Boom——!
The bottom of the massive Earth Release construct still hovered above the wreckage of the wooden titan.
A terrifying shadow loomed like a heavy lead block, pressing down on every inch of the battlefield—and the hearts of all who might bear witness.
Haseo stood atop the statue's head, Sage Mode not yet fully released. The crimson markings on his face reflected eerie glints under the fading sunlight.
His gaze was frigid, as unyielding as ancient glaciers, sweeping across the powdered remains of the wooden titan below—and at the nearby crater where Nawaki lay curled, beaten and broken.
"Not enough."
A barely audible whisper escaped his lips, yet it carried absolute resolve.
"If we're going to shatter, then let it be shattered completely."
As the words fell, that massive foot, capable of blotting out sky and sun, lifted again.
This time, even higher.
It seemed as though it would pierce through the murky heavens themselves.
Nawaki struggled to lift his eyelids. In his blurred vision, only the ever-expanding shadow of that gigantic foot remained, along with the chilling breath of death.
He wanted to scream, beg for mercy, flee—anything!
Yet from his throat came only a wheezing rasp like a broken bellows. His body felt pinned in place by countless invisible chains, unable to move even an inch.
Fear surged over him like a tidal wave.
Crashhh!!!!
Fourth stomp.
The earth groaned under unbearable pressure, releasing tremors even more violent than any before. Radiating outward from the impact point, the shockwaves spread madly in all directions.
Even the solid rock layers cracked apart like fragile biscuits, opening countless deep chasms.
The remnants of the once indestructible wooden titan were now reduced to dust, deeply embedded into the earth's depths, blended inseparably with soil.
The shockwave sent an invisible force lifting Nawaki off the edge of the pit and hurling him high again.
"Puh—"
A mouthful of blood erupted midair, drawing a mournful arc before falling.
He crashed dozens of meters away, bones snapping loudly on impact. Intense pain nearly knocked him unconscious.
Yet Haseo did not pause for even a moment.
The statue's colossal foot rose once more.
Fifth time!
The deafening roar drowned out everything.
The entire battlefield seemed to tremble and sink beneath this relentless onslaught of destruction.
Smoke and dust erupted skyward like tsunamis, entirely blocking the setting sun in the west, transforming this world into a chaotic, turbid realm.
Nawaki lay prone on the ground, his senses growing hazy.
All he could feel was the trembling earth—and that seemingly endless devastation.
The Senju clan's pride? The vaunted power of Wood Release?
In this moment, both seemed pale, meaningless—and absurd.
"Ugh..."
His mouth opened wide, gasping for air, only to inhale choking dust.
Despair, like an endless abyss, swallowed what little will he had left.
As this final act of destruction completed, Haseo clearly sensed how the immense Earth Release statue beneath his feet began showing signs of instability due to the intense consumption of Sage Chakra.
Small cracks began spiderwebbing across its massive frame.
He made no effort to sustain it.
With a single wave of his hand,
"Disperse."
A single, detached utterance.
The towering colossus immediately disintegrated upon command.
Countless enormous chunks of earth and rocks rained down from the sky like an apocalyptic storm, smashing into the already unrecognizable ground below, raising one ripple after another of dust waves.
A moment later, as the smoke and dust slightly settled,
At the battlefield's center, only a massive deep crater remained, surrounded by terrifying cracks that spread out like a spider web.
Nawaki lay at the edge of the crater, covered in blood, eyes blank and motionless, like a broken doll.
Haseo's figure slowly emerged from the thickened dust.
He still stood at the same height, as if invisible steps supported him beneath his feet.
The glow of his Sage Facial Markings had dimmed somewhat compared to before, but those piercing ice-blue eyes remained sharp enough to seem capable of piercing straight through a person's soul.
He gently brushed away non-existent dust from his shoulder, moving with calm grace.
This elegance formed a striking yet bizarre harmony with the surrounding scene of utter devastation, bodies scattered like mountains of blood and severed limbs.
"Senju? Wood Release?"
His voice was not loud, yet it clearly echoed across this silent wasteland.
"In the face of absolute power, they're nothing more than fragile toys in a child's hands."
Surveying the mess he had personally created, he slightly frowned.
His gaze stretched beyond the ruined land toward the faintly visible lights of Konoha in the distant horizon.
That glowing light contrasted sharply with the destruction here.
A trace of cruel amusement curled at the corner of his lips.
"It's dirty. Time to clean up."
"And while I'm at it, give one final warning to any lurking rats hiding in the shadows."
He took a deep breath.
The small amount of residual Sage Chakra remaining within him surged forth completely, unleashed without reservation.
His hands swiftly moved before his chest, weaving a series of complex and esoteric hand seals.
As the seals completed, an intangible aura rose from his body.
[Sage Art: Wind Release - Tornado Domain!]
With a low cry, the wind suddenly howled into existence without warning!
From Haseo as its epicenter, a visible azure vortex violently erupted, roaring like a reawakened ancient beast, shaking the very soul.
The vortex expanded rapidly, instantaneously transforming into a colossal tornado reaching from earth to sky.
The whirlwind spun violently, shrieking with a piercing wail.
Across the battlefield, shattered rocks, fallen trees, pulverized remains of wooden constructs, even large chunks of earth were ripped from the ground by this irresistible suction force and flung high into the air.
