The Valley of the End stretched before Renjiro like a canvas of legend; the towering statues of Madara and Hashirama stood on opposite sides of the raging river, their stone faces frozen in eternal conflict. The water thundered over the cliffs, its roar a constant presence that filled the vast space. The air was cool and damp, carrying the scent of stone and mist. Renjiro remained within the fully manifested Armoured Susanoo, choosing not to dismiss it; he took a few moments simply experiencing the synchronization. There was no chakra instability, no physical exhaustion, no ocular pain; it genuinely felt like wearing an enormous second body rather than controlling a construct. The Susanoo moved with him, its actions mirroring his own, and he could feel every vibration, every shift of weight, every movement of the air around him. The obsidian armour plates were warm against his consciousness, their emerald seams pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
He decided to begin testing the Susanoo's individual systems rather than simply its raw destructive power. He had already felt its strength, its stability, its perfect synchronization; now he needed to understand what it was capable of beyond simple force. The Susanoo was more than a weapon; it was an extension of his will, and he needed to know its limits.
The Naginata of the Wicked was an enormous weapon; its obsidian-like blade was edged with emerald veins, and ethereal green flames danced constantly along its surface. The blade was longer than a man, its edge sharp enough to cut through stone, and its shaft was wrapped in emerald energy that pulsed with the same rhythm as his heartbeat. Renjiro studied it carefully, noting that the flames did not produce heat like normal fire; they appeared hungry, as if they were searching for something to consume. He walked toward one of the Valley's enormous waterfalls, deliberately avoiding attacking mountains directly. His reasoning was simple; water was predictable, and it would allow him to observe secondary effects with less environmental destruction.
The Susanoo took its stance; weight shifted, the naginata raised, and atmospheric pressure increased. The ground beneath him cracked under the weight of the Susanoo's movement, fissures spreading outward like spiderwebs. Emerald flames intensified, their glow brightening until they cast eerie shadows across the valley, painting the stone faces of Madara and Hashirama in shades of green and black. The air grew heavy, thick with the pressure of impending release. Then, one horizontal slash.
The effect was immediate and devastating; the entire waterfall was split perfectly, the water pushed aside for several seconds as if an invisible wall had been erected. The canyon walls were sliced, their surfaces marked with deep gouges that would take centuries to erode. Wind pressure exploded outward, flattening forests and sending debris flying for miles. The shockwave rippled through the valley, shaking the ground and sending birds fleeing in terror. The water that had been diverted crashed against the cliffs, creating secondary waves that surged up the riverbanks.
Then something unexpected happened; instead of ordinary flames, the emerald fire was consuming something invisible. His EMS noticed natural energy disappearing, Senjutsu particles being erased, and ambient life energy collapsing around the blade's path. The flames were not burning the water; they were burning the energy within it. He analysed the phenomenon, his mind racing through possibilities.
The flames aren't burning matter, he realised, his internal voice carrying the weight of his conclusion. They're consuming energy. Chakra, nature energy, spiritual energy. The blade leaves behind an area where natural energy density is dramatically lower. It's a temporary dead zone.
He extended his chakra field, probing the area where the blade had passed. The natural energy was gone, not dispersed, but consumed, as if it had been devoured by the flames. The effect was temporary, but it was unmistakable. The blade was not just a weapon; it was a tool of annihilation.
Renjiro became unusually quiet as he mentally listed who relied on Senjutsu; Sage Mode users, summoning sages, Bijuu, future Jinchūriki transformations, and divine chakra entities. He thought of Jiraiya, of the Toad Sages, of Naruto and the power he would one day wield. He thought of the tailed beasts, of their immense chakra, of the natural energy that was part of their very being. He slowly reached a disturbing realization; the weapon was not designed for humans. It was designed for monsters.
He reflected on his own limitations; he himself could not learn Sage Mode, which he had been informed of by his summons, the Giant Eagle. The eagles had tested him, evaluated his potential, and concluded that his chakra was too dense, too refined to harmonise with natural energy in the way that Sage Mode required. He had accepted that limitation, but now he wondered if it had been a blessing in disguise. He was happy that he could have a weapon against that; the Naginata of the Wicked was a tool that could level the playing field against enemies who wielded natural energy.
