Mangekyo Sharingan

The two facing each other focused their killing intent on their enemies in sharp gazes.

"—That armor, I seem to have some impression of it. It looks a lot like the armor of that guy I smashed to pieces a long time ago."

"Oh..."

Upon hearing Kinkaku's words, the expression on Diejian's face vanished.

A bone-chilling, razor-sharp killing intent spread outwards.

Diejian's armor was a relic of the Second Hokage, Tobirama.

Wearing Tobirama's armor on this particular day was by no means a coincidence.

Suddenly, Kinkaku looked down at his feet.

He spat and cursed, then quickly leaped backward from his spot.

Countless human arms burst from the earth.

Reaching for Kinkaku, who was trying to leap away, they narrowly missed, grasping at empty air in vain.

It was a surprise attack launched by Diejian's Shadow Clones, which had been hidden underground beforehand.

Without pausing, Diejian then threw a shuriken at the leaping Kinkaku.

The next second, Diejian formed the hand seal for Shadow Clone with astonishing speed, and the thrown shuriken instantly transformed into a barrage of hundreds.

"Playing these petty tricks!!"

The breath Kinkaku exhaled with astonishing force blew away the barrage of shuriken.

Whether it was Wind Release or simply lung capacity, it was clear this was not an opponent to be dealt with by mere tricks.

Diejian stomped hard on the ground.

The earth churned from the powerful stomp, and Diejian's figure vanished from his spot.

Kinkaku kicked at a branch almost simultaneously.

To prevent it from breaking under excessive load, the branch, kicked with exquisite force, merely dented, but Kinkaku's charge speed was no less than Diejian's.

The two blades, colliding in mid-air, failed to bite into each other's flesh, only slicing through the air.

Landing almost simultaneously, the two turned without pause and charged at each other again.

The collision of the two, in a physical sense, sparked.

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the scene.

Diejian ducked to evade Kinkaku's attack.

The moment his hand touched the ground, his free hand clenched into a fist.

Kinkaku swung his blade down at Diejian's back as he was ducking, but Diejian simultaneously swung his sword, attempting to sweep at Kinkaku's ankles.

Sensing this, Kinkaku leaped back, and Diejian took the opportunity to rise.

He scattered the contents of his clenched fist... towards Kinkaku, who was still in mid-air.

"Ugh!?"

His face struck by clods of earth, Kinkaku reflexively closed his eyes.

Diejian attempted to slash horizontally across the neck of the still-eyed Kinkaku.

But Kinkaku, still with his eyes closed, met the attack with his own blade.

The two stopped in a posture where their sword guards met.

"Brat, it seems you're not cut out for swordsmanship. Your taijutsu is strong, but your sword style is obvious. You're imitating your master... trying hard, it's so touching I could cry. But hey, don't forget. The one who killed your master... was me!"

"!!"

Provoked by Kinkaku, Diejian's eyes widened, his eyeballs nearly popping out.

Diejian's arm muscles bulged, veins protruding.

He handed over the sword guard with one hand and swung the other, striking Kinkaku's cheek.

As Diejian's fist sank into Kinkaku's cheek, Kinkaku's fist also sank into Diejian's cheek—a cross-counter.

—Kinkaku and Diejian, breaking trees, were sent flying backward.

"As expected... a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Can't underestimate him."

In front of his master's killer, he had lost a bit of his composure.

The duel was a bit too hasty—Diejian, buried in a pile of shattered trees, first realized the need to check his own condition.

Since the battle a year ago, Diejian had become several times stronger.

While he hadn't yet reached the monster-like Kage level of Hashirama or Tobirama... who could seal the Nine-Tails alone, even so, he should be able to handle an enemy of the Three-Tails' level by himself.

However, Kinkaku was a man who, even if his power was inferior to the Nine-Tails, had not been killed.

What level of strength he possessed was difficult to ascertain beforehand without information from the Second Hokage, who had never actually fought him.

Without knowing the extent of the power difference, carelessly becoming arrogant and getting killed in return would be a grave problem.

Diejian stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his finger, and spat out the blood in his mouth.

"What...?"

The trees in front were being felled at an astonishing rate—

This abnormal sight met Diejian's eyes.

An invisible blade, gradually approaching from afar, was a great storm caused by Wind Release.

The tree surfaces, as if cut by a sharp blade, spoke of their terrifying sharpness.

丑, 寅, 未, 巳...

