Over five thousand Kumogakure shinobi had sunk beneath the water, dead.
Of the remaining four thousand, all were in a semi-conscious state, completely incapacitated.
The only ones still standing, a mere one thousand shinobi, had somehow endured the effects of Go Tenjin. Their consciousness had not faded completely, yet their bodies trembled from the lingering effects of the illusionary deaths they had suffered.
Though the genjutsu had ended, the pain of being burned alive by magma, the sensation of skin, muscles, and bones melting away, the despair of facing certain death, all of it remained vividly imprinted in their minds.
They had died, and yet they were still alive.
That contradiction gripped their very souls, twisting their perception of reality itself.
Even though the hellish vision of doomsday had faded, replaced by the calm waters of the valley, the sheer shock of their experiences refused to disappear.
Was that really just an illusion…?
Even as their senses told them the nightmare was over, doubt festered within them.
This was not just genjutsu.
It was a domineering, absolute illusion, a technique so overpowering that even though the victims were physically unharmed, their minds and souls still bore the scars of death itself.
Those who had remained standing were all highly resilient shinobi.
Even so, they struggled to suppress the phantom pain, but despite their suffering, they forced themselves back into battle stances.
"You held on, huh?" Ye Zi's cold gaze swept across the remaining thousand shinobi, his voice calm and indifferent.
Though they had survived, their strength was only at thirty percent at best.
Even the Third Raikage and A, despite their unparalleled strength, were no longer at their peak.
To Ye Zi, they were nothing more than walking corpses.
"It was genjutsu… but—" The Third Raikage clenched his fists, his body coated in sweat.
His expression remained firm, but the subtle signs of weakness could not be hidden.
For the first time in his life, he found himself this battered, this vulnerable.
The heat of the magma, the electrifying agony of the crimson lightning, the crushing despair of dying, it had all felt too real.
Even now, despite the illusion being long over, his skin still felt like it had been burned. His organs felt as if they had been scorched from the inside.
"What a ruthless genjutsu…"
Even he was this affected, so what about the others?
Every shinobi that had been caught in Gotenjin still bore the phantom effects of their deaths.
Some had been crushed to dust by falling meteors.
Some had been dissolved into bones by the superheated steam.
Some had been charred into blackened husks by the crimson lightning.
Some had been consumed by magma and reduced to ashes.
Though their bodies remained intact, their minds and souls had suffered the trauma as if it were real.
And the five thousand who had drowned?
They had failed to withstand the psychological collapse, they had believed themselves to be dead.
And so, when the illusion ended, they truly died.
If an autopsy were performed, the result would show brain death.
The four thousand who had fallen into comas had fared only slightly better.
Though still alive, they would not awaken for some time, and even when they did, their minds would be in ruins.
Even the one thousand who still stood were crippled by the lingering trauma, needing considerable time to fully recover.
But, Ye Zi had no intention of giving them that time.
"What kind of genjutsu is this…?"
"Why do I feel pain when I haven't been injured?"
"Is it those eyes? The Uchiha's power…?"
"Where did everyone go…?"
The silence of The Valley of Clouds and Lightning was filled only with whispers of confusion and despair.
The Kumogakure shinobi finally noticed, half of their comrades were simply… gone.
They stared at the empty water surface, where once ten thousand had stood.
Now, only four thousand remained afloat, and even then, most were unconscious.
The Third Raikage's fury erupted like an unstoppable volcano.
Paradise to damnation… was it really that easy?
Go Tenjin was like a massive reservoir, absorbing endless genjutsu energy over time.
There were two ways to unleash its power: A focused attack, like when Ye Zi had trapped the Third Raikage in a single-person illusion or a full-scale release—like what had just happened, where the entire stored energy was unleashed at once, affecting every shinobi in range.
This method was devastating with five thousand dead, four thousand crippled and one thousand, broken.
But it had one major flaw, it was indiscriminate.
Even allies would be affected if caught in the range.
