Chương 209: Chapter 210: A Brand-New Kekkei Tōta You've Never Seen Before

That very night, Dongye zhen departed with the replacement force at top speed, racing toward the frontlines in the Land of Hot Water. They traveled through the night, pausing for only two hours due to the urgency of the situation. Around ten o'clock the following morning, the unit arrived at the border of the Land of Fire. The Hyūga shinobi kept their Byakugan active in shifts throughout the journey, scanning constantly for ambushes. Fortunately, the trip remained uneventful.

After crossing into the Land of Hot Water, Dongye zhen's sensory range picked up a large number of Konoha shinobi retreating in scattered groups ahead. Their condition was miserable, and numerous Kumogakure pursuit squads were hot on their heels. So the fighting had already begun. The dark-skinned brutes had wasted no time. Maintaining his sensory field, Dongye zhen pressed forward a little farther before issuing orders.

"There are Konoha units retreating ahead. Fire signal flares and direct them here."

"Squads Five through Twelve will remain behind to establish a recovery point, receive retreating forces, and treat the wounded."

"Squads One through Four, follow me. We're going to stop those Kumogakure bastards."

"Yes, sir!" Signal flares shot skyward. Across the vast snowy region, scattered Konoha shinobi spotted the signals and immediately began converging toward the designated point. Along the way, many crossed paths with Dongye zhen's interception force. Neither side had time for conversation. Meanwhile, the Kumogakure pursuers also began consolidating their forces as they followed the retreating Konoha troops. Even though they likely suspected reinforcements had arrived, none of them appeared concerned.

They seemed determined to drive Konoha entirely out of the Land of Hot Water. Dongye zhen quickly relayed enemy positions and numbers to the four interception squads, directing them to flank from both sides. As for himself— He headed straight toward the largest concentration of enemy forces. In the desolate snowfields of the Land of Hot Water, he stood alone and waited. One man. An army before him. Yet not a trace of fear appeared on his face. Soon enough, the gathered Kumogakure forces arrived.

Black-skinned, pale-skinned—it didn't matter. Seeing only a single Konoha ninja standing in their path, many initially intended to overwhelm him through sheer numbers. Then someone recognized him. An eerie silence spread through the ranks. Many Kumogakure shinobi instinctively took a step backward, as though they had encountered some nightmarish demon king. That was the weight carried by a true powerhouse. Dongye zhen had beaten enough trauma into them to cast a shadow over their very souls.

The lead ninja cursed loudly.

"Damn it! What are you cowards afraid of?"

"He's only one man!"

"Can he kill all of us?"

"Charge together! Kill this so-called Hell Wind Demon and avenge our crippled brothers!" Under his encouragement, the surrounding shinobi exchanged glances. Fear slowly gave way to courage. A moment later, they roared and charged. Dongye zhen merely smiled. He formed a single hand seal. Dense yellow mist erupted around him. Heavy. Thick. Ominous. It surged outward like a living tide, rolling across the snow and swallowing everything in its path. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road.

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"Sage Art: Nihility Release—Yellow Springs Mist." At first glance, it resembled Kirigakure's Hidden Mist Technique. Only the color differed. In reality, the two techniques had nothing in common. This was a brand-new Kekkei Tōta born from Dongye zhen's own research. By taking the corrosive properties of Water Release as its foundation, then fusing Earth's pulverizing nature with Wind's cutting attributes, he had created something entirely unique. Nihility Release. A power that belonged to him alone.

It had taken six months to fuse his three innate chakra natures into this unprecedented bloodline. The Kumogakure shinobi saw only mist. Assuming Dongye zhen was trying to recreate Kirigakure's battlefield advantages, they rushed straight into it. Then they learned how wrong they were. Terribly wrong. Screams erupted. The first few shinobi who charged into the mist died almost instantly. Before the horrified eyes of their comrades, their corpses rapidly decomposed. Their flesh dissolved. Their blood vanished.

Their bodies collapsed inward until only shriveled humanoid husks remained, riddled with countless microscopic holes. Others fared little better. Even the slightest contact with the mist unleashed agonizing pain. Skin. Muscle. Blood. Tendons. Everything began withering and dying. The affected areas turned gray and desiccated, resembling the corpses littering the battlefield. Worse still, the wounds continued spreading. The mist fed upon the victim's chakra, using it as fuel.

This was the true nature of Nihility Release. Any living organism that touched it would have the moisture and vitality within its cells erased in an instant, reducing flesh into perforated, lifeless matter. Combined with Dongye zhen's Sage Mode, the effect became even more horrifying. The soul itself suffered damage. The affected portion was annihilated completely.

