Nagato stepped forward and raised both hands.
An invisible yet overwhelming force, so immense it was suffocating, erupted around him!
"Shinra Tensei!"
There was no deafening boom, only the muffled wail of air compressed to its limit.
The earth groaned.
The hard stone plaza in front of the Mizukage Building was slammed down as if by the palm of an invisible giant. Spiderweb cracks spread in an instant, then the entire surface caved in and shattered!
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who bore the brunt of the attack, froze mid-sneer, their murderous expressions suddenly stiff.
They felt as though they had crashed into a mountain range that was invisible, untouchable, yet indestructible.
The violent repulsion tore at their bodies, and the legendary Ninja Blades in their hands shuddered under the strain.
"What... what kind of technique is this?!"
"Wind Release? No! There's no Chakra taking shape at all!"
Their cries were swallowed by the gale.
The seven figures were tossed away like rag dolls caught in a storm, tumbling helplessly through the air before slamming into distant buildings and raising clouds of dust.
Only the Third Mizukage reacted in time. The instant the repulsive force erupted, he formed Hand Seals and roared, "Water Style: Water Wall!"
A thick wall of water surged from the ground, attempting to withstand the brute force.
But it lasted less than a second before the invisible repulsion smashed through it and evaporated it.
The Third Mizukage grunted as his feet carved two deep furrows into the ground. He was driven back dozens of meters before finally managing to steady himself.
He looked up at the red-haired young man who had unleashed that divine power. The coldness in his eyes was gone, replaced by utter shock and disbelief.
"Those eyes... the Rinnegan! The eyes possessed only by the legendary Sage of Six Paths!"
His voice trembled.
In the wake of that single strike, all of Kirigakure fell into deathly silence.
Every ninja watching from the shadows felt as if an enormous hand had clenched around their hearts. Even breathing became difficult.
This was beyond anything they understood about ninjutsu.
"Hmph. Bunch of useless fools." Kakuzu gave a disdainful snort from the back of his throat, his fingers moving even faster over his abacus. "Seven Ninja Blades, plus a Mizukage's head... This is one hell of a profitable deal."
Sasori of the Red Sands watched the flung-away swordsmen with interest. A feverish excitement crept across his handsome face. "Their bodies are still mostly intact. They'll make fine additions to my collection."
Yahiko and Konan stood to one side, staring at the devastation before them with conflicted expressions.
Yahiko in particular clenched his fists as he watched Nagato's cold silhouette, his heart filled with turmoil and pain.
Was this... the power "Madara" had spoken of, the power that would bring peace?
"Nagato."
Lin Feng's indifferent voice rang out, breaking the frozen silence.
He didn't even glance at the battered Third Mizukage. He merely studied Nagato's back.
"Ten minutes was a test for you. Judging by what I've seen, perhaps I overestimated the worth of these fools."
Those words cut deeper than any outright insult.
As the dust cleared, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen struggled to their feet amid the ruins. They were covered in grime, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.
"Bastard!"
Suikazan Fuguki, wielding the Greatsword Samehada, roared. The spikes on Samehada sprang open eagerly, as if craving the Chakra of their enemy.
"Form a formation! Don't let him pick us off one by one!"
The seven immediately spread out, surrounding Nagato.
The Third Mizukage took a deep breath, forcing down the storm of emotions inside him. His voice turned grave. "Everyone, watch his eyes! That's a legendary dōjutsu!"
He formed Hand Seals again, gathering a tremendous amount of Water Style Chakra.
"Water Style: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
A giant shark made of highly concentrated Chakra appeared out of nowhere, roaring as it charged at Nagato.
At the same time, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen sprang into action!
Munashi Jinpachi, wielder of the Exploding Blade Shibuki, hurled out a scroll covered in Explosive Tags, unleashing a sea of fire and explosions.
Jinin Akebino, wielder of Kabutowari, leaped high into the air and brought his axe and hammer crashing down toward Nagato's head with tremendous force.
In an instant, attacks from land, sea, and air sealed off every escape route.
Faced with this combined assault of Kage Level strength, Nagato's Rinnegan remained utterly calm.
He extended his right hand toward the roaring water shark.
"Preta Path."
An unbelievable sight unfolded before them.
The enormous water shark, powerful enough to destroy a warship with ease, touched Nagato's palm and vanished as if swallowed by the sea. It shrank rapidly until it became pure Chakra, which he absorbed completely.
