Even the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki's famed Dust Release could not break through this mysterious powerhouse's defense.
The Iwa ninja were horrified, and that fear spread at once among the elite shinobi who had barely endured Brook's burst of Conqueror's Haki.
Meanwhile, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path continued devouring the chakra and life force of the fallen Iwa ninja, while Brook harvested their souls through his Underworld methods.
"No! Stop! Please stop! We surrender!"
Ōnoki shouted frantically, his eyes wide with terror.
"We are willing to sign a peace treaty! We will compensate Konoha for all losses!"
In barely ten seconds, thousands of Iwa ninja had already died to Brook and the Demonic Statue. The scale of the slaughter made his scalp go numb.
If this continued, then in just a few more minutes, the seven or eight thousand Iwa genin on the battlefield would be wiped out completely.
At that point, what future would Iwagakure even have left?
Worse still, this enemy was so terrifying that Ōnoki felt the same dread he once felt before Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.
Seeing their comrades dying in droves, the elite chunin and jonin of Iwagakure forced down their fear and, burning with rage, moved to stop the rampaging monster.
"Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!" x100
Dozens of enormous dome shaped stone formations rose from the ground, sealing in the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. At the same time, waves of Earth Release techniques came crashing down one after another, piling pressure on top of pressure.
For a brief moment, sheer numbers displayed their true power.
The combined ninjutsu of so many Iwa shinobi actually formed a giant mountain and buried the Demonic Statue beneath it.
Seeing his men suppress the enemy's summon, Ōnoki still had no intention of continuing the fight.
That man's pressure was simply too overwhelming.
He could not see the slightest chance of victory.
"Your Excellency! We are truly willing to retreat. Please forgive our offense today. The Land of Earth is willing to compensate the Land of Fire for all its losses!"
Ōnoki stared at the mysterious man with a grave expression and deliberately raised the matter to the level of national diplomacy rather than village affairs.
"My spoils still aren't enough."
Brook smiled.
A black Truth Seeking Ball appeared in his hand and slowly stretched into a hard black longsword.
With one casual slash, a massive blade wave tore through the earth mound, instantly shattering the suppression around the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
The giant statue burst out once more with a furious roar, even fiercer than the Nine Tails.
Brook vanished from where he stood and appeared beside Ōnoki in an instant, swinging his black sword straight at him.
Ōnoki hurriedly used Dust Release to force the attack back, then fled in a panic.
Brook did not rely only on his sword.
His legs could also unleash powerful Tempest Kick slashes.
That sight made the Konoha ninja below light up with excitement.
Kakashi Hatake, who intended to inherit the White Fang's swordsmanship, stared fixedly at Brook's enormous flying slash.
Was that not even more powerful than most ninjutsu?
And it was launched instantly, without long hand signs or any elaborate preparation.
Might Guy's eyes also lit up.
This move looked similar to his own Morning Peacock. It meant that taijutsu users could also release devastating ranged attacks with their legs alone.
"Awesome! I want to learn that too!"
Kurenai's eyes were full of yearning.
Brook's methods had completely overturned everything she had learned in the Academy. Ninjutsu without hand seals. Power without buildup. Techniques that looked more terrifying than the most famous jutsu.
Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan spun wildly, trying to read Brook's movements and copy that terrifying taijutsu.
But after carefully observing it, he came to a bitter conclusion.
With his current body, he simply could not unleash a slash of that level.
This Lord Brook was not only skilled in no sign ninjutsu. His physique was monstrously powerful as well, enough to use techniques far beyond the limits of an ordinary human body.
Aside from taijutsu maniacs like Might Guy, or the body tempered brutes of Kumogakure, most shinobi simply had no hope of learning such things.
"You lot stay here. I'm going to have some fun."
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, disappeared in a flash.
He had already spotted the Explosion Release user from Iwagakure, Gari.
He intended to take down that bloodline user for Brook.
The ANBU and the Hokage's guards were all eager to join the fight as well.
With Brook and Minato, two monsters, on the field, there was no reason for them to obediently stay back and collect scraps like Brook had suggested.
"Three man teams. Hunt down the Iwa ninja on the outer edge. Kurenai, Tenzo, and Guy, you three stay here."
ANBU jonin Nara Shikaku gave the order at once.
The three reserve guards were still only chunin level. There was no need to throw them into the chaos where they might get killed by a single coordinated volley from Iwagakure.
"Uncle Shikaku, don't look down on me!"
Might Guy protested immediately.
He wanted to fight beside everyone else. He did not think he was weaker than Kakashi. He had only never taken the jonin exam.