He wondered if he could absorb the natural energy through the weapon; the feedback from the absorbed natural energy by the weapon had been minuscule, so he could not verify whether he could use the absorbed natural energy. The potential was there, but it was still theoretical. If he could learn to channel that energy, he might be able to achieve something even greater than Sage Mode.
If I can absorb natural energy through the weapon, he thought, then maybe I can use it. But I need more data. I need to understand how the flames interact with different types of energy.
He lowered the naginata and turned his attention toward the Great Aegis of Dominion. As the shield was lifted, its seal patterns began glowing, and the central EMS crest rotated. Unlike the sword, nothing physical happened initially; instead, Renjiro suddenly felt something.
His awareness detonated outward; the shield amplified every Mark of Dominion simultaneously. Instead of simply sensing more, his perception expanded in every direction; villages, roads, forests, rivers, military routes, border forts, supply lines, wildlife, and travellers. Everything expanded.
He began identifying things without seeing them; border patrols miles away, their chakra signatures distinct and familiar. Hunters moving through forests, their movements tracked by the marks embedded in their chakra. Merchant caravans, their progress slow and steady. Konoha patrol rotations, their paths predictable and routine. ANBU squads, their presence hidden but not invisible. Animals migrating, their natural chakra patterns shifting with the seasons. Injured shinobi, their chakra signatures weak and faltering. Chakra signatures crossing rivers, their movements carrying them toward unknown destinations.
He realised that the previous sensory network was not the eye's limit; it was his body's limit. The shield massively amplified every mark, extending his perception far beyond what he had thought possible. He could feel the heartbeat of every marked individual, their breathing, their emotional state, their fatigue. He could sense the flow of chakra in their networks, the ebb and flow of their power.
This amount of information should not be available to one person, he thought, his internal voice unsettled. A commander who sees everything eventually begins treating people like pieces on a board. I need to be careful. I need to remember that these are people, not just data points.
He silently vowed never to lose his humanity. The power was intoxicating, but he could not let it consume him.
Now the military strategist inside Renjiro took over; he stopped thinking like a shinobi and started thinking like a supreme commander. He mentally constructed an entire battlefield; a mountain overlooking a war, the Susanoo standing immovable, the shield raised. The enemy launched massive ninjutsu, Bijuu Bombs, artillery, and chakra bombardments; the Great Aegis absorbed them all. Instead of storing the chakra, it redirected it.
Using his Marks of Dominion, he could redistribute absorbed chakra; reinforce exhausted platoons, restore elite jonin, heal collapsing formations, sustain sealing teams, and keep frontline troops fighting. His Susanoo became not merely a warrior, but a battlefield logistics engine. He could see every squad, every skirmish, every shift in the tide of battle. He could feel the fatigue of his soldiers, the strain of their chakra, the desperation of their last stand.
The Susanoo should almost never lead the charge, he realised. Instead, it should become headquarters, fortress, sensor tower, chakra battery, battlefield radar, supply hub, and command centre. It transforms from the strongest warrior into the heart of an army.
He thought of the implications; a commander who could see everything, who could feel everything, who could redirect power to where it was needed most. The Susanoo was not just a weapon; it was a revolution in military doctrine.
Standing inside the towering Susanoo, looking across the Valley, Renjiro quietly reflected. His thoughts drifted toward everything he had gained over the last several chapters; infinite chakra generation, chakra absorption, biological sealing, complete battlefield awareness, perfect command, Susanoo, and absolute control. He asked himself one final question, not with arrogance, but with genuine uncertainty.
If I can protect nations, win wars, build armies, see everything, and fight like this… how much do I truly need other shinobi anymore?
=====
Bless me with your powerful Power Stones.
Your Reviews and Comments about my work are welcome
If you can, then please support me on Patreon.
Link - www.patreon.com/SideCharacter
You Can read more chapters ahead on Patreon
Latest Chapter on Patreon: Chapter 927-All bark and no bite