The one who launched the attack was naturally Hayakawa, who had just arrived on the scene.
He was a jōnin proficient in Wind Release and swordsmanship. However, after personally witnessing Aoshi's terrifying blade techniques, Hayakawa no longer dared to engage in close-quarters combat.
That said, his sense of timing was undeniably sharp.
At this precise moment, Aoshi had just used Almighty Push, and its cooldown had not yet elapsed, preventing him from activating it again.
At the same time, he was in the midst of using Six Water Dragon Jutsu to deal with the remaining Sky Ninjas, leaving him no opportunity to cast another ninjutsu.
If it had been anyone else, they would have undoubtedly been struck. It was even highly likely they would have been cleanly severed by the razor-sharp wind blades.
But Aoshi had anticipated this.
Infusing Wind Release chakra into his ninja blade, he swung decisively, cleaving the incoming wind blade apart with a single slash.
Seeing this, Hayakawa's expression remained calm. He had never expected to defeat his opponent so easily.
"Hayakawa Arashi," Aoshi said coldly, pointing his sword at him, "if you surrender now and return to Konoha with me, I can spare your life."
"Or are you planning to struggle to the end, wait for me to kill you, and then have me carry your corpse back instead?"
Before Hayakawa could respond, Shinno—who had just stepped forward from the side—let out a disdainful snort.
"Arrogant," he said mockingly. "As expected of a young and hot-headed brat. Do you really think you can take on the two of us by yourself?"
Shinno did not deny that Aoshi was strong. But he did not believe that he and Hayakawa together could lose.
"It's the leader! The leader is here!" At that moment, the remaining Sky Ninjas became excited upon seeing Shinno step forward.
In their minds, their leader was the strongest existence. Even when facing the Five Kage—those standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world—he could fight without falling behind.
"Leader, kill this bastard and avenge our comrades!"
"That damned Konoha ninja is finished this time! The leader is unbeatable!"
Ignoring the Sky Ninjas' cries, Aoshi fixed his gaze on Shinno.
Compared to what he would become in the future, Shinno was still relatively young now.
"It seems you Sky Ninjas are nothing but fools," Aoshi said calmly, "the kind who forget the pain as soon as the wound heals."
His words were a blatant provocation, referring to how the Sky Ninja Village had once been annihilated by Konoha.
Barely rebuilt, they dared to provoke the Konoha again—clearly digging their own graves.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Sky Ninjas erupted in fury.
"Kill him! We must kill him!"
"How dare he insult the Sky Ninjas?! Make him pay!"
Even Shinno's expression darkened noticeably.
"What a sharp-tongued brat," he said coldly. "I wonder if your strength is as impressive as your mouth."
The moment his voice fell, a powerful aura erupted from Shinno's body. His chakra surged violently, rolling outward like a tidal wave.
Aoshi's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of interest flashing within them.
"Eight Inner Gates…"
That's right—Shinno was using the Eight Inner Gates, a technique he had secretly learned from Konoha in the past.
And he had opened it straight to the Seventh Gate of Shock, all at once. This was his current limit.
A level that even Aoshi—who also possessed knowledge of the Eight Inner Gates—could not yet reach.
Although Shinno spoke arrogantly, he went all out from the very beginning.
He dared not show the slightest carelessness.
However, unlike Might Duy and Might Guy, Shinno had not mastered the Eight Inner Gates through years of brutal physical training.
Instead, he had taken a shortcut, forcibly controlling it through his unique medical ninjutsu.
Because of this, although he could open the gates, his strength was fundamentally inferior to that of the Might father and son.
Aoshi could even sense that if he opened only the Third Gate of Life, he might not be weaker than Shinno in his current state.
That said, Shinno had one notable advantage.
Using medical ninjutsu, he could greatly reduce—or even eliminate—the damage caused by opening the Eight Inner Gates.
This allowed him to maintain the gates for an extended period. In the future, with further refinement, he might even be able to open all eight gates without dying.
That potential was precisely what intrigued Aoshi.
"Die!" With a furious roar, Shinno charged forward.
With the Seventh Gate open, his speed was terrifying—he reached Aoshi in less than a blink and unleashed a devastating punch filled with overwhelming force.
Because he had learned the technique through stealth, Shinno had not mastered the refined combat styles associated with the Eight Inner Gates.
But even relying solely on brute punches and kicks, his combat power was already comparable to that of a jōnin.
In the past, Hayakawa had been suppressed by Shinno in this state, forced to trade injuries while relying on his own powerful healing abilities.
But now, Shinno was facing Aoshi.
Using the same tactics against him was clearly futile.
Aoshi sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the attack. At the same time, he counterattacked, his blade flashing outward.
If this had been earlier, Shinno might have dodged.
But now, Aoshi had mastered the Hatake-style swordsmanship, renowned for its extreme speed.
His ninja blade transformed into a streak of white light.
Despite Shinno's desperate attempt to evade, he failed. The blade pierced straight into his abdomen.
Blood immediately gushed forth.
To avoid being splattered, Aoshi followed up with a kick, sending Shinno flying backward.
The moment this scene entered the eyes of the remaining Sky Ninjas, panic erupted among them.
"How is this possible?! The leader was injured so quickly!" For a moment, panic spread among the Sky Ninjas.
However, a well-informed Sky Ninja quickly spoke up to steady them. "Don't panic. That level of injury means nothing to the leader."
