Chapter 358: Strategist Tsuru – Use Special Means to Acquire Dust Release
Outside the illusion of Kyōka Suigetsu,
Aizen watched with interest the woman who had just invited him—Anko Mitarashi.
Everything he had said so far came from the surface-level intel Gin Ichimaru had collected during his time in the Reincarnation Game: the conflict between Konoha and Orochimaru, and the occupation of the Land of Fire.
He had originally planned to use any excuse to slip into Konoha.
But unexpectedly,
Anko's reaction suggested she had a deep personal connection to this "Orochimaru the schemer."
That look in her eyes was all too familiar to Aizen—
like the longing and eventual hatred that Hinamori Momo would one day show if he killed her with his own hands after she had adored him for so long.
How interesting.
Aizen had always liked interesting things, so he naturally agreed to her offer.
With reinforcements from numerous otherworldly players,
the tide of battle began to turn.
The rampaging Abyssal Evil Gods were finally stopped. They no longer tore through the Land of Hot Water unimpeded.
"Frost Barrier!"
Aokiji's entire body was shrouded in cold, exhaling misty frost with every breath.
He spread his arms wide.
A circular, deep-blue barrier of near-absolute zero expanded outward, covering everything in its path—buildings, corrupted monsters alike.
The Abyssal Evil Gods, their skin like stone, began to crack.
Frostbite status.
The extreme cold slowed their movements considerably.
Above the center of the barrier,
a massive ice bow materialized, seemingly auto-targeting as it fired arrow after arrow at the corrupted monsters below.
Each ice arrow pierced directly into the cracks of the Evil Gods, tearing their wounds wider.
Bang! Bang!
With each kill, two Corruption Crystals flew out—
but before they could hit the ground, Aokiji had already collected them.
"Infernal Hell!"
After a period of focused training—
and with the Navy's full support—Akainu, once suppressed by Naruto, was now showing signs of surpassing him.
He unleashed a sea of magma, spreading across the battlefield,
turning the land into scorched earth.
From the flames emerged flame demons—terrifying hellspawn locked in brutal battle with the Evil Gods, spraying magma with each clash.
"Gurararara!"
"What a satisfying fight! Pure brute force! Even my Cong Yunqie is humming in excitement!"
Whitebeard turned his body, swung Cong Yunqie in a massive arc,
and put everything he had into it.
Slash!
He decapitated an Abyssal Evil God in a single blow.
The chaotic battlefield quickly became furrowed with purified scars,
cut clean by the elite players of Navy Headquarters, the Whitebeard Pirates, and the major shinobi villages.
"So terrifying… a rare corps-style ability. That's the Sea World's Whitebeard, isn't it?"
Ōnoki's eyes were wary.
He silently kept his distance from the Whitebeard Pirates—
not out of fear, as the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, he feared no one.
But his core ability was [Artillery General Lv.33],
a long-range powerhouse perfectly suited for Dust Release.
Its weakness, however, was close-range combat.
Whitebeard, with his Crimson Troll bloodline and explosive short-range power, was the natural counter to him.
Even though there was no hostility now, Ōnoki made sure to stay well outside that danger zone.
"Dust Style: Charged Electromagnetic Laser Cannon!"
The short old man known as Ōnoki carried an enormous cannon strapped to his back, nearly dragging along the ground.
He reached into the weapon sack,
and drew out a massive shoulder-mounted cannon.
The terrifying energy gathering in the barrel made everyone nearby flinch.
BOOM!
With a thunderous roar, a Dust-style laser beam tore the battlefield in two.
The violet-red explosive energy disintegrated everything in its path into dust.
In an instant—
four Abyssal Evil Gods were vaporized by the laser.
"That's the leader of Iwagakure… Is he trying to flex in front of the Navy?"
Strategist Tsuru was startled by the destructive power.
She turned to the intelligence officer beside her and said,
"Gather intel on Ōnoki Two-Scales as soon as we return."
"The laser cannon under the [Artillery General] class likely requires a complete top-tier armor set to reach that level of output."
"To my knowledge, very few Shinobi World players have a full set. Iwagakure shouldn't be one of them."
Though it was their first time in the Shinobi World,
the Navy and other factions had long been exchanging intel within the Reincarnation Game.
So far,
Orochimaru, Mei Terumī, and the leader of the Dawn Organization were the only confirmed owners of top-tier gear in the Shinobi World.
Orochimaru relied on his absolute control over the Fire Empire.
Mei was unusually lucky, having rescued the dying Bantu clan chief [Buwanga] from the Ice Dragon's Nest, and received the full [Frost Mountain] set.
The Dawn Organization was secretive,
but known to possess the third top-tier armor set.
Beyond that, no one else in the Shinobi World had achieved such a feat.
"So this must be tied to Iwagakure's unique ninjutsu."
Tsuru thought aloud:
"Aokiji spent massive resources upgrading his Ice Fruit to [Tier Two], merging it with his core ability [Frozen Heart Lv.32], which far surpasses ordinary Frozen Heart users."
"Dust Release must be Iwagakure's trump card. They're unlikely to share it with us willingly. If needed, we may have to employ special means…"
The version of Dust Release sold in the Shinobi World shop
grants the buyer access to the ability—but not the ability to pass it on.
That's the work of the game merchant.
Even if a player fully understood the core mechanics,
they couldn't teach it to others.
As a [Bloodline Purge], Dust Release was not cheap.
The Navy had several core players under the [Artillery General] class,
but Tsuru didn't have the funds to give them all Dust Release.
So she'd have to target Iwagakure.
By "special means," she meant negotiation, trade, collaboration… or theft.
The more time she spent in the Shinobi World,
the more her worldview began to shift.
Justice must be flexible—not rigid.
"Is it over?"
Civilians in the Land of Hot Water looked skyward,
gazing at the colorful energy explosions and the Evil Gods being consumed by fire and ice.
Hope flickered in their eyes.
Anko finally exhaled in relief.
Konoha had not been destroyed—that was the best possible outcome.
Beside her, Aizen quietly bandaged injured Konoha shinobi with practiced ease.
A faint smile played on his lips.
"This is just the appetizer.
The real enemy… is the true body of the Evil God, isn't it?"
Even without being a player,
Aizen's strength surpassed anyone present.
He could clearly sense the overwhelming power emanating from the monstrous sun-like figure hanging in the sky.
That, he presumed,
was what the players referred to as Corruption Energy.
As if to validate his words—
the Evil God avatars scattered across the Land of Hot Water, once partially purified,
triggered a response.
The dark sun hanging in the sky suddenly let out a deep, penetrating roar.
BOOM!
The shockwave that followed was like a full-power Shinra Tensei, spreading in all directions.
The resulting vacuum wave annihilated everything in its path.
Only lifeless, pulverized earth and a thick corruption mist remained.
BANG!
The elite players who had previously stood their ground against the Evil Gods
now barely held on with every kind of defensive barrier they could conjure.
Ordinary shinobi?
They were swept away like ragdolls, helpless against the blast.
Thud, thud…
On the now-barren battlefield,
the Lv.40 Dark Gold Evil God finally made its appearance.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1