Just as Orochimaru's arms had once become permanently unusable after his soul was severed, injuries inflicted by Sage Art-enhanced Nihility Release could never be restored. Hence the name. Yellow Springs Mist. The obliterating fog of the underworld. A poison meant for the living. In the original timeline, Orochimaru had eventually exploited loopholes involving the Shinigami to reclaim his arms. Here? Impossible. The damaged fragment of the soul had been erased from existence entirely.

Not even the God of Death could restore what no longer existed. Cruel didn't begin to describe it. The courage Kumogakure had painstakingly gathered vanished in an instant. Staring at the advancing yellow mist—a jutsu unlike anything they had ever seen, yet terrifying beyond measure—they turned and fled in panic. Fight? Fight what? Dongye zhen moved. Passing through the mist, he appeared behind the retreating shinobi and drew his sword. A pale yellow wave of blade energy swept across the battlefield.

"Sage Art: Nihility Release—Eternal Scar Blade." Numerous Kumogakure shinobi were sliced cleanly by the attack. Yet none died. No blood spilled. Instead, the wounds immediately began displaying the same withered decay. Excruciating pain consumed them. What they didn't realize was that the suffering would never end. The agony was permanent. For the rest of their lives, they would endure relentless torment until death finally claimed them. Amputation wouldn't help. Excising the surrounding flesh wouldn't help.

Nihility Release had already infiltrated their chakra systems. The injury would simply reappear elsewhere, clinging to them like a curse embedded in their bones. There was a reason it was called Eternal Scar Blade. Kekkei Tōta were terrifying things. Ōnoki's Dust Release pursued absolute destructive power, reducing anything it touched to particles at the microscopic level. Dongye zhen's Nihility Release was different. Its immediate lethality was frightening enough.

But its true horror lay in the endless bleed effect and unceasing agony it inflicted. It tortured victims until death mercifully released them. Only the few shinobi at the very front escaped unharmed. None dared look back. Those who had been struck fled alongside them, gritting their teeth and screaming in pain as they ran. Dongye zhen didn't bother pursuing. Once these people returned home, they would spend their days drowning in suffering.

Just like the wheelchair-bound veterans he had crippled before, they would continue poisoning Kumogakure's morale from within. He had promised Hiruzen not to indulge in unnecessary slaughter. He had never promised to let his enemies enjoy their lives. After dispersing the Yellow Springs Mist, Dongye zhen glanced at the unfortunate corpses trapped within it. Even he felt a chill. The combination of Nihility Release and Sage Art was absurdly overpowered. He would need to exercise caution in the future.

This Kekkei Tōta was perhaps a little too inhumane. At least Dust Release left nothing behind. Then again, perhaps that was more merciful. Shaking the thought away, he headed off to support the flanks. The Kumogakure pursuit forces collapsed quickly under Konoha's counterattack. Many fled while screaming in agony from their injuries. With the enemy gone, the scattered Konoha remnants finally regrouped and received medical treatment. Command of the northern front rotated regularly.

Recently, the position had fallen once again to an old acquaintance of Dongye zhen's— Nara Suzaku. Unfortunately, his luck had been terrible. He happened to be the one on duty when Kumogakure launched its renewed offensive. Fortunately, he had survived. After returning, Dongye zhen asked,"Senior Suzaku, what's the situation at the front?"

"We lost it." Suzaku took a breath before continuing.

"Early this morning, the Kumogakure forces opposing us launched a full-scale assault."

"That alone would've been manageable. Our troop numbers have remained relatively even for years."

"But not long after, the Fourth Raikage personally arrived with reinforcements."

"We couldn't stop them."

"Following Lord Third's orders, we dispersed and retreated." Dongye zhen glanced around. Most of the northern army's surviving forces had already gathered here. A few isolated squads were likely still scattered elsewhere. As for the rest— They were probably dead. To ordinary civilians, ninja appeared powerful and extraordinary. But in a great war, they died as easily as any common soldier.

"Kumogakure has occupied the Sakama Mining Camp now, correct?"

"Yes." Suzaku nodded bitterly.

"They came specifically for the chakra-metal vein."

"Sorry. We couldn't hold it." Dongye zhen wasn't surprised. War was always about profit. And the chakra-metal deposits inside Sakama Mine were priceless resources Konoha couldn't simply pack up and carry away. At the same time, this was a test. A probe. They wanted to see how far they could push Konoha.

"It's fine." Dongye zhen waved dismissively.

"The important thing is that you're alive."

"I'll take the mine back." He turned toward the assembled forces.

"Senior Suzaku, take the wounded home."

"We'll handle things from here." The two groups parted ways. Suzaku led his battered troops south toward Konoha. Dongye zhen led the replacement force north. After all, Kumogakure seemed to be suffering from a chronic addiction to looting things that didn't belong to them. Fortunately— He happened to have an excellent prescription for that particular illness.