Resolution

Seimei landed on the ice formed over the lake. This was his first time touching down, and the moment his feet made contact, the lake surface shuddered, began to boil, and rapidly thawed, causing countless dead fish and shrimp to float to the surface.

At this moment, the iron filings that had been shattered by Ruri and fallen onto the lake gathered together, following Seimei's guidance to form an iron cage around Ruri.

"The Shrike is a ninja tool that transcends ninjutsu. Did you think destroying it would be the end?" Ruri stood trapped firmly within the iron cage like a helpless bird, his chakra being continuously drained away.

"What marvelous power. I never expected you to possess such chakra; the chakra of the Senju clan is a top-tier power source!"

Facing such a predicament, Ruri remained unmoved, slashing out with a blade infused with Sage Mode chakra.

With a thunderous roar, the blade aura struck the iron cage, shattering it in a single blow.

The collision was like fire meeting earth, reaching the absolute pinnacle of ninja combat.

The remaining force of the blade aura continued unabated, slashing toward Seimei.

The armor on Seimei's body sprouted wings that seemed to vent gas; under the influence of this airflow, the lake surface beneath his feet was forced into a concave depression with a loud whoosh. Utilizing this recoil, he shot backward like a meteor.

A jet engine? Is this thing still within the realm of ninja tools? Seimei's gear had truly shocked Ruri. First a refrigerator, now a jet engine—in an era before Orochimaru was even born, this guy was probably the only person who could barely be called a scientist. What a talent!

Sighing was one thing, but Ruri's offensive did not weaken in the slightest. The blade aura descended with the force of ten thousand tons, carving a crack dozens of meters long into the lake. The water, filled with dead fish and shrimp, churned outward, forming waves several meters high.

Seimei was drenched by the splashing lake water and escaped the strike in a wretched state, but he could no longer maintain his composure. His face, usually devoid of emotion, was now twisted in extreme fury, with a flicker of fear flashing across it.

Looking over, one could see Ruri standing on the lake, still maintaining his slashing posture. Under the influence of Sage Mode, he looked like a god.

The lake water exploded as countless pillars of water shot into the sky. The influence of the Sage chakra manifested, causing the natural energy in the air to detonate repeatedly. Seimei scrambled for his life under this relentless barrage.

The lake surface had become uneven, all due to the natural energy and sword aura—this was liquid water, yet it had been carved with scars.

Seimei fled in all directions, relying on his ninja tools to withstand the explosions, but he was nearing his limit. Just then, he suddenly floated upward again, smoothed his hair, and laughed instead of getting angry: "Failing to completely destroy the Shrike was your most foolish move. Shrike—Thousand Tongues—Aggregate!"

The half-destroyed iron cage suddenly extended, wrapping around Ruri once more. It began to shrink inward with a rhythmic clacking sound, absorbing not just ordinary chakra, but even the refined Sage chakra.

Finding a moment to breathe, Seimei stroked his armor and various ninja tools. Many had been damaged by the previous sword aura, but if they could kill "Senju Tobirama," these tools were worth the cost.

"With this kind of chakra, I should be able to forge even stronger tools! I hear Senju Hashirama's body has incredible recovery capabilities; his younger brother shouldn't be any worse. If I could only..."

As his chakra was drained bit by bit, Ruri had already exited Sage Mode. He seemed to have given up on resisting, standing motionless on the water and allowing the Shrike to close in.

"It's over!" Seeing Ruri trapped in the cage for so long without escaping, Fujiwara Shizume on the shore tried his best to stand and flee. If Ruri died, he certainly wouldn't survive. But he couldn't do it; his internal organs had already been injured, and the shockwaves of the battle had broken his right leg.

Mitsunosuke held the unconscious Shizuka in his arms. He had no major injuries and could easily escape, but he didn't. He knew that if Ruri couldn't handle the enemy, what could they possibly do to take revenge? Running away was meaningless; perhaps only death offered release.

"Is this your trump card?" Ruri's calm, unruffled voice drifted from within the Shrike.

Fujiwara Shizume saw a glimmer of hope and frantically craned his neck to look at the cage, but he could see nothing.

The next moment, a black sphere emerged from the iron cage, and Ruri stepped out behind it.

He walked out unhurriedly, one step, two steps, gradually closing the distance to Seimei.

"Impossible?!" Seimei's expression changed drastically. His ninja tools launched attacks frantically, but they were blocked one by one by the shield formed from the black sphere. Furthermore, every tool that touched the black shield vanished into thin air, never to return!

After activating Sage Mode, Ruri's insight into natural energy had deepened, allowing him to alter the form of the Truth-Seeking Orb. Although the chakra consumption remained immense, both his offense and defense had undergone a qualitative change.

Seimei was strong, and his ninja tools were even stronger. In the current world, aside from Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, no one could claim to suppress him. With such strength, toppling the Five Great Nations was no empty talk.

However, he had encountered Ruri—the First Takikage, wielder of Seven-Tails chakra, Truth-Seeking Orbs, and Sage Mode, Amamiya Ruri!

"This is impossible!"

Seeing the tools he had painstakingly crafted destroyed one by one by the black shield, Seimei's face turned ashen, and he nearly lost his footing.

This was the most critical point: beyond raw strength, Ruri, who had spent twenty years scraping by in the Warring States period, possessed combat experience far beyond that of Seimei, a craftsman who had lived a stable life. Not to mention the incredibly resilient mental fortitude of a ninja!

Run! That was the only thought left in Seimei's mind. He was a god who controlled all tools; he could not die here like one of his own creations! As long as he survived, he was confident that, with today's experience, he could forge even more powerful tools to defeat his opponent!

The iron wings on Seimei's back surged, growing two or three meters long. Air currents churned, and utilizing the recoil, he flew off the lake at the speed of the wind.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ruri moved slightly, and the shield formed by the Truth-Seeking Orb flew in front of Seimei, blocking his path.

He turned and ran again! Seimei dared not 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 back here?" Ruri looked at Seimei, who had been forced back to him, and spoke slowly.

"You..." Before Seimei could finish his sentence, Ruri surged forward. Even though he could only use one hand due to maintaining the transformation into Senju Tobirama, he stripped the armor off Seimei in a few swift motions!

"This thing is decent; I'd hate to accidentally destroy it." Red eyeshadow appeared, and Ruri instantly entered Sage Mode. His physical vitality surged, and with a light stomp, he formed a fist with his single hand!

"BOOM!"

As if the heavens were collapsing and the earth splitting, the entire lake surface was forced into a massive, ten-meter-long depression under the pressure of the Sage chakra. Seimei plummeted into the lake, his fate unknown!