The Great Toad Sage had never anticipated that Gensou would possess the devastating Truth-Seeking Ball as a trump card.
There was no time to think further.
With the sphere hurtling toward it at alarming speed and no chance to evade, the Great Toad Sage inhaled deeply, causing its massive body to rapidly deflate, elongating the distance as it released a peculiar croak from its abdomen.
"Senpō: Kawazu Naki!"
The unique auditory genjutsu of Mount Myōboku erupted at full force, attempting to delay Gensou for even a moment.
Gensou hesitated for a fraction of a second but quickly snapped out of it. Opening his fingers, he directed the Truth-Seeking Ball to continue its trajectory.
Although the Truth-Seeking Ball lacked exceptional speed compared to Kekkei Genkai or Kekkei Tōta, its unparalleled destructive power ensured it wouldn't miss a target already within reach.
The genjutsu's effect allowed the Great Toad Sage to slightly twist its body, positioning its left arm as a shield. But that was all it could manage.
In the next instant...
The Truth-Seeking Ball collided with the Great Toad Sage's raised left arm.
At first, there was no explosion, no tearing sound, nor any clash.
When the black sphere made contact with the Great Toad Sage's arm—an arm tougher than steel—it appeared as though a gust of wind had scattered sand.
Visibly, the part of the Great Toad Sage's arm touched by the Truth-Seeking Ball dissolved into nothingness.
The effect resembled Dust Release, but even that would struggle to disintegrate the Great Toad Sage's magically resistant body down to the atomic level.
The Truth-Seeking Ball was different.
Though it couldn't nullify senjutsu, physical contact was another matter entirely.
Without the power of the Six Paths, any living body touching the Truth-Seeking Ball would be wholly annihilated.
At this moment...
The Great Toad Sage's body, tempered over millennia, seemed as fragile as paper.
The Truth-Seeking Ball carved a hole through its arm with the lightest touch.
As the sphere continued forward, the Great Toad Sage's left arm crumbled like a collapsing sandcastle, disintegrating inch by inch.
The Truth-Seeking Ball obliterated most of the Great Toad Sage's left shoulder before hurtling onward, driven by its momentum.
The Great Toad Sage, through sheer will and sacrifice of its arm, barely managed to survive.
Ignoring the pain, it prepared to leap backward, desperate to escape the sphere's destructive radius.
Watching calmly, Gensou uttered a single word.
"Explode."
Boom!
Blinding white light erupted from the Truth-Seeking Ball as it detonated, unleashing a force capable of leveling an entire forest.
A wave of unbearable heat followed.
The Great Toad Sage, closest to the explosion, could only raise its remaining right arm in defense before being engulfed by the blast.
Even as its master, Gensou was forced to retreat swiftly to the edges of Mount Myōboku to avoid the full brunt of the explosion.
From a safe vantage point, he turned to witness the aftermath.
The explosion, far larger than his previous Chō Shinra Tensei, had left behind a towering mushroom cloud.
For a full minute, silence reigned as the dust settled.
Gensou stepped forward, his figure flashing several times before he reached the epicenter of the explosion. A surprised murmur escaped his lips.
"Still alive?"
With a wave of his hand, a gust of wind dispersed the remaining smoke, revealing the scene before him.
A blood-soaked orange toad, roughly the same size as Gensou, panted heavily. Its left arm was missing entirely, and its condition was pitiful. It was the Great Toad Sage.
After enduring unimaginable pain, the Great Toad Sage had managed to shrink its body to minimize the impact area.
Through sheer resilience and senjutsu, it had clung to life, surviving the Truth-Seeking Ball's detonation.
The moment its eyes met Gensou's, the Great Toad Sage suppressed its exhaustion, straightened its posture, and activated the remnants of its senjutsu chakra. Visible wounds on its body began to heal rapidly—save for the obliterated left arm and shoulder, which could never regenerate.
"Such tenacity," Gensou remarked.
He had thought the Truth-Seeking Ball would decisively end the battle, yet the Great Toad Sage had endured.
"But how much longer can you last?"
Gensou spread his hands, and two black rods extended slowly from his palms.
The Great Toad Sage, still in its smaller form, didn't revert to its original size. Instead, it glanced at its missing left arm before turning to Gensou with a solemn expression.
"I take back what I said earlier. As of now, you are not inferior to, and perhaps in some ways, you've surpassed Hagoromo."
Gensou smirked faintly. "Hagoromo? My true goal is to surpass the Sage of Six Paths. By then, you'll no longer be here to make such assessments."
"Is that so?" The Great Toad Sage exhaled deeply, its tone calm. "The Truth-Seeking Ball has given you newfound confidence. Now, show me your next Truth-Seeking Ball."
"If you had only one, you wouldn't have detonated it so easily."
Even after its explosion, the Truth-Seeking Ball wasn't entirely destroyed. For those below the Six Paths level, summoning another would require significant cooldown time.
The Great Toad Sage had gained a thorough understanding of Gensou during their battle.
He was bold yet meticulous, never rash, and always composed.
The fact that Gensou had used the Truth-Seeking Ball so decisively suggested he likely had more.
Sure enough...
Hearing the Great Toad Sage's words, Gensou shrugged lightly.
"I was hoping to surprise you, Sage."
As he finished speaking, Gensou lowered his left hand, gripping the shorter black rod, while his right hand rested the katana-length rod on his shoulder.
At the same time, two newly formed Truth-Seeking Balls appeared, floating effortlessly around him.
With the unsealed Yin Seal, his unique blue senjutsu markings, and the Rinnegan, Gensou had now fully stepped into his peak state.
After mastering the Rinnegan and harmonizing its inherent knowledge of yin-yang and elemental chakra with his own mastery, Gensou had completed the final piece required to create Truth-Seeking Balls.
He had become the third individual, after Hagoromo and Hamura, capable of crafting them with seven chakra natures.
Given his immense strength and foundation, Gensou could produce more than just one at a time.
In contrast, the Great Toad Sage had significantly depleted its senjutsu chakra and lost its left arm.
Clearly, it had reached its lowest point in the battle.
(End of Chapter)
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