Behind him, Qin Yi uttered two words in a calm yet commanding voice.
"Amaterasu."
Thin tendrils of black flame ignited instantly, roaring to life as they surged toward the Kazekage. Every tree in his path was devoured by the inextinguishable fire, leaving only charred remnants in his wake.
Said to burn all it touches to nothingness, Amaterasu was an ocular jutsu exclusive to the Uchiha clan. The flames would not extinguish until their target was reduced to ash.
"Ahh!"
The Kazekage, despite his rapid retreat, could not fully evade the relentless flames. They finally reached him, searing his back, and a pained scream tore from his throat.
"Whoosh!"
The black fire spread like an unrelenting storm, consuming everything in its path as it relentlessly pursued him.
However, Amaterasu was not instantaneous. It required intense focus through the Sharingan, demanding absolute concentration. Since this was Qin Yi's first time wielding the technique, maintaining control over it proved to be an immense challenge.
"Killing a Kazekage... I didn't expect it to be this troublesome."
In Qin Yi's memory, the other four Kage in the original timeline were never depicted as particularly powerful. Their strength and abilities had been left largely ambiguous.
Yet now, facing them in battle, he realized just how cunning and formidable these veterans were.
A thin stream of blood trickled from the corner of his eye— the strain of Amaterasu was already taking its toll, forcing his body to pay the price.
Qin Yi's gaze sharpened, and more blood seeped from his eyes.
In that instant, the Kazekage let out another agonized cry as the flames finally caught his legs, engulfing him entirely in black fire.
"Whoosh!"
Taking a deep breath, Qin Yi closed his eyes for a brief moment.
The power of Amaterasu was undeniable, but its burden was equally severe.
When he reopened them, he saw that the Kazekage, though ablaze, was still struggling— clinging desperately to life.
A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Yi's face.
"Then let me end this."
He steadied himself, inhaling deeply to regulate his energy.
Slowly, his hands stretched apart, and between them, a point of light flickered into existence. It expanded, taking the shape of a small, translucent cube, its edges glowing with an eerie brilliance. Within that space, the laws of the outside world seemed absent— a void of absolute nothingness, akin to the primordial chaos before creation.
"Jinton— Atomic Dismantling Jutsu."
Qin Yi's voice was calm, yet resolute.
The glowing cube shot forward, engulfing the Kazekage's body entirely. Within seconds, the shape shrank, collapsing into a single point before vanishing into oblivion.
The Kazekage was gone.
Not far away, the Mizukage caught the scene from the corner of his eye. His pupils contracted to pinpricks as a chill crawled down his spine.
"Kazekage... Where did he go?!"
The very next moment, he saw Qin Yi turn his gaze upon him, his hands once more radiating light. Then, another cube of pure destruction shot toward him.
"Dodge! I have to dodge!"
A primal alarm rang through Mizukage's mind, sending every nerve in his body into overdrive.
With a desperate leap, he narrowly escaped the encirclement of the Three Generals, evading the deadly technique by a hair's breadth.
But as he landed, his expression darkened.
The landscape behind him— everything touched by that transparent light— was gone. No explosion, no remains, just pure erasure, as if reality itself had been stripped away.
"They didn't just vanish... No, they were disassembled— broken down to the molecular level!"
"What kind of jutsu is this?!"
The sheer horror of what he had just witnessed sent tremors through the Mizukage's body.
He understood now— Kazekage was not teleported, nor was he transported to another realm.
He was annihilated.
In that moment, a singular thought took root in Mizukage's mind: Escape.
Qin Yi, along with the three elite shinobi standing beside him, was a force beyond what he could contend with. Staying here meant certain death.
"Whoosh!"
Exhaling, Qin Yi felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. His chakra reserves had plummeted— only twenty percent remained.
"Jinton (Particle Release) consumes too much Chakra!"
With his Jōnin-level reserves, a full-power release drained nearly thirty percent of his chakra in a single strike. Having unleashed two Particle Release techniques— on top of his battle with the Kazekage— Qin Yi was dangerously close to exhaustion.
"I still don't have enough chakra..."
He sighed inwardly.
But if he used his remaining energy wisely and coordinated with the Three Generals, capturing the Mizukage wouldn't be too difficult.
He darted forward, leaping swiftly through the treetops in pursuit.
"QinKage, I acknowledge your strength! Let me go, and I will repay you!" The Mizukage's voice rang out, laced with desperation.
He was terrified. The Kazekage had been obliterated in less than ten minutes, effortlessly eliminated by this young man.
That alone confirmed Qin Yi's power had already reached the Kage level—his destructive capabilities were terrifying.
"Lord Mizukage, I originally believed only the Kazekage would come, so I had planned to let him go."
"I didn't expect you to be here as well. Since you've come, I might as well take two; I never intended to kill two Kage today."
"But you're the ones who trespassed."
His calm voice sent a chill through Mizukage, making his body tense.
"Lord Hashirama just had us sign a peace agreement! Are you declaring war?!"
"If there is war, it was your Nation of Water that started it."
Qin Yi's gaze was icy, his killing intent undisguised.
"And my Nation of Qin has never feared war."
He had come to this world to build an empire, to expand his domain.
War was inevitable.
As a king, all lands under heaven were his to claim— and if they weren't, he would take them by force.
"QinKage, don't be reckless!"
Mizukage panicked, his body flickering as he leaped rapidly through the dense forest.
"Chase him down!"
At Qin Yi's command, the Three Generals pursued without hesitation.
Five minutes later, Mizukage spotted the assembled shinobi squads from both his and the Kazekage's nations.
"Run! Don't stop!"
The shinobi teams were momentarily stunned, just about to ask what was happening. In that split second, two kunai whistled through the air, embedding themselves into the throats of two unsuspecting shinobi.
"Enemy attack!!"
The remaining shinobi shouted in alarm, snapping into high alert.
But Mizukage wasted no time explaining— his figure vanished into the treetops.
Qin Yi and his three companions arrived moments later, glancing at the scene below before dismissing it entirely. Their true target was ahead.
"Damn it! This brat really wants to kill me!"
Mizukage's face twisted in fear as he pushed his body to the limit.
He had fought for decades, unifying the Nation of Water and founding the Hidden Mist Village. Yet now, for the first time, he was running for his life— terrified of a mere youth.
And he had to admit— this young man was the most mysterious, powerful, and terrifying individual he had ever encountered. Even Senju Hashirama had never instilled such fear in him.
That man, for all his strength, would never have chased him for hundreds of miles with such ruthless determination.
"Smelting Release— Lava Hundred Consecutive Strikes!"
"Hyōton— Ice Willows!"
Behind him, Qin Yi and his three companions unleashed their techniques, their voices ringing through the battlefield.
"Boom!"
"Crack!"
The terrain ahead was instantly transformed— within a hundred meters, the once-dense forest turned into an impassable zone of molten rock and jagged ice.
Mizukage's speed ground to a halt.
"You can't escape."
Qin Yi's voice was cold and resolute.
The Three Generals moved in, encircling their prey.
(End of Chapter)
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