The snow had stopped.
But the biting cold hadn't faded at all. Across the snow-covered Land of Iron, an endless sense of isolation and killing intent hung in the air.
An abandoned civilian house.
Uzumaki Heiyan stood motionless in the courtyard, as still as a spear planted upright. His gaze slowly swept across—from the entrance to the walls, then up to the rooftop—scanning the experts from the Four Great Ninja Villages surrounding him.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, he performed a gesture with both palms pressed together. In an instant, his face was marked by the full set of sage markings.
Seeing this unfold, everyone present instinctively stiffened.
Reputation often precedes reality, as the saying goes.
A year ago, Uzumaki Heiyan's feats on the battlefield at Uzugakure had been absolutely dazzling. Especially the unmistakable sage markings etched on his face—they'd become legendary across the ninja world.
Among shinobi circles in every great village, a common understanding had formed: if you encountered Heiyan while he was in Sage Mode during battle, turn and run—not even a glance back. Fleeing from an Immortal Sage wasn't shameful—it was smart. On the contrary, successfully escaping from Immortal Sage Heiyan would definitely be something worth celebrating.
"Don't panic!"
At that moment, the Third Raikage noticed signs of fear within the group, so he shouted firmly, "Uzumaki Heiyan isn't as fearsome as you imagine. His greatest strength lies in that Six Paths stone tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. Now that the tablet is no longer in his possession, this is our perfect opportunity to eliminate him!"
The Third Raikage had once fought against Heiyan and survived the encounter. Coming from him, these words naturally carried some credibility, calming the nerves of the others significantly.
In fact, the Third Raikage had never accepted his own inferiority to Heiyan.
Because during their last duel, he had fallen only after facing Heiyan's Six Paths Meteor Hammer—a weapon-based defeat. He firmly believed that without the Six Paths stone tablet, Heiyan wouldn't be able to withstand his One Sword Piercing technique head-on.
Therefore, while speaking, the Third Raikage began gathering power, his body radiating an increasingly brilliant lightning armor. He planned to push his strength to its peak—then unleash his ultimate attack to kill Heiyan in one strike.
"Is this Uzumaki Heiyan really that impressive? I find it hard to believe."
No sooner had the Third Raikage finished speaking than Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, stepped forward. Looking visibly thrilled, he rubbed his hands together eagerly, causing large quantities of magma to surge forth from his entire body.
That was Roshi's signature move—Lava Release Chakra Mode.
His form closely resembled the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode—completely enveloping his body in high-temperature molten lava, forming a protective magma armor over his skin. This armor not only melted anything it touched but also greatly enhanced his defense, making it a balanced offensive and defensive capability.
[Roshi, I'll help you.]
Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, also stepped forward. The armor on his body released a stream of white steam backward. This [Steam Armor] functioned similarly to a propulsion system, using jet bursts of steam to dramatically increase his physical strength and speed. Its practical combat effectiveness was in no way inferior to Lava Release Chakra Mode.
"Attack!"
The two Jinchuriki shared a knowing glance, then surged forward simultaneously. Magma and steam armor erupted from their bodies like terrifying monsters, rushing at Heiyan together.
Even the Third Raikage couldn't help but flinch instinctively at the sight of their combined assault. Renowned for his Taijutsu (Invincible), even he would find it extremely difficult to face these two head-on in close combat.
Heiyan remained calm and unmoved, observing the figures of the two Jinchuriki rapidly closing in through his pupils.
When their fists and feet were just inches away, he could even smell the pungent sulfur from the lava, and feel the scorching steam prick against his skin like needles.
At this moment, Heiyan moved.
With a sharp whoosh, he vanished from sight. Roshi and Han's attacks only struck the afterimage left behind by Heiyan.
In an instant, Heiyan reappeared over two meters high in the air behind them—a new understanding of the Flying Thunder God Technique. By leaving temporary seals sustained by his own Chakra in the air for several seconds, he achieved sudden teleportation within short distances, completely unexpected by his enemies.
Then, with both arms raised, he brought his fists crashing down in unison.
[Sage Art: Monster Strength]
Boom!
A powerful burst of air exploded outward from the three men as its center, spreading in all directions. The abandoned commoner's residence suffered first—its buildings, walls, and gates collapsing one after another into complete ruins.
Dust soared skyward.
"What happened?"
Shocked and bewildered, the others instantly leaped back over dozens of meters, eyes locked onto the epicenter of the explosion.
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough]!
