CHAPTER 195: THE TRUTH OF THE PAST
On the distant mountaintop, Uchiha Madara watched the confrontation below with thinly veiled contempt.
"This Onoki boy... truly doesn't know his place. Does he think that just because I'm gone, he can strut around like some great warrior?"
Madara's voice dripped with disdain as he observed the Tsuchikage's rage.
"Back then, to pacify the five great nations—for Hashirama's ideals, which were also my ideals—I personally went to the Land of Earth to fight their Kage. The Second Tsuchikage was crippled by my hand. Onoki was just a boy then, barely worth noticing. He soiled himself in terror, hiding among the corpses, too afraid to move."
A cold smile crossed Madara's aged features.
"I didn't even bother to kill such a creature. He wasn't worthy of fighting me. I let him crawl away and fend for himself."
He shook his head slowly.
"And now he speaks my name as if we were equals. As if he fought me as a true opponent. Hmph."
Hearing that his name was being dragged through the mud by this dwarf made Madara feel that his entire life's reputation was being insulted. It was truly infuriating.
"How shameless!" White Zetsu chimed in, ever eager to stir trouble. "That damn old man! The longer he lives, the thicker his face becomes! Hahaha!"
"Stupid humans," Black Zetsu added thoughtfully. "This world truly needs beings like Madara-sama to save it. There is so much ugliness here."
Yes, it thought silently, one day, sooner or later, I will create the ideal world. Let these miserable ninja be wiped away entirely.
On the battlefield below—
Every ninja present heard the exchange between Ragnar and the Third Tsuchikage. The Iwa ninja, in particular, burned with anger. The Tsuchikage was the greatest being in their village—the pinnacle of their existence. His reputation could not be tarnished by outsiders!
But then they remembered who they were dealing with. This was Rakshasa. A being whose name now resounded across the entire ninja world. A monster who had just crushed a Jinchuriki and nearly killed a Kage.
Their anger faltered. Their courage wavered.
Why were they even fighting Rakshasa? What was the point?
It had to be said: among the five great villages, Konoha's cohesion was undoubtedly the strongest.
The Will of Fire ran deep there. It was endless. Whenever difficulties arose, Konoha ninja found themselves moved, found themselves connecting, found themselves pushing forward together toward a better future.
But Iwa Ninja Village? Aside from worshiping the Tsuchikage, did they have any spiritual beliefs at all?
The Will of Earth? It didn't exist.
Onoki lacked the charismatic leadership that the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen possessed. He couldn't fool large groups of people into believing in something greater. He couldn't inspire.
Without that, hearts easily scattered. Without firm belief, an organization was just an empty shell without a skeleton—the slightest push would make it collapse.
"Rakshasa! You will die today!"
The Third Tsuchikage's roar shook the heavens. His beard bristled. His eyes bulged. His blood pressure soared to dangerous heights.
But his rage wasn't simply because Ragnar had insulted him. Insults were nothing—he was a Tsuchikage, he could handle empty words.
No—what enraged him was that Ragnar had spoken the truth.
When he had "fought" Uchiha Madara all those years ago, his entire team had died. He was the sole survivor.
And he hadn't survived through strength. He had survived by hiding among the dead, playing corpse while Madara slaughtered his comrades.
To this day, he understood the truth: it wasn't that he was lucky. It was that Uchiha Madara simply couldn't be bothered to kill him.
How could a super shadow-level powerhouse with Madara's perception and insight not know there was a coward hiding among the bodies?
But Onoki had been terrified beyond reason. His liver and gallbladder had nearly split from fear.
Later, however, something strange happened. Because he had survived an encounter with Uchiha Madara—the man who stood alongside the God of Ninja Hashirama as one of the two strongest beings in the world—he somehow became a warrior. A hero in the village.
Surviving against Madara? That made you a legend!
Onoki never had the courage to tell the truth. He silently accepted the honor that suffocated him with its falsehood.
Later, he caught the Second Tsuchikage's eye and was secretly trained. From that day forward, whenever Uchiha Madara was active in the world, Onoki refused to leave Iwa Ninja Village. He hid. He cowered. For more than a decade, he remained safely behind walls.
