Chiyu casually used the Preta Path ability of the Rinnegan—Absorption—to directly devour Asuma Sarutobi's ninjutsu and chakra. In that instant, the entire audience was astonished.
Even Hatake Kakashi couldn't help but furrowed his brow.
"So... that's the legendary Rinnegan's power?
It can directly absorb and nullify all ninjutsu and chakra... meaning..."
"All ninjutsu are useless against Hokage-sama?!"
In this ninja world that depends on ninjutsu at its foundation, possessing the ability to negate all ninjutsu—
Everyone knew full well what that implied.
For a moment, cold sweat beaded on the foreheads of all the Twelve Guardian Shinobi.
Kazuma roared:
"Don't get scared stiff! Everyone has limits! Every technique has a flaw!
Attack! Pour everything you have into the attack!"
He personally manipulated his Earth Release Resurrection Technique: Corpse Soil. The resurrected Limelight—along with another twenty or thirty deceased ninja—charged at Chiyu like a puppet army.
In that instant, thunder roared, flames blazed, countless ninjutsu pouring forth at Chiyu in a wild barrage!
Yet…
Chiyu merely extended a hand and devoured everything with Preta Path, turning it all into nothingness.
No matter how fierce the enemy's onslaught, it was useless before him.
Asuma Sarutobi felt his heart pounding in shock.
"Kazuma! It seems his Rinnegan can absorb and nullify all ninjutsu and chakra!
Don't waste any more efforts—try physical attacks with taijutsu!"
"Alright!"
Immediately, Kazuma brandished a giant shuriken, bellowing in fury as he hurled it toward Chiyu!
The other Twelve Guardian Shinobi, plus the puppet army produced by Corpse Soil, likewise drew all sorts of weapons, unleashing them all toward Chiyu.
Asuma Sarutobi as well invoked one of his trump cards:
"Chakra Blade: Straight Line!"
He condensed Wind Release chakra, infusing it into the specialized chakra blades, massively increasing penetrative strength—enough to slice iron as though it were mud and shatter stone as easily as tearing paper!
Whoosh—
Asuma's chakra blade, together with a torrent of thrown weapons, came at Chiyu in unison!
Though Kakashi and Might Guy did not worry about the Hokage's safety, they both frowned at the sight of so many simultaneous attacks.
However...
Chiyu remained unflustered, merely lifting an arm. In a calm voice, he spoke:
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom—
Rumble—!!
In a split-second, time seemed frozen. Asuma Sarutobi, the flying weapons—everything paused in midair. Then—
Boom!!!
A terrifying repulsive force obliterated all forms and matter, rejecting everything in its path, sending Asuma Sarutobi and all the weapons flying away. The ground beneath Chiyu's feet formed an enormous crater!
"What—?! Wh-what power was that?!"
Asuma Sarutobi was hurled a hundred meters away, his whole body slashed and bloodied, horribly battered. Kazuma had no chance to feel shocked—Chiyu had already raised the same right arm, gently releasing another Tendo ability:
"Banshō Ten'in."
Buzz—
At that moment, Kazuma's face went pale, his body yanked abruptly forward by an irresistible pull!
"Wh—!"
Before he could react, Chiyu's right hand formed a black rod, characteristic of a Rinnegan user, driving it forward—
Squelch!!!
Kazuma's entire torso, dragged helplessly, was skewered by the black rod in a single stroke!
He stood there, stunned, pallid with fear, blood gushing from his mouth.
"So this is... the power of the legendary Rinnegan?"
Without acknowledging him further, Chiyu flipped his hand and pinned Kazuma to the ground with the black rod. Kakashi, watching from the side, shuddered inwardly.
"That's using gravitational push and pull, yes?
So these Rinnegan abilities truly surpass reason—they can do things like that...
And it seems that's only the tip of the iceberg for the Rinnegan...
Just how strong is Hokage-sama now...?
Strong enough to be called a god?!"
Kazuma, in the last seconds of his life, unleashed his final command, controlling the puppet army from Corpse Soil:
"Limelight, use that technique!!"
At once, the four resurrected Guardian Nin, known as the Limelight, simultaneously poured out their chakra, activating their ultimate Lightning Release secret art:
"Lightning Dream—!!"
Positioned at east, west, south, and north, the four channeled lightning release chakra into a single barrier array. Once completed, it would disintegrate everything at the center into ashes—powerful enough to wipe out a small village. But the drawback was obvious: if any one of them were interrupted, the formation collapsed.