Spitting out a strong gust of wind from his mouth, the Third Kazekage dispersed all the dust across the battlefield. When everyone saw the outcome of the clash, astonished gasps immediately arose.
Within the courtyard, Heiyan still stood tall and mighty as before, not having moved an inch.
Underneath his feet appeared two massive craters. Roshi and Han lay flat on their backs deep within the earth, already unconscious. Their magma armor and steam armor had cracked apart, emitting wisps of white smoke.
Everyone who witnessed this scene found themselves unable to believe their eyes.
Although they never expected these two Jinchuriki to defeat Heiyan, they thought at least some maneuvering was possible, allowing them to test how strong Heiyan truly was.
Never did they expect that both would fall so easily, failing to withstand even a single move from Heiyan.
Right at the start, they'd already lost two Jinchuriki.
"How is this possible?!"
Onoki's expression showed extreme shock, his face darkening. After all, those two were his bodyguards, representing Iwagakure village's prestige.
The Third Tsuchikage, witnessing Heiyan's capabilities firsthand for the first time, deeply understood the sheer might of his opponent.
"Everyone, from now on hold nothing back. Otherwise, we won't get a chance to exert our full strength."
At this moment, the Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi warned.
Everyone nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Thus, Sunagakure's monk Bunpuku and Kumogakure's Burubi quickly entered their semi-tailed beast transformations. Large amounts of iron sand gathered around the Third Kazekage, while the Third Raikage had clearly reached his physical limit under the stimulation of Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
"First, attack him with long-range ninjutsu! Drain his strength until he reveals a weakness!"
Onoki soared into the air, rapidly forming hand seals as he and the others launched a relentless barrage of jutsu attacks against Heiyan.
[Earth Release: Exploding Earth Spear!]
[Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!]
[Lightning Release: Black Panther!]
[Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!]
[Wind Release: Air Bullets!]
[Tailed Beast Ball!]
In a flash, a dazzling array of elemental attacks surged forth, instantly engulfing Heiyan and triggering a massive explosion.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amidst the thunderous roar, the nearby ground shook violently, as if struck by a quake. In the woods, snow cascaded from the trees, piling up two or three meters high on the ground.
"Did we succeed?"
Far away, behind a small hidden earthen mound, Chiyo monitored the unfolding battle situation closely.
She was both a puppet master and medical ninja, unsuitable for direct combat, so the Third Kazekage had assigned her the task of staying hidden and providing remote assistance and backup.
"That's..."
Suddenly, Chiyo's eyes widened. Because she saw that where Heiyan had been standing, after the dust cleared, there now floated a huge mud sphere in midair.
This mud sphere was made up of countless grains of sand and earth, continuously shedding particles onto the surface below.
As the sphere landed on the ground, a man-sized opening appeared on its surface, and then Heiyan stepped out unharmed.
[Yin-Yang Release - Xirang Jutsu].
The defensive capability of Xirang exceeded even Onoki and others' expectations; with their combined strength, they absolutely couldn't break through this technique's defenses.
Heiyan had no intention of wasting time with these people.
So he took the initiative to strike.
Boom!
Bright red light erupted from Heiyan's legs as his entire figure shot forward like a crimson lightning bolt tearing through the sky, charging directly toward the most threatening enemy within the opposition ranks.
Surprisingly, his chosen target wasn't Onoki or the Third Raikage, but rather Yagura Karatachi.
Because his opponent was a puppet controlled by Madara Uchiha's Sharingan, likely concealing devastating techniques.
[Sage Art: Heavenly Release Chidori Shunshin!]
[Sage Art: Monster Strength!]
Heiyan closed the gap using the Shifting Body Technique, then clenched his fist and unleashed a powerful shockwave aimed directly at Yagura Karatachi, determined to eliminate him in one strike.
Yagura was greatly alarmed. With no time to think further, he immediately activated his last-resort technique.
[Water Release: Water Mirror Technique!]
A massive water mirror appeared before Yagura Karatachi. The next second, ripples spread across the mirror's surface, and suddenly someone identical to Heiyan emerged from inside it.
Boom!
This "Heiyan" also used Chidori Shunshin and Monster Strength, attacking the real Heiyan head-on.
The Water Mirror Technique could generate an exact clone of the enemy, capable of replicating the opponent's jutsu with identical power and precision.
Throughout his battle-laden career, Yagura Karatachi had eliminated countless strong foes using this secret technique without warning.
Yet this time, he was destined for disappointment.
CRASH!
When Heiyan saw the water mirror clone, instead of flinching, he burst forward with explosive force, throwing a thunderous punch straight ahead.
