"Yo!" Kin greeted Ōnoki casually, rubbing his temples as he absorbed the memories flooding his mind.
The real Kin had taken over.
This clone had certainly given him quite the surprise.
Clutching the Byakugan in his hand, he hadn't expected the clone to actually make progress in its research. Dark energy enveloped the eye as he absorbed it.
The upgraded Heavenly Demon Art granted him a faint connection to his clones, which was why he'd arrived just in time.
Losing the Byakugan would've been a disaster.
Ōnoki studied Kin's sudden change in attire. The previous version had worn a black uniform, but now Kin was dressed like a wandering swordsman—though the mask remained the same, as it was merely a Wood Release construct.
His gaze dropped to the pool of blood on the ground.
"A clone?!"
The opponent he'd been fighting all along was just a clone.
And yet, that clone had been formidable enough to push him this far.
This guy was trouble.
"Something like that," Kin replied, tucking his hands into his sleeves with a blade of grass dangling from his lips.
He'd been training in his yard when he sensed his flesh clone was in danger and rushed over without time to change. The mask? A quick Wood Release creation.
"I'm not the same as that clone. Sure you still want to fight?" Kin asked, curious.
Ōnoki's expression hardened. "We'll see."
He struck first, thrusting his hands forward as a transparent cube rapidly expanded toward Kin.
Kin tilted his head slightly, dodging with ease.
"Hmph." Ōnoki pulled his hands apart, and the cube's barrier expanded instantly, trapping Kin inside.
"Ha!"
With a roar, blinding white light erupted within the cube, annihilating everything inside.
"Impressive."
Kin's voice came from elsewhere as he clapped mockingly, grinning at Ōnoki.
"My turn."
He slammed his palms together onto the ground.
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
BOOM!!
A colossal wooden titan, nearly 70 meters tall, erupted from the earth. Kin stood atop its head, staring down at Ōnoki hovering in the air.
Ōnoki's silence spoke volumes. This was leagues beyond the clone's capabilities—though not quite on par with what he'd witnessed in the past, it was close.
Kin didn't wait. The wooden giant's fist shot toward Ōnoki, generating a gale-force wind that forced the Tsuchikage to ascend rapidly. The missed strike obliterated the already shattered mountain below, scattering debris like dust in a storm.
Kin's three-tomoe Sharingan spun.
"Susanoo!"
Black armor plates materialized over the wooden titan's chest, limbs, and face, while a longsword formed at its waist. This was Kin's limit—he couldn't yet manifest a complete Susanoo with three tomoe.
The titan gripped the sword's hilt.
SWOOSH!
The blade cleaved the earth, slicing through a nearby peak and sending its upper half flying.
Ōnoki barely dodged by soaring above the clouds.
"Such power…"
This might be the strongest foe he'd ever faced.
"Then I'll fight you with everything I have!"
A fiery aura erupted around Ōnoki. The combined might of the two legends who'd ended the Warring States Era flowed through him. Even so, surrender wasn't an option.
"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
The cube in his hands elongated into a rectangular prism, which he swung downward like a blade. Even without full encapsulation, Dust Release's cutting force was devastating.
Kin was ready.
"Moon Breathing: Eighth Form—"
"Lunar Dragon's Tail!"
The titan's sword swept horizontally, unleashing a massive crescent moon blade that collided with the Dust Release.
BOOOOOOM!!
The shockwave arrived late, eclipsed by the blinding white explosion that consumed everything.
When the light faded, Kin scanned the area—Ōnoki was gone.
Then—
"Got you."
Ōnoki emerged from the ground beneath the wooden titan.
The cube expanded, engulfing the entire construct.
"Die!!"
The white light returned, erasing the titan from existence.
"Is it over?"
"Not yet."
Kin's body radiated black energy laced with gold as his feet blurred mid-air.
"Moonwalk!"
"Heavenly Demon Golden Body!"
A fusion of the Six Treasuries Immortal Thief and defensive ninjutsu, this technique offered near-absolute defense while siphoning the opponent's chakra.
But—
The black energy cracked like brittle pottery, gold light dimming until both dissipated. Surviving one Dust Release attack was its limit—and the chakra cost was staggering.
Worse, its uniqueness meant Kin could never use it publicly again.
Ōnoki wasn't done.
Hands clasped.
"Dust Release: Boundary Dismantling Jutsu!"
A gargantuan white cube enveloped the entire battlefield. The relentless light consumed all.
When it vanished, Ōnoki panted heavily.
High above, Kin reappeared, glaring coldly downward.
"Heavenly Demon Samsara!"
A modified Flying Thunder God technique, this allowed rapid spatial jumps to evade attacks by existing between dimensions. But like the Golden Body, its chakra drain was immense—even worse.
This battle had pushed Ōnoki to his limits—but Kin had held nothing back either. Aside from the Dark Walker Technique, he'd used every card in his deck and still hadn't secured victory.
"Did I overestimate myself?"
He'd assumed only Hashirama and Madara could challenge him. Yet here was Ōnoki, fighting him to a standstill.
Time to end this.
"My turn."
Hand seals complete.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
A massive wooden dragon coiled around him before hurtling toward Ōnoki. Kin remained aloft with Moonwalk—Hashirama's cells had long granted him that ability.
As the dragon descended, Ōnoki roared—
"Not yet!!"
"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
A white pillar shot upward, but his depleted chakra weakened its force. The dragon tanked the hit and slammed into Ōnoki, driving him into the earth.
BOOM!!
(End of Chapter)