The God of Death on the Battlefield (Seeking Follow-up Reads!)

He burst out from the building caught in the explosion.

Dodai, covered in dust and grime, looked at the chaotic villagers and the ninjas scurrying about like headless flies, his heart filled with both rage and anxiety.

"Dodai, leave this to me. Go to the front!" The Kumogakure elder was remarkably calm, having spotted Kizaru hovering in the air ahead, and called out to him.

The elder's words gave Dodai a clear objective. Calming his anxious heart, he nodded and replied, "I leave this place to you!"

With that, Dodai sprinted toward the front, directly beneath Kizaru.

When Dodai arrived at the scene of the battle, Kizaru had just finished unleashing the Yasakani no Magatama and was standing in mid-air, looking down at the scene below like a monarch of the heavens.

The massive area-of-effect attack of the Yasakani no Magatama had dealt heavy losses to the ambushed Kumogakure ninjas. Everyone was wounded, and most had already collapsed to the ground, having lost their ability to fight—or their lives.

That guy! That bastard! This is unforgivable!

With infinite fury rising in his heart, Dodai looked up at Kizaru in the sky and launched his attack.

Lacking the ability to fly, Dodai faced Kizaru from the ground, weaving hand seals to spit out a mass of fluid from his mouth that resembled rubber or modeling clay.

The massive amount of fluid transformed into a giant palm, reaching up to grab Kizaru in the sky.

"A Kekkei Genkai?" Kizaru looked down at the fluid reaching for him, not moving from his spot, merely maintaining his levitation through elementalization.

The giant palm rose at incredible speed. Under the expectant gazes of the many Kumogakure ninjas, it reached Kizaru's feet, enveloped him, and then squeezed shut into a fist with a violent force.

Seeing this, many ninjas showed joy, some even breaking into cheers.

Unlike those around him, Dodai, who was manipulating the fluid palm using Lava Release, did not relax; instead, he became even more vigilant.

He refused to believe that a powerful ninja who dared to infiltrate the village alone and cause such massive destruction would be caught so easily.

In the sky, above the giant fluid palm, a golden light emerged. Kizaru, having used elementalization to evade Dodai's attack, reappeared and stood atop the fist.

"What a monster!" Kizaru praised him sincerely, looking down at Dodai.

Question marks popped up in Dodai's mind; he wanted to shout and ask, Who exactly is the monster here?

"Why are you attacking our village?" Dodai asked loudly, staring at Kizaru in the sky.

"Perhaps because I felt like it," Kizaru replied with a smile.

Because he felt like it?

Hearing this answer and looking at the casualties of his comrades, Dodai felt extreme rage.

"The enemy might be using Genjutsu! Everyone, use ninjutsu—area-of-effect attacks!" Facing Kizaru for the first time without any intelligence, Dodai could only issue orders based on their brief exchange.

Hearing Dodai's command, the ninjas still capable of action began weaving hand seals, most of them preparing Lightning Release ninjutsu.

The sound of crackling electricity filled the air. Kizaru looked at the ninjas below and, not giving them a chance to continue their assault, struck first.

Transforming into a streak of golden light, he appeared before Dodai as if teleporting, his body radiating a blinding golden glow that instantly dazzled the surrounding enemies.

"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?" As he spoke, Kizaru had already swung his right leg.

Unlike his sparring sessions in Konoha, Kizaru was using his full strength this time. His glowing right leg slammed into Dodai's neck in an instant.

With a crisp crack, Dodai was sent flying backward.

After the Light Speed Kick, Kizaru did not hold back. He aimed his right leg in the direction Dodai was flying and fired a massive laser, engulfing Dodai's entire body.

BOOM!

Dodai's body slammed heavily into the building behind him, triggering a massive explosion that left nothing behind.

By the time Kizaru finished the instant kill, the surrounding enemies had not even recovered from the blinding light.

Only a few Kumogakure ninjas standing in the distance clearly witnessed the scene.

"Lord Dodai!"

These ninjas screamed in grief and rage, charging at Kizaru like a suicide squad, heedless of their own safety.

Facing the encroaching enemies, Kizaru took a step and rushed toward them.

His right hand covered in the black, metallic sheen of Armament Haki, Kizaru punched the enemy in front of him.

Under the immense force, the enemy exploded into a mist of blood.

The following Kumogakure ninjas were not deterred; instead, they gritted their teeth, glared fiercely at Kizaru, and charged at him with Kunai in hand, their bodies crackling with electricity.

Landing on the ground, Kizaru watched the enemies leaping into the air from several directions. His right foot glowed as he kicked out a crescent-shaped slash, completing a multi-kill.

The bodies, sliced in two, fell to the ground one after another, and Kizaru's clothes were soaked in blood.

"What a nuisance," Kizaru muttered in disgust, tilting his head to look at the blood on his shoulder.

Then, maintaining a faint smile on his face, Kizaru drew his left hand across the back of his right hand, and a blade of light appeared in his grip.

Admiral Kizaru's second signature skill, the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, had been unleashed.

Surveying his surroundings and seeing Kumogakure ninjas rushing in from all sides to provide support, Kizaru swung his blade toward the front. The golden flying slash, carrying terrifying air pressure, severed everything in its path.

Many of the supporting ninjas were unable to dodge in time and were slashed to death.

After the first strike, Kizaru did not stop; instead, he swung his sword continuously at his surroundings, unleashing a dozen more golden slashes in rapid succession.

The golden slashes continued to reap lives and destroy the surrounding buildings.

By the time the slashes dissipated, the area around Kizaru had been razed to the ground, with almost no one left standing intact within his line of sight.

The continuous barrage of slashes had drained a significant amount of Kizaru's stamina; he retracted the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, transformed into golden light, and soared back into the sky.

Surveying the ruins below, Kizaru was fairly satisfied with the results. Instead of lingering, he flew toward the other side of Kumogakure.

This area had not been affected by the previous battle, and the buildings remained largely intact.

Watching the ninjas below as they continuously hurled ninja tools at him, Kizaru raised both hands once again.

He unleashed the Yasakani no Magatama again, and countless light projectiles rained down from the sky, triggering a series of explosions that reduced both the ninjas and the buildings below to rubble.

After completing the attack, Kizaru landed on the highest point of the ruins, hands tucked into his pockets, a smile remaining on his face.

"You devil!"

"Bastard, I'll cut you down!"

The injured ninjas struggled to their feet, clutching their weapons, their eyes fixed on Kizaru with hatred and fury.

If glares could turn into arrows, Kizaru would have been pierced through by ten thousand shafts by now.

The curses of his enemies were their weakest weapon, and Kizaru, wearing a smile, did not care in the slightest.

The two consecutive assassination attempts by Kumogakure had earned them a spot in Kizaru's little black book; he felt neither soft-hearted nor guilty.

When facing enemies, Kizaru had only one response: eliminate them, both physically and mentally, completely eradicating them.

"Ohoho, what terrifying curses," Kizaru replied with a laugh.

As he spoke, he raised his right hand.

He extended his index finger, and a beam of golden light flashed out, piercing directly through the head of the ninja who had been cursing the loudest.

One beam of golden light took one enemy life; Kizaru's glowing index finger acted like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, precisely and elegantly harvesting the lives of his foes.

When the first beam of light flashed, the enemies' curses grew louder, but by the time the tenth beam lit up, the shouting had gradually faded away.

In the end, accompanied by the rhythmic flicking of Kizaru's index finger, the scene fell into absolute silence.