"I know you're strong. That's why I'm leaving Tenzo and Kurenai in your hands. Protect them well."
Shikaku calmly shut him down in one line.
"No problem! I'll protect them!"
Guy flashed a bright thumbs up and a grin full of white teeth.
Only after speaking did he realize he still had to stay put.
Kakashi glanced at him, then moved out with Shisui and the other ANBU teams to begin hunting the Iwa ninja.
High in the air, Ōnoki fled frantically.
This mysterious man was a complete monster.
None of his attacks could land cleanly. It was as if the man did not even truly exist. This strange space time technique was even more troublesome than Flying Thunder God and directly neutralized his Dust Release.
Right now, Ōnoki could only take the beating. He had no way to fight back.
He was desperately trying to figure out the weakness in this space time ability.
"Earth Release: Ultra Light Weight Rock Technique!"
Ōnoki slashed his own weight down again and again, pushing his speed to the limit as he tore across the sky in a mad escape.
"You're not getting away, Ōnoki!"
"Universal Pull!"
A huge attractive force exploded outward, yanking Ōnoki backward in mid flight.
He immediately released Dust Release again, barely interrupting Brook's technique.
Down below, a red armored figure with steam rising from his body arrived on the battlefield.
The moment he saw the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, even the Five Tails, Kokuō, inside him felt a shock of fear.
What kind of monster was that?
"Han! I don't want to fight that thing! Let's leave!"
Kokuō anxiously urged its jinchūriki.
The pressure coming from the Ten Tails' husk made it deeply uncomfortable on an instinctive level.
"What's wrong? You're actually scared of that thing?"
Han was baffled.
But in the next second, Kitsuchi shouted for him to move at once and support the Third Tsuchikage.
Ōnoki was already in grave danger. Only Han, as the Five Tails jinchūriki, had any hope of helping him against that terrifying enemy.
As for the other Iwa ninja, they could continue trying to restrain the Demonic Statue.
At the same time, Minato Namikaze had already plunged into the battlefield.
The moment the Yellow Flash entered the fray, countless Iwa ninja felt a chill race down their backs.
Each of them feared that at any moment a Flying Thunder God kunai would flash behind them, followed by a blade at the throat.
----------
Han, the Five Tails jinchūriki and Iwagakure's steam ninja, tore across the battlefield at top speed. White steam billowed wildly from the vents of his custom armor as he rushed toward the Third Tsuchikage's position and the terrifying Konoha powerhouse chasing him.
The moment the tailed beast's chakra entered the battlefield, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path became even more violent. Countless chakra chains burst from its body and lashed through everything in their path, slaughtering the ants that dared stand before it.
A flash of light streaked across the field.
The Explosion Release ninja Gari felt a burst of deadly danger and threw himself backward without hesitation, but Minato's black kunai still grazed his neck, drawing a sharp spray of blood.
Gari's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and his mind went blank.
That had been too close.
If Kitsuchi had not reacted in time and raised an Earth Release barrier to stop Minato's follow up strike, Gari would have died on the spot.
So close. Far too close.
Gari screamed inwardly, cold sweat pouring down his back. He had nearly been instantly killed by the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze. That sudden space time attack was so fast it made his scalp go numb.
No wonder the Third Tsuchikage had once issued a standing order to retreat on sight if they encountered the Yellow Flash.
That speed was simply impossible to defend against.
And Minato himself was already a true Kage level shinobi, far stronger than a jonin like Gari.
The next instant, another scream rang out.
An Iwa jonin clutched at his throat as blood burst between his fingers. His body collapsed in despair before anyone could save him.
"The sealing squads, move at once! Everyone, destroy every marked kunai you see!"
Kitsuchi roared across the battlefield.
At this point, there was no time to distinguish between their own kunai and the ones engraved with Flying Thunder God formulas.
Minato Namikaze could place his marks almost anywhere. As long as the formula remained, he could appear like a ghost.
The only thing they could do now was destroy every possible anchor point and deny him the freedom to massacre them at will.
But that itself was terrifying.
Every Flying Thunder God kunai was bait and death rolled into one.
The moment they approached, Minato could appear beside it.
Even the corpses of the shinobi he had already killed might bear his formula, turning the simple act of retrieving the dead into a gamble with death.
With Minato tying them down, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path went on another rampage.
The Iwa genin and some of the chunin who had collapsed under Brook's Conqueror's Haki became nothing more than chakra feed.
The elite Iwa ninja who were still conscious immediately dispatched wave after wave of men to rescue the unconscious, but there were simply too many bodies to move.
