It had been less than a minute since the battle began. This was only the second time he had taken Ryoma's attack head-on, yet he was already dizzy and disoriented from the blows.
If the third move came…
Hiruko did not dare continue that thought. By now, even a fool could see the enormous gap in strength between them.
Originally, his greatest advantage had been his ability to absorb chakra. But against Ryoma, that ability was completely useless.
First, the disposable puppet he had used to absorb chakra had already exploded and been destroyed after taking a single strike.
Second, Ryoma's attacks were simply too fast. Just like before—if he could not even see the attack, how could he possibly defend against it?
Is this the true strength of the people from the United Continent…?
Hiruko thought bitterly. What he didn't know was that the power Ryoma had displayed so far was only the tip of the iceberg.
Seeing Ryoma walking toward him, Hiruko hurriedly forced himself to stand.
"Ryoma!" he said quickly. "Don't you want to know the secret behind the Ghost Bud Technique? With your strength, if you master it, your power will rise to an entirely new level! As long as you let me go today, I'll tell you everything about my research over the years."
Hiruko stared nervously at Ryoma.
But Ryoma merely shook his head and said calmly,
"Didn't you still lose to me even after mastering the Ghost Bud Technique?"
"Your forbidden technique holds no appeal for me."
The emotionless answer—filled with unmistakable killing intent—extinguished the last glimmer of hope in Hiruko's eyes. In its place, madness slowly took over.
"You forced me into this, Ryoma!" he roared. "Then we'll die together!"
With a violent surge, purple ripples erupted across Hiruko's body. Terrifying chakra burst out from him like a volcanic eruption.
Facing his opponent's final resistance, Ryoma remained expressionless.
"Pointless struggle."
Self-Destruction Technique!
At that moment, Hiruko released every drop of chakra within his body, along with all the ninjutsu he had absorbed earlier—lightning, fire, and more.
The ground melted instantly.
The air, heated to extreme temperatures, expanded violently, forming a devastating shockwave.
A massive burst of energy erupted from Hiruko, powerful enough to wipe out the surface of an entire shinobi village. Blinding light illuminated the entire Mount Meru.
Yet under Hiruko's control, the destructive force was compressed within a radius of only ten meters.
The clouds above were blown apart.
The earth collapsed, forming a crater dozens of meters deep.
Far away, Tsunade, Kakashi, and the others were blasted backward by the shockwave, tumbling dozens of meters before stopping.
Everyone turned around in shock.
In the distance, a towering mushroom cloud slowly rose into the sky.
Nearly a minute later, the explosion finally subsided, and the smoke gradually cleared.
Beside the massive crater—more than a kilometer wide and dozens of meters deep—Hiruko knelt on one knee.
His eyes were dull, and his face looked withered and aged, like that of a dying old man.
The attack had completely drained his chakra. At this moment, he felt so weak that he could barely move a finger.
"Although I killed that guy… Konoha's group will definitely come rushing here soon."
"I have to leave before they arrive. I need to find somewhere to recover."
With that thought, Hiruko forced himself up using the last of his strength. After several attempts, he finally managed to stand.
He was far too weak now.
"Damn you, Ryoma… Once I recover, I'll completely destroy your Shadow Empire!"
At that moment, a strange sound echoed from deep within the crater.
"Huh?"
A trace of shock appeared on Hiruko's face as he stared toward the bottom of the pit.
The shattered earth continued to release waves of scorching steam, making it impossible to see clearly what lay below.
But as the sound grew louder, a dark figure slowly rose from the depths of the crater.
Suspended in the air—
right in front of Hiruko.
Ryoma dispelled the Susanoo that had been protecting his body. Folding his arms across his chest, he looked down coldly at the humiliated figure below.
"Good attack," he said calmly. "But the power is still lacking."
"No… that's impossible!"
Hiruko stared at Ryoma, who stood before him completely unharmed. Fear surged wildly through his heart.
"Monster!" he shouted hoarsely. "How can someone take an attack like that head-on and still survive?!"
Hiruko's gaze turned dull. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier. He was already at the end of his strength, and his eyes were filled with deep fear and despair.
"You lost," Ryoma said calmly. "Do you have any last words?"
He raised his right foot and stepped firmly onto Hiruko's chest.
But Hiruko was already so overwhelmed by despair that he couldn't even speak.
Seeing this, Ryoma no longer wasted any time.
Boom.
Ryoma brought his foot down.
The tremendous force instantly crushed Hiruko's body. His internal organs and chakra pathways were completely destroyed, the impact even sending shockwaves deep into the earth for nearly a hundred meters.
Looking at Hiruko's lifeless body, Ryoma slowly shook his head.
Originally, there had been no personal grudge between them. Things never needed to end this way.
But Hiruko's hatred toward Konoha ran too deep—and in the end, he had chosen to provoke Ryoma.
"Have a better life in your next reincarnation," Ryoma said quietly. "Don't become a shinobi again."
With that, Ryoma turned around.
In the next moment, his figure vanished as he used the Flying Thunder God Technique.
(End of Chapter)
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