An endless array of debris collided violently inside the tornado, grinding and shattering together, forming a chaotic swirling mass that further darkened the already gloomy sky.
Nawaki had just caught his breath from the suffocating dust when this sudden gale pressed down on him so fiercely he could barely breathe again.
Shards of rock pelted his body like bullets, ripping open fresh wounds and sending jolts of agony through him.
With what little strength he had left, Nawaki lunged for a jagged rock sticking out from the ground. He gripped it with all his might, nails cracking under the strain as blood dripped from his fingers — just barely anchoring himself against the monstrous twister.
However, this was only the beginning.
Haseo's chest rose and fell in slight rhythm.
The Sage Facial Markings on his face, which had already dimmed, flickered briefly with renewed light.
He suddenly opened his mouth wide.
[Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation - Improved!]
An extremely thick torrent of crimson flames, like a lava waterfall pouring down from the heavens, violently erupted from his mouth!
These flames were no ordinary fire. They appeared as a deep dark red, with golden sparks flickering at the edges, containing the unique essence of Sage Arts—destruction and purification.
The blazing inferno showed no deviation whatsoever, accurately shooting into that Wind Release tornado connecting heaven and earth.
Wind fuels the fire!
Fire borrows the might of wind!
Boom—!!!
Upon contact with the flames, the azure whirlwind instantly ignited, got consumed, and completely transformed into a fiery red hue!
It was no longer merely wind—it had become a giant flame dragon burning across heaven and earth!
The flame dragon circled and rolled high in the sky, roaring furiously, turning the skyline into a sea of crimson—more unnatural than the dying embers of dusk itself, its glow burned fierce and foreboding.
Then, in an instant, the flaming dragon exploded!
Transforming into countless burning sparks, like a storm of fiery rain covering the entire battlefield.
It resembled countless miniature flame whirls descending from the heavens, greedily licking everything flammable upon the land.
Chichi chichi—
Wood Release remnants, broken trees, dried leaves… everything became the purest kind of fuel in the presence of these Sage Flames.
Even the rocks that could not burn turned glowing red from the intense heat, crackling and popping violently.
In just a few breaths' time.
That previously chaotic battlefield of colossal statues had completely transformed into a raging sea of fire.
Thick, suffocating burnt odors filled the air, nauseatingly strong alongside the scent of charcoal combustion, mixed with faint traces of sharp sulfur-like stench.
Blistering waves of heat surged outward in every direction.
In the distance, Konoha village, illuminated by this massive inferno, seemed to be cloaked in an ominous red glow.
Nawaki lay curled up at the edge of the inferno, scorched and broken.
Embers continuously landed on his tattered clothes and exposed skin, bringing searing pain like being branded with a hot iron.
The air had turned unbearably hot and dry; each breath felt like swallowing red-hot coals, causing tearing agony in his throat and lungs.
Suffocation.
Near-death.
Death's shadow had never felt so clear and imminent before.
"Ugh... No... I don't want to die..."
At this moment, the instinct to survive overpowered all his fear, despair, and pain.
He suddenly widened his bloodshot eyes and pushed himself up with his elbows, ignoring everything else as he desperately crawled away from the firestorm.
Each inch he moved forward came with agonizing dislocations, pulling at countless wounds, leaving behind a shocking trail of blood.
But he dared not stop.
He could feel the terrifying heat radiating from the blazing inferno behind him, capable of turning him into ashes.
Haseo stood still at the same spot.
The devastating arcane combo finally ended. The glowing sage markings on his face rapidly faded, receding like a retreating tide until they vanished completely.
He slipped out of the sage state as if waking from another world.
His body swayed slightly. Beads of sweat dripped from his temple, and his chest rose and fell with faint irregularity due to the total depletion of sage chakra, his breath laced with exhaustion.
His gaze remained calm as he surveyed the sea of flames he had created before him.
Traces of [Wood Release], signs of battle—all evidence that should have existed—had been thoroughly cleansed within the roaring inferno, leaving no trace behind.
"[Wood Release] has now been erased from existence."
"No one will ever know what truly happened here, except for the destruction they deserved."
He felt the slight weakness creeping through his body as the sage chakra fully dissipated, returning him to his ordinary form.
Yet his eyes were still sharp as a hawk's.
Through the dancing flames and swirling smoke, his gaze locked onto a distant, pathetic silhouette.
Nawaki was still crawling.
Like a pathetic worm barely clinging to life.
A cold, cruel curve slowly lifted at the corner of Haseo's lips.
There wasn't a trace of warmth in that smile—only cold mockery and total control.
"Run along, Nawaki."
His voice was soft, light as a whisper to oneself—or like a demon murmuring into one's ear.
"Let's see how far you can run before your leash snaps."
"Your time for self-reflection is far from over."
Haseo brushed lightly at his sleeve, as if removing the final traces of some trivial farce.
Then he started moving forward—
Not hurried, not slow—like a stroll through his own backyard—as he followed in Nawaki's direction.
His figure gradually disappeared into the rolling smoke and rising flames.
Leaving behind only a solitary and unwavering back.
Surrounded by this blazing hellfire that consumed the heavens and scorched the seas.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>