Uchiha Riu vs. the Waterfall Village Shinobi Army!

The Waterfall Village shinobi charged wildly, hurling kunai, shuriken, and other ninja tools at Riu.

Riu ignored them, passing straight through the sea of shuriken and kunai as he closed in on the enemy's first line.

He leaped into the air, driving his knee heavily into the chest of the Waterfall shinobi at the very front. Crack! Ribs shattered, and everything inside the man's chest was pulverized!!

"Ah!!!!" The man's eyes rolled back, and he died on the spot.

Boom!! His corpse shot backward like a cannonball, sending the charging shinobi behind him sprawling. Then the ones rushing up behind trampled them to death...

They had not even died at the enemy's hands. Such was the brutality of a battlefield with over a thousand people!

This was especially true for Waterfall Village, which had remained far from war and conflict since the Warring States Period due to its favorable location.

But they were shinobi, after all. They stepped over their comrades' corpses and surrounded him.

Riu's gaze swept across them...

Whoosh!! Shinobi fell in droves as they ran. Some froze stiffly in place, struggled briefly, then collapsed.

Don't misunderstand—this was not some so-called Conqueror's Haki. It was merely ordinary Sharingan genjutsu. The instant their gazes met, the weak lost the ability to move...

Among these dozens of people, only three managed to get close!

And the battle-crazed Uchiha Riu would grant them deaths worthy of glory!

Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!

Whoosh! A white wind blade swept through... Two heads dropped to the ground instantly. One other shinobi reacted swiftly enough to block with his ninja sword at the critical moment, but the result was simply his sword and head falling to the ground together.

In the blink of an eye, fifty shinobi had already died, including several Jōnin.

Such losses might not amount to much for the ninja villages of the Five Great Nations, but for a small village like Waterfall Village, they were devastating...

Several thousand people stopped their charge in unison, their hands shaking so badly that they could barely hold their ninja tools!

Riu... took one step forward.

Whoosh! Several thousand people actually took one step back together.

If word of this got out, people would laugh their teeth out.

Only those present could understand that trembling terror!

Seeing their morale crushed almost as soon as the battle began, the Waterfall Village chief struck his cane against the ground and shouted, "Don't retreat! The enemy is only one man! Don't be frightened by his legends!! He has been injured before, he has bled before!! He even lost an arm once!!"

Hearing this, the Waterfall shinobi stopped retreating.

"Shibuki, you are still as skilled at stirring people's hearts as ever. You should know what price those who injured him paid, right? Even that Raikage traded one of his own arms..." Kakuzu said beside Shibuki.

"At this point, we have no way out! No matter how great the sacrifice, we must keep him outside Waterfall Village!!" Shibuki gripped his cane tightly and shouted again, "Do not rashly engage him in close combat. Use ninjutsu! We have an absolute advantage in numbers! Use group ninjutsu against him!"

"R-right... Use ninjutsu. There are so many of us, why were we stupidly rushing at him? Even enough spit could drown him."

At the front of the formation, dozens of Waterfall shinobi skilled in Water Release formed hand seals together and unleashed a large-scale group Water Release ninjutsu.

Water Release: River Technique!!

Boom!! Water streams spewed from their mouths and converged into a rushing river, washing toward Riu...

Riu could have chosen to let the river pass through him, but there was no need...

He merely raised a hand and formed the Horse seal.

"Hmm? That is a Fire Release seal. Even Riu's Fire Release would struggle to contend with such a massive group Water Release technique!" Yūhi Uzuki said as she watched, judging based on the power Riu's Fire Release had displayed in the past.

At her side, Tobi said meaningfully, "Things are different now..."

Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!!!!

Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!!

Riu opened his mouth and spat out a thin pillar of fire, but once it spread several meters away, it suddenly exploded into a sea of flames!!

Yes, Riu's Majestic Destroyer Flame had also produced a sea of fire in the past, but without comparison, there was no contrast... Compared to this sea of flames, that previous one could only be considered a small stream!!

