The terrifyingly hot blue flames erupted along with a steaming mushroom cloud, engulfing half the battlefield in an instant.
Iwa shinobi caught near the explosion had no chance—their bodies turned instantly to ash.
A little farther out, those not killed immediately by the blast found themselves covered in unnatural blue flames. They rolled across the ground, howling in agony, but the fire wouldn't die. It clung to them like living things.
Seiran watched the destruction unfold with clinical detachment. Hydrogen burned at roughly 2,000 degrees—far hotter than normal fire. When mixed between 4% and 75% concentration with oxygen, even a spark caused a devastating explosion. He'd ionized nearly all the water vapor in the area to maximize hydrogen concentration, but some had escaped before ignition. Inevitable. The blast wave had been guided expertly enough; he'd directed the worst of it toward the Iwa forces. Why would he help them?
Squinting through the smoke at the epicenter, he wondered: Could anyone survive that, even with Kokuo's power?
As the smoke cleared, Kokuo's form came into view.
Not a single hair remained on its body. That once pristine white coat was now scorched black, the creature lying motionless on the ground. It looked like it had been charred over coals for days. The five-tailed beast—supposed to be one of the more visually impressive tailed beasts—had been reduced to something pitiful.
Tailed beasts were chakra constructs. They should recover.
Slowly, Kokuo's body began to fade, unable to maintain its form. Within moments, it collapsed into a human figure—Han, unconscious.
Instantly, a massive stone hand erupted from below, grabbing Han's body and pulling him underground.
"Pretty fast response," Seiran muttered.
Roshi had been watching the battle closely, ready to intervene. If the jinchuriki had been captured, he would have faced Ōnoki's wrath. He knew the battle was lost—completely lost.
"Retreat!" he ordered.
The Iwa shinobi still fighting immediately disengaged, pulling back in an organized retreat. The Konoha forces who remained on the field watched them go, their tension finally easing.
They'd won. For the first time since the war with Iwa began, they'd won decisively.
The Konoha shinobi couldn't help but glance up at Seiran and the towering metal giant beside him. What kind of technique is that? Some kind of puppet? It's incredible.
With a whoosh, Minato appeared beside Seiran, his eyes practically gleaming.
"Seiran! Does it have a name? Does it?" Minato asked, practically vibrating with excitement.
Seiran was tempted to spit out something ridiculous just to shut him up. But then he remembered how his last multi-word name had spread through camp, with ninjas still discussing it months later.
He snapped his fingers behind his back, and the metal giant dissolved into countless particles, sinking into the ground. Without another word, he began walking away.
"Wait, no name?" Minato rubbed his chin, thinking. Then his eyes lit up. He clenched his right fist and slammed it into his left palm.
"There it is! A towering metal body, tall as a mountain, capable of tearing the sky itself! Power that surpasses the tailed beasts, cold and unyielding..."
Minato turned back to address him, but Seiran was already gone.
"Hey! When did you leave? You didn't even tell me if you liked it! I worked hard on that name!"
The surrounding Konoha shinobi exchanged confused looks. Some of them still couldn't quite process what they'd witnessed.
"Monster," Jiraiya breathed out after a long silence, watching Seiran's retreating figure. He scratched his head in distress. "No wonder Orochimaru talks about him like he's found some kind of supreme treasure. What a headache—getting surpassed by the younger generation one by one."
Minato surpassing him had been inevitable, but who'd have thought someone even more terrifying would appear?
Seiran found Shibi watching him with an unreadable expression. The Aburame clan leader's eyes were dark, thoughtful.
"You okay?" Seiran asked, walking over.
"I didn't expect my student to worry about me," Shibi said with a slight smile, though his gaze was distant. He sighed. "I guess you've already surpassed your instructor."
He'd known his students were talented, but this? During the Sand Village War, he'd been busy elsewhere and only heard rumors about Seiran's abilities. Now, seeing him firsthand on the Iwa battlefield, he finally understood just how far the boy had come.
In Seiran, Shibi saw shadows of two legendary figures: Tobirama Senju and Uchiha Madara. Those two had single-handedly ended the Warring States Period and created the one-country-one-village system.
Seiran was still immature, but at this age, with such terrifying power...
Just how monstrous will he become once he's fully grown?
---