Diejian formed hand seals at an astonishing speed.

The seals were for Earth Release.

Diejian's body instantly sank into the ground, and the storm blade dissipated in the air.

He pondered what to do.

Launching a surprise attack from this state, carried out by the main body, was a poor choice.

Then, create distance and use Shadow Clones—

"—Gah!?"

—Suddenly, Diejian's collar was grabbed from behind.

Feeling his neck tighten, Diejian couldn't help but protect his throat.

"Long time no see."

Kinkaku's grinning face.

He thrust his hand into the ground and forcibly dragged Diejian, who was hidden underground, out.

Kinkaku's arm had a sharp blade.

The blade, attempting to bite into Diejian's flesh, stopped just before contact.

Kinkaku's arm was entangled by tree vines.

"This, this is Wood Release!"

Kinkaku exclaimed as he looked at what was wrapped around his hand.

Kinkaku was a living legend who had experienced the Warring States Period and knew of Senju Hashirama's Wood Release.

He also knew its danger and the characteristics of the Tailed Beast Chakra residing within him.

Kinkaku abandoned his final blow on Diejian, swung his arm, and tore off the still weak vines, hastily creating distance from Diejian.

"—Wood Release: Tree Sea Birth!!"

As if refusing to let him escape, Diejian clasped his hands together.

That posture, like praying to gods and Buddhas, was perhaps the unique hand seal for Wood Release, which commanded the creation of life from Chakra, an act akin to gods and Buddhas.

The surrounding trees suddenly began to move, extending branches and vines towards Kinkaku.

Kinkaku, now the one being chased, ran around to escape the trees closing in from all directions, but he couldn't seem to shake them off.

"Tch, what's going on! It's like the entire forest has come alive—"

"—I told you, Kinkaku. You've been lured into this forest. Everything within 360 degrees around you, within a one-kilometer radius... is my Tree Sea."

It had been two months since he was appointed by Sarutobi Hiruzen as an Examiner, and concurrently, the captain of the Genin escort squad and the Kinkaku Extermination Squad.

Diejian had come to this forest every day, bit by bit, replacing the naturally growing trees with those created by Wood Release.

Unable to rewrite the map single-handedly like Hashirama, Diejian had not neglected his preparations.

He harbored a high level of vigilance towards the man who killed Tobirama and was determined to kill him.

As a result, this inadvertently led Diejian to become careless and fall into a situation where he had to play his trump card early or be killed, but that was a story for another time.

One of the reasons Sarutobi Hiruzen allied with Iwagakure was the existence of this Kinkaku.

Iwagakure, aware of the tragic events in Kumogakure, initially attempted to weaken the declining Konoha.

They did not act overtly because any major conflict could provide Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and even Kumogakure with an excuse to unite and attack Iwagakure under the guise of protecting the declining Konoha.

Therefore, over about a year of covert battles, Iwagakure had actually hired an overwhelming number of rogue ninja.

But all of these were annihilated by the escort squad led by Diejian.

Should they re-examine their relationship with Konoha—just as the elders of Iwagakure began to discuss this, they obtained intelligence about Kinkaku's Unit fleeing to Sunagakure.

Even Iwagakure did not wish to be friends with a country that would harbor an internationally wanted criminal like Kinkaku. Though it was a process of elimination, they accepted Konoha's appeal.

At the same time, the intelligence of Iwagakure approaching Konoha was not something Sunagakure welcomed.

Therefore, Sunagakure planned to use the excuse of "assassination of Jonin from each village" during the joint exam between Konoha and Iwagakure to kill the examinees from each village, making them hate and slaughter each other.

Sunagakure deployed Kinkaku's Unit into this.

The Third Hokage, having obtained intelligence, decided to conduct the Kinkaku subjugation battle within the forest created by Diejian.

The grand plan was set in motion: Diejian would be dispatched as an examiner to conduct a normal test to lull the enemy into a false sense of security before Kinkaku appeared. The children would be sent back to the village the moment he showed himself, and the remaining Jonin would then subjugate Kinkaku's Unit.

"By now, your subordinates should have been eliminated by the allied forces. Konoha has dispatched fifteen elites led by White Fang, while Iwagakure has slightly fewer, but the Earth Shadow has sent his Left and Right Arms, Ōnoki of Both Scales."

"Wh-what..."

Bound by Wood Release, Kinkaku let out a pained cry.

Diejian gradually increased the restraint of the Wood Release, slowly drawing him towards crushing.