Then, just as the explosions and great axe were about to reach him—
"Shinra Tensei."
Another wave of invisible repulsion erupted!
This time, its range was smaller, but its force was even more concentrated!
The flames of the explosions were forcibly pushed aside, forming a circular zone of empty air.
Jinin Akebino was sent flying along with his weapons, blood spraying from his mouth.
"That power..." The Third Mizukage's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
He could absorb ninjutsu and repel all physical attacks?
What kind of utterly invincible ability was that?
But he also noticed that after using Shinra Tensei twice in succession, Nagato's face had grown noticeably paler. There had also been a brief interval between the two attacks.
"His technique has a cooldown! Seize the opportunity!"
The Third Mizukage shouted and vanished from the spot. Moving with ghostlike speed, he appeared behind Nagato, a sharp blade of water forming in his hand as he thrust it toward Nagato's back.
But just as the water blade was about to touch Nagato's black cloak, his other arm abruptly emerged from beneath his ribs. It transformed into a mechanical limb covered in sinister cannon barrels.
Asura Path!
"Damn it!" Alarm bells rang in the Third Mizukage's mind.
Boom!
A Chakra laser cannon fired at point-blank range, and its terrifying beam swallowed half of the Third Mizukage's body.
But the "Mizukage" who had been struck turned into a puddle of water.
A Water Clone!
The real Third Mizukage appeared dozens of meters away.
He stared at Nagato, his expression grave. For the first time, he felt the urge to retreat.
The red-haired young man before him was practically a monster. His endless array of bizarre abilities left no opening to exploit.
"Time's... almost up."
Lin Feng looked at his watch and sighed softly, sounding faintly disappointed.
"Nagato, your performance has left me very dissatisfied."
"It took you this long to deal with a few nobodies carrying scrap metal."
He slowly lifted his foot and took one step forward.
Just one step.
An indescribably terrifying pressure instantly enveloped all of Kirigakure.
The Third Mizukage and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen felt as if an invisible mountain had come crashing down on them. Even breathing became unbearably difficult, and the Chakra within their bodies began to seize up.
"Your fighting style is too soft, and far too wasteful."
Lin Feng's voice rang clearly in every person's ears.
"The power of the Rinnegan isn't meant for playing attack and defense with these ants."
He raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and pointed at the terrified Kirigakure shinobi before him.
"It's meant to... create!"
The instant his words fell—
Rumble!
The hard stone plaza began to tremble violently and crack apart.
As everyone watched in utter horror, countless thick roots and vines burst from the ground like awakened dragons!
The trees grew at a speed that defied nature, rapidly spreading until a primeval forest blotted out the sky!
Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!
"This... this is... the First's..."
The Third Mizukage's voice twisted with sheer terror.
He tried to escape, but the rapidly growing trees seemed to have eyes. In an instant, they wrapped tightly around him and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, binding them and suspending them in midair.
The vines disarmed them at once, their Ninja Blades scattering across the ground.
Just one technique.
Kirigakure's strongest forces—the Mizukage and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—had been completely defeated!
The whole world seemed to fall silent.
With his hands behind his back, Lin Feng calmly approached the Third Mizukage, who was bound like a cocoon with only his head exposed.
"Now, who do you think needs to prepare to die?"
The Third Mizukage's face turned ashen. He couldn't even muster the slightest thought of resisting.
The legendary Rinnegan. The legendary Wood Release.
Two powers that existed only in myths had appeared in the same person.
How could anyone fight him?
With what?
"Lord Madara... spare me..." he forced out, his throat dry.
But Lin Feng ignored his plea.
He turned toward the Kirigakure shinobi outside the plaza, who were already terrified out of their wits and kneeling in a crowd.
His purple Rinnegan slowly swept over their fearful faces before finally settling on someone in a corner.
There stood a young man with a huge broken blade strapped to his back, a fierce face, and sharklike teeth. He stared at Lin Feng with an expression that mingled fear, resentment, and a hint of fervor.
The corner of Lin Feng's mouth curled into an amused smile.
His voice wasn't loud, but it rang clearly in everyone's ears.
"From today onward, Kirigakure no longer needs the Third Mizukage."
"You need a new ruler, a new Fourth Mizukage to lead Kirigakure toward an even brighter future."
He slowly raised a finger and pointed toward the shark-faced youth in the corner.
"You, the brat named Kisame Hoshigaki."
"Come here."
Before you continue