Some of the most powerful Jutsu in Naruto are born out of a concept known as Kekkei Genkai. In the simplest terms, Kekkei Genkai is the ability to combine two basic natural transformations into an entirely new natural transformation. For example, Lava Release is a combination of Earth and Fire Release, while Wood Release is a combination of Earth and Water Release. Those who wield Kekkei Genkai can create unique and powerful jutsu that cannot be replicated by others, which makes these kinds of techniques incredibly dangerous.

However, there is one step above Kekkei Genkai. It’s called Kekkei Tota. The only example of jutsu based on Kekkei Tota in the entire series is the Second and Third Tsuchikage’s Dust Release. Here’s all you need to know about this extremely rare and lethal technique.

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What is Dust Release?

Before we discuss the Dust Release, it’s important to talk about Kekkei Tota first. Kekkei Tota is the ability to combine basic natural transformations into a new natural transformation, just like Kekkei Genkai. The main difference between the two is that Kekkei Genkai combines two natural transformations, while Kekkei Tota combines three natural transformations. To date, the only known Kekkei Tota in Naruto is the Dust Release.

The Dust Release is a combination of the earth, fire, and wind release. To activate this technique, the user doesn’t need to form any kind of hand seal. He simply opens up both of his palms and brings them closer to each other. In a matter of seconds, a small translucent object will appear in between the palms of his hands. This object usually takes the form of either a cube or a cone.

The Dust Release was created by the Second Tsuchikage, a cunning sensor ninja called Mu. During his life, Mu taught this technique to his protégé, who happened to have the same natural transformations as Mu. This protégé is Onoki, the man who would later on succeed Mu as the Third Tsuchikage. There are individuals who can use a pseudo version of this jutsu, but these two people are the only ones who can use the genuine Dust Release.

Dust Release Can Do Some Amazing Things

Rare and unique techniques like Kekkei Genkai are usually quite versatile. Techniques like Hashirama’s Wood Release or Haku’s Ice Release can be used in all sorts of situations. Sure, some may be more versatile than others, but generally speaking, Kekkei Genkai jutsu are effective for offense, defense, and other purposes as well. However, that is not the case at all with the Dust Release. This Jutsu specializes in one thing, which is to pulverize enemies.

As mentioned before, when the user activates the Dust Release, a small translucent cube or cone will appear between the palms of their hands. This cube can instantly pulverize anything that it touches. Be it a concrete wall, a massive boulder, or even a slab of iron, this cube can turn anything into dust. It is a jutsu that is designed to instantaneously decimate anything in sight.

Furthermore, the user can freely transform the cube to any size and shape at will. He can enlarge it to engulf and decimate an entire person. He can expand it to pulverize the enemy’s armies. He can enlarge it, transform it into a super long tube, swing it around, and turn everything within a couple of miles radius into dust. There will be no rubble and no blood. With the Dust Release, everything will simply cease to exist in the blink of an eye.

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Dust Release Has Some Glaring Weaknesses

Based on the description above, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the Dust Release is one of the most, if not the most, lethal jutsu in Naruto. However, that doesn’t mean this jutsu is invincible. In fact, the Dust Release has two major limitations and weaknesses that can be exploited by the enemy if the user is not careful.

The first and biggest limitation is chakra consumption. As a general rule, the more powerful a jutsu is, the more chakra it consumes. Likewise, the Dust Release also consumes a hefty amount of chakra. This means there is a limit to how many times a user can fire up this jutsu and there’s also a limit to how long they can maintain the Dust Release once they activate it.

Secondly, a Dust Release user may not have to use hand seals to activate this jutsu, but he has to keep his palm open to maintain it. The moment his hands are no longer in that position, the jutsu will be deactivated automatically. This is precisely what happened when Akatsuchi forcefully pulled the Third Tsuchikage’s hands to prevent him from firing the Dust Release onto the giant turtle island during the early days of the 4th Great Ninja War. As expected, the jutsu is immediately canceled.

Those are the two weaknesses and limitations of the Dust Release. However, it’s important to keep in mind that those limitations were only visible when Onoki used the Dust Release during the 4th Great Ninja War. He was around 80 years old at that point. It’s safe to say that Onoki during his prime wouldn’t have the same problem. Mind you, that doesn’t mean he was invincible, but it does mean that the Dust Release doesn’t really have any crucial weaknesses and limitations.

Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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