"I had intended to kill you with the Second Hokage's jutsu... but never mind."

Saying this, Diejian turned his back on Kinkaku.

It was probably true that he never wanted to see that face again.

"Repent endlessly to my master in hell, Kinkaku."

"--Ginkaku... is that your voice? You... where are you... weren't you... telling me to... live? Was that... what you said? You..."

Kinkaku's voice was slurred.

Diejian turned back in confusion.

Kinkaku's body had been swallowed by the Cocoon of Wood, not even a single hair remaining.

A faint murmur came from within the cocoon, as if he were talking to himself.

He's gone mad, Diejian thought.

This shouldn't be possible.

"Gaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!"

A world-shaking scream.

A roar.

Accompanied by a sonic boom, the Cocoon of Wood was blown apart from the inside.

"What, you've got to be kidding me..."

Emerging from the blast and wood fragments was a Red Chakra Monster wielding Six Tails--

What is this? Diejian took a step back.

This was something that, in the era before the villages were established, was considered a symbol of ninja fear.

Though sealed within the villages now, as a Jinchuriki, they were still objects of fear and awe--tailed beasts.

Diejian had seen this during the Kumogakure coup.

But Kinkaku before him now seemed unusually ominous compared to that time.

Originally, it was with this form in mind that the great forest barrier had been created.

Talismans to suppress the Nine-Tails' power were placed everywhere--

"Stop, Kinkaku!"

Diejian formed a hand seal with one hand, injecting chakra.

The chakra sealing barrier deployed around them activated, and several pillars of light shot into the sky.

However--

"Tailed Beast Bomb!!"

As if saying "How annoying," Kinkaku roared.

The dark chakra sphere released from Kinkaku's mouth flew straight towards Diejian.

Diejian instantly crouched to dodge, but the next second, a sonic boom echoed from the forest behind him.

Diejian looked back in astonishment; beyond the dust was a massive Meteor Crater.

The once lush vegetation had vanished without a trace, replaced by dead earth.

The barrier had also been destroyed in a single blow.

Being hit directly by this jutsu would mean death.

Diejian's spine trembled.

Kinkaku, having spat out the Tailed Beast Bomb, slowly closed his mouth.

He crooked his lips at Diejian's astonished expression.

His slow movements only fueled Diejian's fear.

"Senju Diejian. I hear you're the Second Hokage's disciple!! In that case, I can get revenge again, right? For my brother--Ginkaku!!"

During the Kumogakure Retreat Battle.

The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, single-handedly held off twenty members of Kinkaku's Unit and killed Ginkaku, who had rushed in as reinforcements.

Afterward, enraged by his brother's death, Tobirama, who had sustained fatal injuries fighting the Nine-Tails-transformed Kinkaku, suddenly vanished before Kinkaku.

Therefore, Kinkaku did not know the circumstances of Tobirama's final moments.

He harbored the arrogance of believing he had killed Tobirama, while simultaneously nursing the dissatisfaction of having failed to bury him with his own hands.

If he killed the disciple, perhaps his mood would improve slightly.

Even if it were only an emotion of this magnitude, for a brother who loved his younger brother deeply, it was enough.

Diejian understood through intuition that Kinkaku's sudden transformation was by no means a good thing.

He felt an astonishing sense of oppression, much like when he faced the giant-form Kakuzu during the retreat battle years ago.

"Wood Release--!!"

Diejian pressed his palms together, once again bringing the forest's trees under his control.

The trees, receiving Diejian's command, coiled around Kinkaku's body with powerful momentum, attempting to bind him, but--

"Too light!!"

With a swing of his tails and arms, all the trees were destroyed.

Wood Release was ineffective--no, it was that Diejian's Wood Release power was insufficient.

In past battles, what had been burned away by Forbidden Jutsu was the blessing of Senju Hashirama.

The meridian system woven specifically for Wood Release had returned to its original path; Diejian had regained the power of water and earth, but had lost his talent for Wood Release.

Of course, he could still use Wood Release to a fairly proficient degree, but the amount of chakra required had increased exponentially.

At the same time, that chakra capacity which once rivaled the Nine-Tails had itself diminished.

Even so, he still possessed about five times the chakra volume of Sakumo, but even then, the chakra consumption of Wood Release was no small matter.

Of course, there was also the reason of Kinkaku's power—that is, the Nine-Tails' power, which possessed an extraordinary "chakra directionality" as a ninjutsu.

