"Tsuchikage-sama!"
The Iwa-nin's voices trembled with panic.
Just moments ago, when Ōnoki counterattacked, they'd thought Kyōichi was finished—only for him to reconstitute from scattered paper like some ghostly origami.
And now—
Ōnoki's hands were shackled in ice.
For any ninja, bound hands meant sealed techniques.
Disaster!
They yearned to intervene, but the aerial battlefield left them helpless—reduced to praying their Kage could break free.
Then—
CRACK!
Layers of rock encased Ōnoki's arms. With a roar, his muscles bulged, shattering the glacial restraints. Frostbite stiffened his fingers, but survival trumped comfort.
Ōnoki took grim solace: his Dust Release had connected.
Though Kyōichi's paper trick negated a killing blow, the damage showed—his wings had shrunk, flight speed halved.
Had he been at full capacity, that wouldn't have been a retreat—but a beheading strike.
Cold sweat dripped as Ōnoki reassessed.
Kyōichi's aerial weakness was exposed—
Without ground leverage, his flight couldn't match Lightened Rock's speed. At this altitude, Dust Release's accuracy skyrocketed.
Above this height, Kanda Kyōichi ceases to be a threat!
———
Kyōichi looked skyward, exhaling through clenched teeth.
Typical Ōnoki—adapting instantly.
That near-fatal strike had exploited his speed decay perfectly. Only Kamipaper User saved him—without it, even Seal-Less Healing might've failed.
Engaging Ōnoki at that altitude was suicide now.
"Kyōichi-sama, what now?"
Gekkō Kazuki arrived, frustration etched on his masked face. He'd hoped to contribute, but this was a duel between titans—he couldn't even serve as a sacrificial shield.
"Let the Hokage handle it. I've stalled enough."Kyōichi panted. The brief clash had drained considerable chakra and stamina.
More critically—Ōnoki had deciphered his threat parameters. Without the element of surprise, forcing engagement was impossible.
"Then we—"
"I'm reinforcing the Hokage. You're on cleanup duty."
Kyōichi sheathed Samehada. Against earth-style defenses, the blade's absorption proved inefficient. Instead—
Shink!
The Executioner's Blade gleamed in his grip.
Less sharp than his custom-forged sword, but its weight paired with Monster Strength turned it into a wrecking ball.
Earthen walls? Stone pillars?
Smashed.
Followed by wind-chakra-enhanced decapitations.
Ground combat slowed him—
Yet butchered efficiency soared.
Ōnoki's heart bled watching his forces fall, but chasing Kyōichi was pointless. The real prize was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
———
Rear Camp – 14 Minutes Earlier
"Captain... even the medics?"
"Yes."
Namikaze Minato's reply held zero hesitation.
He'd spearheaded the assault—twelve elite shinobi carving through rear guards like a scalpel through rice paper.
Hakuza Asama's Vacuum Blade shredded earth defenses, while Aburame Shibi's insects swarmed unchecked.
But the true horror was Minato—
A golden flash weaving through ranks. By the time pain registered, his squad had already moved past the dying.
Twelve versus dozens.
A slaughter.
Yet the Iwa-nin fought to the last—some forming desperate rearguards, others fleeing toward Ōnoki.
Within fifteen minutes—
Silence.
"Advance."
———
Forest Combat Zone
Chaos reigned.
Might Duy's Morning Peacock flames illuminated the trees—Six Gates activated against Tsuchi's elite squad.
Smart.
Kyōichi altered course.
Tsuchi lacked his father's Dust Release, but his earth-style defenses countered Duy's brute strength perfectly.
The scene confirmed his assessment—
Five Iwa teams encircling Duy, Gen, and the rookies. Piles of corpses attested to their earlier resistance, but now—
Earthen barrages pinned them.
No wonder Duy opened the Sixth Gate.
Kyōichi signaled Kazuki's squad—
Capture Tsuchi. Kill the rest.
Whoosh!
Tsuchi reacted instantly—Earth-Style Wall erupting—
Too late.
Kyōichi had already cleared it.
"Fall back!"
Tsuchi's hands slammed together—
BOOM!
Twin earth-mountains entrapped Duy's group.
A diversion Kyōichi ignored—
Because—
SPLOOSH!
Underground streams erupted as Obito's Earth Release guided the team through collapsing terrain.
Then—
Seventh Gate: Unsealed!
Guy blurred out with Gen in tow.
Tsuchi turned to flee—
Flash!
A wind-blade grazed his calf.
Before he could counter—
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hyūga Hizashi's Gentle Fist sealed his chakra points.
"Evil Sealing Method!"
Chains snaked around Tsuchi as Iwa reinforcements arrived—
Only to meet twin cyclones of wind-chakra—
Dual Swords: Flying Swallow!
The technique's brilliance unfolded—
Wind blades danced hypnotically. Several Iwa-nin froze mid-counterattack, mesmerized—
Fatal.
"Don't look at the blades!"
The warning came late.
His evasion saved him initially—until phantom afterimages weaved through his defenses.
Shadow clone?
Then—
Slice.
A crimson fountain erupted from his throat.
"Im...possible..."
This was no ordinary clone technique—but a precursor to Shisui's legendary Body Flicker—
So fast it created real-feigning afterimages.
Three seconds later—
"Clean up. I'm reinforcing the Hokage."
Kyōichi's voice echoed as all "clones" vanished—
His true form already thirty meters away.
Too fast!
Shisui's Sharingan strained to track the movement.
Might Duy lowered his Daytime Tiger stance—
Unnecessary.
Tsuchi: captured.
Five squads: annihilated.
Gen murmured reverently:
"Nidaime-sama... Konoha has birthed your equal."
In Kyōichi, he saw Tobirama's shadow—
Not in technique, but essence.
No Flying Thunder God? Irrelevant.
Tailed Beast cloak + Seven Heavens Breathing + Shunshin achieved comparable speed.
Yet what truly awed Gen was the swordsmanship—
A fusion of genjutsu, wind-nature, and taijutsu even Tobirama hadn't mastered.
"Secure the perimeter." Gen ordered the rookies before signaling Kazuki.
Four ANBU vanished into the trees.