"Go deal with that witch girl. Leave this side to me."
After speaking to his daughters, Ryoma turned his gaze toward the last remaining trio.
With a single glance, he saw through them.
Just like the boy who had used Lightning Release earlier, these three had strengthened their chakra through some external implantation method. Their own foundations were weak—hollow shells filled with borrowed power.
"What… what are you!?"
Kusuna, Setsuna, and Shizuku stared at Ryoma, fear creeping into their eyes.
They hadn't seen him move.
But they had all witnessed it—their companion's head exploding in a single strike.
The gap between the four of them had never been large. If Ryoma could kill one instantly, then he could kill them just as easily.
"Damn it! How could I, Setsuna, be suppressed like this?!"
Driven by rage, Setsuna tore open his sleeve. From within his forearm, a grotesque centipede—implanted by Yomi—burrowed out. Without hesitation, he seized it and swallowed it whole.
"Boom!"
Violent purple chakra erupted skyward.
His flesh twisted and expanded grotesquely. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a massive, three-faced tarantula-like monster, venom dripping from its fangs.
"So that's the source of their power…"
Ryoma's gaze sharpened.
From that centipede, he sensed a sinister chakra—alien to this world.
"That 'Mōryō' truly is a creature from another realm… and its power is thoroughly corrupt."
"Hah!"
The spider's six limbs smashed into the ground. Fire Release and Earth Release techniques were unleashed in rapid succession, engulfing Ryoma's position in blazing inferno and shattered earth. The battlefield became a sea of flames and rubble.
Setsuna laughed madly.
"Hahaha! So this is all you—"
Before his laughter could finish—
Ryoma took a single step.
That was all.
In less than 0.0001 seconds, he crossed dozens of meters and appeared directly before the monstrous spider.
The speed of that step surpassed sound itself.
Setsuna saw nothing. Heard nothing.
By the time the sound could have reached him, Ryoma's fist had already filled his vision—yet his body failed to respond. His transformed physique could not keep up. His nerves could not transmit the danger in time.
No instinct.
No defense.
The spider's enormous body crouched low, abdomen exposed.
Ryoma's fist descended upon its head.
"Boom!"
The punch detonated the air itself. Shockwaves blasted outward in concentric rings, scattering flames and dust in every direction.
His fist connected squarely between the creature's brows.
In that instant—
Setsuna's head exploded.
The overwhelming force continued downward, cascading through his body like a collapsing mountain. Cracks spidered across the grotesque form from top to bottom.
Then, in the next second—
The entire body disintegrated into powder.
Silence.
Kusuna and Shizuku stood frozen, their minds blank.
Setsuna had just unleashed multiple ninjutsu… and yet he had been crushed before even completing his attack.
Earlier, when Setsuna mutated, Shizuku had already begun forming high-speed water blades around himself, preparing a Water Release counterattack.
But the moment he met Ryoma's eyes—
His body grew impossibly heavy.
As if Mount Myōboku itself had been placed upon his shoulders.
He could barely breathe.
"This man… we cannot defeat him," Kusuna thought, cold sweat streaming down his back. "He hasn't even used ninjutsu. That was pure taijutsu… and yet the strength and speed alone are beyond anything we can endure."
Shizuku met his gaze.
No words were needed.
"Run!"
The two split instantly, fleeing in opposite directions—left and right.
If Ryoma pursued one, the other might survive.
That was their final calculation.
Behind them—
Ryoma did not move immediately.
He simply watched.
"Don't come any closer!"
Sensing the killing intent surging from behind, Shizuku's expression changed drastically. He forced more chakra into his legs, pushing his speed to the limit as he fled.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
While retreating at full speed, he formed seals and unleashed a torrent. A roaring water dragon coiled around his body, its jaws opening wide as it lunged toward Ryoma.
The dragon surged forward—
And was shattered in a single blow.
With one casual strike, Ryoma dispersed the Water Release technique into a crashing flood. The water exploded outward, soaking the battlefield.
In that same instant—
He was already behind Shizuku.
At the final moment, Shizuku attempted to use the Hydrification Technique, turning his body into liquid to evade a physical strike.
It made no difference.
The next moment brought only death.
Ryoma's attack landed, and Shizuku's liquefied body was completely vaporized. There were no remains. Not even a trace of blood.
Silence returned once more.
Ryoma turned his head toward the last survivor.
Kusuna had already fled more than three hundred meters in the blink of an eye.
Ryoma sneered.
"Better stay."
His figure flickered—
And he crossed the three-hundred-meter distance instantly, appearing behind Kusuna as though space itself had folded.
Kusuna felt the presence at his back and nearly lost control of his breathing. He couldn't understand it.
How could someone be this fast?
"Thud."
A palm settled atop his head.
In the next second, Kusuna felt a violent spinning sensation inside his skull, as though something was rummaging through his mind.
The Human Path.
One of the abilities of the Rinnegan—the power to read memories and extract souls through direct contact.
When Ryoma first saw Kusuna, he had already judged him to be the leader of the group. If anyone possessed detailed knowledge about Yomi and the source of their power, it would be him.
Memories flowed into Ryoma's mind in rapid fragments—
The implantation experiments.
The corruption of Mōryō's chakra.
Their dealings and plans.
Once he obtained what he needed, Ryoma showed no hesitation.
His fist pierced straight through Kusuna's chest.
Violent chakra erupted from within, tearing through organs, shattering meridians, and pulverizing his entire body from the inside out.
In an instant—
Kusuna's body collapsed into lifeless fragments.
The battlefield fell quiet.
Not a single enemy remained.
…
(End of Chapter)
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