Resolution

Seimei landed on the ice covering the lake. It was the first time he had descended. The instant his feet touched the ground, the lake surface suddenly trembled, then began to boil and rapidly thaw. Countless dead fish and shrimp floated to the surface!

At that moment, the iron fragments Ruri had shattered and scattered across the lake gathered together. Drawn by Seimei, they formed an iron cage around Ruri!

"Shrike is a ninja tool beyond ninjutsu. Did you think it would be over just because you destroyed it?" Like a helpless bird, Ruri was firmly trapped within the iron cage! His chakra was continuously being absorbed as well!

"What wonderful power. I never expected you to possess such chakra. Senju clan chakra truly is an excellent power source!"

Facing such a predicament, Ruri remained utterly unmoved and slashed out with a blade imbued with Sage Chakra!

The blow crashed down, and the sword aura struck the iron cage, splitting it apart in one slash!

It was a collision like sparks striking Earth, nearly reaching the pinnacle of ninja combat!

The sword aura did not lose momentum and continued toward Seimei!

The armor on Seimei's body extended into a pair of wings. The wings seemed to be venting downward, and under the force of that airflow, the lake beneath his feet suddenly sank into a depression with a "whoosh"! Using the recoil, he shot backward like a meteor!

"?? A jet engine? Is that thing still within the scope of ninja tools?" Seimei's ninja tools truly shocked Ruri. First a Refrigerator, then a jet engine. In an era before Orochimaru had even been born, this guy was probably the only one who could barely be called a scientist, wasn't he? What a talent!

Still, admiration was admiration. Ruri's attack did not weaken in the slightest. His sword aura came crashing down with overwhelming force, cutting a fissure dozens of meters long through the lake. The water, filled with dead fish and shrimp, churned outward in all directions, forming waves several meters high!

Lake water splashed over Seimei and soaked his clothes. He narrowly escaped the strike in a miserable state, but he could no longer maintain his composure. The man who had always kept his emotions hidden now wore an expression of extreme fury, with even a trace of fear flashing across his face!

Looking over, Ruri stood upon the lake's surface, still holding his slashing posture. In Sage Mode, he seemed like a god!

The lake water exploded, and countless pillars of water shot into the sky. The effects of Sage Chakra manifested as natural energy throughout the air erupted without cease! Under the relentless barrage, Seimei fled in utter panic!

The lake surface had become completely uneven, every mark caused by natural energy and sword aura. This was liquid water, yet it had actually been carved with scars!

Seimei fled in every direction, relying on his ninja tools to withstand every explosion, but he was nearly at his limit. Then he suddenly floated upward again, brushed back his hair, and laughed rather than grew angry. "Failing to completely destroy Shrike was your most foolish mistake. Shrike—Thousand Tongues—Convergence!"

The half-destroyed iron cage suddenly extended greatly, wrapping Ruri inside once more. It emitted continuous clattering sounds as it began to contract inward. This time, it absorbed not only ordinary chakra, but even the Sage Chakra he had refined!

Having gained a moment to catch his breath, Seimei stroked the armor and various ninja tools on his body. Quite a few had been damaged by the sword aura just now, but if they could kill "Tobirama Senju," then these ninja tools had proven their worth.

"With chakra like this, I should be able to forge even stronger ninja tools! I heard that Senju Hashirama's body possesses an incredibly powerful recovery ability. His younger brother shouldn't be much worse. If I could..."

Chakra was drained away bit by bit. Ruri had already released Sage Mode and seemed to have given up resisting. He simply stood motionless atop the water, allowing Shrike to close in around him.

"It's over!" Seeing Ruri remain trapped within the iron cage without escaping, Fujiwara Shizume desperately tried to rise and flee from the shore. If Ruri died, he certainly would not survive either. Yet he could not move. His internal organs had already been badly injured, and the battle's aftershocks had broken his right leg!

Shizuka lay unconscious in Mitsunosuke's arms. He had not suffered many injuries, and escaping would have been easy for him. But he did not do so, because he knew that if even Ruri could not handle this enemy, what could they use to seek revenge? Escape no longer had any meaning. Perhaps only death could bring release.

"Is this your final trump card?" Ruri's calm voice came from inside Shrike.

Fujiwara Shizume seemed to glimpse a thread of hope. He crazily raised his head toward the iron cage, but he could not see anything!

The next moment, a Black Sphere emerged from the iron cage. Then Ruri walked out.

He emerged without hurry, one step, then another, gradually approaching Seimei!

"Impossible?!" Seimei's expression changed drastically. The ninja tools on his body launched attacks frantically, but each one was blocked by a shield formed from the Black Sphere. Furthermore, every ninja tool that touched the black shield vanished into thin air, never to return!

After entering Sage Mode, Ruri's understanding of natural energy had deepened further. He had reached the point where he could alter the form of the Truth-Seeking Orb! Though it still consumed an enormous amount of chakra, both its offensive and defensive capabilities had undergone a qualitative transformation!

Seimei was strong, and his ninja tools were even stronger. In the present age, apart from Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, no one would dare claim they could certainly overpower him. With such strength, destroying the Five Great Nations was no empty boast.

Yet he had encountered Ruri, the First Takikage, Amamiya Ruri, who wielded Seven-Tails chakra, the Truth-Seeking Orb, and Sage Mode!

"This is impossible!"

Watching the ninja tools he had painstakingly forged be destroyed one after another beneath the black shield, Seimei's face turned ashen. He nearly could not remain standing!

This was the most crucial point. Aside from his strength, Ruri, who had struggled through twenty years of the Warring States Period as a ninja, possessed combat experience far beyond that of Seimei, a craftsman who had always lived a stable life! Not to mention a ninja's exceptionally resilient mental fortitude!

Run! This was the only thought left in Seimei's mind. He was the god who controlled every tool. He could not die here like one of his tools! So long as he survived, he was confident that, with the experience gained today, he could create even more powerful ninja tools to defeat his opponent!

The iron wings behind Seimei suddenly expanded to two or three meters in length. Air currents surged, and using the recoil, he flew out beyond the lake at wind-like speed!

"Where do you think you're running?" With a slight thought from Ruri, the shield formed from the Truth-Seeking Orb flew before Seimei and blocked his path of retreat!

He turned and continued running! Seimei did not dare test the power of something that could turn even ninja tools into nothingness with his own body!

Run! Blocked! Turn and run! Blocked again!

"Why did you run over here?" Ruri slowly asked as he looked at Seimei, who had been forced to flee right in front of him.

"You..." Before Seimei could finish speaking, Ruri closed in. Although he could only use one hand while maintaining Tobirama Senju's Transformation Jutsu, he swiftly stripped the armor from Seimei's body!

"This is pretty good. I'm afraid I might accidentally destroy it." Red eyeshadow appeared as Ruri instantly entered Sage Mode. His physical vitality surged rapidly. With a light stomp, he clenched one hand into a fist!

"Boom!"

As though heaven and Earth were collapsing, the entire lake surface was instantly forced into a massive depression more than ten meters long under the pressure of Sage Chakra. Seimei fell into the lake, his fate unknown!