Just as he said, Shinno—who had been kicked away—regained his footing, and the wound on his abdomen had already almost completely healed.
Seeing this, the Sky Ninjas finally calmed down.
"As expected of the leader! With this ability, he can definitely kill that man and revive the Sky Ninja Village!"
At the same time, Hayakawa was not idle. He once again unleashed Wind Release ninjutsu.
A violent gale swept across the battlefield, uprooting trees and sending debris flying in all directions.
Facing such an attack, Aoshi remained calm. With one hand, he formed seals and activated Water Release: Water Wall as defense.
Immediately after, he countered with Water Release: Water Severing Wave.
A high-pressure stream of water shot from his mouth, its terrifying cutting force cleaving through the ground as it streaked straight toward Hayakawa Arashi.
Hayakawa's expression changed sharply. He instantly used Body Flicker to evade.
Even while dodging, he rapidly formed hand seals. Wind Release: Wind Cut Technique!
Several razor-sharp wind blades sliced through the air at extreme speed, heading directly toward Aoshi.
At the same time, Shinno charged forward as well, colliding like a ferocious beast.
Almighty Push!
A massive repulsive force erupted outward, centered on Aoshi, forcibly repelling both the incoming wind blades and Shinno himself.
"What kind of jutsu is this?!"
Shinno, who bore the brunt of the technique, stared in horror. No matter how hard he struggled, he was completely unable to resist its overwhelming power.
Without pause, Aoshi rapidly formed hand seals.
Lightning Release: False Darkness!
Two lightning spears shot forth at blinding speed, striking both Shinno and Hayakawa.
Yet Shinno, though charred black, recovered almost instantly.
Hayakawa also reacted in time, using Wind Release to defend, significantly reducing the damage from False Darkness. After all, Wind Release naturally countered Lightning Release.
With two jōnin working together, defeating them was indeed not so simple.
From that moment on, Shinno and Hayakawa's coordination became increasingly seamless.
But no matter how they attacked, Aoshi responded calmly—deflecting, countering, and maintaining complete control.
To the watching Sky Ninjas, the sight had already numbed their expressions.
Their invincible leader was unable to gain any advantage over Aoshi. Even with another jōnin joining the fight, the best they could manage was a stalemate.
After being injured by Aoshi once again, Shinno stopped attacking recklessly. He stared at Aoshi in disbelief.
"Is this bastard really just a chūnin?"
If Konoha's chūnin were all at this level, how could the Sky Ninja Village ever dream of revenge?
Without realizing it, a trace of fear—and the desire to retreat—had already taken root in Shinno's heart.
As long as he survived, even if everyone else died, he could still rebuild the Sky Ninja Village one day.
But if he died here as well, everything would be over. With that thought, Shinno glanced at Hayakawa beside him.
"If you don't want to die, then attack together with me."
He was clearly instructing Hayakawa to stop relying solely on long-range ninjutsu.
It was useless—Aoshi blocked all of it with ease.
Hayakawa's expression grew grim. He knew he had been intimidated by Aoshi's swordsmanship earlier.
After all, Konoha's White Fang was renowned throughout the ninja world, and he didn't believe his own sword skills could compare.
But now, fear was no longer an option. If he hesitated any longer, he would truly die here today. He didn't want to die.
Seeing Hayakawa draw his sword, Shinno immediately turned and shouted to the remaining Sky Ninjas.
"Everyone, attack together! We Sky Ninjas will never be defeated by a mere Konoha ninja!" As his voice fell, Shinno charged forward first.
Hayakawa followed close behind!
"Yes!" Spurred on, the remaining Sky Ninjas rushed in as well, unleashing a storm of attacks, all aimed at Aoshi.
"A desperate struggle." With a cold snort, Aoshi unleashed Almighty Push, blasting away the incoming barrage.
However, Shinno—who had been at the forefront—suddenly turned into a puff of smoke.
It was a shadow clone!
The sight stunned everyone present. Especially the Sky Ninjas—they could hardly believe their leader had abandoned them and fled on his own.
"That bastard!" Hayakawa cursed aloud. But there was no time to dwell on Shinno's escape.
Because Aoshi had already rushed forward, a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken had formed in his hand.
He had no interest in dragging this farce out any longer. It was time to end it.
"What a terrifying ninjutsu!" Hayakawa's face filled with horror as he instinctively retreated.
But the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken suddenly expanded, its size increasing severalfold in an instant.
Its explosion radius skyrocketed.
Boom! A deafening explosion shook the heavens, leaving behind only a vast, empty crater.
The dense forest that once stood there had completely vanished.
Aside from Shinno, who had escaped earlier, Hayakawa and all remaining Sky Ninjas failed to escape. Every last one of them was annihilated.
Inside the base, Shinno felt the tremor and broke out in a cold sweat. He was thankful—deeply thankful—that he had chosen to retreat in time.
Rushing into the hangar where the airships were stored, he suddenly froze. Aoshi was already standing there, waiting for him.
Shinno's face instantly turned deathly pale. "How… how are you here?!"
When Aoshi sensed Shinno preparing to flee earlier, he had quietly created a shadow clone. His true body had followed Shinno's movements and infiltrated the base in advance.
Now, he was waiting.
"Please… please don't kill me," Shinno stammered desperately. "I can give you everything. I can even help you achieve immortality!"