Boom!!!

The sea of fire collided with the river. The flames showed no sign of weakening, while the river was instantly boiled away. Thick steam spread out, reducing visibility across the entire battlefield to nearly zero!!

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Before the Waterfall shinobi could understand what had happened, firelight suddenly appeared within the mist ahead. Hundreds of fireballs came screaming toward them, exploding among the crowd.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Ah!!!!" Every explosion blasted several, even more than a dozen Waterfall shinobi to pieces!

Does this scene feel strangely familiar, dear readers? Did it remind you of Uchiha Madara fighting the Shinobi Alliance?

Perhaps... But what was happening before them was even more overwhelming than Madara's battle!

Because after obtaining Hashirama's Power, Riu's Fire Release was now no weaker than Madara's at his peak, while the Waterfall shinobi before him were far inferior to the Shinobi Alliance of that time.

The Waterfall shinobi fell into despair once more.

"Our group Water Release technique was actually suppressed by one person's Fire Release. Is that... even possible!!!"

"How are we supposed to fight an enemy like this!!"

"Village chief, what should we do!!"

As an atmosphere of despair spread through the crowd, Riu had already emerged from the sea of flames clad in the Crow Tengu Susanoo...

"People of Waterfall Village, I will ask one more time. Are you willing to surrender?" Riu asked loudly.

Shibuki gripped his cane with his old hand, thinking, Perhaps we can still fight...

"Waterfall Village will never surrender!!" he shouted.

"Foolish..." Riu shook his head as though they were beyond saving.

The Crow Tengu Susanoo raised the giant blade in its hand and smashed it down before it!!

Boom!!

The slash tore through the earth. Along its path, not a single survivor remained, while the scattered air currents hurled large numbers of nearby shinobi into the sky.

The battlefield descended into chaos.

"Do not panic!! Earth Release shinobi, change the terrain first and restrict that thing's movements!!" Shibuki hurriedly commanded.

Nearly a hundred Earth Release shinobi bent down, formed hand seals, and slammed their palms against the ground.

Earth Release: Mud Swamp Technique!!

Boom!!!

A vast stretch of land transformed into a swamp, and the Susanoo sank into the mire...

"Water Release shinobi, further restrain that giant, especially its weapon!!!" Shibuki shouted.

A large group of Water Release shinobi stepped forward, forming hand seals as they ran.

Water Release: Water Flow Whip!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Water whips coiled upward one after another, binding the Susanoo's body and weapon...

"Lightning Release shinobi, work with the Water Release shinobi to destroy that giant's defenses!!"

The Lightning Release shinobi stepped forward.

Lightning Release: Ground Travel Technique!!!

Cracklecracklecrackle!!!

Powerful lightning traveled along the water whips, striking the Susanoo.

Crack! Crack! Numerous fissures appeared across the Crow Tengu Susanoo's hard armor...

There was nothing strange about that. The combined ninjutsu of hundreds or thousands of shinobi, even Genin, would absolutely far surpass Kage Level power!

"Now, everyone, use your most powerful attacks! Do not spare your Chakra! Bombard it, bombard it without stopping, until that monstrosity and that invader are both reduced to nothing!!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

For a time, Fire Release, Water Release, Earth Release, Wind Release, and Lightning Release merged into a barrage that bombarded the already battered Crow Tengu Susanoo...

The power of this group ninjutsu unleashed by several thousand people had likely surpassed even a Tailed Beast Bomb...

Boom! Boom! Boom! In an instant... waves of fire and shockwaves from the explosions swallowed everything. Thunderous roars rang out endlessly, and the earth shook without cease.

"Uchiha Riu, do you see it now? This is the confidence that keeps us from surrendering!!" Shibuki shouted loudly, his words filled with pride.

"Your confidence is nothing more than foolish, futile, and useless struggle... Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Along with those commanding words... hundreds upon hundreds of trees burst from the ground amid the torrent of explosions!

"What!?" As if some nightmare had been awakened, Kakuzu's eyes widened.