Tailed Beasts wielded immense power directly, while a Jinchuriki concentrated that immense power into a single point, magnifying its destructive force.

"Monster..."

Diejian's expression twisted in pain.

Covered in a chakra cloak, a twisted smile appeared on Kinkaku's monster-like face as he lunged at Diejian.

Chakra Armor combined with that massive frame.

Judging close-quarters combat to be disadvantageous, Diejian immediately sheathed his blade.

Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.

Shattered by a single punch.

Water Release: Water Shark Bomb.

Swatted away.

Fire Release: Great Fireball.

Struck down.

Diejian stomped the ground, putting distance between them.

Kinkaku pursued.

Diejian's body entered Kinkaku's attack range.

"ORA!!"

Kinkaku swung his claws horizontally, attempting to crush him.

Diejian leaned back half a step to evade.

The claws that grazed his nose emitted a sound that tore through the air.

A fist approached, aiming to smash his face.

Diejian moved one step to the left, dodging it.

The sound of the fist striking air hammered against Diejian's eardrums.

But Diejian, undaunted, drew a Kunai from his waist with blinding speed.

He stabbed it into Kinkaku's arm, then leaped backward.

Kinkaku, with the Kunai embedded in his arm, seemed not to feel the pain, showing no signs of wavering.

Not only that, he seemed extremely annoyed that Diejian had dodged so easily.

As if flying into a rage, he lunged at the retreating Diejian.

This time, Kinkaku swung both arms in a pincer-like motion, attempting to crush Diejian with both fists.

Diejian deliberately stepped forward, slipping underneath him.

Having successfully dived into Kinkaku's guard, Diejian formed a single-handed seal.

In an instant, the Kunai embedded in Kinkaku's arm—with an explosive tag attached—detonated.

Kinkaku could not help but turn his face away.

This moment was the opportunity—Diejian formed hand seals with blinding speed.

Diejian's mouth puffed out.

Then—

"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!!"

The water projectile, launched with astonishing force, pierced Kinkaku's abdomen and bored a hole in the tree trunk opposite him.

"Gah!!"

Kinkaku, unable to suppress a cry, drove his knee upward.

But Diejian had anticipated this attack as well.

He pressed his palm against Kinkaku's approaching knee, absorbing the impact, and then sprang into the air, creating distance between himself and Kinkaku.

"—Hoo."

Diejian took a deep breath.

The "spherical distortion" around him vanished.

It was an original technique mastered only by Diejian: Domain.

A minuscule detection barrier that grasped the enemy's movements by spreading Chakra throughout the surroundings.

In a sense, it could also be called an air control sphere, and in close combat, it possessed superior performance in placing the enemy's physical techniques under sensory control.

Conversely, this technique, which required constantly spreading Chakra around oneself, consumed a tremendous amount of Chakra when facing a giant opponent like Kinkaku.

Breathing heavily, sweat beaded on Diejian's back.

"That last one hurt. Just a little."

"Super regeneration, huh..."

The wound on Kinkaku's abdomen was attempting to heal through Chakra.

It should have been a massive injury, but the regeneration kept pace.

Diejian understood that to defeat Kinkaku, he needed to land a decisive blow.

"I have a finishing move."

Knowing that Water Severing Wave was effective.

Diejian whispered.

The Second Hokage's teachings had bestowed upon Diejian a killing technique.

However, Water Severing Wave had a slow startup and was a large-movement technique.

It was difficult to create an opening.

This would be a grueling battle requiring considerable advanced countermeasures.

A gale rushed forth.

Diejian's figure vanished.

A fierce wind swirled.

Kinkaku's figure vanished.

Kinkaku's fist punched through the air above Diejian's head.

Diejian's Chakra-infused blade sliced through a thin layer of skin on Kinkaku's cheek.

Kinkaku twisted his body and attacked Diejian from above with his tail.

But Diejian used Wood Release to create a wall, deflecting it and momentarily controlling Kinkaku's movement.

Towards the airborne Kinkaku, Diejian poured all his strength into a punch.

And at the moment of impact, Diejian's fist expanded tenfold due to Wood Release armor.

This was a tribute to the Partial Expansion Technique passed down by his allies of the Senju clan, the Akimichi.

"—!!"

Diejian's full-powered punch sent Kinkaku flying, and Diejian's body surged forward from the recoil.

