A blood-curdling scream pierced the air—yet even Ōnoki couldn't pinpoint Kyōichi's location. Their sensory abilities were completely blocked by his chakra.
A Hidden Mist Technique and Silent Killing Technique more terrifying than Kirigakure's!
"The Nidaime Mizukage's jutsu!"
Before long, a howling gale swept through.
Dozens of Great Breakthroughs collided.
Iwa-nin weren't without Wind Release,
but compared to Konoha, they had fewer Wind Release users—
still, dispersing the mist was possible.
However.
When they blew the mist away,
they sensed Kyōichi hiding in a ravine created by Earth Release, dragging along an Iwa-nin.
The next moment.
Before the Iwa-nin could blast him out using Earth Release, Kyōichi snapped the Iwa-nin's neck and erupted from the ground. the underground was crawling with Iwa-nin, leaving nowhere to hide.
At that moment,
a barrage of Earth Release jutsu came crashing down, forming a prison—
and vaguely, he saw Ōnoki and Kurotsuchi flash-step over.
Kurotsuchi's arm had transformed into a stone fist.
Rock Fist Technique.
And, Added-Weight Rock Technique!
Before they could strike—
Boom!
The prison shattered from within. Molten lava seeped through fissures, scalding underground Iwa-nin.
Kurotsuchi's fist came crashing down,
but what it met was an even more terrifying fist.
Tailed Beast power, Monster Strength Technique, And a bizarrely shaped blade.
One slash—
The rocky coating on Tsuchi's fist vanished.
Horror flashed through him.
However.
It was too late to retreat.
Fortunately, Ōnoki yanked him back with Lightened Rock, barely avoiding the tailed beast-enhanced punch.
Kurotsuchi's fist was covered in burns.
And that was just a mere graze
"Lava Release! Tailed Beast Transformation!"
Ōnoki inhaled sharply.
The abilities Kyōichi displayed had already completely exceeded his understanding—he could be sure: Kyōichi wasn't a full jinchūriki.
He seemed to have borrowed the tailed beast's chakra by some means.
How exactly had he done it?
Was it that blade?
But now wasn't the time to theorize—he was clear about one thing.
Surrounding and attacking Kyōichi wasn't a wise choice!
Moreover.
At this moment, the other Konoha shinobi had already joined the battle, and there was no telling when Sarutobi Hiruzen might make his move…
He had no choice but to split his forces.
"I'll take care of him. The rest of you deal with the others."
Ōnoki's expression was grave.
He had to admit—this Konoha jōnin, only about seventeen years old,
was perhaps invincible to all but him.
Terrifying!
Even Senju Tobirama at this age probably paled in comparison.
——-
Iwa-nin were obedient to orders.
After Ōnoki spoke, the others quickly scattered to fight the rest of the Konoha forces.
In an instant, only Kyōichi and he remained here.
"You see, my goal is actually just to hold you off. Why don't we sit back and watch the show here, wait for the others to settle their fights?"
"Enough nonsense!"
Ōnoki would never agree.
He didn't think himself inferior to Kyōichi—
so he intended to take Kyōichi down quickly, then deal with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And so—
The real battle began.
Kyōichi grew serious.
Being surrounded made it seem like he had a hard time, but in truth, the Iwa-nin became his cover, preventing Ōnoki from unleashing Dust Release recklessly.
However.
Now that it was one-on-one, Ōnoki had no such constraints.
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!
A colossal cube enveloped Kyōichi—
Three times faster than before.
if not for Kyōichi's tailed beast transformation, he would've needed to activate the Seven-Day Breathing Technique to dodge.
After his Body Flicker—
All the earthen walls and spikes were disintegrated to atoms.
Not just that.
In the next instant, Ōnoki teleported in with incredible speed, and right after Kyōichi's flicker, launched another cylindrical Dust Release blast at an angle.
At full power, Ōnoki's speed and Dust Release output had both increased dramatically.
Especially the cylindrical Dust Release—
even if blocked by Ice Release, it would still destroy everything. Nothing could resist its disintegration—this was Kekkei Tōta!
Kyōichi was envious.
But this level of jutsu wasn't something that could be learned through imitation.
Without a system, even if he possessed the method to cultivate Kekkei Tōta and had Fire chakra, it would still be near impossible to master.