Chiyu gave them no opening. With a mere thought, Banshō Ten'in pulled one undead puppet forcibly into his grasp, and he pierced it with a black rod. That puppet, made of earthen soil, crumbled to pieces on impact, returning to a mound of earth.
"Damn you! Curse you, Uchiha Chiy—"
Kazuma's words died in his throat as he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Chiyu, still unmoved, formed mechanical constructs and cannons through Rinnegan chakra—the Asura Path—in an instant, unleashing fierce energy projectiles:
"Flaming Arrow Warhead!"
In a flash, countless chakra missiles blasted forth in all directions, turning the battlefield into scorched earth. Those resurrected Corpse Soil puppets were instantly pulverized, reduced to dust. Even three or four Twelve Guardian Shinobi with no time to defend were blown to bits!
Within seconds, only Asuma Sarutobi and two others still survived. One of them cried out, lunging from behind to ambush with a kunai. But Chiyu merely glanced over his shoulder, pressing a hand on the ambusher's head:
"Soul Removal."
With a slight jerk of his arm, the foe's soul was ripped right out. In an instant, that Guardian Shinobi collapsed, lifeless.
"W—that's...?! They had their soul torn out?!"
That was the Human Path power of the Rinnegan.
All of a sudden, the earth around Chiyu rumbled, forming a cage-like trap:
"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Prison!"
But Chiyu paid it no mind. The Rinnegan flared once again:
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!!!
All the rock pillars shattered, scattering shards everywhere as the ground caved in, leaving a massive crater with Chiyu at its center. Asuma Sarutobi seized that moment to launch a mid-range jutsu:
"Wind Style: Verdant Mountain Gale!"
He channeled wind-style power into his chakra blade for a slicing gale. Yet Chiyu only lifted his mechanical arms—Asura Path again—capturing Asuma's chakra blade, then fired a violent laser beam:
"Asura Attack."
Bang—
A beam of light tore forward. Asuma Sarutobi tried his best to dodge, but was still partially caught in the explosive wave. Half his body was blasted apart, leaving gore and torn flesh.
The last Guardian Shinobi died outright, vaporized by the blast!
In only a few short minutes, the Fire Daimyō's Twelve Guardian Shinobi were annihilated—only Asuma Sarutobi left, mortally wounded.
The field fell silent.
Asuma coughed bitterly:
"Uchiha Chiyu... your power truly is godlike...
No matter how I train... there's no defeating you...
Just... end it."
Kakashi and Might Guy exhaled with complicated expressions, unwilling to watch any further carnage.
Chiyu had no hesitation. He plucked Asuma's own chakra blade. Using Shinra Tensei, he flung it like a bullet of unstoppable force:
Pshhk—
The chakra blade pierced Asuma's heart in one go, fresh blood pouring out as he collapsed lifelessly.
Thus Asuma Sarutobi perished.
[You successfully helped Asuma Sarutobi reunite with his father and brother; Great Mercy, Great Virtue! +300 Virtue Points!]
[You successfully assisted the Fire Daimyō by eliminating the fugitive Twelve Guardian Shinobi, Great Merit! +1,800 Virtue Points!]
Chiyu added the extra 2,000 total points to his ocular powers.
Current Rinnegan Power (52,600 / ???)
…
Thus ended this so-called "god-level battle."
Killer Bee dead, the Fourth Raikage dead, Dodai dead, Asuma Sarutobi dead, and the Twelve Guardian wiped out.
For Chiyu, one could only call it an overwhelming success.
Mifune stared at it all, letting out a weary sigh.
"Hokage-dono, will you kill me too?"
Chiyu glanced at him indifferently:
"Why would I kill you?"
Mifune furrowed his brow:
"You're not worried I might leak what happened here? Not only that you killed so many, but also… the secret of your Rinnegan?"
Chiyu shook his head calmly.
"Actually, I want you to spread the news of today's events.
I want all the other great nations to understand my ultimatum: 'Submit, or…'"
"Die."
"Besides," Chiyu added, "Land of Iron must submit to me as well. You understand."
Mifune's face changed drastically—but he saw no other choice.
"I understand. I'll follow Hokage-dono's arrangements."
Chiyu then turned to Kakashi and Guy:
"Let's return to Konoha. Then issue announcements to the other four great ninja villages— either they submit… or they die."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"