There was no way to save them all.
With Gari and Kitsuchi tied down and much of the sealing force diverted, the Demonic Statue tore through another swath of Iwa shinobi, draining their chakra and life force until they became dry, shriveled corpses.
The earth style sealing techniques of the Iwa ninja continuously slowed the statue's advance, but the losses Iwagakure suffered today had already become unavoidable.
At the same time, more than thirty elite ANBU from Konoha quietly joined the battle. They slipped into the edges of the battlefield and began reaping the lives of the Iwa shinobi who were busy dragging away the unconscious.
The situation only grew worse for Iwagakure.
Most shocking of all, Uchiha Shisui obeyed Minato's order and directly revealed the ultimate power of his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Susanoo rose onto the battlefield.
Even a single giant chakra warrior like that demanded the attention of several jonin squads from Iwagakure.
As for Minato Namikaze, he alone pinned down over a dozen elite jonin while still finding openings to kill.
At this point, the vast number of Iwa shinobi had become a burden more than an advantage.
Not only were the unconscious unable to contribute, but enormous manpower had to be diverted just to save them.
Yet they could not simply leave them there.
These were the future of Iwagakure.
And so the battlefield turned into a grotesque scene where the Demonic Statue, the Fourth Hokage, a Mangekyō Susanoo, and just over thirty elite ANBU were enough to force the main body of Iwagakure into a desperate defensive spiral.
Even the Konoha shinobi had never imagined such a thing could happen.
But it was happening right in front of them.
That Brook truly was a monster beyond common sense.
And they could not help feeling grateful that he was on Konoha's side.
If he had been their enemy, Konoha would not have fared much better than Iwagakure.
Brook, meanwhile, had not expected a jinchūriki to come delivering himself.
After all, even the Mangekyō Sharingan could control tailed beasts, let alone a Rinnegan.
Sasuke had awakened only a single Rinnegan in the future and yet could suppress all nine tailed beasts with a glance.
The Rinnegan Nagato once used had been shackled by many seals left behind by Madara, leaving him with only the Six Paths techniques. That was why Nagato never displayed many of the deeper abilities of those eyes.
But Brook had already begun undoing those seals.
And unlike Nagato, he had enough chakra to nourish the Rinnegan without ever worrying about running dry.
"Lord Third Tsuchikage, I've come to help you!"
"Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength!"
Han erupted with reddish brown tailed beast chakra as he raised his Boil Release to its peak. His armor screamed beneath the pressure as his entire body became a steam driven projectile, and he launched a full power kick straight at Brook.
"No! That won't work on him!"
Onoki's expression changed drastically.
He hurriedly shouted a warning while frantically dodging himself, afraid Han would miss the enemy and break his old back instead.
And sure enough, Han's savage flying kick passed straight through a phantom.
The next instant he shot far into the distance, having struck nothing at all.
"Little one, I've had enough fun."
Brook chuckled.
"It's time to end this."
He raised a hand and slowly removed the black ribbon from his eyes.
Deep purple ripples shone beneath it.
The Rinnegan.
"This... those are... the Sage's eyes?!"
Onoki froze for a moment before staring in utter horror at Brook's eyes. His heart shook as though struck by an earthquake.
He had actually been fighting someone with the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths.
And all this time, to Brook, it had only been a game.
"You guessed right."
Brook smiled faintly.
"As a reward, your soul will become part of my collection."
"Limbo: Border Jail!"
A shadowy, invisible duplicate emerged beside Brook and rushed toward Onoki.
Brook was finally putting one of Madara's true Rinnegan powers to use.
"Lord Tsuchikage! Run! I'll hold him back!"
Han came charging in again.
Even if he had to fully transform into the Five Tails, he would buy Onoki time to escape.
"Han, run! Don't look into his eyes!"
Onoki screamed, cold sweat streaming down his face.
That man was a true inheritor of the Sage's power. Everything about this invasion had become a complete disaster.
He would become the sinner of Iwagakure.
But he was already too late.
Han, cloaked in tailed beast chakra, met Brook's gaze directly.
Inside him, even Kokuō showed a look of profound shock.
Then, in the very next moment, Kokuō's eyes transformed into the Rinnegan.
"Han! Are you alright?!"
Onoki had barely finished shouting when he felt a sharp, icy pain explode in his chest.
He slowly lowered his eyes.
A hole had opened straight through his heart, pierced by an invisible strike.
Blood rushed up his throat.
His pupils trembled.
His body stiffened in midair.
And in his eyes, only despair remained.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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