Strictly speaking, even without the bird, Hagoromo himself possessed a rudimentary ability to fly.
He didn't have wings, of course—but by creating footing beneath his feet, he could more or less achieve flight, something akin to that panda-eyed gourd kid from old stories.
After all, seven gourds grow from the same vine—how an ability is used can always be learned from precedent.
That said, Hagoromo was still a land creature at heart. He had never received formal training in flight. Most of the time, ninja simply didn't need to fly—and when flight was necessary, he had a far better method.
Summoning Yatagarasu was more than enough.
And in actual combat, aerial maneuverability was far inferior to fighting on the ground—at least for Hagoromo.
Of course, there were ninja who truly excelled at flight.
Certain individuals could rely on specific techniques to move with extreme agility in the air and retain formidable combat capability.
To put it simply—
Hagoromo was still playing with bomber tactics.
Those people were flying dogfight-capable fighters.
When Iwagakure dispatched its massive force to invade Kumogakure, the village's own defenses had not been completely stripped away.
Although their numbers were drastically reduced, Iwa still retained elite, top-tier combat power.
For instance, both the Four-Tails Jinchūriki and Five-Tails Jinchūriki remained in the village to respond to any unforeseen emergencies.
So did the Third Tsuchikage himself.
What no one anticipated was that the village would remain calm—
While the invasion force would encounter a monster.
No one had expected the Raikage to sortie alone.
And yet he did.
Even more miraculously, he managed to hold back Iwagakure's forces by himself—
Because no one could break his defense.
Though far away in Iwagakure, the Third Tsuchikage remained constantly informed of the battlefield. Through space-time communication methods similar to summoning techniques, the information quickly reached him.
After brief consideration, to prevent the invasion from failing entirely, the Third Tsuchikage decided to act personally.
He would dispatch the fastest possible reinforcement—
Someone strong enough to break the Raikage's defense.
Himself.
The Third Raikage could not withstand Dust Release.
Once the decision was made, the Third Tsuchikage moved immediately. Though he didn't rely exclusively on Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique for flight, he still reached the battlefield at maximum speed.
Dark clouds.
Torrential rain.
Terrain shattered by large-scale Earth Release.
A raised inland lake.
And—
A heavy stench of blood the rain could not wash away.
As he was about to arrive at the battlefield, the Third Tsuchikage saw a ninja leap into the air.
Then came dazzling lightning—so powerful even he had to avoid it.
Followed by explosive Fire Release.
The attacker was not the Third Raikage.
It was an unknown enemy.
But whoever it was, the target could only have been Iwagakure ninja.
Anyone struck by such techniques—could they possibly survive?
That was nothing but fantasy.
So how would the Third Tsuchikage react upon witnessing his men being annihilated in batches?
The answer was obvious.
Hagoromo should consider himself lucky.
Because of altitude, the Tsuchikage had not yet realized that the one nearly obliterated below… was actually his own son.
Their faces shared no resemblance whatsoever, and their physiques were wildly different—
But blood didn't lie.
In the Tsuchikage's eyes, the enemy had unleashed two wide-area techniques and then dared attempt to flee the battlefield using a flying summon.
Leave just like that?
Had anyone considered his feelings?
The horrific casualties inflicted upon his men made the Third Tsuchikage feel as though his liver were trembling in rage.
Trying to run? If I don't smash you to death—!
Though he didn't even bear that surname, the thought alone illustrated just how furious he was.
Without hesitation, he cast two techniques at the fleeing summon.
Earth Release: Massive Rock Projectile Golem.
Followed immediately by—
Earth Release: Ultra-Weighted Rock Technique.
High in the sky, an enormous construct was formed.
From Hagoromo's perspective, all he could see was—
A meteor falling from the heavens.
If he could see the full picture, he'd realize it wasn't a meteor at all.
It was a colossal stone statue.
But even so, he understood this was enemy fire.
There was no way he was unlucky enough to randomly be hit by an actual meteor.
If his luck were that bad, he'd have died long ago.
Its massive volume and terrifying weight, pulled by gravity, tore through the clouds. The violent air pressure wrapped around it like a white barrier.
This attack was calculated precisely.
It fell straight toward Yatagarasu.
No matter how much it accelerated, escape was impossible.
Hagoromo didn't need to think.
If that thing hit him, he would become a meat pancake.
What now?
What now?!
Even without direct contact, the crushing pressure forced Yatagarasu into a steep downward flight.
And Hagoromo?
At this moment—
One had to admire him.
Even now, his expression did not change.
So what if the meteor crushed him?
His feet remained planted firmly on Yatagarasu's back.
Left hand gripping his right wrist.
Right palm extended, fingers together like a blade—
A straight, lightning-forged edge ignited instantly.
Lightning Release: Chidori Spear — Second Stage.
From bottom to top—
A clean slice.
Like cutting tofu.
Of course, given the Chidori Spear's reach and the meteor's size, splitting it cleanly in two was impossible.
So he cut again.
And again.
Precise. Violent. Decisive.
Accurate. Rapid. Efficient.
In mere seconds, the "meteor" was reduced to countless fragments.
It was destroyed—
But before Hagoromo could relax, disaster struck again.
Yatagarasu let out a piercing, agonized cry.
Forced too low by pressure, it had been struck by some massive enemy weapon.
This force had been preparing to attack Kumogakure—naturally, they carried siege-class ninja tools.
Now, those tools were turned skyward.
Pff.
Yatagarasu vanished instantly.
Weightlessness seized Hagoromo as he began to fall.
And things only got worse.
A blade of light descended from the sky.
When it came to wielding light blades, no one compared to the Third Tsuchikage.
Compared to this, Hagoromo's Chidori Spear felt embarrassing.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a blade—
But a cylindrical beam extended to its limit.
Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu.
Extended form.
Anyone struck by this—
Was dead.
This was the greatest crisis Hagoromo had ever faced.
His final resistance began.
Midair, he had no freedom of movement—only endless descent.
He had one grenade left.
While falling, Hagoromo reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a scroll, hurling it directly toward the incoming Dust Release.
His hands formed seals—
The scroll instantly expanded and unfurled.
Two seals, executed without a single pause.
A massive, pitch-black spherical space unfolded in midair.
Sealing Technique: Four Symbols Seal (Inner).
Dust Release disintegrated matter at the molecular level.
But the Four Symbols Seal erased the entire sealed space.
So—
It could block it.
Ōnoki's Atomic Dismantling Jutsu was severed mid-beam.
The timing—
Perfect.
Yet before Hagoromo could feel relief—
A translucent cube, exactly his height, enclosed him.
It was still Dust Release.
Within his vision, a short, white-haired, oddly comical old man flew closer.
What could Hagoromo do now?
Nothing.
There was one last trace of chakra left in his body.
But no jutsu remained possible.
Perhaps all he could do was greet the end with a smile.
Ōnoki was right before him.
Hello, Peter Pan…
Hagoromo almost greeted him—
Then white light swallowed everything.
After a series of long-range attacks, Ōnoki finally arrived at that position.
But there was nothing left.
The young White Yasha—
Fell here.
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