Exploding Talisman Face Wash? Lord Ban Will Show You Despair!

BOOM—!!!!!!

It felt as if the world itself had been torn asunder in that instant.

Hundreds of explosive tags detonated simultaneously in the heart of the narrow gorge. The light and heat unleashed in that moment were enough to melt steel into liquid. A devastating shockwave kicked up sand and stone, surging outward with manic intensity and cracking the solid rock walls on both sides with countless jagged fissures.

"Yahiko! Nagato!"

Konan's scream was swallowed by the deafening roar. Instinctively, she spread her arms, and countless sheets of paper surged from her body, forming layers of paper shields in a desperate attempt to envelop her two companions.

Yet, in the face of an explosion of this magnitude, her Paper Jutsu appeared pitifully fragile.

The moment the paper shields touched the searing heat of the blast, they ignited and turned to ash.

It's over!

Those two words were the only things left in Konan's mind.

Yahiko's eyes widened as well. He wanted to rush forward and push Nagato and Konan out of harm's way, but in the face of the terrifying shockwave, his body was like a leaf in a storm, completely beyond his control.

The shadow of death had never felt so clear.

Just then.

Nagato, who had been keeping his head bowed, suddenly snapped his face upward.

In those purple Rinnegan eyes, there was no fear, no despair—only a cold, absolute fury born from having his deepest taboo touched.

His companions, his dearest friends, the people he had sworn to protect with his life, were being harmed!

Unforgivable!

"Shinra Tensei!"

A roar that sounded barely human was squeezed from Nagato's throat.

Hum—

A repulsive force, far more domineering and powerful than any he had unleashed before, erupted violently from the center of his body!

That repulsive force formed a visible, absolute-defense spherical field, firmly shielding the three of them within.

Every wave of fire, shockwave, and flying debris that surged toward them slammed into an invisible wall the moment it touched the sphere, only to be forcibly pushed back, deflected, and shredded!

High above the gorge, atop the cliff walls.

Shimura Danzo and Hanzo the Salamander narrowed their eyes, staring at the center of the explosion where the repulsive field had carved out a vacuum.

"Oh? They actually blocked it." Greed burned even brighter in Danzo's single eye. "These eyes... they truly are a treasure!"

Hanzo's heart, however, sank.

This power... while far less terrifying than that man's, was essentially the same!

Could it be that what that man said was true?

The aftermath of the explosion gradually dissipated.

The repulsive field vanished, revealing the three figures inside.

Yahiko and Konan were unscathed, though they struggled to keep their footing after the impact.

Nagato spat out a large mouthful of blood, dropping to one knee. His face was as pale as paper, his body swaying precariously. That single strike had nearly drained him of all his chakra and physical strength.

"Nagato!"

Yahiko and Konan rushed to support him.

"Bastards!" Yahiko looked up, roaring at Hanzo and Danzo on the cliffside. "You despicable, shameless cowards! Is this what you call peace?!"

"Peace?" Danzo let out a cackling, sinister laugh. "Little brat, only power can bring peace. And since you lack power, you deserve only to die."

He waved his hand once more.

"Attack! Kill those two, and capture the Rinnegan alive!"

At his command, hundreds of Amegakure ANBU and Root ninjas hidden in the surroundings surged down from the cliffs like a tidal wave, the kunai and ninja blades in their hands glinting with a chilling, lethal light in the gloomy, rainy weather.

"Paper Clone Jutsu!"

Konan formed hand seals, and countless paper clones materialized, rushing to meet the Amegakure ninjas.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

Yahiko forced himself to stay alert, spitting out a stream of water in an attempt to stem the Root's assault.

But they were too few.

With Nagato incapacitated, the two of them were left to face dozens of elite ninjas alone, and they were instantly pushed onto the defensive.

Slash!

A Root ninja circled behind Yahiko and sliced open his back with a blade.

"Yahiko!"

Distracted, Konan was closed in on by two Amegakure ANBU. Her paper wings were shredded by kunai, and she collapsed to the ground in a wretched state.

In the blink of an eye, their defense crumbled.

More than a dozen Root ninja charged toward Nagato, who was being protected at the rear, with a clear objective in mind.

"Don't even think about it!"

Ignoring the wounds on his back, Yahiko threw himself in front of Nagato once more, but he was faced with four or five ninja blades thrusting toward his vitals simultaneously.

He had no time left to dodge.

Was everything about to end here?

Images flashed through Yahiko's mind: Konan's worried face, Nagato's pained expression, and the three of them running together in the rain, dreaming of the future.

He wasn't ready...

He really... just wasn't ready... They had finally found like-minded friends and were prepared to change this world...

Just as everyone believed Yahiko's death was certain, a figure appeared between Yahiko and those Root ninja without any warning.

Long black hair, red battle armor, and a ridiculously large flame-patterned fan resting on his shoulder.

Time seemed to have been pressed on pause at that very moment.

Everyone's movements froze.

The diving Amegakure ninja, the Root members mid-swing, the stunned Yahiko, the despairing Konan, and Danzo and Hanzo, whose pupils had shrunk to pinpricks on the cliffside.

Every gaze was focused on the figure that had appeared so abruptly.