Otherwise, Iwagakure wouldn't have a shortage of successors.
Kyōichi focused entirely, his lungs and skin beginning to breathe—
He had entered the First Activation.
No other way.
Ōnoki's speed, enhanced by Light- and Heavy-Weight Rock Techniques, was too fast.
Coupled with the threat of Dust Release and Weighted Rock, Kyōichi had no choice but to bring out his real skills.
Of course—
Kyōichi wasn't just taking hits.
A skilled assassin only needed a single moment to turn the tide, and he was patiently waiting for that moment.
Ōnoki didn't know what Kyōichi was planning.
But he knew—he had to be cautious of those explosive tags and those swords.
Three Dust Releases.
And Kyōichi revealed not a single opening, nor did he make any attempt at close-quarters counterattack.
Ōnoki's instincts screamed:
He had experienced countless battles. His intuition for battlefield flow far surpassed the average ninja—he vaguely sensed that Konoha's plan wasn't limited to just this.
No Lightning technique had appeared.
And the main force seemed lacking.
This wasn't a decisive battle setup
So why?
Anxiety mounting, he soared higher to survey the battlefield.
Then he saw it—
Chaos in the rear camp. Medical-nin fleeing toward the front.
How?!
In that split-second distraction—
Kyōichi's tailed beast cloak retracted into his Yin Seal. His coat split open—
Paper Dance: Angel Form.
White wings unfurled.
Third Activation!
Whoosh!
A sharp cutting sound, and a gleaming blade.
Ōnoki couldn't even see Kyōichi's movements or location.
At this point, the naked eye could no longer be trusted, what he saw might only be an afterimage—the real body had already shifted elsewhere.
He immediately formed hand seals.
Then, from his mouth, a mass of earth was expelled—it condensed into a giant stone golem, and Ōnoki was cupped protectively in its hands.
Earth Release: Rock Golem Technique!
It was reinforced with Light-Weight and Heavy-Weight Rock Techniques, now gently floating while shielding Ōnoki from the rear attack.
However—
A single slash passed through.
The stone golem was cleaved in two—
Though Kyōichi couldn't use Lightning Release, his Wind Release kenjutsu was sharp enough to cut stone.
Ōnoki had no time to worry.
In midair, he formed seals, then slapped his hands to the ground—a giant rock arm shielded him.
But—
Through the cracks, he saw Kyōichi forming a strange technique.
The next moment, he sensed a chakra fluctuation on his body—
Not good!
Explosive tags!
He tore off his robes, diving underground with Earth Dragon Bullet.
Since when could this brat fly?!
And plant tags mid-combo—
However—
Ōnoki was still a veteran of countless battles.
Before he vanished underground, his palm quickly formed a fusion chakra cube—
enveloping the area above with precision.
Boom!
Explosive tags, flames, and all other attacks were dissolved and disintegrated.
Kyōichi frowned.
Even that was neutralized?
What a tough opponent!
Meanwhile, Ōnoki trembled below.
That was too close.
Not since the Second Kage era had death felt so near.
Damn monstrous brat!
Flying. Ice release. Tailed beast chakra.
What CAN'T he do?!
At least one weakness emerged—
Kyōichi's speed relied on ground kicks for bursts. Pure flight was slower.
A bitter realization:
The Tsuchikage reduced to comparing aerial speeds?
He had options—but conserving chakra against a Senju was wiser.
Worse—
Kyōichi wasn't even Konoha's leader.
I am the Tsuchikage.
This stalemate favored no one.
With front and rear under attack—
Ōnoki broke for Sarutobi.
"Decapitation strike ends wars."
Kyōichi pursued—
Tailed Beast cloak reignited for that extra speed.
Just as he closed in—
Ōnoki spun midair.
Dust Release: Beam Form!
Perfect timing—Kyōichi's slowest aerial moment.
Nowhere to dodge.
Yet—
His body dissolved into swirling paper.
Some sheets disintegrated—but most reformed elsewhere.
Simultaneously, Kyōichi manipulated the rain-soaked Ōnoki.
Ice Release: Instant Freeze!
Water on Ōnoki's hands crystallized—
Then exploded into glacial shackles.
The Tsuchikage's fingers locked mid-seal.