"Tsuchikage-sama!"
The Iwa-nin were frantic, their hearts gripped with fear.
Earlier, when they saw Onoki's counterattack, they had assumed Kyoichi had been killed. But in the blink of an eye, their opponent had used some bizarre jutsu, turning into paper to reassemble himself and escape.
And that wasn't all.
At the last moment, Onoki's hands had been frozen in place by ice…
For any shinobi, hands were essential for performing jutsu. If their hands were immobilized, they were effectively rendered powerless.
This was dangerous!
The Iwa-nin wished they could rush in to take Onoki's place, but floating in midair, they had no way to intervene. All they could do was watch and pray that Onoki could break free from Kyoichi's Ice Release.
Fortunately, in the next moment…
Layers of rock formed over Onoki's arms. With a furious roar, his muscles bulged as he forcibly shattered the ice shackles. Though his hands were frostbitten and stiff, there was no time to dwell on it.
What truly reassured Onoki was that his Dust Release had at least landed a hit.
Although his opponent had evaded using that strange Paper Release, he could see clearly—Kyoichi's wings had shrunk in size, and his flight speed had noticeably decreased.
If not for that, Kyoichi wouldn't have chosen to land and escape just now—he would have flown in to finish him off.
Cold sweat dripped down Onoki's forehead. But after analyzing the situation, he felt more confident.
He had seen through Kyoichi's flight limitations—
Unless Kyoichi could find external support, his flight speed alone wasn't enough to match Onoki's Light-Weight Rock Jutsu. At this speed, the accuracy of Onoki's Dust Release would also improve significantly.
Above this altitude, Kanda Kyoichi was no longer a threat!
…
Kyoichi looked up, feeling somewhat resigned.
As expected of Onoki—he had quickly identified the flaw in Kyoichi's flying technique, striking at the exact moment his speed had dropped.
That attack had nearly killed him.
Thankfully, he had God's Paper Form.
Without it, he would have had to rely on Sealless Healing to survive.
So…
Fighting Onoki at this altitude was definitely unwise. Since Onoki refused to come down, there was no point in pursuing him further.
"Kyoichi-sama, what should we do?"
Gekko Hayate caught up, anxious and concerned.
He had thought he could help, but reality proved otherwise. Against these top-tier powerhouses, he wasn't even qualified to act as a sacrifice.
They couldn't even reach that high.
"Let the Hokage worry about it. I've stalled long enough, and I'm running out of options."
Kyoichi took a deep breath.
Though his fight with Onoki had seemed brief, the chakra and stamina he had expended were significant.
More importantly…
Onoki had figured out the techniques that could threaten him.
If Onoki didn't engage him directly, there was no way to hold him back.
There were still some tricks he could use to prolong the fight, but it wasn't worth it. Onoki was surely low on chakra as well, and as long as the Third Hokage could hold out, their side would win.
"So what now…?"
"I'm heading to the Hokage. You figure things out on your own."
Kyoichi thought for a moment and then made his decision—to head towards Hiruzen Sarutobi's battlefield.
He didn't particularly care whether the Third Hokage lived or died, but if Sarutobi actually perished, Danzo would be the one celebrating the most.
Between Sarutobi and Danzo, Kyoichi would much rather see the latter suffer.
So…
He was going.
Kyoichi put away Samehada.
Although Samehada was powerful, it wasn't suited for high-speed assaults and quick kills—especially against Iwa-nin.
Most Iwa-nin used solid earth and rock-based jutsu, making Samehada less effective. A traditional blade would be much more efficient.
Thus…
He switched to the Executioner's Blade.
In terms of sharpness, it was inferior to the custom-forged blade he had commissioned from the Third Hokage. But in terms of weight, it was much heavier, making it devastating when combined with Super Strength Jutsu.
Earth walls? Stone pillars?
A single swing could destroy them all.
In the next instant, his blade, now imbued with Wind Release Chakra, flashed across an enemy's throat.
On the ground, his speed had slowed significantly.
However…
His killing efficiency had increased dramatically.
Onoki watched, his heart bleeding, but there was nothing he could do. This brat was just too difficult to deal with, and killing him now held no strategic value—the true enemy leader was still the Third Hokage!
