'Lord Danzō! I've avenged you!'
Inoichi shouted in his heart, unleashing his clan's secret technique.
"Mind Body Switch Jutsu!"
He knew Ryosuke's will was incomparably strong. Inoichi didn't expect to be able to trap Ryosuke's soul forever.
All he needed was to create even a single instant of stagnation for Ryosuke at the most critical moment in battle, and that would be enough.
Hidan and Kakuzu would then become the sharpest blades to complete his revenge.
Inoichi succeeded.
He had indeed slipped into Ryosuke's soul.
Because of the Mind Body Switch, Ryosuke froze for a brief moment, unable to dodge Kakuzu's Final Shot.
Seeing the approaching wave of ninjutsu, Inoichi was about to withdraw and return to his own body. But at that very moment, it was as if a hand had grabbed his soul by the neck.
"Ah, you came all the way here. How could we just let you leave? Wouldn't that make us look way too impolite?"
The White Snake's mocking voice came from behind Inoichi.
Inoichi's vision sank into pitch black.
Struggling, he turned his head back, meeting the sharp gaze of Star Platinum. Beside it, the White Snake had one hand on his hip, while the other hand stretched out a finger, spinning it over and over as it jabbed hard into Inoichi's temple.
Not just Star Platinum and the White Snake.
There were also purple vines, a small floating airplane, a crouching pink humanoid cat, a rainbow mask, will-o'-wisps…
The Yamanaka clan were experts in the realm of souls and consciousness. As one of the clan's elites, Inoichi instantly realized he was trapped inside Ryosuke's consciousness.
Because time flows differently between consciousness and the outside world, three days and nights might pass here, while outside only an instant had gone by.
Ordinary consciousnesses are unguarded, at most, the subconscious areas are dangerous. But Ryosuke's…
"Brother Yama, cooking up some bad ideas again?"
The White Snake slapped Inoichi across the face. "Don't you know I can hear your inner thoughts here?!"
Inoichi was smacked to the ground.
Just as he tried to get up, the White Snake shouted, "Brothers, hit him!"
Star Platinum, the White Snake, and Killer Queen kicked Inoichi all at once, with vines whipping, bullets firing in between.
———
Hundreds of meters away, Inoichi's body suddenly tilted and thudded down from a rooftop.
[Killed Yamanaka Inoichi. Obtained 450 Soul Fragments]
Hearing the system notification, Ryosuke felt a bit blank.
He didn't know who Yamanaka Inoichi was, nor how he had died, and yet the kill was counted under his name.
Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear, Final Shot had already closed in, and behind him Hidan had swung down his scythe. But even freed from the Mind Body Switch, Ryosuke still didn't move.
He was savoring it.
Savoring that subtle sensation of the soul and body briefly separating, unable to perfectly control the flesh.
Perhaps this had a vital connection to the Golden Spin training, Lesson 2, Don't let the muscles notice.
Hidan's scythe slashed near. Black spots emerged on the blade, death power from the Evil God.
The Earth Grudge Fear's ninjutsu was also right in front of him. The terrifying air pressure was so heavy, it crushed the breath out of everyone present.
Putting themselves in his place, everyone present thought, no matter who it was, facing these two attacks meant certain death. Yet Ryosuke…
He only let out a light sigh.
His savoring was interrupted.
Ryosuke raised his hand and caught the scythe. The black death marks spreading along the blade were pushed back by the ripple flames burning at his fingertips. Hidan, still gripping the scythe, was locked in place by ripple power, suspended mid-air.
Shhh~
The back of the Ruin Greatsword released golden flames like a jet.
Killer Queen appeared and touched the Ruin Greatsword.
The bomb was planted.
Ryosuke gazed quietly at the oncoming "Final Shot." Behind him were Mei Terumi and the others, and behind them were the countless lights of Kyoto city. So Ryosuke didn't want to dodge.
Of course, he didn't need to dodge either.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the Ruin Greatsword like a missile, golden ripple flames blazing across the blade, magnified by the earth beneath.
A thunderous boom erupted.
The blade clashed against the Final Shot in midair.
A brief halt, and then the Ruin Greatsword sliced through the impact wave like cutting cucumbers, driving forward, forward…
In Kakuzu's despairing eyes, the blade touched his arm.
Crack!
Killer Queen pressed the detonation switch.
BOOOM!
Kakuzu's body swelled unnaturally, and with a soul-shaking roar, he exploded into countless specks of dust.
