"What… is that awful noise?" After Meruem blocked the oil-and-fire technique of Sage Art: Goemon, he was trapped by an ear-splitting, grating clamor.
"Could this be Toad Confrontation Chant, one of the ultimate genjutsu Jiraiya used against Nagato in the original? No wonder it rivals the Mangekyō Sharingan's techniques… truly a headache." His body felt bound by something as he was confined within a strange barrier. Outside it stood four unusual giant toads in samurai armor, each wielding a greatsword.
"Heh, a fine technique. It can actually hold me for a while." Inside the barrier, Meruem looked down at Jiraiya without the slightest panic.
At this moment Jiraiya's face was painted in gaudy Peking-opera colors, his teeth had turned into fangs, and, most notably, his nose had grown huge and bright red.
"Genjutsu is indeed a mighty art, and I admit that when it comes to illusions, I'm utterly clueless. But before absolute power, you think a mere genjutsu can take me down? Even Tsukuyomi, one of the Sharingan's ultimate illusions, couldn't restrain me. And you expect a little sound-based genjutsu to do it? Break!"
"Night Parade of One Hundred Demons: Lord of Fiends and Phantoms!" A massive black silhouette suddenly loomed before Jiraiya and the others, effortlessly catching the greatsword in Jiraiya's hands.
Jiraiya had thought to kill Meruem while the genjutsu held him. It was, frankly, naive.
"This is… what kind of ninjutsu? No—this isn't ninjutsu! How? How could such a technique exist in this world?" Fukasaku cried out when he saw the aura-beast behind Meruem. Ordinary small fry couldn't perceive such a thing,
but for powerful shinobi, especially beings attuned to natural energy, seeing a nen beast wasn't hard.
Although different from chakra, nen was still a form of life energy.
"Super Big Ball Rasengan!" A massive chakra sphere formed in Jiraiya's hand and hurtled toward Meruem.
"Heh. Better than nothing. Jiraiya—everything of yours, and of the two sages of Mount Myoboku—I'll be taking it." Meruem gazed fearlessly at the onrushing Jiraiya, a bloodthirsty smile on his face.
"Too bad, Fourth. The only reason you escaped my hands was because I let you go on purpose. Your teacher Jiraiya has already been killed by me. Next is you."
"You won't die well," Minato spat through clenched teeth, glaring at Meruem.
"Sorry, I've already died once. Oh, and by the way, you irresponsible father—your son, Naruto Uzumaki, is also under my control now. Since you refuse to be a good father, I'll educate him in your stead."
"Rest assured, Naruto has already grown into a qualified shinobi… though he still misses you dearly."
"Become nourishment for my growth!"
After absorbing the power of Minato, Jiraiya, and the two sages, Meruem's strength rose again by a small margin.
Minato's gift for space–time ninjutsu, Jiraiya's power, and the two elders of Mount Myoboku, Fukasaku and Shima—their mastery of natural energy.
"Old toad, Mount Myoboku has only you left now." Meruem looked at the dark-brown, aged toad upon the dais.
"So you've come, destroyer of this world's order." Rarely, the Great Toad Sage was not drowsy and half-asleep, but looked fully alert, fixing Meruem with his cloudy eyes.
"'Destroyer of order'? What kind of ridiculous title is that?" Meruem took one step after another toward the Great Toad Sage.
"No—the damned one is you! Leave this world!" The Great Toad Sage suddenly lunged at Meruem with startling speed for such an ancient toad. "Sage Art: Return to the Otherworld!"
The old toad slammed his palm against the ground, and a thick, inexplicable mist billowed up. Meruem stayed wary; as the ancient leader of Mount Myoboku, who knew what trump cards he might have.
Yet when the smoke cleared, nothing had happened.
"Old toad, are your eyes going dim? No—who's there, hiding right in front of me?" Meruem barked toward an empty patch of air.
