"Trying to run? It won't be that easy."
As the members of Team Rocket rushed toward their submarines, Ash immediately saw through their intentions. Without hesitation, he clasped his hands together, chakra surging within him.
"Water Release, Water Prison Technique."
Boom.
A massive sphere of water erupted from the sea, instantly enveloping both submarines. No matter which direction they tried to escape, the water sphere followed, locking them in place. As long as Ash's chakra held, the jutsu would remain active indefinitely.
"What's going on? Hurry and move!"
Many Team Rocket members who hadn't boarded in time were already trapped inside the water sphere. Within a minute, they would suffocate.
"Captain, the submarine can't escape this water prison! No matter which direction we steer, it feels like we're moving, but we're actually not going anywhere!"
The pilot's voice trembled. Even maintaining control under these circumstances was already pushing his limits.
"Damn it! What about Group C?" the captain of Group B shouted.
"They're in the same situation, Captain… what do we do?"
Panic spread. Faced with inevitable death, many had already lost the ability to think clearly.
Ash let out a cold snort.
"Let's see how you handle this. Water Release, Severing Wave."
The water sphere began to rotate violently. Countless high-speed water blades formed along its inner surface and shot toward the submarines trapped within.
Boom!
Crack…
"It's over, Captain! The hull's been breached!"
Under the relentless assault, the submarines were sliced apart. With the crushing pressure of the surrounding water, the cracks rapidly expanded, flooding the interior.
"Damn it… contact Dr. Namba now!"
The captain had no options left. Against someone like Ash, who could even battle Mewtwo, they stood no chance.
Bang!
At that moment, Group C's submarine exploded outright. The few who survived the blast were immediately swallowed by seawater, unable to breathe. One by one, they lost consciousness. Death followed soon after.
"Hmph… that should do it. Time to test this new power."
Ash's Sharingan spun rapidly before transforming into the purple-ringed Rinnegan, concentric ripples filling his pupils.
Clank… clank…
A mechanical sound echoed from his body. His left arm began to transform, breaking apart and revealing intricate mechanical components. In seconds, it reshaped into a cannon-like weapon.
This was the power of the Asura Path.
By converting chakra, Ash could temporarily mechanize parts of his body for combat. Once deactivated, everything would return to normal.
A sharp hum filled the air.
At the cannon's tip, dense purple energy began to gather, compressing into a glowing sphere.
"Don't think this is the end. This is only the beginning."
The moment his words fell, the energy discharged.
Boom!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The laser struck the water sphere, triggering a massive explosion that spread outward in a violent shockwave. Towering waves surged across the sea.
Even the nearby circular island was split cleanly in half by the blast.
When the smoke cleared, nothing remained. No bodies. No wreckage. Not even fragments of the submarines.
Only silence.
"Huff… huff…"
Ash leaned against a nearby tree, breathing heavily.
"That one attack… used up half my chakra."
The power was undeniable, but the cost was immense. It wasn't something he could afford to use carelessly.
Still…
The results spoke for themselves.
"Brother-in-law… the battle is just like before, the scale is insane. If we hadn't run earlier, we would've been caught in that explosion."
At this moment, both Oliver and the others had already retreated to the edge of the island. Looking at the towering black mushroom cloud in the distance, he spoke in a daze, while Oliver stood frozen, completely stunned by what he had just witnessed.
He simply couldn't believe his eyes.
"I heard them mention Group B and Group C earlier… which means there should still be a Group A. If that's the case, they're probably the strongest ones here."
After a brief pause, Ash closed his eyes and began extending his perception deep into the seabed.
Compared to wide-area sensing, linear perception was far more effective. Ash guided his chakra downward in a focused stream, piercing through the ocean depths. Soon, part of the seabed terrain began to form clearly in his mind.
"These bastards… they're hiding deeper than I expected."
Even after extending his perception over 1,500 meters, he still hadn't detected any signs of human life.
Although he couldn't sense machines, he could detect the living beings inside them.
As his perception continued to dive deeper, reaching nearly 3,000 meters below the surface, several human-shaped life signatures finally appeared within his range.
"Found you… three thousand meters below."
The ripples in Ash's Rinnegan contracted sharply. In the next instant, he thrust one hand toward the sea.
A terrifying gravitational force erupted from his palm.
"Almighty Pull!"
The power of Banshō Ten'in activated.
To affect targets more than 3,000 meters beneath the seabed required an enormous amount of chakra. Because of that, Ash immediately entered his enhanced state. Black, flame-like markings spread across his body, climbing up to his cheek.
The ocean began to tremble.
Even from the surface, the sea itself seemed to distort under the overwhelming pull.
Whatever was hiding in the depths… was about to be dragged out by force.