Diejian adjusted his body while charging, preparing to accelerate and pursue Kinkaku.

"!!"

The moment Kinkaku landed, Diejian caught up.

Diejian leaped, using his weight from above, and powerfully swung his fist as if to smash into the ground.

Diejian's fist directly struck the back of Kinkaku's head, embedding his body into the ground.

Diejian kicked Kinkaku's body with all his might without pause, forming hand seals with astonishing speed.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!!"

The vast amount of water spat from Diejian's mouth gradually took on the form of a dragon.

The water dragon, having engulfed Kinkaku with astonishing momentum, spun in the air and slammed him back into the ground.

A momentary gap.

Feeling a chill on his back, Diejian turned around instantly, only to see a red tail closing in before his eyes.

He had likely performed a shape transformation on the Nine-Tails' chakra, extending its reach.

Kinkaku, on all fours where he had just been slammed down, glared at Diejian.

Diejian twisted his body reflexively to dodge the tail.

But from another direction, a new tail approached.

Crouching to evade it, Diejian stomped hard against the ground.

If this continued, he would be surrounded by chakra.

Worried by this, he chose to retreat temporarily.

Passing through two tails, Diejian attempted to flee in a direction where four more tails were waiting.

While manipulating trees to create walls and attempting to bind the tails, Diejian was slow to react to the arm of Kinkaku closing in before him.

Kinkaku's Fist struck Diejian's face.

Diejian's neck twisted violently, and he was sent flying.

Breaking through many trees, Diejian's body rolled onto the ground.

"Ah... gah..."

Diejian let out an incoherent groan.

A single blow had reduced him to this state.

However, there was no time to berate himself for his incompetence.

The enemy was the killer of the Second Hokage.

He had to be defeated.

Supporting himself with trembling arms, Diejian pushed his body up.

But Kinkaku would not wait for Diejian to recover.

He gathered all his strength to create a Tailed Beast Bomb, firing it without a moment's pause.

Feeling the massive mass of killing intent approaching, Diejian made up his mind.

Diejian tore off the forehead protector he had inherited from Hashirama and tucked it into his robes.

His exposed forehead—engraved upon it was the Senju clan crest.

"Yin Seal: Release. Dojutsu: Sharingan."

The Senju crest gradually faded, and Diejian's pupils were dyed red.

Having awakened the Sharingan after the battle a year ago, Diejian had consulted Mito Uzumaki to break the sealing technique.

Under Mito's guidance, Diejian attempted to use the Sharingan multiple times, but two problems emerged.

One was a physical issue.

Using the Sharingan produced side effects equivalent to using the Eight Inner Gates.

For Diejian, that was manageable.

It wasn't actually manageable, but as a ninja living in the moment, he had no time to worry about post-battle side effects.

The second problem was mental.

Whenever Diejian used the Sharingan, he would enter an excited state, and his emotional fluctuations would become extremely intense.

He could not control the runaway feelings of hatred, which would even affect those around him.

He had no choice but to painfully seal away this Sharingan, which could have been a powerful asset, using his own chakra.

This sealing technique, which would automatically restart the sealing formula after a certain amount of time, was invented by Tobirama and Mito while the former was still alive.

Tobirama believed that one day, Diejian would accept his own darkness and soar into the sky.

Kinkaku's Tailed Beast Bomb approached to within a few centimeters of Diejian's eyes.

At the moment of impact, Diejian's figure vanished.

"Flying Thunder God—"

"Behind me!?"

Diejian had "flown" onto Kinkaku's head.

He had planted a mark during their earlier exchange of blows.

Diejian formed the seals for an Earth Release.

It was a nostalgic technique he had created with his grandfather in his youth, one for which Tobirama had scolded him.

"—Earth Landslide Technique!!"

Having weathered the passage of time, the Turbid Current, now vastly different in both quality and scale, swallowed Kinkaku and scoured the forest.

But after Diejian landed, he thought with regret, This is bad.

He had avoided using large-scale techniques earlier precisely because he did not want to hinder the Allied Forces who might be fighting somewhere in this forest.

Although he had successfully manifested the Sharingan, the repercussions began to show immediately.

"Finish this quickly..."

Diejian stepped onto the earth and pressed his palms together.

The earth and sand swallowing Kinkaku were created by Diejian's own chakra.

Pinpointing Kinkaku's location was easy.

Kinkaku covered himself in Chakra Armor, forcing his way through the Turbid Current.