…
At the rear lines…
"Captain, do we take out the medical-nin too?"
"Kill them!"
Minato Namikaze didn't hesitate.
In fact, he was the first to charge in. The Iwa-nin had left a considerable force behind, but they were no match for Minato's elite squad.
Without further delay, Shirakumo Hayama activated Breath Activation Jutsu, combined it with Body Flicker Technique, and instantly closed the distance to the Iwa-nin.
Earth walls, earth spikes, and rock projectiles flew toward him.
But then—
Wind Blade: Vacuum Blade!
A gust of wind howled, slicing through everything. Rocks and earth were shredded and sent flying toward the defenders.
In the next instant…
Over a dozen Flying Thunder God kunai streaked through the air.
The Iwa-nin quickly dodged.
However…
A flash of golden light streaked through their ranks.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, a golden blur wove through them at an unimaginable speed. Before they even registered what had happened, Konoha's shinobi had already bypassed them, continuing their pursuit.
Only then did they feel the pain.
Blood splattered across the battlefield.
Minato wasn't the only one killing—Aburame Shibi and the others were slaughtering as well. Shibi's insects were nearly unstoppable in this chaotic melee, and the Iwa-nin were helpless against them.
Even though Minato's squad numbered only twelve, they were utterly dominant.
It was a massacre!
And yet…
The remaining Iwa-nin showed no signs of surrendering. They hastily reorganized their defenses, but their lines soon crumbled—some held their ground, while others fled toward Onoki's position.
In less than fifteen minutes, their camp was devoid of life.
"Move forward!"
…
Meanwhile, in the forest, skirmishes were raging everywhere.
Iwa-nin excelled at siege warfare, but open-field skirmishes were not their forte.
However…
To counter Kirin, they had no choice but to fight in the open.
Despite their superior numbers, Konoha's elite jonin were simply stronger—a situation worsened by Kyoichi's earlier assassinations.
So…
With Kyoichi's arrival, the battle was evenly matched.
He spotted flames rising in the distance—
Morning Peacock's flames.
Had Might Duy opened the Sixth Gate?
Against Kitsuchi?
Kyoichi hesitated briefly, then changed course—heading toward Duy instead of the Third Hokage.
Kitsuchi wasn't skilled in Dust Release or Light-Weight/Heavy-Weight Rock Jutsu, but he was still formidable. His defenses might be too much for Duy.
Might Duy was strong, but his weaknesses were more pronounced than Guy's.
Kyoichi rushed forward.
As he arrived, he saw Kitsuchi leading four or five squads, surrounding Might Duy, Kosuke, and Asuma. Around them lay numerous Iwa-nin corpses.
They had killed too many, drawing Kitsuchi's attention. Now, the ones participating in the siege were all elite squads—composed of elite jōnin and chūnin—far superior to their current "veteran mentoring the new" team composition.
One after another, Earth Release techniques rained down, making it difficult for Duy and Kosuke to unleash their full strength.
No wonder Might Duy had to open the Sixth Gate.
Kyoichi suppressed his presence, quietly refining his chakra.
Gekko Hayate and the others followed closely behind.
Kyoichi glanced back at them, then issued a series of orders.
Capture Kitsuchi alive.
As for the others...
Kill them all!
Although Kyoichi was fairly certain that the situation with the Third Hokage was under control, there was no guarantee that something unexpected wouldn't happen. A swift and decisive victory was necessary.
The command was given.
Then—
Whoosh!
A piercing sound cut through the air.
Kitsuchi heard the disturbance and immediately sensed an incoming enemy. He hurriedly raised a Earth Flow Wall to defend.
But—
Just as the wall rose, a figure had already flashed past it.
Kanda Kyoichi!
"Retreat!"
Kitsuchi shouted, forming hand seals before slamming his hands onto the ground. The earth trembled and rose, forming a massive earth mountain that enclosed Might Duy and his group in the center before rapidly closing in.
He intended to force Kyoichi to react and split his attention.
However—
Kyoichi didn't even spare it a glance. He knew that such a technique would never kill Might Duy and the others. Let alone the fact that Duy could open the Seventh Gate if necessary—even if he didn't, Kosuke would surely find a way.
