Uzumaki Masahiko stared in horror as the chain-blade loomed ever larger in his vision. His body was paralyzed—he couldn't dodge, couldn't ev
Uzumaki Masahiko stared in horror as the chain-blade loomed ever larger in his vision. His body was paralyzed—he couldn't dodge, couldn't even speak. Despair crept in.
Can Hoshiyomi notice what's happening over here?
He has to. Please—save me!
Masahiko screamed in his mind, praying that Hoshiyomi, still at a distance, would somehow notice that something was wrong.
Whether it was luck or fate, just as the chain blades were about to pierce him, a flash of teal-green sword aura tore through the air.
With incredible speed, the sword aura slammed into the three incoming chain blades, cleaving through them in an instant.
Nice! Gekkō Hoshiyomi, forever the GOAT!
Uzumaki Masahiko roared in his heart. While this exact expression might not exist in Japanese, that's the translated meaning.
The old man behind the blue-faced puppet was clearly startled. He instinctively turned to look—just in time to see a tall, striking figure rushing toward them at incredible speed.
It was none other than Hoshiyomi. Though he hadn't heard the sounds of their battle, he had picked up on the splash of water caused by Masahiko's paralyzed body falling in—that was the sound that saved his life.
But Hoshiyomi didn't immediately go to Masahiko's side. When dealing with a puppeteer, the first priority is taking out the real body.
Activating the Shunpo (Instant Step), Hoshiyomi's form blurred in a flash of speed and instantly appeared beside the Sunagakure ship.
As two chain-blades hurtled toward him, he deflected them with swift, practiced slashes—and in the same instant, launched himself into the air, his blade arcing toward the old puppeteer hidden behind the blue-faced puppet.
The old man showed no panic. He swept his right hand across his chest, summoning a large ox-headed puppet behind him. The puppet raised its massive arms—one to defend, one to strike—shielding the old man beneath its hulking frame.
Hidden safely below, the old man sneered.
Typical brash youth.
If Hoshiyomi had continued attacking from range with that troublesome sword aura, he wouldn't have had a good counter. But now the kid had leapt in close himself.
If you're throwing your life away, I'll grant your wish.
With a snap of his fingers, the ox-headed puppet's right arm shot forward with a loud bang. Its giant claw hurtled toward Hoshiyomi midair.
But Hoshiyomi wasn't that easy to catch.
Without even glancing at the incoming claw, he activated Tornado Flash, twisting his body with incredible core strength to narrowly evade the claw midair. Simultaneously, he swung his Mikazuki Munechika, slashing at the rope connecting the claw to the puppet's main body.
Surprisingly, the rope was extraordinarily tough. His slash left a deep gouge but didn't cut through it completely.
If one slash doesn't work, then slash again.
Hoshiyomi's left hand swept across his waist, and a Wakizashi unexpectedly appeared in his hand. This was a new weapon he had acquired in the past two years. His old dagger had been shattered during a fight with Mifune, making it unusable. But dual-wielding had always proven effective in close-quarters combat, and Hoshiyomi had no intention of giving it up.
So, after returning to Konoha, he rummaged through his home and found this wakizashi. Its length was roughly the same as White Fang (Sakumo's blade), but because it contained less Chakra Metal, its Chakra conductivity was far inferior to White Fang's.
Though its conductivity was poor, its sharpness was still commendable.
Hoshiyomi struck with the wakizashi, slashing the rope at the opposite end of the gouge he'd made. The claw was cleanly severed and hurled away—but that was all.
Then, using the ox-headed puppet's defensive arm as a springboard, he kicked off, flipped backward through the air, and sliced down two more chain-blades mid-flight before landing steadily on the deck.
The fight reached a temporary lull—no, this was the inevitable trash-talk phase.
The old man shifted the ox-headed puppet aside, finally revealing his true face. He looked Hoshiyomi up and down with interest and spoke in a gravelly voice:
"You're quite the swordsman, boy. What's your name? This old man finds you admirable."
Hoshiyomi didn't recognize the face, and it made sense. It was only Konoha Year 28, and this guy was already ancient—likely didn't survive long enough to even see the Second Great Ninja War.
While the face didn't ring any bells, the two puppets did. If Hoshiyomi remembered correctly, these were two of the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets used by Chiyo against Sasori in the original story.
With that clue, the old man's identity wasn't hard to guess—but Hoshiyomi still asked, just to be sure.
"Gekkō Hoshiyomi. And you, old man?"
They were about to fight to the death. Only one would walk away—so there was no point in being polite.
The old man snorted.
"What a rude brat. Remember this name well—Monzaemon, founder of Puppet Jutsu in Sunagakure. If you've got any sense, cut off one of your arms now, and I might spare your life."
Then, as if realizing something, Monzaemon narrowed his eyes in surprise.
"You're not an Uzumaki… You're from Konoha? So the Leaf's reinforcements have already arrived?"
But Hoshiyomi wasn't the type to spill secrets before a fight. His reply was crisp:
"Ask the Shinigami yourself—when you get there."
"Insolent! I had half a mind to let you live because of your talent… but I've changed my mind. Let me show you my true strength."
As he spoke, Monzaemon swept a hand across the circular strap slung over his shoulder. Only then did Hoshiyomi notice that what was wrapped around his shoulder was actually an entire set of sealing scrolls. The next moment, ten puppets in white robes appeared around him. Each wore a different expression—but they all bore the same character on their foreheads:
"Gate" (門)
This was his ultimate technique—White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets!
"These are the ten proudest creations of my life. To see them in action, boy, is a death worth dying."
Monzaemon's words were bold and commanding, instantly elevating his presence.
But unfortunately for him, when it came to flair and theatrics—Gekkō Hoshiyomi was second to none.
He slowly drew Mikazuki Munechika again. As the blade left its sheath, his left hand traced the flat of the sword (referencing DNF Ghostblade's Awakening animation). As his fingers slid down, the engraved curse-marks began to glow—and with a sharp boom, a ghostly blue chakra flame erupted across the blade.
Holding it one-handed, Hoshiyomi pointed the weapon straight at Monzaemon and declared:
"This is the blade destined to break through the Chikamatsu Ten. Its name—Mikazuki Munechika."
"Make sure you remember it, old man—on your way down."