Kinkaku gradually closed the distance to where Diejian stood.

Diejian felt a fear akin to facing a wild beast when looking at Kinkaku.

"Stop...!!"

The moment he grasped the target's position, he poured chakra into the earth.

The viscous mud surrounding Kinkaku solidified with astonishing momentum, and trees sprouted from within, layering over the area.

Yet, Kinkaku continued to struggle.

Trapped within the earth that restricted his movement, he lashed out with his tails, claws, and powerful arms, destroying everything that attempted to bind him.

A thunderous roar echoed.

A corner of the earth exploded, and a red chakra monster emerged.

However, its cloak was peeling away in many places, and human skin was faintly visible on half of his face and parts of his limbs.

This damage could not have been caused by the Earth Landslide Technique, Diejian thought.

This technique, which excelled at crushing, did not possess such destructive power.

Then, it must be—

"A Tailed Beast Bomb?"

To escape the restraints, Kinkaku had deliberately let a Tailed Beast Bomb detonate at close range.

One could not achieve such a feat without considerable resolve.

Realizing that Kinkaku was also fighting with a death-defying determination, Diejian increased the amount of chakra poured into his eyes.

Diejian's Three Tomoe spun rapidly.

Finally, they merged into a circle, becoming a Mangekyo.

"So that's the Uchiha's Sharingan. I see... No wonder you had the 'arrogance' to say you could stop me all by yourself."

The battered Kinkaku laughed.

But it was not out of recognition for Diejian.

It was a calm smile, born from the judgment that Diejian had exhausted his trump card.

At the same time, Kinkaku's wounds were gradually healing.

To defeat Kinkaku, it must be now—this very moment.

Diejian felt this with certainty.

"Don't act like a big shot when you couldn't even protect your own brother."

"I'll kill you!!"

"Third Gate, Gate of Life... Open!! Let's go!! Our master was killed too, by you bastards!!"

Although he had not yet reached the level of the Eight Inner Gates to open the fourth gate, his control over the Gate of Life was nearly perfect.

There were side effects, of course, but the risks of suffering excruciating pain during battle had been significantly reduced.

Thus, starting at full speed, Diejian stomped hard against the ground.

Having had his scales touched, a furious Kinkaku roared and charged at Diejian.

Kinkaku's fists struck toward Diejian's front, while six tails attacked from the periphery.

Though the number of strikes and speed had increased, the enraged attacks were wild and lacked their previous precision.

Diejian manifested Susanoo around himself, equipped it with Wood Release armor, and sprouted four arms.

—The fistfight began.

A battle of parrying each other's blows with fists; had it been flesh and blood, their hands would have shattered instantly.

Kinkaku and Diejian stood locked in a stalemate.

Between the six tails and the six arms, Diejian, focusing all his consciousness on the "insight" of the Mangekyo Sharingan, caught a single opening.

"Mangekyo Sharingan—Omokane."

"W-what is this!!"

Kinkaku's body suddenly lost its balance.

As if dragged by some invisible force, Kinkaku's body moved toward Diejian.

Kinkaku, who had dug his claws into the ground in an attempt to stop himself, cried out as if he had suddenly realized something.

"Th-this power is Uchiha Izumi's—"

"Die!!"

In the split second that Kinkaku's attention was diverted and his punches weakened, Diejian poured all of his Chakra into the Susanoo.

Fist after fist, each strike growing heavier, rained down upon Kinkaku like a storm.

"Gaaaaahhhhh!!"

Kinkaku's scream echoed through the air.

But Diejian did not stop his assault.

Until Kinkaku perished, until the wailing ceased, Diejian continued to swing his fists, enduring the physical agony brought on by the side effects of the Susanoo.

"--Time's up."

Minutes later, Diejian whispered, his shoulders heaving violently.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and brushed back his damp hair.

On Diejian's exposed forehead, the crest of the Senju Clan appeared once more.

At the same time, the red hue faded from Diejian's eyes.

The manifested Susanoo collapsed, and the wooden armor it had been equipped with fell to the ground with a dry, clattering sound.

With the seal of the Senju Chakra complete, Diejian reflected inwardly.

As expected, being dominated by emotion had made his attacks sloppy.

A ninja must never reveal their emotions—he chewed over Tobirama's teachings, focusing on maintaining his composure, but it was truly difficult to achieve.

Sighing, Diejian turned his gaze toward Kinkaku's "corpse"—.

