"Iaido Slash!"
Ruri unleashed his blade through empty air. A torrent of sword energy shot skyward, meeting the waterfall head-on. This sword aura shook heaven and earth, visible even to shinobi back in Takigakure, who stared in bewildered awe!
For a fleeting moment, the very air was torn open by the several-meter-long, razor-sharp sword energy. A white shockwave rippled outwards in all directions. Before the shrieking sonic boom could even register, the sword energy had already slammed into the waterfall!
The force of this single slash was so immense that every Iwa-nin standing below the waterfall was forced back several steps!
Under the assault of this sword energy, the waterfall, towering dozens of meters high, was cleanly sliced in two.
The once raging torrent, which had been crushing the mountainside, was now severed at its center. The upper section halted its descent as if blocked by an invisible dam!
A single slash cutting a waterfall! The ultimate cutting technique!
What kind of power was this?
Perhaps Uchiha Madara, unleashing his Susano'o at full strength, could achieve such a feat, but that relied on the power of his legendary dojutsu! Ruri's slash was accomplished through pure sword intent and chakra alone!
Now, the residual waves of the sword energy finally dissipated completely!
"Creek! Creek!"
The Iwa-nin collectively looked up at the severed waterfall. The sword energy had passed clean through it, shearing the entire cliff face!
The cliff was visibly shorter; the section the sword energy had touched was simply erased from existence!
Countless villagers in Takigakure stood dumbfounded. They only knew the Takikage had gone to the waterfall with the Iwa-nin envoy today, but they never imagined this was happening!
"Is this even possible with kenjutsu?" Kōmae Tadashi felt his worldview crumbling, while the ordinary Iwa-nin were struck utterly speechless!
Mu's face was a storm of shifting emotions. Who the hell knew you could do something like this?!
If you can just chop a piece off the cliff, what was the point of me working so hard with my Dust Release? If you can stop the waterfall with a slash, why did I bother reshaping the terrain for you? Was I just wasting my chakra for fun?!
Just moments before, Mu had been feeling quite pleased with himself. Even one of the esteemed Six Kage had needed to ask for his Dust Release assistance. But now he saw how wrong he was. This guy was a complete monster! Forget his standard Detachment of the Primitive World Technique; even its higher level probably couldn't slice a mountain and cut a waterfall so effortlessly!
"Ah! Not good, Lord Mu! The waterfall's starting up again!" One quick-thinking Iwa-nin snapped back to reality. The waterfall Ruri had impossibly severed only remained still for a minute before crashing down once more! And this time, with the mountain structure further compromised, the flow was even more violent!
Damn it! Even after a slash like that, they still need me! Mu scrambled to resume command. Everything returned to the previous state—relying on the Iwa-nin's Earth Release to hold the line, continuing the lake formation, and sinking the land.
"..." Kōmae Moru felt a profound awkwardness. His Takikage had delivered a slash that defied belief, even cutting the waterfall itself, yet in the end, nothing had changed?
Ruri rubbed his nose, realizing he had perhaps overestimated himself. His chakra reserves were finite. While the slash itself transcended Kage-level, it couldn't overturn the laws of physics. The waterfall would flow regardless...
Ahem... Well, Tadashi, forge me a steel blade. Ruri cleared his throat to mask his embarrassment. The borrowed kodachi was gone, not even the hilt remaining.
"..." Lord Takikage, what are you planning? Another slash? The last one didn't accomplish anything! Kōmae Tadashi kept his thoughts to himself and dutifully created a steel katana as ordered.
This steel katana was far superior in quality to the Iwa-nin's poor blade, and Ruri found it much more balanced in his hand. Somehow, after comprehending the sword intent of Iaido, he felt a natural kinship with the blade.
That was my first time using Iaido Slash; I was rusty, and my chakra was insufficient. This time, I'll make the Seven-Tails pay some rent, use more chakra, and with a proper blade, it's bound to work! Ruri steadied his stance once more.
A massive amount of the Seven-Tails' chakra surged into him. He raised the katana sharply, leveling it at his waist. His entire being seemed to transform into the blade itself. All his power—chakra and sword intent—fused into a single, concentrated point at that very moment!
"Iaido Slash!"
The sword energy released this time was far more condensed than before, nearly solidifying under the immense chakra infusion. It lit up the dimming sky like a second sun, brilliant as dawn in the east, and carried within it a thread of natural energy!
Though Ruri couldn't use Sage Mode or manipulate natural energy, this slash drew natural energy in its wake! More accurately, the sword energy compelled the natural energy to follow it spontaneously!
The Earth Release faltered and stopped again. Both the dumbstruck Iwa-nin and the mesmerized Taki-nin in the village had eyes only for the sword aura that outshone the sun. They could see nothing else.
The sword energy struck the cliff. A deafening roar followed as the already truncated cliff suffered anew. The sounds of the severed waterfall, the shattered cliff face, and the collapsing mountain echoed louder than ever.
Kōmae Tadashi found the scene strangely familiar. The cliff in Ruri's grasp was like ingredients in Master Ono's hands. The difference was, Ono meticulously carved ingredients into exquisite sushi, while Ruri was sheerling meters off the cliff face out of thin air!
"It's... completely stopped?" Mu stared, unable to believe his eyes. A full minute had passed since the slash, and the waterfall showed no signs of resuming its flow.
The sun began to crest over the horizon. Bathed in sunlight, the waterfall, frozen in time, reflected a dazzling, magnificent radiance.
Just as Mu was grappling with a feeling of utter inferiority, a relaxed voice reached his ear: "So, are we still building that lake or not?"
Ruri appeared perfectly composed. Had Kakuzu been present, he would have recognized the act—this was the same facade Ruri wore after detonating the Truth-Seeking Orbs, when both his and the Seven-Tails' chakra were completely spent.
But how could Mu and the others know the truth? They assumed Ruri had executed that slash with effortless ease!
"Right, right, let's sink this area a bit deeper, make it the center of the lake... If we could add a small island, it'd be perfect for getaways..."
"Divert the flow here into two channels, create some shallower areas for paddy fields. We can relocate some villagers to farm here."
"Build a dam here to contain the water, otherwise it'll just spill over."
"You there, aren't you a Fire Release user? Use your jutsu to bake this area dry, solidify the ground..."
"Tadashi, stop gawking. Use your Steel Release to seal off this section..."
The Iwa-nin obeyed Ruri's commands mechanically. Once again, unwittingly, they had been reduced to a construction crew.
Ruri observed the gradually transforming terrain with satisfaction. He couldn't sustain the severed waterfall state forever; it defied physics, it was unscientific. Once the sword intent and natural energy dissipated, the waterfall would resume its course. But by then, the landscape below would be fully prepared, ready to receive the water and form the artificial lake!
He had also intentionally designated areas for paddy fields. Takigakure lacked extensive arable land; creating fertile fields here was ideal. The new-style waterwheel he'd obtained from the gacha could finally be put to use! Perfect, just perfect!