True Face

"Mu of Iwagakure? Why are you here?" A figure suddenly appeared above the lake beside them, barefoot and dressed in white, with a head of white hair and an unnaturally youthful face.

"Lord Seimei!" Seeing the newcomer, the four shouted in unison. Even the armored fat man whose hand had been severed seemed to have forgotten his pain, his expression turning fanatical.

Seimei floated in the air and looked down at the four of them expressionlessly. "As tools, if you cannot serve a purpose, you become scrap metal. The same goes for you."

A tremendous suction force erupted from Seimei, extending toward the four of them. The ninja tools on their bodies turned into specks of white light and flew away!

"Disgusting. I waited here for three days. The Fujiwara Clan, the Cursed Blade Muramasa—they belong to me. Your performance has disappointed me." Seimei took several steps forward and spoke with his head held high.

His voice was not loud, yet it carried across the lake as though he were speaking right beside them.

"Save... save me..." Fujiwara Masatsune struggled briefly before blood began pouring from his seven orifices, and he collapsed to the ground.

A genjutsu? Or ninja tools? Could they really achieve something like this? Looking at Seimei, who was armed from head to toe with countless ninja tools, Ruri found the situation troublesome.

Seimei looked at Ruri and asked again, "Why are you here?"

"An Iwagakure secret." Ruri took a step forward and landed on the water's surface.

Chakra surged out, and in an instant, the tranquil lake erupted into towering waves. Pillars of water rose like swords and shot toward Seimei!

Ruri had already drawn his blade. Holding it in his left hand, he covered his body in a layer of bluish-purple chakra and shot forward like an arrow. Concealed by the waves he had raised, he vanished from sight. Only a long white trail across the lake marked his position!

A distance of over a hundred meters was crossed in an instant with the full eruption of Seven-Tails Chakra. Though it could not match the effect of Flying Thunder God, it was not far off!

This was the trump card Ruri had developed over the past three months. He did not want to keep relying on a system that might hand out rewards at any moment. Naruto had cultivated Nine-Tails Chakra Mode with Nine-Tails Chakra. Since they were both Tailed Beast Chakra, there was no reason Ruri could not do the same. Besides, he possessed a Truth-Seeking Orb and the perfect seal of the Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals, making it even easier for him than it had been for Naruto!

Although Seven-Tails Chakra Mode could not create multiple chakra arms or sense malice and goodwill, its other functions were no different from Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. Moreover, because of the Seven-Tails' nature, Seven-Tails Chakra Mode could form a pair of chakra wings, making flight convenient!

Wings sprouted from his ribs! Bluish-purple wings appeared behind Ruri, carrying him away from the lake's surface and toward Seimei in the sky!

"Get down here!" Ruri slashed with his blade. Seven-Tails Chakra Mode could not be maintained in flight for long, so he chose to end this quickly!

"This chakra? It is still nothing more than a ninja's tool." The armor on Seimei's back shifted and extended, and two iron wings emerged behind him. He glided through the air for a stretch, nimbly dodging Ruri's slash!

"Come." Seimei pointed at the ground. The four by the lake were connected by strands of chakra, and before long, their chakra gradually dissipated, becoming nourishment for the ninja tools on Seimei's body. All that remained were corpses like dried husks!

"They were your subordinates."

"Subordinates? They were merely tools. If they are not strong enough, they will always be tools. Even you are only the Tsuchikage's tool, and the Tsuchikage is merely the Land of Earth's tool. My existence is to end all of this!" Seimei retracted the iron wings on his back and stepped barefoot onto the water, speaking at length without showing the slightest emotion.

"Lunatic..." Ruri had no idea what was wrong with this man. Judging by his face alone, he did not look like a decent person. No matter what, Seimei had to die!

"Go." Seimei stood motionless, lightly tapped the water with his toes, and brought his hands together. Three dragon-shaped streams of chakra extended from his armor. Guided by those three dragons, the lake water around Ruri formed two walls and closed in on him!

Was this the power of ninja tools? Seimei's strength after being revived in the original story had been weakened by far more than several times! But only strength like this could justify talking about destroying the Five Great Nations, right? With ninja tools and an extremely small amount of chakra alone, he could unleash attacks comparable to A-rank ninjutsu...

Ruri's expression turned grave. He swept his blade through the air, and the bluish-purple blade aura infused with Seven-Tails Chakra sliced the water walls into several pieces, turning them directly into clear water that scattered back into the lake!

But Seimei launched his second attack at that moment.

What did it feel like to be struck by light? The armor on Seimei's body transformed into a gigantic sword, which reflected the light. Boundless rays of light took physical form and rained down on Ruri like countless Senbon. They were not only incomparably sharp, but also nearly as fast as light!

"Iaijutsu!" Ruri slashed once, yet it was as though he had slashed countless times. Every ray of light seemed to be cut down by a blade before falling into the lake with deep, dull plunks!

"Who exactly are you? Mu's ninjutsu should be Dust Release." After two consecutive attacks had been easily neutralized, Seimei gradually realized something was wrong. As one of the people standing at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World, Mu's information had long since been exposed completely. Aside from Dust Release and various escape techniques, despite carrying two swords on his back, he barely used them.

"Mu's ninjutsu? Bandage Entanglement Technique!" Ruri naturally could not use Dust Release, so he directly circulated his chakra and sent the bandages around his body flying out!

"Who exactly are you?" Seimei waved his hand, and all the bandages scattered away.

"The one who will kill you!" Under the cover of the bandages, Ruri had already condensed a massive amount of chakra onto his blade. With one slash, he released a bluish-purple blade aura several meters long!

"It is useless. With the assistance of ninja tools on this lake, my Water Style is on the same level as the Mizukage's." Seimei lightly raised his hand, causing enormous waves to rise from the lake. Each one possessed defensive power no weaker than Water Style Wall!

Yet before this slash, which could even stop a waterfall, they appeared utterly powerless. Like blocks of tofu, they were easily cut apart. Wherever the blade aura passed, everything was cleaved open, revealing the muddy lakebed and the corpses of unlucky fish sliced in two.

The slash struck Seimei squarely in the chest. However, all the chakra within the blade aura was absorbed completely, leaving only immense impact force. That force pushed Seimei back dozens of steps, but he did not appear to be injured.

"You are strong, but you are also a tool of the Five Great Nations. You cannot defeat me, the creator!" Seimei rose into the air, the chill in his eyes deepening. With a wave of both hands, the armor on his body suddenly stirred the airflow. "Retreat!"

A powerful wind pressure swept over Ruri, pressing him down so hard that he could barely lift his head. The willow trees by the lake were uprooted one after another, while Fujiwara Shizume, who was barely clinging to life, was crushed by the pressure until he vomited blood repeatedly!

"Let me see your true face!"

The bandages Ruri had used to disguise himself as Mu were blown away one by one, revealing his true appearance!

Silver hair, red eyes, three red markings on his cheeks, blue iron armor, and a collar made from some unknown white fur around his neck...

"Tobirama Senju?!"