The Iwagakure shinobi stared at Hoshiyomi, who was descending from the sky, and instinctively swallowed hard.
Those who had survived the Second Great Ninja War trembled visibly — their eyes filled with raw fear.
"That's the Konoha's Silver Moon! H-How can he fly in the air?!"
"Isn't only Lord Ōnoki capable of flight?"
"Why is Konoha attacking all of a sudden?"
They gripped their weapons, ready to throw their kunai and shuriken — but as they looked at Hoshiyomi's calm, unshakable expression, an overwhelming helplessness welled up in their hearts.
Their hands froze mid-motion; not a single weapon was thrown.
That serene composure — as if thousands of enemies before him were nothing but dust — made the Iwagakure shinobi think in awe:
"So this is… what they call the bearing of a true master?"
Ōnoki's heart churned violently as he glared at the figure in the air.
Damn it! Has this brat, Gekko Hoshiyomi, really grown this strong?
Ten years ago, this kid had only escaped him by relying on cunning tricks.
And now… he had reached this level?
Even without clashing, Ōnoki could feel it — Hoshiyomi's strength had at least doubled since then.
Even he, the long-reigning Tsuchikage, felt a faint sense of powerlessness standing before this man.
He didn't dare attack rashly; instead, he glared coldly at Hoshiyomi and demanded:
"Why have you come here with your forces? What are you planning?"
Had it been any other shinboi, Ōnoki would have unleashed his Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique the moment they crossed into Iwagakure territory.
But this was Hoshiyomi — the man who had created miracles time and again.
Even Ōnoki hesitated.
Hoshiyomi's lips curled into a faint, almost teasing smile.
"Why I'm here? To end this war, of course.
What, you can attack Konoha, but we can't strike back?"
The Iwa army fell into silence. Hearing this, the imposing manner Ōnoki had mustered stiffened on his face. After all, what the man said was the plain truth.
When their Iwagakure had brazenly invaded the Land of Fire's border before, they should have been prepared for this.
Seeing the hesitation spreading through the enemy ranks, Hoshiyomi pressed the blade in deeper:
"Honestly, we wouldn't have dared to be this bold…
But who could've guessed you'd stab your own ally in the back at the critical moment?
You practically handed us this chance — what kind of fools would we be to waste it?"
Upon hearing this, the Iwa shinobi, whose morale was already shaken, dropped even lower. What he said was fact!
If they hadn't stabbed Kumogakure in the back, accelerating their exit from the war, Konoha truly wouldn't have dared to invade like this.
So… was today's disaster really their own doing?
That thought spread through the ranks like poison, draining their morale even further.
Ōnoki saw his army's spirits faltering and quickly shouted, voice booming across the battlefield:
"Don't listen to his lies meant to shake your hearts!
The enemy is at our gates — behind us lie our homes, our wives and children!
They're waiting for us to protect them and drive this invader back!
So what if it's Konoha? So what if it's the Silver Moon himself?!
Today, we will ensure they never return!"
Akatsuchi, Ōnoki's personal guard, also shouted to rally the troops:
"Konoha's army only numbers five thousand, while we have fifteen thousand strong!
We outnumber them three to one — what's there to fear?!
If they dare to come, we'll make sure none of them leave alive!"
Ōnoki had been Tsuchikage for many years; his prestige ran deep in every Iwagakure heart.
Under his and Akatsuchi's rallying cries, the wavering troops regained their morale.
"Don't let them return alive!"
"Attack! Let's make the Konoha's Silver Moon fall here like the Third Raikage!"
"We defeated the Third Raikage; why should we fear Konoha's Silver Moon!"
The shouts grew louder and louder, echoing across the mountains — though deep in their hearts, a sliver of unease still remained.
The next moment, with Ōnoki's sharp command, the Iwagakure shinobi at the front lines let out furious shouts and charged straight toward Hoshiyomi.
Those in the rear swiftly began forming hand seals, ready to trap Hoshiyomi right there in Iwagakure.
Watching the restless Iwagakure army below, Hoshiyomi closed his eyes for a moment to sense the distance.
Hmm… the others from Konoha are already close.
In that case — he would be the one to fire the first shot of this battle.
With that thought, Hoshiyomi stepped off the floating Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt of Mikazuki Munechika.
He slowly drew the blade, its curved steel gleaming faintly in the light, and whispered:
"Come, then. Show me your strength—
Ultimate: Oboro Urazuki: Eleven Forms!"
Hum—!
Though it was still high noon, the tens of thousands of Iwagakure shinobi suddenly saw, as if in a dream, a hazy full moon rising before their eyes.
As that pale light washed over the earth, Hoshiyomi's figure blurred for an instant—
and in the next heartbeat, ten identical afterimages appeared around him.
"Run wild!"
As he spoke, all eleven Hoshiyomis opened their eyes in unison and moved as one.
Each raised their Mikazuki Munechika to eye level with their right hand, while their left hand slid slowly along the blade — its surface engraved with intricate runes and three crescent moons.
As his hand passed, the runes that stored the Two-Tails' chakra flared to life, and the blade suddenly ignited with ghostly blue flames.
The eerie, almost divine sight froze the Iwagakure ranks in place; countless shinboi instinctively swallowed hard.
Even the ones charging forward unconsciously slowed their steps—
but Hoshiyomi had no intention of slowing down with them.
Seeing this, Akatsuchi snorted coldly:
"Enough with these fancy tricks!
Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!"
The rocks in front of him shattered violently.
Known as Iwagakure's greatest powerhouse of raw strength, Akatsuchi heaved up a boulder the size of a small mountain with his bare hands.
So what if he has clones? I'll crush them all together and see how he dodges this!
With a roar, he hurled the enormous rock — dozens of meters wide — straight at the eleven Hoshiyomis, the sheer force enough to bury them all at once.
But Hoshiyomi's expression didn't even flicker.
With the ghost-flame-coated Mikazuki Munechika flashing in arcs of light, the massive boulder was instantly cleaved into countless fragments, crumbling midair like dust.
"Next— Moon Shadow Step."
After shattering the boulder, Hoshiyomi's movements became increasingly elusive. As he moved, all eleven figures simultaneously faded into stealth, leaving behind only faint traces of motion.
At first, the Iwa shinobi could barely make out which Hoshiyomi was the real one among the illusions—but under the Moon Shadow Step, the Hoshiyomis suddenly switched places, making it impossible for even the most experienced among them to tell who the original was.
Akatsuchi's attack had ended.
Now—it was Hoshiyomi's turn to strike!