"--Damn it."

"You got careless, kid."

Kinkaku stood there, most of his Nine-Tails Cloak stripped away, leaving only three tails remaining.

He tightened his fist and aimed it at Diejian.

Diejian scrambled to draw his blade, but it was too late; he was struck squarely by a full-power punch from Kinkaku.

"Gah!!"

The impact of Kinkaku's fist sinking into his abdomen was incredibly intense; Diejian had nearly all the air knocked out of his lungs as he was sent flying.

However, Kinkaku caught up to the airborne Diejian and used his tails to launch him higher into the air.

Following up on the launched Diejian, Kinkaku swung his hammer-like fist toward the ground.

In a battle of attrition, it was only natural that Kinkaku, a true monster, would have the advantage over Diejian, who merely resembled one.

Diejian, who usually excelled in long-drawn-out battles, had failed to realize that he had to decisively finish Kinkaku in a short-term clash or he would lose.

Diejian's own Chakra reserves were monstrous compared to other ninjas, and Diejian himself was well aware of this, which led to a miscalculation.

Precisely because his opponent was Kinkaku, Diejian's true value had become his undoing.

"Gaha!"

He felt a heavy impact and searing pain throughout his entire body.

Having exhausted his remaining Chakra from the continuous use of high-level techniques, Diejian had no leeway to escape using the Flying Thunder God in the midst of this fierce battle.

On the other hand, Kinkaku, having regained his composure through pain and the threat to his life, had discarded his arrogance toward Diejian—whom he had dismissed as a weakling—and began to exert his true power, even without going all out.

He was going to be killed.

Under the relentless barrage of attacks that left him no room to breathe, Diejian's body screamed in agony.

He could no longer even run; he was destined to be slaughtered.

Was it still too soon? Amidst Diejian's regretful consciousness, a familiar voice rang out.

--Coming to his senses, Diejian found himself lying on the ground.

He had not lost consciousness.

He understood why he was on the ground and what had happened to Kinkaku.

However, the series of events that had just occurred felt as if his body had moved on its own, requiring no effort from Diejian himself.

"Ma-Master..."

His blade was unsheathed, though he did not remember doing so.

The blade was broken, leaving only a short tip and the hilt.

Clack, clack, clack, Diejian's hands trembled.

It wasn't from fear.

Nor was it from joy.

He didn't know the reason.

But this trembling stemmed from something welling up from the depths of his heart.

"You protected me..."

Diejian whispered.

A tear traced a path down Diejian's eye.

This broken sword was the ninja sword favored by Diejian's master, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

Though it was a sword with a history of having slain his past self, Diejian had cherished it ever since Tobirama's death.

"Uncle..."

Just now, as Diejian endured Kinkaku's attack, Tobirama's sword had been released from its sheath.

Perhaps it had slipped from Diejian, who was leaping and jumping, due to inertia.

But to Diejian, the sword's unsheathing felt as if someone had drawn it.

The sword, spinning in the air, flew before Diejian.

Diejian unconsciously gripped its hilt and received Kinkaku's strongest blow.

As a result, the sword broke off, mere centimeters from the hilt.

However, that blade spun in the air—with astonishing momentum, it pierced Kinkaku's eyeball.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

"Uncle protected me...!!"

Kinkaku writhed in pain, letting out a mournful cry.

In a state of complete carelessness, unable to move in the air, the blade, repelled by his own full-power attack, plunged even deeper into Kinkaku.

"Ooooooooooh!!"

Diejian spurred his aching body, bracing his trembling knees.

He let out a voiceless roar, tightly gripping the broken hilt.

Within his body, he refined his Chakra.

He felt the sensation of cold water flowing through him once more.

At that moment, the broken blade lengthened.

A transparent blade—coincidentally, in the battle against Madara where Tobirama risked his life to protect Diejian, the very technique Tobirama used at the end was this one.

"Flying Thunder God: Water Severing Strike!!"

Diejian stomped the ground.

He no longer had the strength to reach Kinkaku.

But Diejian had a technique.

He possessed a treasure inherited from the Second Hokage.

--Instantly, Kinkaku's screams ceased.

Diejian passed by Kinkaku, standing back-to-back.

Unable to even perform a proper landing, Diejian collapsed to the ground.

Thump, the sound of something falling.

Kinkaku's body, missing its head and above, crashed to the ground.

"Uncle... your revenge..."

Diejian's consciousness faded.