Chapter 50: Don't Forget Your Middle School Knowledge
After successfully opening the Seventh Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, Masahiko's training temporarily came to an end.
"With the Seventh Gate, I should be able to 'skirmish' with the current Madara and Hashirama. Uzumaki 'Skirmish' is back!" Masahiko muttered to himself.
"Hiss... but it hurts way too much." Masahiko grimaced in pain. He didn't have the nerves of steel like the bowl-cut duo.
"I'll only use the Eight Inner Gates if absolutely necessary. I got another 20 Witness Points earlier. That's enough to add points for Dust Release!"
Earth Release: (Fusable 1/3) LV7 (606598/1000000) (+)
Wind Release: (Fusable 1/3) LV7 (607738/1000000) (+)
Fire Release: (Fusable 1/3) LV7 (602243/1000000) (+)
Having spent 42 Witness Points, Masahiko looked at his Earth, Wind, and Fire attributes and nodded with satisfaction.
"Just as I thought. At LV7, I can fuse three attributes. Dust Release, here I come!"
Masahiko couldn't wait. He fused the three attributes together.
"Head-to-tail connection? Is this fused?" In Masahiko's vision, the three attributes within his body were connected head-to-tail, forming a triangle. Wind connected to Fire, Fire connected to Earth, and Earth connected back to Wind.
Dust Release: LV7 (1816579/3000000) (+)
"Whew..." Masahiko let out a long breath. He had finally obtained Dust Release. But... something seemed to be missing...
Masahiko didn't dwell on it. He immediately headed to the forest outside the clan compound to test the jutsu.
Why not Training Ground 1? Well, this was the Uzumaki clan, not the Senju.
Using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to scan the area and ensure no one was around, he formed hand seals. "Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!" A cone-shaped crystal swept out, snapping countless trees and ploughing a deep trench in the ground.
"This power..." Masahiko fell silent. "It doesn't feel that strong... In terms of destructive power, it's not much more than my Rasenshuriken." Masahiko scratched his head, slightly disappointed.
It wasn't until he walked closer that he realized the difference. Dust Release didn't just blow things up; it annihilated everything it touched at a molecular level.
Masahiko nodded, finally satisfied.
"Now, time to try the other move... If I'm right, I should be able to..." Masahiko focused, sensing and manipulating the dust in the air. This was something only possible with LV7 Earth Release.
He concentrated on controlling the dust, attaching it to his feet, and lifted off the ground, floating into the air.
"I knew it! I can fly!"
Masahiko smiled as he floated in mid-air.
"Let's try the other one." Masahiko formed seals. "Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique: Pillar!"
A white light flashed in his palm and vanished instantly.
Masahiko staggered, nearly falling out of the sky.
"I can't release the enhanced version? That makes sense. In the original story, Tsunade and Onoki had to combine their power to use it... In that case..."
Sage Mode: Activate!
Masahiko entered Sage Mode and formed the seals again. "Sage Art: Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique: Pillar!"
This time, the beam of white light finally shot out from his hands. After that, Masahiko's vision was filled with nothing but white. He couldn't even hear the roar of the impact. The world went silent.
A minute later, the white light finally faded. Before Masahiko was nothing but a massive crater. No forest, no grass... nothing.
"The forest... is gone?" Strangely, instead of marveling at the jutsu's power, Masahiko's first thought was that he needed to drag Hashirama over to do some landscaping for the Uzumaki clan.
After his random thoughts subsided, Masahiko finally realized what his jutsu had done.
"It consumed almost half of my Sage Mode chakra. That's more than three times the cost of a Rasenshuriken... The power must be at least thirty times greater."
Masahiko was ecstatic. After living in the Warring States for 66 years, he finally had a trump card he could rely on. Even Madara's Perfect Susanoo would not come out unscathed from a direct hit.
"This move might be even stronger than Hashirama's True Several Thousand Hands during the mining war..."
As Masahiko pondered this, his Mind's Eye of the Kagura sensed a large group of chakra signatures approaching. Leading them was the Uzumaki Clan Head.
Masahiko looked at the destroyed forest. "In the spirit of Lei Feng, one must do good deeds without leaving a name..." He rose higher into the air and flew away.
Back at the training ground, Masahiko's excitement hadn't faded, but his chakra was half gone.
"I'd better deactivate Dust Release and recover my chakra first..." Masahiko muttered.
"Deactivate... Deactivate... Deactivate..."
"Why isn't there a 'Dismantle' option next to Dust Release?!"
Masahiko studied it for a long time, but the three attributes remained firmly connected, showing no sign of separating.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!" Masahiko formed seals, watching earth spears erupt from the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Right, the Tsuchikage used Earth Release..."
"Come out, my little fireballs!"
"Fireballs?"
"Lava Release: Rubber Wall?"
...
After repeated tests, Masahiko discovered he could still use Fire, Wind, and Earth Release jutsu, but his Kekkei Genkai were completely disabled. Since the elements were connected head-to-tail, they could no longer fuse in pairs.
"AHHH! My Scorch Release! My Dark Release! I haven't even used Lava Release once! Why can't Dust Release be dismantled?!" Masahiko screamed internally.
Suddenly, the image of a tall, middle-aged man with glasses surfaced in his mind.
"A triangle is the most stable structure!"
It was Masahiko's middle school math teacher. A memory from over seventy years ago resurfaced.
"A triangle is the most stable structure?" Masahiko muttered, smiling bitterly. "This story teaches us: never forget your middle school knowledge!"
"Forget it. With Dust Release, those other bloodlines were a bit redundant anyway." After his breakdown, Masahiko became optimistic again.
But soon, his face fell again. A clansman came to notify him that the Clan Head was looking for him. Having just erased the forest outside the village, he felt a little guilty.
Arriving at the main hall, Masahiko saw his "big nephew" looking normal, and he relaxed.
"Second Uncle, what ninjutsu were you researching? That was quite the display of power," the Clan Head said.
Masahiko froze. "Huh? Ninjutsu? No, nothing like that."
"Don't deny it, Second Uncle. With such a huge disturbance outside the village, if it wasn't you, you would have gone to investigate immediately," the Clan Head laughed.
Masahiko's expression changed. He hadn't expected to give himself away like that. Just as he was about to explain, the Clan Head continued, "It's fine. I'm happy you developed such a powerful jutsu! In these eventful times, losing a forest is a small price to pay."
"Eventful times?" Masahiko stopped trying to explain and asked curiously.
"Uchiha Madara has reappeared. He fought Hashirama, and their battle altered the terrain for a hundred miles. They were evenly matched. I sent scouts to investigate; it didn't look like something humans could do. Now, all the clans are calling them the 'Two Gods of the Ninja World'!" the Clan Head explained.
Masahiko paused, then his face lit up with joy.
"Madara has finally reappeared? The final battle isn't far off! Konoha... is finally coming!"
☆☆☆
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