Sure enough…
The next moment, water surged from within the mountain.
Obito had slipped inside using an Iwa-style infiltration technique, while Rin and the others used a combination of Body Flicker and Substitution techniques, riding the force of the torrent to escape from the collapsing mountain. And then—
The Seventh Gate—Open!
Duy's speed skyrocketed to its peak as he grabbed the now-exhausted Kosuke, pulling him out from inside.
Kitsuchi had no intention of staying. The moment he finished his technique, he tried to flee.
But—
A blade light flashed past.
Kitsuchi narrowly "dodged" it. He was sure he had avoided Kyoichi's Wind Release sword slash—yet his foot was still injured. The next second, a figure landed right in front of him.
One strike, two strikes…
His chakra was suddenly sealed.
Hyūga Clan?!
Kitsuchi tried to resist, but his opponent had already struck four more times. Then, with swift hand seals, a hand pressed against his body.
Evil Sealing Method!
Almost all of his chakra was sealed away.
Kitsuchi attempted to fight back with taijutsu, but the moment he moved, two chains shot out, wrapping around him in an instant.
The Iwa-nin squads turned back to assist him—only to be greeted by two razor-sharp "wind wings" spreading wide—
Dual Blade Style: Flying Swallow!
Brilliant Wind Release chakra condensed into two glowing blades, dancing through the enemy ranks.
The Iwa-nin reacted quickly, many attempting to counter with Eight Trigram Vacuum Palm, but when they saw those two flashing sword lights, their eyes momentarily went blank.
In the next instant, a shadow blurred past.
Blood sprayed in the air.
"Don't look directly at his sword!"
Higashi Shinin shouted in warning.
As an elite jōnin, his reflexes were fast—he barely dodged one strike and even threw a barrage of shuriken in return.
But—
Thud, thud, thud…
Each shuriken passed straight through Kyoichi's "body."
A clone?
His mind went blank.
The next second, that afterimage moved—it turned into a blinding streak of light, rushing straight toward him.
Higashi Shinin assumed it was just a shadow clone, so he only hardened his body with Earth Release while forming seals to assist his comrades. But in the very next moment—
His throat tightened.
Looking down—
A sword of blood sprayed from his neck.
It was… the real body?!
His eyes were filled with unwillingness.
This was the special Shunshin technique that Shisui would one day be known for.
At extreme speed, dozens of "clones" blurred together, making it impossible to distinguish the real one.
Unseeable. Unstoppable.
Three seconds later…
"I'm going to assist the Hokage. You finish up here."
As Kyoichi's voice echoed, all his afterimages vanished at the same time—
His real body was already thirty meters away, standing on a tree.
So fast!
Shisui stared in shock.
He prided himself on his speed, even keeping his Sharingan active—but what did he see just now?
Nothing.
Every single afterimage had seemed real.
This could only mean…
His teacher's speed had already surpassed what a one-tomoe Sharingan could perceive!
All that remained at the scene were the agonized groans of the defeated Iwa-nin.
Only now did Might Duy and Kosuke finally stop.
Duy had been planning to unleash Daytime Tiger, but after looking around…
It seemed unnecessary.
Kitsuchi was already sealed.
Four or five elite squads had been wiped out in mere seconds. While a few survived, they were either missing limbs or had been crippled beyond recovery.
Kosuke murmured to himself, "Second Hokage-sama, you have a successor just as powerful as you."
In Kyoichi, he saw the shadow of Tobirama Senju.
Kyoichi didn't use the Flying Thunder God technique.
But…
Did it even matter?
With Tailed Beast Cloak, Seven Heavens Breathing, and Shunshin stacked together, his speed rivaled the legendary technique itself.
Of course—
What amazed Kosuke even more wasn't just Kyoichi's speed, but his swordsmanship.
As a master of the blade himself, he fully understood the depth of those few slashes.
Genjutsu, Wind Release, and Taijutsu—perfectly fused into swordplay.
Even the Second Hokage had never achieved that.
Kosuke was shaken, but his instincts remained sharp—he quickly refocused.
"You all go support the others. We can handle things here."
"Understood…"
Gekko Hayate nodded, raising his hand in a quick gesture.
In an instant, the four of them disappeared with Body Flicker.
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