Ryuichi, the Great Elder of the branch family, stood stiffly in place, his face still frozen in disbelief.
A thin line of blood slowly appeared across his neck.
"Gurgle…"
He opened his mouth as if to say something, yet only an indistinct rasp escaped.
In the next instant, his head slid cleanly along the bloodline and fell to the ground. The headless corpse crashed down with a heavy thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Silence.
A deathly silence enveloped the battlefield.
Whether from the main family or the branch family, every Ōtsutsuki clansman stared wide-eyed at the headless corpse of the Great Elder, unable to believe what they were seeing.
The powerful Great Elder of the clan… had been instantly killed in a single move?!
Hyūga Muki's eyes flickered at the sight, and the corners of his lips curled slightly as he murmured to himself,
"You've grown even stronger."
Although the truth was right before their eyes, the shock was so immense that the remaining two branch elders and more than forty branch clan leaders found their minds completely blank.
As for the main clansmen, after their brief shock came overwhelming joy.
The clan leader's friend was actually this powerful—he had eliminated the branch family's Great Elder in the blink of an eye.
This was wonderful. They were finally saved!
"Bastard!!!"
An enraged roar shattered the deathly silence.
The two remaining branch elders' eyes were bloodshot. Hatred and fury swallowed their hearts instantly, their killing intent laid bare.
The Great Elder had been slain just like that. The branch family had already suffered a massive loss.
Damn it! If not for this man's sudden appearance, they would have long since killed Ōtsutsuki Muki and ended this drawn-out war.
That's right—this was all his fault!
"Kill him! Avenge Elder Ryuichi! Attack together!"
Fear gave birth to ultimate madness…
Though the forty-plus branch Ōtsutsuki knew of Renya's strength, they believed that with their overwhelming numbers, united together they could surely slay the man before them.
Under the leadership of the two elders, countless branch clansmen unleashed their full chakra and surged toward Renya like a tidal wave.
For a time, the light of countless ninjutsu poured toward his position.
"Clan Leader, shouldn't we support your friend?"
A member of the main family looked at Renya being swallowed by a sky full of ninjutsu and asked worriedly.
Hyūga Muki's Byakugan reflected Renya's figure. After a moment of silence, he slowly shook his head.
"He doesn't need our help…"
He had absolute confidence in the strength Renya had displayed.
He believed that man could defeat every single branch clansman!
One man against over forty elite jōnin—it sounded absurd.
Yet he believed Renya could do it!
Facing the overwhelming barrage of ninjutsu, Renya's expression did not change in the slightest. He did not even bother lifting his eyelids.
"Since you insist on courting death…"
His voice was terrifyingly calm, yet it carried clearly into everyone's ears.
"Then I'll send you… to join that old bastard just now!"
The moment his words fell, a terrifying surge of chakra burst forth from Renya's body—so overwhelming it made every heart tremble.
To the Ōtsutsuki who possessed Byakugan, Renya looked like a blazing sun, so bright they could barely keep their eyes open.
Dark crimson chakra erupted violently from him! A colossal dark red giant rose from the ground, towering into the heavens.
The giant wore ancient and majestic samurai armor, wings spreading from its back, a massive katana hanging at its waist.
Merely standing there, the pressure it exuded struck terror into everyone present.
Countless ninjutsu slammed against the Susanoo without causing even the slightest damage…
Renya stood within the crystal at the forehead of the Susanoo, gazing down from above at the Ōtsutsuki below, who seemed as insignificant as ants.
The Perfect Susanoo!
Years ago, the enraged Uchiha Madara had used this very form to slice the Three-Tails into a mass of blood with a single strike.
Back then, Renya had been indescribably envious, wishing he too could awaken the Perfect Susanoo.
Now, that long-held wish had finally come true…
Ever since obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, this was the first time Renya had unleashed this ultimate form without reservation.
Before, he either lacked the necessary ocular power or, after gaining it, lacked a suitable battlefield and opponent.
But now, upon the moon far removed from the shinobi world, facing these rebellious Ōtsutsuki who dared to attempt a coup, he could finally test the true might of the power Uchiha Madara had once called "the power of a god"!
"In the face of absolute strength, numbers mean nothing," Renya's voice echoed from within the crystal at the Susanoo's brow.
As his words fell, the Perfect Susanoo slowly drew the massive katana from its waist.
The dark crimson blade light illuminated the horrified faces of the branch clansmen below, and the air itself shrieked as though cloth were being torn apart.
"What kind of power is this…"
One branch elder's voice trembled as he stared up at the giant that filled nearly his entire field of vision, and at the katana that seemed capable of cleaving the entire moon in two. The primal fear rising from his very instincts robbed him of thought, leaving his mind blank.
He had been utterly crushed by the Perfect Susanoo.
Such a terrifying giant was beyond human power to oppose.
Perhaps only the clan's legendary [Tenseigan] could barely contend with it.
Unfortunately, they did not possess the Tenseigan.
Even if they were to sacrifice the eyes of every clansman to form a massive Tenseigan, it would already be too late.
At this moment, only one option remained for them—death…
"Perish!"
As Renya's voice rang out, the Susanoo moved.
Its motion seemed slow, yet was swift as thunder. The enormous katana rose steadily, and wherever the blade passed, space itself let out a piercing cry!
Then—it fell.
No complex technique. Only a simple slash.
"Scatter!"
The other branch elder finally reacted, letting out a desperate roar.
But it was too late.
The dark crimson blade light descended upon them like apocalyptic divine punishment.
Boom!
A deafening explosion and violent tremor swept across the entire moon. At the instant the blade struck, the earth split open, effortlessly cleaved apart. A massive canyon dozens of meters wide and bottomless in depth formed instantly, spreading outward at a terrifying speed.
A ferocious dark crimson chakra shockwave burst forward in a fan shape, annihilating everything in its path!
Those forty-plus branch clansmen, along with all the ninjutsu they had unleashed, were obliterated before this heaven-destroying slash. They did not even have time to scream before vanishing completely within the destructive crimson radiance—no corpses left behind!
The residual force of the blade did not cease. It slammed violently into the moon's inner space, causing violent tremors.
The might of a single slash—terrifying beyond measure!
As the dust slowly settled, all that remained was a horrifying canyon cutting through nearly half the moon, and scattered dark crimson flames flickering along its edges.
The Perfect Susanoo slowly sheathed its blade. The colossal dark red giant dissolved into specks of light and vanished.
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