuously unleash powerful ninjutsu to showcase his abilities, intending to make Enma and others realize one thing: Son Ryouka was incredibly strong, not just ordinary.

This would make it easier for Yu Sheng Mu Yue to carry out his subsequent plans.

"Son Ryouka, you..."

Feeling his healing body, Enma was stunned, looking at Son Ryouka with confusion and bewilderment.

What the hell? The enemy I just fought to the death suddenly healed me.

Seeing this, Zhi Shui's heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally relaxed as the Genjutsu was preserved.

"What's going on? How did this guy...?"

The Konoha Jonin noticed this scene and wore extremely confused expressions.

Although they were all engaged in battle, everyone was paying more or less attention to Enma's situation, as the fight had started because of them.

"Stop fighting, it's just a friendly spar," Yu Sheng Mu Yue shouted to the battling ninjas.

The fight had just begun, and only a few ninjas had suffered minor injuries; no one had been sacrificed.

The most revered leader personally ordered a halt, and the Shinshu ninjas calmly withdrew.

The Leaf Village ninjas also stopped attacking and turned their attention to Enma.

Enma glanced at Son Ryouka and eventually sighed, nodding in agreement, "Stop fighting, there's no need for this battle."

He didn't know what Son Ryouka was up to, but stopping now was indeed beneficial for them.

If the fight continued, the Leaf Village would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses, and without Enma, Orochimaru and his group might even manage to escape.

Mizuhoto Monen quickly walked to Enma's side, looking at Son Ryouka with caution, and then whispered to Enma, "Enma, are you okay?"

"Thanks to Son Ryouka's timely treatment, I'm fine for now," Enma replied.

Seeing Enma free from his severely injured state, Yu Sheng Mu Yue released Enma, lest Enma think he wanted to leave something on his body.

Mizuhoto Monen quickly protected Enma, moving him to the back, while the other Leaf Village ninjas also guarded Enma.

However, Enma soon stopped, forcing the other Leaf Village ninjas to halt as well.

"Son Ryouka, I am not as strong as you. This battle is your victory," Enma said with a complex expression.

As the Hokage, Enma had his pride, and in his life, he had only felt inferior to three people: Senju Tsunade, Uchiha Madara, and Yu Sheng Mu Yue.

Now, there was a fourth person: Son Ryouka.

It was as if the principle of the Shinobi World was that geniuses rarely appeared alone; either they didn't show up, or they came in pairs.

Decades ago, there were Uchiha Madara and Senju Tsunade, and now there were Yu Sheng Mu Yue and Son Ryouka.

"There are always people stronger than you, and the Shinobi World has too many powerful ninjas," Zhi Shui thought to himself.

He had thought Yu Sheng Mu Yue was already strong enough, but he never expected Son Ryouka to be even more unfathomable.

Even a powerful ninja like Enma had been nearly crushed by him.

"That guy, Son Ryouka, has caused such a huge disaster for the village," Mizuhoto Monen thought resentfully.

He didn't blame Enma; if it weren't for Uchiha Danzo's private actions to assassinate Son Ryouka, the situation wouldn't have escalated like this.

After all, Son Ryouka was a terrifying existence with strength approaching that of the God of the Ninja.

"I wonder if his cells have any special abilities?"

Orochimaru glanced at Son Ryouka and felt a sense of regret. Son Ryouka hadn't suffered any injuries, and no materials had been dropped.

"Your combination ninjutsu is impressive, Hokage-sama. I doubt I'll forget it anytime soon," Yu Sheng Mu Yue replied with a faint smile.

Yu Sheng Mu Yue's response made Enma's mood even more complex.

He had come with the intention of killing Son Ryouka, but not only did Son Ryouka spare his life, but he also praised his ninjutsu.

It seemed like he had lost thoroughly in every aspect.

Kakudo approached Yu Sheng Mu Yue and watched as Enma and the others left, then asked in a low voice, "Are we just letting them go? If the Shinshu continues to grow stronger, it will inevitably clash with the Five Great Shinobi Villages again, especially since the Land of Fire is our neighboring country."

Currently, the Shinobi World was dominated by the Five Great Shinobi Villages, which controlled most of the resources, while the smaller villages and other ninja factions picked up the scraps left behind.

Kakudo believed that if the Shinshu continued to develop, the Five Great Shinobi Villages would not stand idly by, and the emergence of a sixth major ninja force would undoubtedly have a significant impact on the existing order.

Given the already strained relationship with the Leaf Village, Kakudo thought that killing Enma and the others would be a good choice.

After all, two high-ranking members of the Leaf Village were present, including the Hokage, and one of the Legendary Three Sannin, Orochimaru, was also there.

If they all died, the Leaf Village would not only lose three powerful ninjas but also suffer a blow to its prestige.

"It's fine, conflict is good. The more, the merrier," Yu Sheng Mu Yue replied with a smile.

"What do you mean by that?" Kakudo asked, looking at Son Ryouka with confusion.

It couldn't be that Son Ryouka wanted to take on all the major ninja villages at once.

"Perhaps that's what you're thinking," Yu Sheng Mu Yue replied, and then his gaze quickly scanned all the black cubes, returning them to the Great Black Heaven.

He had tested it; each time he threw one inside, it disappeared, and if he didn't retrieve them, he might run out one day.

PS:

No writer's block today, just managed to write 6k words by 3 am. Cheers to that, and please support with monthly votes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end