Five crystalline Chakra Orbs imbued with Nature Transformations fell to the ground, erupting into light that devoured everything.
The energy shockwave spread outward like an inverted bowl. Boulders, trees, buildings, people, animals, and even the earth itself were no exception.
Everything within was instantly annihilated into dust, vanishing within endless radiance.
Sound was swallowed; light was obscured. People couldn't see or hear, only feeling the violent tremors of the earth, leaving only fear and worry in their hearts.
Boom, rumble...
Finally, sound returned. The sky echoed with violent explosions and roars. The energy shockwave, after spreading hundreds of kilometers, collapsed inward, ultimately transforming into flames that shot skyward in an earth-shattering explosion, dyeing the sky fiery red.
If Ryuji hadn't hidden in his Personal Space after throwing the Rasengan, he too would have been engulfed by the fiery wave.
...
Time passed slowly. About five minutes later, Ryuji returned from his Personal Space to the present world.
Smoke filled Kumogakure's skies. The entire village was buried under raised dust. Residual warmth from the explosion lingered in the air.
As dust settled with time, only a crater over a hundred kilometers in diameter remained where Kumogakure once stood.
Seeing this, Ryuji also fell silent.
Rasengan was a fascinating Ninjutsu.
It was a technique that achieved immense destructive power through high-speed rotation and compression.
Theoretically, adjusting rotational speed and compression level allowed varying magnitudes of power. As long as the user had sufficient Chakra and control, they could unleash Rasengan of limitless power.
Consider Naruto and Konohamaru.
Naruto's Rasengan could only create a small pit in the ground. Konohamaru's Rasengan could cause large-scale ground destruction, even shattering mountains.
Ryuji compressed an originally tennis ball-sized Rasengan to ping-pong ball size. The Chakra contained was hundreds of times greater than an ordinary Rasengan, its power multiplied hundreds of times.
Adding Chakra Nature Transformations further increased its power exponentially. Even hundreds of meters away, one could sense the terrifying energy within the Rasengan.
Of course, Rasengan of such power demanded immense Chakra Reserve and control from the user.
Without entering Sage Mode, with qualitative leaps in Chakra and control, Ryuji couldn't have used it.
But even then, he could only form it gradually, not instantly like ordinary Rasengan.
In other words, this was a technique usable only when enemies couldn't interfere.
Considering its overwhelming power, which could engulf the user, it had little practical combat application.
But that was enough.
A Ninjutsu of this magnitude wasn't meant for individuals but for situations like this.
"Now, to Valley of Clouds and Lightning." Ryuji took a final glance at the flattened Kumogakure, then flew away on the mechanical bird.
As for Valley of Clouds and Lightning's location, any Kumogakure's Shinobi's memory would suffice.
...
Kumogakure.
Shortly after Ryuji left, a boulder was pushed aside. Raikage struggled to stand.
Chakra still covered his body.
But compared to its initial fullness, it was now faint. Electric arcs flickered intermittently.
Seeing the desolate landscape, he was stunned.
"Brother, is this Kumogakure!?"
The astonished voice behind made the Raikage snap back. He roared furiously at the sky, "Senki Ryuji, I am irreconcilably opposed to you!"
In truth, Kumogakure's losses were far less than they appeared.
Unlike Konoha, Kumogakure was built on mountainsides, structures distributed across several peaks, not on the same level.
Though Ryuji's Five Release Rasengan had destructive range enough to obliterate any of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kumogakure escaped complete destruction due to its distributed architecture.
Moreover, they evacuated civilians to shelters immediately upon chaos, minimizing losses further.
Of course, 'minimal' was relative.
Even after withdrawing from war for over half a year, with most Shinobi on external missions, Kumogakure still had around three thousand Shinobi in the village.
After Ryuji's disturbance, with even the Raikage and Jinchuriki personally engaging, other Shinobi naturally joined.
These individuals lacked the Raikage and B's defensive means. At the epicenter of the Ninjutsu explosion, except for unbelievably lucky ones, survival was unlikely.
Meaning, Ryuji's attack eliminated one-third of Kumogakure's military strength, adding an advantage for the future major war.
...
The journey to Valley of Clouds and Lightning to find the Chakra Cannon proceeded smoothly.
Before Ryuji arrived, Gin and the others had eliminated all guards there, securing the Chakra Cannon.
"Now, let's return."
"Mhm."
Seeing no objections, Ryuji stored the Chakra Cannon and everyone in his Personal Space. He then flew the mechanical bird back to Sunagakure.
The mission was complete; no need to worry about mission failure due to exposure. So Ryuji flew straight, passing over the Land of Fire, returning to Sunagakure in just one day.
...
During Ryuji's absence, Sunagakure continued normally.
Missions proceeded; construction advanced. The village thrived, moving vigorously toward a promising future.
After spending a few days with Pakura, Ryuji retreated to the laboratory again.
Last month, studying the Dragon Vein's formation principles revealed the relationship between Natural Energy and all things, leading to the Sage-enhanced cloth armor.
But that was an accidental byproduct. The real focus was the Chakra Generator.
Since Natural Energy could nurture immense Chakra like the Dragon Vein, could machinery replicate that nurturing process to produce Chakra?
This conjecture drove Ryuji's urgency.
If a Chakra Generator could be built, his puppet army could become independent, free from the Dragon Vein.
However, Ryuji was overly optimistic.
...
Half a month later.
In a massive factory building, Sunagakure's high command stood behind Ryuji, staring astonished at the machine before them.
"It really produces Chakra from nothing!"
"So machines can produce Chakra too?"
"Will Shinobi become obsolete then?"
"Ryuji-sama is truly terrifying!"
Listening to the discussions, Ryuji felt a row of black lines forming on his forehead.
"Please! I asked you to confirm the Chakra Generator's existence to approve various projects!"
Though the current Chakra Generator was house-sized, cost immense resources, and produced minuscule Chakra with no practical use, everyone understood: the technology was invented. Further optimization would eventually lead to practical application.