[Killed Kakuzu. Obtained 990 Soul Fragments]
"Kakuzu..."
Tears of envy welled in Hidan's eyes.
"Don't be jealous. It's your turn next."
Ryosuke had Killer Queen plant another bomb, this time on Hidan's scythe.
Crack!
Killer Queen pressed the switch.
The same swelling.
The same explosion into countless specks of dust.
The immortal brothers, dying the same way, that was their bond.
[Defeated Hidan. Obtained 850 Soul Fragments]
'Hm?'
'Defeated?'
Ryosuke frowned slightly as he watched the ashes drifting in the wind.
'Not dead yet?'
Suddenly, countless mosquitoes and bats swooped down, some devouring the ashes, others coating their wings and bodies with them.
Then, with little pop pop pop bursts of smoke, the summoned beasts vanished.
Ryosuke suddenly realized.
"Star Platinum: The World! Time, stop!"
Fortunately, he had thought earlier that if Kakuzu's attack landed in the city, it would cause massive casualties.
That's why he hadn't chosen to dodge with Time Stop, but had instead used the Ruin Greatsword to clash head-on and cancel it out.
If it were someone else, Hidan might really have gotten away. After all, when you explode into ashes scattering with the wind, it's impossible to see clearly, let alone catch them.
But under Star Platinum's absolute precision,
Each speck of ash was forcefully seized. Ryosuke pulled out a snack bag he carried and stuffed them inside.
When Time Stop ended, the bag was half full.
Ryosuke sealed the bag.
Though caught off guard, about one-fifth of the ashes had already been carried away by the summoned beasts. The other four-fifths were all inside the bag.
It was a transparent bag, he could clearly see the ashes inside.
'So… this counts as being alive? Don't tell me it'll sprout like a seed and grow into another Hidan And between the part that flew away and the part in my hand… which one's the real body?'
Ryosuke couldn't figure it out. He planned to hand it over to the Research Institute after returning, to check it out with Orochimaru's technology.
When Ryosuke lifted his head again, the remaining ninja and samurai opposite him had already stepped back in terror.
T'-too terrifying!'
Kyoto's samurai and ninja had seen plenty of strong people before. No matter how strong Ryosuke was, it wasn't enough to scare off a band of desperate men willing to give up their hearts for money.
But… none of them had ever seen someone who wasn't satisfied even after blowing an opponent into ashes, someone who would actually collect those ashes.
Collect them for what?
They thought of Ryosuke's fearsome reputation, and the rumors of him "keeping" evil spirits. All sorts of horrifying ideas filled their minds.
For money, they weren't afraid of dying.
But if even after death they had to suffer torture… that was far too terrifying.
Ryosuke glanced at them, pressed his lips into a "gap," and tossed the bag inside, throwing it into the Ghost Room.
The moment they saw this, the ninja and samurai finally broke. They dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, crying, begging Ryosuke not to refine them into evil spirits or monsters.
Oda Ieyasu watched Ryosuke kill three people in a row with thunderous methods, and his heart could not calm.
He had seen countless powerful men in his life, but never anyone who could give him such suffocating pressure as Ryosuke.
This was "power" enough to shake the world.
Mei Terumi and Zabuza walked over, both wearing constipated expressions.
"Sorry, Ryosuke, we…"
Ryosuke waved his hand.
"Nothing to apologize for. The opponent was Akatsuki, and they had the advantage of terrain. Defending passively is always harder than attacking."
Because of the relationship between the Foundation and Ryosuke, the information about Hidan, Kakuzu, Mei Terumi, and Zabuza was transparent on both sides.
In this situation, if both sides had fought head-on without hesitation or baggage… the outcome really could have gone either way.
Ryosuke turned his head toward Oda Ieyasu.
"Your son's been rescued, the assassins are gone, and there's less than an hour left before the Water Garden Festival's convoy reaches the daimyō's mansion."
"How are you going to 'come back to life'?"
If Oda Ieyasu had no solution… then Ryosuke could only use his own methods.
Oda Ieyasu forced a smile.
"Leave the rest to me. But before that… I want to see my wife."
Oda Ieyasu had his own power and arrangements. If not for being betrayed by his wife, he would never have been driven into such a passive position.
"And after you see her?" Ryosuke asked.
A complicated emotion flashed in Oda Ieyasu's eyes.
"Kill her."
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