Lin Feng took the massive fan off his shoulder and casually slammed it down, the base striking the ground with a dull thud.

He didn't even glance back at Yahiko, merely sweeping his indifferent Rinnegan across the Root ninja who remained frozen in their assassination stances like statues.

"I gave you three days."

He spoke, his voice not loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone present with perfect clarity.

"It seems you were in quite a hurry to die."

"Stop playing god!" One Root ninja was the first to snap out of it; he let out a sharp shout and thrust his blade toward Lin Feng's heart without a moment's hesitation!

However, his blade tip stopped half an inch from the armor on Lin Feng's chest.

It wasn't that he wanted to stop; he simply couldn't move.

An invisible force had locked every joint in his body.

Lin Feng didn't even lift an eyelid, merely swinging the fan he had been carrying on his shoulder forward with a casual motion.

Whoosh—

A gale erupted out of thin air.

That Root ninja, along with his nearby companions, were sent flying backward like swatted flies. They screamed as their bones shattered in mid-air, slamming heavily into the distant cliffside and turning into piles of pulp.

Silence.

A deathly... silence.

The remaining ninja fell collectively mute, staring in terror at the inconceivable scene.

What kind of power was that?

Just a casual wave of a fan?

"Uchiha... Madara!"

On the cliffside, Hanzo's teeth chattered as the name forced its way out of his throat uncontrollably.

"Madara?" Yahiko and Konan were both stunned.

The legendary...

"Hmph, Uchiha Madara, my foot!" Danzo forced down the shock in his heart and roared with blustering bravado, "It's just a fake! Everyone! Attack! Drown him in ninjutsu!"

He refused to believe that the opponent could remain unscathed under a carpet-bombing of hundreds of ninjutsu!

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Five Feeding Sharks!"

In an instant, a barrage of colorful ninjutsu flooded the center of the canyon toward Lin Feng!

The scene was several times more spectacular than the explosion of the paper bombs from moments ago.

"Watch out!" Konan cried out in alarm.

Yahiko also clenched his fists tightly in tension.

However, facing a storm of ninjutsu capable of leveling a small mountain, there was not a ripple of emotion on Lin Feng's face.

He simply held that massive gunbai horizontally in front of him.

"Uchiha Reflection Technique."

Seven words, softly exhaled.

The next second.

Every ninjutsu that touched the surface of the fan—be it wind, fire, or water—was instantly absorbed and converted by a strange power, and then—

Reflected back with several times the original power, completely unchanged!

BOOM—!!!!

The ninja formation atop the cliff face instantly descended into chaos.

They never could have dreamed that the ninjutsu they had unleashed would turn around and attack them instead!

Screams, explosions, and wails rose one after another.

In just a single exchange, nearly a third of the elite forces brought by Hanzo and Danzo had been wiped out!

The surviving ninjas stared in terror at the man holding the gunbai, unscathed, and dared not take another step forward.

The entire canyon fell into an eerie silence once more.

Everyone was completely stunned by this god-like display.

Is this... the power of Uchiha Madara?

Is this... the legend?

"Do you see, Nagato?"

Lin Feng turned around, looking down from above at Nagato, who was kneeling on the ground with a face full of shock.

"This is how these eyes are meant to be used."

"Not like you, using them to protect these fragile pieces of trash, only to end up half-dead yourself."

His words pierced the heart like a knife.

Nagato's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Yahiko's face flushed red and then turned pale; he wanted to retort, but realized he had no right to do so.

Because the truth was, if this man hadn't appeared, they would already be corpses.

"And the two of you."

Lin Feng's gaze fell upon Danzo and Hanzo, whose expressions on the cliffside were uglier than ever.

The corners of his mouth curled into a chilling arc.

"A rat hiding in a gutter, and a lizard living in the shadows behind a mask."

"I had intended to let you live a few more days, but since you are in such a hurry..."

He pointed the massive gunbai at Hanzo, who was already trembling with fear.

"Then we shall start with you."

"No! Wait!" Hanzo let out a terrified shriek. "Lord Madara! It was Danzo! This guy bewitched me! I am willing to surrender! I am willing to submit to you!"

To save his own life, this so-called "demigod" sold out his teammate without a moment's hesitation.

"Oh?"

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused, and turned the gunbai toward Danzo.

"Rat, is what he says true?"

Danzo's face was so dark it looked like it could drip ink.

He stared fixedly at Lin Feng, squeezing a few words through his teeth.

"Imposter... don't you dare..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

Lin Feng's figure suddenly vanished from before his eyes.

Not good!

Alarm bells rang in Danzo's heart; he instinctively tried to retreat and ordered his Root subordinates to protect him.

But he no longer had the chance.

A hand, without any warning, clamped around his throat and lifted him bodily off the ground.

Lin Feng's figure had appeared before him, no one knew when.

"What I hate most is people interrupting me."

He gripped Danzo's throat just as he had gripped Yahiko's earlier, his Rinnegan filled with the indifference of one looking down upon an ant.

"Also, did I give you permission to look me in the eye?"

The moment the words fell, Lin Feng's other hand formed a claw, and without a moment's hesitation, he drove it toward Danzo's bandage-wrapped right eye, gouging it out with brutal force!