When Ōnoki unleashed Separation by Limitless Detachment, Senju Haruto calmly awakened the Rinnegan from his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Ninjutsu Absorption.
The jutsu that should have disintegrated everything within its range into atoms—Ōnoki's ultimate Dust Release—was swallowed whole in an instant.
Ōnoki stared, dumbfounded, his mind utterly blank.
That technique had been his strongest ninjutsu. His final trump card. His last hope.
Had Haruto resisted with Susanoo's overwhelming might, or some other advanced jutsu, Ōnoki wouldn't have been so shaken.
But what he witnessed instead was Haruto using an incomprehensible power, completely absorbing his most destructive jutsu as though it were nothing.
The blinding light of Dust Release flickered, dimmed, and vanished.
And Haruto still stood there, perfectly composed, his expression almost casual, as though not the slightest pressure weighed upon him.
"Wh… what just happened?"
Kurotsuchi swallowed hard, her throat dry. The sight had broken everything she thought she knew.
From childhood, she'd been taught that Dust Release was the most destructive technique in all the shinobi world. A unique kekkei tōta, created by the Second Tsuchikage Mu and perfected by her grandfather, Ōnoki.
To her, Dust Release had always been the strongest jutsu—an unstoppable power.
But just now, when it struck Haruto with full force, this was the result.
Even more terrifying, she could feel the despair settling over her grandfather.
Ōnoki's arms hung limp at his sides. His mind had gone blank.
This battle was already over.
Senju Haruto's strength had surpassed anything they could comprehend.
"…This…"
Akatsuchi, having finally broken free of the sealing technique, arrived just in time to see it as well. His jaw slackened, words caught in his throat.
Was this shock? Was it horror? He couldn't even tell.
It felt unreal.
The man he admired most—Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki of Both Scales—hadn't managed to harm Haruto in the slightest.
And the most important question lingered: What technique was this? How had Haruto nullified Dust Release?
It defied reason.
"Boring."
Haruto shook his head, disappointed, as Ōnoki stood frozen in silence.
"Enough, Ōnoki. Let me show you something."
As he spoke, Haruto raised his hands and clasped his palms together—mirroring Ōnoki's own stance.
Ōnoki glanced up, and his heart lurched.
Moments ago, he had been shocked because Haruto used a jutsu beyond comprehension.
Now, he was shocked because he understood all too well.
That seal…
It was unmistakably the sign for Dust Release!
"How… how can this be?!"
Ōnoki, Akatsuchi, and Kurotsuchi all shouted in disbelief, unable to accept what they were seeing.
Dust Release wasn't an ordinary ninjutsu. It was a rare kekkei tōta.
In the entire history of the shinobi world, only Mu and Ōnoki had ever wielded it.
It wasn't something hard work could achieve. Nor was it a technique that even the Sharingan could copy.
And yet Haruto…
…stood there, forming the same hand seals.
"Why is he weaving those signs? What is he planning? Could he actually be trying to use Dust Release?"
"But that's impossible—it's kekkei tōta! Only the Second and Third Tsuchikage could ever master it."
"This isn't a matter of talent—it's bloodline! How could this man possibly—?"
Haruto's voice cut through their frantic thoughts, stating their doubts aloud as if reading their minds.
"The reason is simple. I am Senju Haruto."
"There is no jutsu in this world that I cannot master."
"My power far surpasses all the Five Kage in history—even the Sage of Six Paths himself could not defeat me now."
"Dust Release: Separation by Limitless Detachment!"
With a low roar, Haruto unleashed Dust Release. A radiant light burst forth, forcing Ōnoki and the others to shield their eyes.
The scale of Haruto's Dust Release was staggering. Within the span of a breath, its reach grew more than ten times greater than Ōnoki's.
And that was with Haruto deliberately restraining his chakra.
"It's over!"
Ōnoki's heart clenched as he instinctively created a massive rock giant to shield Kurotsuchi.
But he knew the truth.
Dust Release disintegrated everything into atoms. Against it, there was no defense.
Not even a giant of stone could save her.
The only chance of survival was to escape its radius.
But Haruto's Dust Release was too vast, absurdly so.
Even if Ōnoki used Super-Weighted Boulder Jutsu to fly at full speed, he couldn't outpace the expanding cube of destruction.
They… were all going to die.
Ōnoki closed his eyes, scenes of his life flashing before him like a lantern reel.
In half a lifetime, he had long since abandoned his sense of self.
Only recently had he thought of reclaiming it.
But Haruto's overwhelming strength had crushed that fragile resolve—completely, utterly.
Ōnoki still couldn't comprehend how Haruto had mastered Dust Release itself.
Seconds passed.
Yet no pain came.
Instead, the blinding light faded, leaving him unharmed.
"What… what's going on?"
Ōnoki's throat worked as he clenched his fists, realizing he could still feel, still sense.
Had he died? Was this the Pure Land?
He drew in a sharp breath and forced his eyes open.
And froze.
He was still hovering in midair, in the same battlefield. Nothing had changed.
Haruto still stood before him.
"Akatsuchi. Kurotsuchi."
Ōnoki called out instinctively. Both answered back, alive.
Haruto merely watched, cold and indifferent.
If he wanted them dead, it would have cost him less than a breath.
The only reason he hadn't… was because their power was so insignificant it didn't matter.
They posed no threat to his ambition of unifying the shinobi world.
"Ōnoki."
Haruto's voice carried, quiet yet absolute.
"Fifth Hokage."
Ōnoki forced himself to steady, shifting his gaze from Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi back to Haruto.
"You should now understand how small your power truly is."
Haruto paused, his voice darkening.
"The Dust Release you just used—if I expanded its size tenfold, covering the entire Land of Earth, what kind of sight do you think that would be?"
"What about a hundredfold? A thousandfold?"
"Do you think dying here would protect your people?"
"Don't be naive. I would erase every last soul in the Land of Earth."