Then came the battle at the Valley of the End. Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama clashed. One died. One was mortally wounded.
After so long, after confirmation that Madara was truly gone, Onoki slowly crawled out of his nightmare.
And he never looked back.
Until now.
Ragnar had ruthlessly torn the truth open, exposed it to the light, and brought it infinitely close to reality. How could Onoki bear it? His sanity cracked. His composure shattered.
Seeing this, Hatake Sakumo raised his White Fang blade. His eyes sharpened. His aura intensified, becoming more and more intimidating with each passing second.
But Ragnar stepped forward, placing himself in front of Sakumo.
"Captain," he said quietly. "Let me handle this alone. Let me end this war with my own hands."
Sakumo's eyes widened with surprise. "You... do you still have enough physical strength? This is the Tsuchikage in his prime. Don't show off."
"I'm not showing off." Ragnar's voice remained calm, steady. "I've been stalling this Tsuchikage with talk for a while now. With the little slug's help, I've recovered several percent of my strength. For the Tsuchikage alone? It's manageable."
As he spoke, a fat little white slug peeked out from his collar, waving its antennae.
Seeing this tiny creature, Sakumo immediately understood. But he still warned: "Be careful. I don't know what method you used to avoid the Tsuchikage's Dust Release earlier, but you probably can't use it again so soon? Remember—never let Dust Escape touch you. If it does, even I won't be able to save you."
Deep concern laced every word. Ragnar felt a slight warmth in his chest, though he didn't show it outwardly.
Then he stepped forward alone. One man advancing to fight a Tsuchikage.
"Facing me alone?" Onoki's eyes narrowed. Internally, however, he felt a surge of relief. If Konoha's Rakshasa and White Fang attacked together, that would be a genuinely difficult problem. But just one? He could handle this.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Cold murderous intent blazed in Onoki's eyes. The next instant, he spread his hands wide, and a white halo materialized in his palms. In the blink of an eye, it swelled dramatically. Even from this distance, everyone could feel the terrifying chakra compressed within.
But this time, the Dust Release didn't form a crystalline block to trap its target.
Instead, it transformed into a beam of white light—like a laser jet, pure and deadly.
The original Detachment technique required a fixed target. That version could be blocked if you had the right defense.
This version—the limited sister stripping technique? It was a long-range attack. A beam of Dust Release light that could cut through anything.
"The same attack won't work on me twice!"
Shave!
In an instant, Ragnar vanished from his position. He reappeared dozens of meters away, avoiding the beam entirely.
But the beam didn't stop.
Under Onoki's control, it shifted like a living lightsaber, slicing the earth in two as it tracked Ragnar's movements. It seemed endless. Inexhaustible.
Facing such relentless pursuit, Ragnar knew he couldn't confront it directly. No matter how strong his body was, being hit by that light would mean decomposition. It wasn't worth the risk.
He glanced sharply at Onoki, then Shaved again. And again. And again.
His afterimages appeared everywhere across the battlefield—hundreds of Ragnars flickering in and out of existence as the Dust Release beam chased him relentlessly.
The entire battlefield was being carved apart. The terrifying light beam cut through earth and rock like paper, leaving gaping wounds in the landscape.
Onoki's eyes had gone completely red. He refused to stop until Ragnar was destroyed. He had nearly lost his mind to bloodlust.
On the Iwa side, the ninja watched their Tsuchikage's awesome power with awe—at first.
But gradually, some of them noticed something strange.
"Onihei-sama... have you noticed?" one Iwa ninja asked hesitantly. "Rakshasa seems to be getting closer to us with each dodge."
The Iwa ninja who had been陶醉 in their Tsuchikage's dominance over Konoha's Rakshasa suddenly snapped awake.
"...?"
"RUN!" Onihei broke into a cold sweat and screamed.
Shave!
Ragnar materialized directly in the center of the Iwa ninja formation.
And right behind him came the Tsuchikage's Dust Release beam.
"NO—!"
Onoki's eyes flew wide as he suddenly realized what was happening. But it was far too late.
(End of Chapter)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
Where you can read Extra Advance Chaters
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 300 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕
New Novel is out 🎉❤️Check it out and add it to your collection also,
There is a 20% discount For 2 days on Patreon