Furthermore, now that Ye Zi had used it once, he could not use it again immediately, it would take time to recharge its power.
But that didn't matter, because he had already shattered the enemy's formation.
The best opportunity to capture Killer Bee had arrived.
Without warning, Killer Bee fully transformed.
His body expanded into the colossal form of the Eight-Tails, its tentacles whipping through the air, generating powerful gusts of wind.
The Third Raikage, his body still coated in lightning, forcibly ignored the lingering pain, and charged forward.
A white wave of water trailed behind him as he raced toward Ye Zi, his rage uncontrollable.
Unforgivable. His anger was not from the genjutsu itself.
It was from the fact that a single technique had wiped out five thousand of his people.
Not even the Third Great Ninja War had cost them such a devastating loss but now because of one man's genjutsu, half of their forces had perished instantly.
Unacceptable!
His fists clenched tightly, his roar blending with the crackling thunder, as he closed the distance in an instant.
He swung his fist toward Ye Zi's skull, putting all his strength into a single devastating blow.
He was ready, if Ye Zi tried to block with his sword, the Third Raikage was prepared to sacrifice his right hand, just to grab Ye Zi's throat with his left… and break it.
However, Ye Zi did not swing his blade at the incoming fist.
Instead, he simply extended his left hand and caught the punch.
Boom!
A deep, resounding shockwave erupted as water surged outward in all directions.
The Third Raikage, his fist fully extended, remained frozen in place.
His massive right fist, brimming with rage and raw power, was completely stopped, held firmly in Ye Zi's left hand.
"Barehanded… he caught it?!" The Third Raikage's eyes widened in disbelief.
A punch fueled by all his fury and strength, one that had never failed, had been caught effortlessly.
It hadn't even pushed Ye Zi back a single step.
The nearly one thousand Kumogakure shinobi watching from the sidelines felt their hearts tremble.
This, this shouldn't be possible. No one had ever caught the Third Raikage's punch. Much less with such ease.
And then, crack.
A sharp, chilling sound rang across the valley.
The sound of bones shattering.
Ye Zi tightened his grip, and crushed the Third Raikage's fist.
This wasn't a simple fracture.
It was a complete, pulverizing break.
A hand much smaller than the Raikage's, yet capable of crushing his enormous fist like brittle glass.
The Third Raikage's face stiffened, his mind momentarily unable to process the pain.
Ye Zi's lips curled into a cold, mocking smile.
But the Third Raikage, a warrior hardened by countless battles, quickly forced himself to discard his hesitation.
Ignoring the searing pain in his shattered right hand, he channeled all his strength into his left fist, preparing to launch a second, desperate strike.
"It's just one arm, consider it a gift."
The Third Raikage's eyes burned with fury.
His expression twisted into pure rage, like the wrathful Thunder God himself.
Yet, Ye Zi moved even faster.
His grip on the Raikage's wrist tightened, and in a single, vicious motion, he twisted.
A monstrous torque of power surged through the Third Raikage's right arm.
Crunch!
The sickening snap of bone pierced the battlefield's silence.
His arm twisted unnaturally, the broken bones stabbing through the skin, flesh tearing apart in a gruesome spectacle.
But the Third Raikage didn't scream.
Not a single sound of pain escaped his lips.
Instead, he swung his left fist, aiming directly for Ye Zi's head.
A direct, final strike, but Ye Zi was already waiting.
He raised his sword, a long, jet-black, and thrust it forward.
The Third Raikage's left fist, the unbreakable weapon of Kumogakure, was pierced.
The blade drove clean through the flesh, through the tendons.
Through the bones.
It did not stop.
The sword pierced deeper, running through his forearm, up toward the shoulder.
And then, Ye Zi twisted his wrist, angling the blade straight toward the Raikage's heart.
The unshakable; unbreakable warrior, known as a "monster" among men, suddenly froze...
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Currently on Chapter 565 - His Tired Heart