"Path to survival. If the Five Kage had been able to defeat me back then, they probably would not have left me a path to survival either. I fought so many fierce battles for Konoha, risked life and limb, achieved so many military merits, and yet I did not see Konoha leaving me a path to survival either."
Ryun wore a light, casual smile on his face. His words left Sakumo Hatake with nothing to rebut.
"Ryun, Konoha was indeed wrong back then, I..."
The aged Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke with a face full of self-reproach, but before he could finish his words, Ryun cut him off forcefully.
"Stop. I have no desire to debate right and wrong with you all. I only want to say this..."
"Those who comply with me will prosper, those who defy me will perish."
"If the Five Great Shinobi Villages are unwilling to obediently submit, then there is no need to keep them. And those daimyo hiding in the rear, thinking they are safe, they cannot remain aloof either. I will uproot every single one of them. The world only needs one master."
Ryun's fanatical and paranoid words made everyone's hearts tremble with fear. At this moment, everyone understood they had to fight with their lives. If they could not stop him, the entire shinobi world might be finished.
Whoosh.
Naruto, having activated his Six Paths Sage Mode, initiated the attack. His speed was extreme, but that golden fist was still precisely caught by Ryun's dragon claw hand.
"I said this world doesn't need a master. Your ambition is destined to be shattered by us."
Naruto spoke angrily. While one hand attacked, the other wasn't idle, a massive Rasengan was formed instantly in his hand.
But before Naruto could strike with the massive Rasengan in his hand, the hand Ryun was gripping suddenly exerted tremendous force and twisted. The terrifying strength instantly acted upon Naruto's body. The intense pain from his arm caused his attacking motion to falter.
Before Naruto could strike out with the giant Rasengan in his hand, his body swapped places with Sasuke in an instant.
A tanto brimming with lightning stabbed fiercely towards Ryun's heart. However, the tip of the blade only pierced a little skin and flesh before Sasuke's tanto was firmly grasped by a hand. No matter how much more force he applied, he couldn't push it in any further.
"Swapping bodies with Naruto while I was attacking. Your ocular jutsu is indeed good." Ryun commented with a smile.
Sasuke knew Ryun would materialize when attacking, so he had seized this opportunity to strike. It was just that Ryun's reaction speed was truly monstrous.
"Chidori Current."
Sasuke, failing with one strike, launched another. Powerful lightning traveled along the tanto and rapidly conducted into Ryun's body.
"Sage Art: Chidori Current."
Ryun neither dodged nor avoided, instead using Chidori Current to counter. Terrifying sage lightning erupted from his body. The sage lightning not only easily erased Sasuke's Chidori lightning, but in an instant sent his entire body flying back.
It was only because Sasuke's body was covered in his own Chidori Current that he didn't sustain too much damage. However, having succeeded with one strike, Ryun would not easily relent. Before Sasuke could land safely, Ryun used a Body Flicker and suddenly appeared behind him.
A fist containing terrifying brute force slammed out. But before Ryun's fist could land on its target, Minato, utilizing the Flying Thunder God mark on Sasuke, appeared in front of him, and even struck the prepared Rasengan in his hand against Ryun's fist.
Boom.
The moment the sphere and the fist made contact, a violent explosion erupted. The next moment, both Minato and Sasuke were sent flying by the blast.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere."
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."
"Lightning Style: Lightning Tiger."
Before the smoke and dust from the explosion had cleared, the Allied Shinobi Forces decisively launched ninjutsu attacks towards Ryun's location. Countless powerful high-level ninjutsu flew straight at him. Yet Ryun merely extended a hand and absorbed all the incoming ninjutsu.
As the smoke and dust cleared, Sasuke had only sustained minor injuries, but Minato's entire arm was dripping with blood, his hand a bloody, mangled mess, clearly having suffered significant injury.
"Dad. Are you okay." Naruto asked with a face full of tension. His own arm had been dislocated by Ryun's brute force earlier, but he had quickly endured the pain and popped it back into place.
At this moment, Ryun stood calmly in place. The ninjutsu attacks from the Allied Shinobi Forces seemed to vanish without a trace, as if clay oxen entered the sea. Only the Hyuga clan members saw the astonishing scene.
"He. He absorbed all the ninjutsu."
Hearing this, the hearts of everyone present sank. Only Sasuke knew what was happening.
"The Rinnegan has the ability to absorb ninjutsu. Try not to attack blindly."
"If ninjutsu doesn't work on him, then use taijutsu." Someone loudly suggested. A group of taijutsu experts spontaneously charged at Ryun the next moment.
"Wait."
Naruto originally wanted to call out to stop them, but it was too late. The taijutsu experts, led by Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade, charged extremely fast. They wanted to create an opportunity for Naruto and Sasuke, and could not afford to worry about their own safety now.
With a flash of white light, Ryun raised his palm and easily blocked White Fang's attack using a repulsive force wall.
Seeing Sakumo Hatake's weapon frozen mid-air, unable to advance an inch, Tsunade immediately used her and smashed fiercely against the repulsive force wall blocking Ryun. Simultaneously, a large number of allied shinobi also charged at him.
"A bunch of ants."
Ryun shook his head with a look of disdain.
The next moment, a bright purple light surged in his Rinnegan. Infinite repulsive force erupted violently. The crowd of charging shinobi were instantly slammed and sent flying.
Many were crushed to death on the spot by the repulsive force. Those remaining, even if not dead, were all injured. Only Tsunade, who had activated the Strength of a Hundred Seal, was in better condition.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet."
"Earth Style: Underworld Swamp."
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya decisively launched Earth Style ninjutsu. Among the five elemental nature transformations, only Earth Style ninjutsu wouldn't be absorbed by the Rinnegan.
Ryun actively rose into the air, leaving the ground. Then he allowed those hard earth bullets to pass through his body.
"One ability more insoluble than the last. How are we supposed to fight this battle."
Seeing Earth Style was ineffective, everyone then remembered Ryun also possessed the penetration ability that made him immune to physical attacks. For a time, many felt despair. They couldn't think of a way to defeat Ryun. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, known as the Professor, was at his wits end.
The vast majority of ninjutsu were useless against the Rinnegan. Completely immune to taijutsu, Earth Style, and all physical attacks. Genjutsu was even less likely to affect the Six Tomoe Rinnegan. To them, Ryun at this moment was equivalent to an unsolvable existence.
"Everyone, don't blindly rush forward. Let me look for an opportunity."
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Naruto ultimately used his most proficient Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu combined with Rasengan. Now, with the complete Nine-Tails inside him as support, he was not afraid of fighting a war of attrition with Ryun.
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