"Don't despair. Only by letting our armies wear down Ryosuke's stamina do we stand a chance. You've fought him many times, but even I cannot defeat him alone when he goes berserk," said Senju Hashirama.
"You too?" The First Raikage's face darkened with worry. If they failed to seal Sato Ryosuke today, which nation could endure his vengeance afterward?
Even in Sage Mode, Hashirama had never been able to subdue him.
"This war must not be lost. We must defeat him, seal him!" The Raikage's expression grew grim.
"Hahaha." Uchiha Madara chuckled from the side.
The Raikage's anger flared. "What are you laughing at!"
"If not for me and Hashirama, you trash would be corpses by now."
"Don't underestimate us! All the great villages' elites are here today!"
"If numbers mattered, who would need true power?" Madara said with disdain.
"Enough, Madara!" Hashirama interjected quickly as the Raikage nearly coughed blood from fury.
Ryosuke narrowed his eyes, muttering, "The Nara clan actually thought of a tiered tactic to drain me. Clever enough."
But sending ants to exhaust an elephant? That would never work.
"Hm? That's the Hydration Technique of the Hozuki clan from the Land of Water," Ryosuke noted as enemy shinobi surged in from all sides.
Anger welled up in his chest. Since when did these insects dare to surround him? In the past, they fled at the mere sight of him.
Very well. If they dared to come, he would kill them all.
"Attack him! Drain his stamina! Leave nothing in reserve!"
"If we fail, we're the ones who die!"
"Oooh!" Thousands of ninja roared as they rushed forward, unleashing a storm of jutsu and weapons.
Ryosuke barely moved, eyes half-lidded. "These attacks can't break my defense. They won't drain more than a sliver of my strength."
Then his pupils narrowed. The enemy had unleashed combined techniques: wind fueling fire, lightning empowering storm. Deadly combinations roared toward him.
Explosions filled the sky, a spectacle meant to terrify. Yet Ryosuke knew they could not even pierce his skin. Still, the strain of constant defense did sap his stamina bit by bit.
"You can't break me. At best, you'll tire me," he sneered.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battlefield erupted. The shockwaves were catastrophic, gouging the land within five kilometers into a pit fifty meters deep. Dust was obliterated by the sheer force.
…
"Yes! Keep it up!" The First Kazekage shouted in excitement.
"This is it! Today we'll shatter the myth of the undying monster!" another cried.
Eagerly, many charged into the crater's heart.
"Don't go! He's still alive!" a sensor ninja screamed in panic.
Even Hashirama's gaze snapped toward the smoking epicenter, his face hardening. "How is this possible…"
Thousands of combined jutsu had exploded directly on Ryosuke. Even tailed beasts would have perished. Yet when the smoke cleared, he stood unscathed.
No—that was not entirely true. His shirt had been obliterated, revealing a physique of steel-hard muscle.
When Ryosuke's lips curved into a wicked smile, Hashirama's heart clenched. "Retreat! Retreat now!" he shouted.
"What?!"
"Retreat?" The charging shinobi faltered, confused.
Then they saw him. Bare-chested, uninjured, eyes glowing red. The spiked club rested lazily on his shoulder as if nothing had happened.
Impossible.
The First Kazekage, who had been exultant a moment ago, blurted out in disbelief, "How can this be?!"
The First Mizukage and First Tsuchikage, who had kept silent until now, broke into cold sweat. "He really is… an immortal monster…"
The battlefield froze. Even the air seemed to stop.
Ryosuke's crimson gaze swept across them. He smiled, baring teeth. "Attacks. Ineffective."