In an instant, the water mirror clone shattered under Heiyan's punch, exploding into droplets scattering through the air. The shockwave also sent Yagura Karatachi flying backward.
[Water Mirror Technique] was indeed impressive, but as Heiyan had anticipated, its ability had limits—it could create only mirrored images with power up to Kage-level. Anything beyond that simply wasn't possible.
With Heiyan's strength at the pinnacle of the ninja world, such a simple Water Mirror Technique couldn't even replicate a tenth of his power.
"Whoa!"
Yagura flew back dozens of meters before crashing into a large tree, blood spewing from his mouth. Before he could even recover, his pupils suddenly shrank in fear as he watched a high-pressure stream of white-hot water erupt from Heiyan's mouth.
[Water Release: Water Severing Slash].
Puchi.
His entire body, along with the tree behind him, was sliced cleanly in half at the waist by the [Water Release: Water Severing Slash] and fell lifelessly onto the ground like a broken doll tossed aside, closing his eyes in bitter resignation.
Another Mizukage of Kirigakure had died by Heiyan's hand.
The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, perished even faster than the Third Mizukage had done one year prior.
Just as Heiyan finished off Yagura, a beast-like roar erupted from behind him.
"Uzumaki Heiyan! Die!"
The Third Raikage transformed himself into lightning, seizing upon Heiyan's momentary opening after using a jutsu. Driven by overwhelming murderous intent, he launched a deadly strike.
[Hell Stab One-Finger Nukite: Ultimate].
The Ultimate Spear returned once more to the world.
At this moment, the Third Raikage gathered every last bit of his chakra into a single point—the tip of his right index finger—forming an impossibly sharp spear capable of piercing through anything.
But this time, he wanted to see how Heiyan would block this move without the Immortal Sage's stone tablet.
Heiyan answered — not with words, but with overwhelming force.
Ssshh.
[Yin-Yang Release Xirang] instantly rose from beneath his feet, forming an iron wall that collided head-on with the nukite.
Crrrsh.
The Raikage's finger, wrapped in blinding arcs of lightning, continued stabbing forward, punching hole after hole into the xirang wall. Yet immediately afterward, more xirang continuously regenerated itself, endless and limitless.
Damn it!
The Third Raikage raged inwardly. His nukite was only centimeters away from Heiyan's face, yet that final distance felt like an unbridgeable abyss—forever just out of reach.
His strength gradually drained completely.
And at this moment, as his enemy weakened and Heiyan grew stronger, Heiyan launched his counterattack.
Shshsh.
With a single thought, part of the xirang held the line against the Raikage's onslaught, while the rest slithered toward him, wrapping around his limbs and torso in a tightening grip.
[Xirang: Sand Binding Coffin].
"From today on, the title of the ultimate spear no longer belongs to your so-called 'One-Finger Nukite.'"
As the Third Raikage looked on in shock, Yanu slowly raised his right hand. Powerful gusts of wind and bursts of crimson lightning exploded from his body. All his chakra surged through his right arm and finally compressed into a single point—at the tip of his index finger.
This technique was an advanced version of "One Sword Piercing," created by Yanu through the fusion of Sage Art Monster Strength and Heavenly Release (Qian) Lightning techniques, based on the principles of One Sword Piercing.
To perform this jutsu required not only absolute, extreme control over chakra but also, more importantly, a physical body strong enough to withstand its immense power.
Otherwise, his entire arm would instantly undergo Self-Destruction and blow apart, turning into countless bits of flesh and blood rain.
Only Yanu's peak-level Sage Transformation could pull off such a feat.
Swish.
Having condensed his chakra to the breaking point, Yanu wasted no time—his right hand lashed out, and with a single thrust, his index finger pierced straight into the Third Raikage's chest.
"That's impossible…"
The Third Raikage gazed down in terror at the finger buried inside his heart. His body, having had its cells activated to the ultimate level and hailed as the Ultimate Shield, had actually… been pierced.
Next moment.
Puh!
A massive hole burst open on the Third Raikage's back. A torrent of blood and red lightning wildly spewed out, forming a crimson blood dragon that sprayed backward for dozens of meters.
"Hhh… hh…"
Letting out a despairing growl from deep within his throat, the Raikage crashed down like a crumbling mountain.
The Raikage is dead!
It all happened in a flash.
From the moment the Third Raikage ambushed Yanu with One Sword Piercing to the instant he retaliated with an even more terrifying move—the entire process took less than a minute.
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