Popping Champagne at Halftime

A crowd of Rock Village ninjas swarmed forward, surrounding the lone figure, their eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"This height... is he just a kid?"

"Hey! Brat, hurry home and drink your mother's milk. This isn't a place for little runts like you."

"Wait, that headband is... a Konoha ninja? Is this kid really a Konoha ninja? Has he not noticed there are sixty of us here?"

"Perfect, isn't this an intelligence source delivered right to our doorstep? Capture the brat, don't let him escape, just break his arms and legs..."

The Rock ninjas glared with predatory intent. Onoki, surrounded by the crowd, wore a subtle change in expression, his face hinting at mockery.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen is truly getting old. To think he would send children who haven't even come of age to the battlefield to die. Konoha's combat strength must be hollowed out to such a degree..."

"You should surrender early to avoid Konoha Village having no successors. A brat of your age might still be able to survive."

Amidst the surrounding enemies, everyone's gaze was fixed on the youth wearing the Three-Eyed Demon Fox Mask, clad in black robes with a heavy cloak fluttering in the wind, ready to pounce at any moment.

"That crest is... a brat from the Uchiha Clan? Did your elders never teach you that the Sharingan is of little use when outnumbered?"

Facing Onoki's interrogation, Uchiha Hanazuki chuckled twice and replied in a clear voice.

"They didn't have the time—or perhaps I should say, they didn't have the lives left to teach me how to use the Sharingan. My mission is simply to stop you here and, incidentally, to experience the legendary Dust Release."

"What is this! So he's just an orphan brat. Well, you won't have to suffer for long; once we extract the intelligence, we'll send you straight to reunite with your mother and father!"

In an instant, blades flashed. The Rock ninja Hikari lunged forward with a reaction speed far exceeding that of an average taijutsu specialist, his twin blades gleaming with cold light as they touched Hanazuki's limbs.

"It's over!"

The next second, as the empty sensation of the blade passing through flesh reached his wrists, Hikari froze, stumbling forward as he passed straight through Hanazuki's body.

"Who is finished? You?"

Slash!

A kunai swept by, tiny beads of blood gathering on the sharp edge. The crimson droplets and the sharp pain reminded Hikari that the presence behind him was no illusion.

"Decent taijutsu. You could be considered an expert even among Jonin. Although I despise Sarutobi Hiruzen, I despise those without manners even more."

"Since he asked me to hold back the Third Tsuchikage, I suppose I'll play this ninja game with you old man. Would you mind staying exactly where you are?"

The Rock ninjas looked at each other in shock. Hikari's attack had definitely landed, yet the blade had eerily passed through the opponent's body.

"Not just an ordinary brat, are you? If you want this old man to listen, show me your true strength. However..."

Onoki lunged at Hanazuki in a flash, a pure white core glowing with dazzling brilliance within the transparent cube between his hands.

"Even if you bear the name Uchiha, you are not the one I fought in the beginning—the one who carried that name and was hailed as the God of Shinobi. Die without pain, brat. Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"

The transparent barrier expanded suddenly, engulfing the spot where Hanazuki sat. A terrifying explosion and brilliant light flashed, briefly banishing the sunlight before wisps of dust scattered into the air.

"The Second Tsuchikage's and my Dust Release can decompose anything into its atomic state. It is a forbidden technique that wipes all existence into nothingness; it is absolutely impossible to resist."

"It is a Kekkei Tota, a level above Kekkei Genkai. Judging by that flash-step illusion earlier, you are also a genius brat of the Uchiha Clan."

"But talent that cannot bloom is, in the end, nothing more than a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water. At least I should let you leave your name behind; it has been a long time since I encountered a brat from the Uchiha Clan."

Onoki shook his head slowly, his tone filled with arrogance, as if he were certain Hanazuki had vanished from this world entirely.

"As expected of the Third Tsuchikage, dealing with such a brat is effortless. It's a pity we couldn't extract any intelligence from him."

"Tch, if that arrogant brat had activated his Sharingan, we might have been able to obtain it from his corpse..."

"Idiot, the Sharingan's power requires a compatible constitution. Even if you transplanted it, the body would be burdened by the eyes due to incompatibility."

The Rock ninjas chattered loudly, seemingly confident in the Third Tsuchikage's technique, with some already celebrating their victory and imagining the spoils of conquering Konoha.

"Uchiha Hanazuki, that is my name. The ninjas of the Mist and Sand like to call me Flash Illusion Moon. Do you want to know why?"

The faint whisper in his ear caused Onoki's pupils to constrict.

Struggling to turn his head, he saw that beneath the Three-Eyed Demon Fox Mask, those exquisite and complex Mangekyo patterns were currently awakening long-buried memories in Onoki's mind.

"Those eyes... you..."

"Is it false or real? Just like the flower blooming in the mirror or the waning moon reflected in the water—if you don't experience it for yourself, how can you know what is fake and what is true?"

A terrifying Immobilization Genjutsu instantly bound the sixty-plus Rock ninjas. The crisp, youthful voice echoed across the empty plateau, its tone indifferent.

"Sharingan genjutsu isn't only released when our gazes meet. It seems you once fought someone with similar eyes somewhere. Uchiha Madara, was it?"

His hands and feet turned cold, sweat pouring down his forehead. The long-sealed fear was playing out once again in this very moment.

Only, the youth in his memories had now become a village leader, and that existence—once so powerful he was impossible to look upon, like a god—had now become a young boy.

"To think I would be careless for a moment and fall into your genjutsu. Was the figure in the Dust Release also an illusion?"

"No, that was not an illusion. As expected of a Kekkei Tota technique; if not for these eyes, I might have truly died if I had been hit head-on."

Hanazuki curled his lips into a smile, his exquisite Mangekyo and Sage markings obscured by the shadows.

He was lucky; among the randomized ocular techniques of the Mangekyo Sharingan, he had drawn one that could be called SSR-tier.

At the same time, he was unfortunate; the consumption of this technique was far greater than even the Double Kamui, not to mention that Hanazuki had not yet transplanted Hashirama cells.

It was only after learning Sage Mode in Ryuchi Cave and gaining the exclusive trait [Sage (Snake)] that he dared to use it slightly outside of his inner world.

"It seems my Dust Release is not entirely useless. Your eyes contain power similar to Uchiha Madara's. What exactly are they?"

"Want to know? Even if you knew, there would be no way to break it. Let's go, target: Rock Village."