As soon as Ryoma's words fell, the entire area went deathly still—followed immediately by an explosion of fury.
"You want to deal with all of us using just a single wood clone?!"
No matter how one looked at it, the rebels gathered here included many powerful shinobi. Several were clearly elite fighters.
A burly rebel shouted in anger, but when he realized that the Ryoma standing before them was merely a clone, excitement flashed across his face.
It's just a clone. How strong could it possibly be?
If I destroy it—even if it's only a clone—my standing in the organization will rise!
Ryoma did not even spare the man a glance, treating him as if he were nothing but empty air.
That indifference completely enraged him.
With a strange, feral cry, the man charged forward—and several other shinobi rushed out as well.
They all shared the same thought.
However, Ryoma merely flicked his gaze toward them.
In the next instant, the charging shinobi collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses. They died on the spot.
The sudden, horrifying scene froze everyone in place.
No one even understood what Ryoma had done—the battle had ended before it truly began.
"You're all idiots."
Ryoma's voice was calm and quiet, yet it rang clearly in every rebel's ears.
"You dared to set your sights on my family. None of you are leaving here alive today."
The moment his words landed, panic erupted.
The rebels scattered in all directions, desperately trying to flee.
"Trying to escape?"
Chakra surged from Ryoma's body.
Wood Release: Four-Pillar Prison!
The earth shook violently as countless thick tree roots burst from the ground. In the blink of an eye, they formed a massive wooden cage, sealing everyone inside.
On the other side of the battlefield, Chiyo, the true mastermind, finally made her move.
She knew that if she hesitated any longer, everyone here would die.
"Hah!"
With a sharp sound, Chiyo's fingers moved, and pale-blue chakra threads extended outward.
Puppeteers used chakra threads to manipulate their creations in battle. True masters could even attach those threads to enemy puppets—or living people.
At her peak, Chiyo's mastery of puppetry was unquestionably Kage-level.
"White Secret Technique: Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu!"
The black markings beneath her feet flashed.
In an instant, ten puppets appeared around her.
These were the legendary creations of the puppeteer ancestor Monzaemon Chikamatsu. Each finger controlled one puppet, allowing them to act in perfect coordination—launching combined attacks and even ninjutsu. Some shinobi claimed this technique could conquer a city.
Under Chiyo's control, a white-robed puppet charged forward. Its instrument-like arm unfolded, rotating blades screaming through the air as it slashed toward Ryoma.
Simultaneously, two more puppets attacked from either side.
One snapped a metal whip toward Ryoma's arm.
The other transformed, its body reshaping into a massive cannon before firing a condensed energy projectile.
Facing the three-pronged assault, Ryoma's expression did not change.
His hands remained calmly clasped before his chest.
The next moment—
Three massive wooden pillars erupted from the ground without warning.
They smashed directly into the attacking puppets.
The puppets shattered completely, exploding into fragments midair.
Chiyo's pupils contracted violently.
She could hardly believe what she was seeing.
A single wood clone… destroyed three Chikamatsu puppets instantly?
Even without any visible seals or preparation.
"But this isn't over yet!"
Puppet Technique: Three Treasures Crush!
Chiyo swung her arms sharply.
Three of the remaining puppets encircled Ryoma, forming a triangular formation. A violent tornado surged forth, roaring as it crushed inward from all sides—its pressure enough to pulverize an ordinary shinobi within moments.
Yet Ryoma stood unmoving at the center of the storm.
Unresponsive.
Unshaken.
As if the raging winds did not exist at all.
"Shinra Tensei."
With Ryoma's calm words, an invisible force erupted outward.
The raging tornado collapsed instantly.
An overwhelming shockwave swept across the battlefield like a divine judgment. Before the pressure even fully arrived, the compressed air alone scraped painfully across everyone's faces, ripping at skin and forcing hair and beards to whip violently backward.
When the force struck in full, most of the shinobi were annihilated without the slightest resistance—reduced to shattered flesh and blood in an instant.
Those few who survived were either gravely injured or knocked unconscious on the spot.
Chiyo lay dying amid the wreckage, her body pierced and covered by fragments of shattered puppets.
Slow footsteps approached.
She weakly opened her eyes and saw a figure standing above her—like a Demon King gazing down from on high.
"Any last words?"
Ryoma stepped on her chest, his expression indifferent.
"This… this was my plan…" Chiyo gasped weakly.
"It has nothing to do with Sunagakure… nor with Hailao Zangwu…"
"I will judge that myself," Ryoma replied coldly.
"I gave you a chance. Since you were determined to seek death, I'll grant it."
With a sudden burst of strength—
Chiyo's body exploded into a spray of blood and flesh.
Just as everything here was settled—
At the edge of the Land of Lightning, atop a towering mountain.
A dark-skinned man stared at the Wood Clone standing before him. His hand trembled as he clutched his sword, barely keeping himself upright.
Corpses littered the ground around him.
Blood pooled beneath his feet.
He was already at his limit.
When Ryoma's figure vanished once more, darkness swallowed his vision completely.
At the same time, disasters erupted across the continent.
An island near Kirigakure detonated violently, a massive mushroom cloud slowly rising into the sky.
In the wastelands west of the Land of Earth, a crater several kilometers wide and dozens of meters deep was carved into the ground.
Within the Land of Iron, a grand palace collapsed without warning, killing nearly a hundred samurai.
Across the mainland, Ryoma's sudden assault struck like heavenly thunder, completely crushing the rebel forces.
This so-called rebel army was destroyed before it could even truly mobilize.
That night, the power Ryoma displayed left the entire ninja world shaken.
Terrified, Black Zetsu quietly retreated.
"Ryoma… is far too dangerous," he muttered.
"I'll have to wait longer… wait for another opportunity…"
At the top floor of Konoha Hospital.
Ryoma stood beside Kushina and Mikoto, both resting with visibly swollen bellies.
When the information from his Wood Clone returned to him, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Everyone on the list—
Had been completely erased.
...
TN:
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