"What?!"
Kakashi, standing atop the First Hokage's Wood Golem, widened his eyes in disbelief. He had never imagined that Ashveil could wield a technique comparable to the Uchiha's Susanoo.
"This guy… how many Bloodline Limits does he possess?" Kakashi murmured in shock.
He even wondered if Ashveil was human at all, perhaps a being like Yamato, created through experimental means. Yet Ashveil was far stronger than Yamato had ever been.
Sasuke, equally stunned, muttered under his breath:
"What… Am I seeing things? Ashveil doesn't even have a Sharingan, nor is he from our clan… How can he unleash this Ninjutsu?"
Uchiha Madara's brows furrowed slightly.
"After I defeat Ashveil, I must obtain his cells… Perhaps they can enhance my power even beyond the First Hokage's," he whispered, calculating.
The Kage-level shinobi surrounding them were equally shocked, yet they only intensified their attacks.
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
The massive Wood Golem and Madara's Susanoo slammed against Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki Susanoo. Two spatial rifts tore through the sky, lightning and thunder rippling across the battlefield.
"Now!"
The First Hokage unleashed his Ninjutsu with a roar. Naruto, Killer Bee, and the other shinobi pressed forward, aiming at the emerging cracks.
Rumble… Rumble…
With every successive strike, the Haoshoku Susanoo's rifts trembled. Naruto's excitement grew:
"Great, it's working! The combined strength of all of us can break through Ashveil's defense!"
Might Guy, recalling his past encounter with Ashveil, clenched his fists.
Before he could speak, Kakashi warned:
"Naruto, be careful. Ashveil's true strength lies beneath the surface… much like Gaara back then."
Gaara? Naruto's eyes widened as he understood. When Rock Lee had broken through Gaara's outer layer of sand, the inner sand had remained impervious.
"In that case… we're still far from breaking through Ashveil's defense," Naruto muttered grimly.
Might Guy released one of his attacks toward the spatial rift, despite knowing he could not reopen the Eight Gates.
"Hirudora!"
A massive white tiger of energy struck Ashveil's Haoshoku Susanoo. The Susanoo trembled, the spatial rift narrowing with each blow.
Suddenly, bird calls pierced the sky, followed by streaks of lightning.
"That person… is Sasuke!" Naruto realized.
Sasuke maintained his usual cold confidence.
"Gaara, huh? I remember my Chidori broke through his defense back then. This time… I'll finish this."
Lightning surged. A colossal Kirin descended from the sky, striking the spatial rift of Ashveil's Susanoo.
Boom…
The lightning coursed through the Haoshoku rift, yet astonishingly, Ashveil's defense began to contract, nullifying the attack.
Naruto stared in disbelief. Sasuke, after all these years with Orochimaru, had clearly grown stronger. Yet even his most powerful technique had no effect on Ashveil.
Ashveil's lips curved in a faint smile as he addressed them:
"The reason my Ninjutsu contracted… is not because your attacks were strong. It's because I chose to."
Shock rippled across the battlefield.
"No way… Our attacks… didn't even scratch him?" Tsunade exclaimed, trembling. Kakashi, Guy, Gaara, Darui, and the other shinobi all felt the gravity of Ashveil's power.
Even with nearly the entire Shinobi World attacking, they could not pierce his defense.
Might Guy panted, incredulous.
"Impossible… Ashveil, my Eight Gates Formation should have overwhelmed you!"
Rock Lee gaped. Might Guy's ultimate techniques, once unstoppable, were now effortlessly countered.
Ashveil chuckled.
"That's natural, Might Guy. When we fought before, I never used my full strength."
Might Guy froze.
Ashveil continued, his grin widening:
"Have you ever seen an adult scold a child? Consider this a demonstration."
Hashirama swallowed, sensing Ashveil's overwhelming chakra.
"This… he's not only unweakened, but his chakra has grown even stronger," Hashirama murmured.
Even Madara, always prideful, was compelled to acknowledge the truth in Hashirama's words.
Then, Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki surged once more.
This was the Ope-Ope no Mi enhanced Conqueror's Haki, allowing him to manipulate and suspend all incoming attacks. Every Rasenshuriken, Hirudora, and Sasuke's Kirin hung frozen in midair, at Ashveil's command.
"These… are all your attacks. I'll return them to you," Ashveil said lightly.
The battlefield went silent in stunned disbelief.
"No way… he's treating our attacks like toys!"
Even seasoned shinobi trembled.
Kakashi's voice shook:
"Even with the world's strongest shinobi behind us… we cannot resist him…"
Darui gulped.
"He's too powerful… is he even human?"
Against the might of Ashveil, ordinary techniques, even those enhanced by Sage Mode or the First Hokage, were nothing. He toyed with them effortlessly.
This was not just combat power—it was miraculous control over Ninjutsu itself.