NARUTO: THE STRONGEST UZUMAKI

With his special eyes, Tanaka could see five seconds into the future. Although it was only a brief glimpse, it was enough to predict Oonoki's next move.

Knowing that he was about to use the fearsome Dust Style with just one hand, Tanaka let out a powerful roar as he activated his ability: "Crush!"

"Whoosh!"

Samehada, proudly raised above Tanaka's head and pointed towards the sky, began to descend at an astonishing speed. The sword sliced through the air, tracing a luminous arc as it fell, and a sonic boom reverberated as it broke the sound barrier.

"Boom!"

The strike seemed to tear the very sky, and the displaced force made the air vibrate.

Oonoki's mind went blank; he glimpsed the looming shadow of his own death. Acting on a survival impulse, he quickly altered the seals he intended to form.

"Bang!"

At the exact moment when Tanaka's Samehada should have struck his head, a thick curtain of smoke rose as a stone clone replaced him.

The stone clone that had taken Oonoki's place was instantly pulverized, fragments flying in all directions like dust in a desert.

Not far away, Oonoki reappeared. His expression was priceless: wide eyes filled with pure terror, sweat pouring down his face and body in rivers, as if he had just emerged from a dive into the sea.

The salty smell of sweat permeated the air, and he gasped heavily, his face as pale as a sheet. Every rapid heartbeat echoed the realization of how narrowly he had escaped death's grasp.

'He really is trying to kill me! This time, he means it!' Oonoki thought, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He realized that he had severely underestimated this boy. Until yesterday, he believed the Uzumaki boy was naïve and overly kind, perhaps even easy to manipulate.

Perhaps that was why he decided to continue with the war; even if he lost, he thought he could return alive, and with a bit of luck, might win and reap unimaginable benefits.

But now, after barely escaping death, Oonoki realized how wrong he had been in his judgment. It wasn't that Tanaka was unwilling to kill; in fact, he had given him an opportunity — a chance to retreat and not get involved in this war anymore. However, Oonoki had scorned that act of mercy, taking it as the foolish behavior of an immature boy.

The weight of his choices began to fall on him. 'If this continues, I might not get another chance to escape. I need to reconsider my strategy. Perhaps it's time to put my pride aside and seriously evaluate the situation.'

Oonoki took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. The battle was no longer just about gains and losses; it was a matter of survival. Not only his, but also his people's.

[1+12=XIII]

From morning until night.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

After several hours of fighting, the battle between Tanaka and Oonoki still hadn't ended; the area, which was almost the size of Konoha, had been reduced to ruins, completely destroyed by the battle's fluctuations.

Gasping for breath, Oonoki stepped back, keeping his right arm hanging limply at his side, as if it were the sleeve of a light and loose shirt. His body was covered in wounds — the blood had crusted over, making him look quite miserable.

"You bastard..." Oonoki muttered. His eyes were tired, almost closing, as he felt his chakra nearly completely depleted.

The worst part wasn't even that. If Tanaka were equally wounded and exhausted, he wouldn't be so upset, but the reality was that only he was in bad shape, while Tanaka didn't even seem tired and appeared to have limitless chakra.

In Tanaka's mind, several thoughts flashed quickly. Some were clichés, like saying, "What are your last words before I strike to kill?" or even giving a lecture: "I gave you a chance yesterday to end this war, but you refused. Now face the consequences of your actions," etc.

However, what would normally take several seconds, for him, who had parallel thoughts, happened in an instant. He thought of many things at the same time and came to the conclusion that none of it really mattered. He didn't want to say any of that, or rather, he felt it was simply unnecessary and pointless.

"Beng! Beng! Beng!"

With the crackling sounds echoing from Samehada, Tanaka's eyes gleamed intensely. He disappeared from his spot and reappeared in front of Oonoki.

When Oonoki saw the giant sword surrounded by lightning approaching him... The sword, already large, seemed like a mountain. He felt his mind go blank before he was even struck.

'Am I going to die?' he wondered.

Saying that he had no regrets would be a blatant lie. But there are no remedies for regrets, and he also didn't have the power to turn back time to punch his old self for the foolish choice of continuing to participate in this war — especially for facing that monstrous boy.

"Whoosh!"

"Boom!"

The sound of the slash, accompanied by the sonic boom of the sound barrier being broken, echoed in all directions, along with the thunderous sound of an apocalyptic scene of thunder and lightning reverberating in the skies.

The flashes of light produced dissipated the dark night, and everyone watching the scene felt their hearts leap into their throats.

Those belonging to the Stone Village, in particular, felt as if there was a lump of cotton in their throats, choking them.

Even if they denied it, many of those closest to the scene and who saw everything understood: The Third Tsuchikage was dead.

"No!!!"

"Third Tsuchikage-sama!!!"

Cries and wails echoed. Several of them wept.

Meanwhile, Tanaka, who had cut the Third Tsuchikage in half at the waist, looked at the holographic pages that appeared in his vision.

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[You have gained 398,147,344 EXP!]

[You leveled up! You are now Rank S Level 1!]

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[You have obtained x1]

[You have obtained x1]

[You have obtained x1]

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'Sigh, worthy of being a Kage,' Tanaka thought as he saw his rewards after killing Oonoki.

"Thud! Thud!"

Shortly after, the sound of Oonoki's two body parts echoed as they fell to the ground.

Taking a deep breath, Tanaka shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Third Tsuchikage is dead!!!"

"Yes!!!!"

His shout was quickly followed by the fervent cheers of the Leaf and Uzushio ninjas.