Chapter 158: Dust Release – Atomic Dismantling Jutsu
"Genjutsu..."
"It's over!"
Sensing the chakra on Ayase's body condensing into a single point, Li Yao knew that even if he used genjutsu to make her lose control of her body, the sealing jutsu wouldn't stop. He had no chance left.
And in the end… he was going to die at the hands of Ayase.
How ironic… Li Yao shook his head with a trace of self-mockery in his heart.
But that was all. In this moment of life and death, Li Yao didn't show the slightest hint of fear. He didn't even appear to regret anything.
He had long since become numb to the idea of dying.
The only regret—maybe—that he hadn't had the chance to fully get back at the Third Hokage.
But even that was just mild dissatisfaction.
To his surprise, Li Yao found his mind strangely calm as he faced the moment of death—not at all like someone burning with vengeance.
Clang clang…!
Just as his life flashed before his eyes and he quietly prepared for death, two Vajra Sealing Chains suddenly shot from behind Ayase and wrapped around her waist, yanking her forcefully away.
"I will never let Lord Li Yao die!"
At the critical moment, Uzumaki Kushi , who had been secretly watching him all along, used her life-force-burning Vajra Sealing Chains to pull Ayase away from Li Yao.
"No!!!"
A furious scream erupted from within Ayase's consciousness. She realized that her sealing range no longer included Li Yao and was consumed by an unprecedented rage. She tried to force her body to run toward him.
But her five senses were still sealed away by genjutsu chakra—she couldn't move.
And it was too late. The Reverse Four Symbols Sealing would seal everything within fifty meters centered on herself.
Buzz…
The spilled black ink instantly formed a 50-meter-radius spherical domain, then violently compressed toward the center—Ayase.
Pop!
When it was over, a smooth, circular crater a hundred meters wide remained on the ground.
Both Ayase and Uzumaki Kushi had vanished.
Li Yao, who had regained control of his body, looked down at the smooth crater just in front of his feet. His eyes reflected a hint of lingering fear, surprise, and sarcasm.
Heh...
Li Yao let out a quiet laugh. Who would've thought—he had been saved by the very woman he had already given up on: Kushi .
Fate really had a twisted sense of humor.
"Ayase-senpai…"
Inside Li Yao's body, Dan Katō sensed Ayase's soul vanish. He could only sigh softly before his own spirit dissipated and passed on.
"So this is the Spiritualization Technique…"
"I see now!"
A sudden light flashed in Li Yao's eyes. Now he finally understood how his shadow clones had been seen through.
With Dan Katō gone, no one could distinguish shadow clones from his real body anymore.
"Shadow Clo—shit!!!"
Just as Li Yao was about to create a shadow clone, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki made his move from over a kilometer away.
And it was a Dust Release ultimate move—large enough to engulf the Wind, Water, and Lightning Kage too.
"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
A dazzling white cube erupted from Ōnoki's hands, instantly expanding into a massive space—two kilometers per side—completely encasing Li Yao in the center.
"Ōnoki!"
"Ōnoki!"
The Third Raikage and Third Mizukage both shouted in fury, fleeing at full speed.
Fortunately, they had previously sensed a hint of betrayal from Ōnoki and kept their distance from Li Yao. They now had a narrow chance of escaping the Dust Release.
The Mizukage turned into black water and dove underground to escape quickly.
The Raikage flapped his lightning wings and bolted away.
Both had their own escape methods and a sliver of hope.
But Li Yao and the Third Kazekage, positioned at the center of the cube, had nowhere to run.
The Kazekage's face turned pale instantly. He deeply regretted joining this battle. If he'd known Ōnoki could unleash a Dust Release of this scale, he would never have gotten involved—or at least not have gotten so close to Li Yao.
"Damn you, Ōnoki!!!"
The Kazekage could only curse internally as he wrapped himself in every last grain of his iron sand, sealing himself in and praying to survive the Dust Release.
Li Yao, meanwhile, was stunned. Dan Katō was gone, and no one could see through his clones anymore. He'd almost escaped danger.
Who would've thought Ōnoki would act so decisively, leaving no opening and striking immediately. Li Yao had nowhere to run.
"Damn it!"
All he could do was try to use Earth Style chakra to tunnel down, hoping the earth itself might shield him from the Dust Release.
Snap!
The Dust Release exploded—just like the Reverse Four Symbols Seal. There was no thunderous boom, no trembling ground. Just a crisp sound like fingers snapping.
And then… everything vanished without a trace.
On the battlefield, all the giant trees from Li Yao's Wood Style were erased. A pitch-black cube-shaped pit appeared in the earth.
Li Yao and the Third Kazekage were both gone.
The Mizukage and Raikage, thanks to their positions and escape techniques, survived—but each paid a price: one lost a leg, the other an arm.
"What a pity."
High above, Ōnoki looked toward the edge of the pit. Seeing the Raikage still alive—though missing an arm—he shook his head, then turned and flew toward the corner of the barrier guarded by Iwagakure ninjas.
He himself was no longer capable of fighting and needed to leave the barrier quickly.
"Ōnoki!!!"
The Raikage and Mizukage watched him fly away. Though furious and longing to kill him, they both knew how terrifying Dust Release was—and also that this wasn't the place to fight.
Both quickly left the scene.
All three departed. None of them even glanced back at the pit.
They didn't believe that either Li Yao or the Third Kazekage could survive a Dust Release of that magnitude.
Thus ended the first-ever Five Kage joint siege against Li Yao in the ninja world.
In this battle:
From Konoha, Ayase, Sarutobi Getsuishi, and Dan Katō all perished—an enormous loss.
Kumogakure's Third Raikage lost an arm.
Kirigakure's Third Mizukage lost a leg.
Sunagakure had it worst—the "Strongest Kazekage in History," the Third Kazekage, was completely obliterated.
But at least he wasn't killed by Sasori and turned into a human puppet like in the original story—so in a way, his death was more honorable.
Iwagakure was the biggest winner of the war, with no casualties.
However, by angering the Water, Lightning, and Wind countries, Iwa's troubles were only beginning. On the battlefield, they would soon suffer.
Over the next year:
After learning that their Kazekage was killed by Ōnoki, Sunagakure went berserk. Ignoring Konoha completely, they launched a full-scale attack on Iwa.
Kumogakure followed suit, sending most of its forces to besiege Iwa.
Even Kirigakure pulled back many of its forces from other fronts and helped Konoha, Suna, and Kumo reduce their pressure—so the three nations could focus on attacking Iwa.
Iwa suffered heavy losses, and the war reached its borders. But the fighting ultimately stalemated within the Land of Earth.
After all, Iwa was one of the Five Great Nations. It wouldn't fall easily.
And there was still no absolute trust between the Great Nations—they didn't dare divert all their power to crush Iwa.
During this time, no news of Li Yao was heard in the ninja world.
The daimyo of the Five Great Nations could finally relax. They no longer had to worry about Li Yao suddenly reincarnating by seizing the body of their heirs.
The Five Hidden Villages could also rest easy—free from fear of Li Yao's terrifying revenge.
(END CHAPTER)
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on January 2, 2026.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997