"I didn't expect you to sense me. Just as Gamamaru said, your existence has grown to threaten the entire shinobi world." A figure appeared, holding a shakujo: skin pale as paper, two horn-like protrusions atop his head, a long beard at his chin, and, like Erlang Shen, an eye-shaped mark upon his brow. Most importantly, several black Truth-Seeking Balls floated at his feet.
"Rinnegan? And that visage—you're the Sage of Six Paths?" So even the Sage had come out. That old toad truly did have deep ties to him.
But so what if you were the Sage of Six Paths?
"Indeed, it is I. Leave this world—your existence has already broken its order. Otherwise…" He leveled his staff at Meruem.
"Oh? Laughable. On what basis do you claim I've broken this world's order? Is this order set by you, Sage? 'Otherwise'? And what exactly will you do?" Several Truth-Seeking Balls rose behind Meruem as well, answering the Sage's, and the two squared off.
"Otherwise I will erase you from this world." So much for the sainted benevolence touted by the outside world—the Sage's kindness did not extend to outsiders.
If he were a god of compassion, how could he have sealed his own mother? How could he have watched his sons kill each other?
"Kill me? Let's see if you can." Their paths diverged and there'd be no accord; if words failed, then battle. Meruem had long been ready to fight him.
As the originator of chakra in the Naruto world and the strongest foe Meruem had yet faced here, he would not hold back as he had with Hashirama.
He had to go all out from the start; the Sage's power was not much weaker than his mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Sage Mode markings bloomed across Meruem's face.
"Sage Art: Universal Pull!" An immense suction poured from the Sage's palm; even someone as strong as Meruem couldn't resist it for a moment.
This was absolutely not on the same level as Nagato's Rinnegan.
"If I can't resist it, all the better! You've chosen close quarters!" Hurtling toward the Sage, Meruem adjusted his posture in midair, ready to strike.
"Take my fist!" Meruem swung at the Sage.
"Sage Art: Almighty Push!" A vast repulsive force burst from the Sage again, not only nullifying Meruem's punch but blasting his body away in an instant.
"Repulsion and attraction? As expected of the Rinnegan. So he can fully wield the Preta Path's absorption as well? As expected of the Sage—this suite of techniques is far stronger in his hands than Nagato's. And he's using sage arts on top of it… Getting in close will be difficult."
"Then watch this—Sage Secret Art: Iron-Flower Deep Forest Emergence!" Huge trees sprouted from the earth one after another, and enormous vines lashed toward the Sage.
At the same time, the air filled with a strange pollen.
This was Meruem's refinement of the First Hokage's Flower-Tree World: each tree was fashioned from the hardest hardwood, making it more powerful than the original technique.
Most critically, it was sage art.
Moreover, the pollen did more than paralyze—it also induced hypnosis and carried poison.
"Sage Art: Goemon!" A roaring blaze mixed with oil cascaded across the dense forest, trying to burn it down.
"A mere Goemon can't destroy my secret art. Sage Secret Art: Iron Tree in Bloom!" The dense woods were unaffected by the flames; instead, they extended roots and absorbed them.
Then, atop the largest tree, a massive flower bud appeared, as if gestating something, and the Sage felt the life force of every creature in the land diminishing as the bud drew it in.
This was a ninjutsu Meruem had devised specifically for Kaguya; its power needed no explanation.
"Sage Art: Super Almighty Push!" Sensing the threat from the bud, the Sage rose into the air and unleashed a godlike repulsive force that obliterated every tree in its path; they didn't hold for even a second.
"As expected of the Sage—truly the progenitor of ninjutsu. But my Iron Tree in Bloom isn't so easily destroyed." Meruem pointed to where the forest had been. Though the whole stood ragged and on the verge of collapse, the bud had only grown larger.
"Hmph. Six Paths: Planetary Devastation!" A black sphere appeared at the bud's position, like a miniature black hole, generating a tremendous force that tore everything around into it.
"As expected—Planetary Devastation! The timing's a bit short, but no matter. Try this! Sage of Six Paths, feel the world's malice!"
"Abyss: Red Spider Lily!"
(End of Chapter)
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