The Iwagakure jōnin who had been preparing to ambush Nawaki suddenly found a middle-aged man in a black cloak appear right in front of him. Instinctively glancing down, the jōnin saw a flicker of movement—and then his vision blurred.
When his senses returned, he was surrounded by a swarm of twisted monsters, claws and fangs bared as they lunged toward him. Terrified beyond reason, the Iwa shinobi panicked, releasing his Earth Dragon Bullet before desperately drawing his kunai to fend off the "demons."
Only when one of his own kunai buried itself in his chest did he realize the truth in his final moments—
those monsters weren't demons at all.
They were his comrades.
"Lord Shinku's genjutsu really is terrifying," someone muttered from afar.
"On a chaotic battlefield like this, even a momentary lapse—whether or not you fall fully under his illusion—is enough to get you killed."
...
Under the command of Nawaki and the others, Konoha's five thousand shinobi were somehow pushing back more than ten thousand from Iwagakure.
As the Iwa casualties piled higher and higher, Ōnoki's eyes grew bloodshot with fury.
He wanted nothing more than to unleash another Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique to wipe out Konoha's entire army in one blow—but the relentless attacks of Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Sakumo left him no opening at all.
Ever since his first failed attempt to take flight, Ōnoki hadn't managed to get airborne again.
Sakumo's lightning-fast assaults, combined with Orochimaru and Jiraiya's perfectly synchronized teamwork, had pinned him down completely.
He could barely form hand seals for even basic Earth Release techniques, let alone something as chakra-intensive as Dust Release or Ultra-Added-Weight/Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique.
With his Dust Release sealed away, Ōnoki could only pin his hopes on the two tailed beasts under his command.
Turning toward Han and Rōshi, he roared angrily,
"What are you waiting for? Quickly enter Tailed Beast transformation!"
Han and Rōshi exchanged bitter glances.
Unlike Killer Bee, they were far from being perfect jinchūriki.
Their relationships with the Four-Tails (Son Gokū) and Five-Tails (Kokuō) were… tolerable, at best.
If they fully released their tailed beast chakra, the resulting rampage might well kill their own comrades.
But as they looked out at the battlefield, where Iwagakure's forces were being slaughtered, their hesitation hardened into resolve.
Without the power of the tailed beasts, Iwagakure would fall.
Red chakra began seeping from their bodies, thick and bubbling like molten lava.
From behind them, tails began to form and sway.
Just as they were about to transform partially—to stabilize the field as best they could—a lazy, mocking voice sounded behind them:
"I think you should just go straight into the Full Tailed Beast Transformation. That would save time, and you wouldn't have to suffer so much."
Hearing the voice, the bodies of both men instantly trembled. When did he get there? Gekkō Hoshiyomi had moved behind them without either of them sensing a thing.
The two spun around and threw a punch, intending to send Hoshiyomi flying, but they struck empty air.
A moment later, Hoshiyomi appeared a few meters away, looking at them with open disdain.
"Tsk, tsk… you two really are stubborn, huh?
Since you insist on doing this the hard way… don't blame me for what happens next."
The instant the words left his mouth, his form flickered—and vanished.
Han and Rōshi froze.
Gone again—
but where?
Rōshi clenched his fists, frustration and despair twisting his face.
Damn it—he had trained hard for years, but the gap between them had only grown wider.
Now, even knowing that Hoshiyomi could strike at any moment, he couldn't do a thing to stop him.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly noticed Hoshiyomi 's back, holding two swords, appear in front of him:
"Getting distracted during a fight isn't a good habit, you know."
His back? Could it be...?
Both men simultaneously thought of a terrifying possibility, and then felt a sharp, intense pain in their waists.
Looking down, they discovered that huge wounds had somehow been slashed across their waists, blood gushing out as if it cost nothing.
Thud.
Knees buckled.
Blood poured out uncontrollably.
Overwhelmed by blood loss, both Han and Rōshi collapsed to the ground, faces twisted with bitter disbelief.
What Gekko Hoshiyomi said was absolutely true — by not entering Full Tailed Beast form right away, Han and Rōshi had only been needlessly prolonging their own suffering.
As the two of them collapsed to their knees, their consciousness completely faded.
With no more human will to restrain them, the overwhelming chakra of the Four-Tails, Son Gokū, and the Five-Tails, Kokuō, burst forth all at once.
"ROOOAARRR!!!"
With two terrifying roars, everyone around Hoshiyomi and the two Jinchūriki—whether Konoha or Iwa-nin—was sent flying. Those further away hurriedly distanced themselves from the dangerous area under the shouts of their superiors.
Regardless of whether Hoshiyomi could handle the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, that area was definitely no place to stay.
Whether it was Hoshiyomi 's sword energy or the attacks of the two Tailed Beasts, they were not something ordinary people could withstand.
After creating distance, the attacks between the Iwa and Konoha shinobi slowed down considerably. Most people's attention was unconsciously drawn to Hoshiyomi and the two Tailed Beasts.
In truth, most people had a clear understanding. They knew well that the outcome of this war didn't hinge on them. The real main event was the battle between Hoshiyomi and the Tailed Beasts.
If Hoshiyomi managed to defeat both Tailed Beasts, Iwagakure's defeat would be sealed.
Only if Hoshiyomi died could the Iwa forces rally, reignite their morale, and possibly turn the tide.
Both sides knew that the world's eyes were now fixed on them,
yet none of them paid it any mind.
The man and the beasts simply stared at each other in silence.
Hoshiyomi was waiting—
waiting for the Tailed Beasts to strike first,
curious to see just how much trouble these two could truly cause him.
The two Tailed Beasts , however, hesitated.
They could feel the danger radiating from Hoshiyomi—
a crushing, instinctive sense of dread that told them this man was not to be trifled with.
Even standing still, the aura he exuded made him seem… invincible.
Both the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails sensed that terrifying power emanating from him,
and for once, even they dared not act rashly.
The tense standoff lasted only a few moments—
until the Four-Tails finally lost its patience.
For it had recognized Hoshiyomi.
This human—
he was the one responsible for that humiliating defeat ten years ago.
Now, seeing his old enemy before him, rage consumed the beast's reason.
With a thunderous roar, the Four-Tails raised its enormous fist—
molten magma coiling around it like fiery serpents—
and brought it crashing down toward Hoshiyomi,
intent on smashing this damned human into paste.
Before the blow even landed, the air itself exploded from the pressure.
A terrifying gale swept across the ground,
tearing up gravel and sand in violent waves.
Any ordinary jōnin—or even most elite shinobi—wouldn't have had the chance to use a Body Flicker Technique before being crushed to death by that pressure alone.
But Hoshiyo's remained calm and composed. He didn't even use Shunpo to dodge. Instead, he simply raised his Mikazuki Munechika to meet the attack.
The distant onlookers widened their eyes in shock. Had Gekko Hoshiyomi gone mad? He actually intended to confront the Four-Tails' absurdly large fist with human strength?
In that moment, the Iwa shinobi were already picturing Hoshiyomi being smashed into a bloody pulp.
...
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