However, the surrounding swordsmen shared similar thoughts, so no one noticed the change in him.
No sooner had Okajima Taido's voice faded than Kuriare Takayuki, the wielder of the longsword Nuibari and his battle partner, reacted in perfect sync.
Almost simultaneously, the two unleashed the combat forms of their legendary blades, aiming to stop Yuta.
But—
It was far too late.
With a silent thought, Yuta's Sage Art spiritual body erupted with impossible speed. In a second, it had crossed the distance, its orbiting spheres arriving before Kuriare Takayuki.
Sage Art: Spirit-Devouring Spiral Sphere!
The first time Yuta thought of fusing Sage Art, the Spirit Transformation Technique, and the Rasengan, even he had thought himself insane.
But after meticulous research and experimentation, he'd proven the ninjutsu was not just possible—it was devastating.
Perfect Sage Mode was the prerequisite. The Spirit Transformation Technique was the foundation.
The technique required his spiritual body's soul energy to construct a stable, spherical cage of energy in his palm, locking the Sage chakra within to prevent dissipation.
Then, using the spiritual body's own energy, he would force that chakra into a high-speed rotation, constantly amplifying its power with an endless influx of natural energy. The result was this terrifying, ultra S-rank Jutsu.
If thrown, it was a triple-layered, single-point detonation capable of obliterating everything in its path.
Including the soul.
If held, the sphere orbiting his spiritual body became, in essence, a miniature Truth-Seeking Orb. Its effects were not as absolute, but its destructive power was not that far behind.
In Yuta's estimation, this technique could even be used against Uchiha Madara. Shattering a Perfect Susano'o was unlikely, but any lesser Susano'o would be incapable of withstanding its power.
And its real-world performance matched his expectations perfectly.
The moment Kuriare Takayuki touched one of the spiraling spheres, his entire existence was annihilated. Not merely destroyed—torn apart at the most fundamental level. His body disintegrated, and his soul was shredded into nothing, as if he had never been.
Only then did Okajima Taido reach Yuta's spiritual body.
In that same split-second, Okajima flung a barrage of scrolls from his hand. His eyes narrowed to slits as he swept his blade through an arc.
This was the ultimate ninjutsu of the Explosion Sword: Shibuki.
The strongest explosive technique, reputed to annihilate even tail beasts!
Explosion Sword Ninjutsu: Steam Danger Majestic!
The detonation was instantaneous.
A deafening roar tore across the battlefield, shaking the massive Water Prison Wave and causing the ground to heave and buckle. Stone and dust were instantly superheated into scorching shrapnel at the epicenter, scattering in all directions.
A thick, black plume of smoke billowed from the point of impact.
"Did we get him?"
Ōyama Kentarō let out a slight, shaky breath of relief. The cost had been high, but if this monster was finally eliminated, any sacrifice was worthwhile.
To think what he might become if allowed to grow further… He could become a living nightmare for all Four Great Shinobi Villages.
But at least… at least it was over now.
"A decent explosion."
The clear, calm voice emerging from the smoke made Ōyama Kentarō's and Okajima Taido's eyes widen in unison.
"Impossible."
'How could anyone survive that?'
Okajima's knuckles turned white around Shibuki's hilt. In his experience, even a Kage-level shinobi like the Third Mizukage, caught in the full blast of Shibuki's ultimate technique, would be reduced to pieces.
'Could this damned brat be stronger than Lord Third Mizukage himself?'
A moment later, an azure light pierced the lingering smoke, entering their vision.
"How… how is this possible?!" Okajima breathed, horror dawning on his face.
The boy was unharmed.
"Not entirely unharmed," Hozuki Shingetsu, master of the twin swords Hiramekarei, corrected, his voice dry. "When he killed Kuriare, one of the spiral spheres vanished. Now another is gone. That leaves… eight."
He took a shaky breath, his analytical mind forcing itself to work.
"More importantly, I believe we have been targeting the wrong thing. Ever since this spiritual body manifested, his physical form has not moved a muscle. Our true target should be his flesh-and-blood body, not this thing."
As his words sank in, Ōyama Kentarō's face went deathly pale.
Of course. It was so simple, so obvious! He'd been so terrified by the boy's power that he had missed the most basic tactical reality!
"You finally noticed?" Yuta's form emerged fully from the dissipating smoke. "A little sooner than I expected. I thought you'd wait until only one of you remained."
Just as Hozuki Shingetsu had observed, Yuta was pristine—no injury marred his body, not even a speck of dust clung to his clothes.
The moment of the explosion, he had simply interposed one of his Spirit-Devouring Spheres.
'The sword's power to "annihilate tailed beasts" was, it seemed, nothing special. It couldn't compare to Konan's six hundred billion paper bombs, and might not even match Deidara's final self-destruction.'
"You… What kind of demon are you?" Hozuki Shingetsu whispered, quietly releasing the combat form of his twin blades.
Unlike the other swords, Hiramekarei was famed for chakra amplification and concentrated destructive power.
Its signature technique, Hiramekarei Release, could condense accumulated chakra into a devastating orb of light for a long-range strike.
They still had a chance—if they could create a single opening, a single moment of distraction.
The drawback was the technique's preparation: gas had to vent from the twin holes in the blades, causing the entire sword to luminesce before the chakra mass could be formed and fired.
It was impossible to launch a surprise attack against someone of Yuta's speed.
Unless… they could divert his attention. If they could buy just one crucial second, create one weak point, he could end this.
Of course, if Yuta could still summon one of those spiraling chakra spheres for defense, then all hope was truly lost.
But people needed something to cling to, didn't they?
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