The Iwagakure Ninja swarmed forward and surrounded the figure, their eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.
"How tall is he? Is he a child?"
"Hey, brat! Get back home and drink your milk. This isn't a place for little kids."
"Wait, that Forehead Protector—it's a Konoha Ninja. Is this kid a Konoha Ninja? Did he not see that there are a full sixty of us here?"
"Perfect. He's walked right into our hands as a source of information. Capture him and don't let him get away. We can break his arms and legs..."
The Iwagakure Ninja eyed him like a pack of wolves. At the center of the crowd, Ōnoki's expression shifted, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen really has gotten old. I never thought he'd send children who haven't even come of age to die on the battlefield. Konoha's forces must be stretched thin indeed..."
"You'd better surrender while you can. That way, Konoha won't be left without anyone to carry on, and a brat your age might even survive."
Surrounded by enemies, everyone's attention settled on the boy in the Three-Eyed Demon Fox Mask, dressed in black robes and a black cloak that billowed in the wind. They were ready to rush him at any moment.
"That crest... You're a brat from the Uchiha Clan? Didn't the adults in your family teach you that the Sharingan isn't much use when you're outnumbered?"
Facing Ōnoki's challenge, Uchiha Hanazuki chuckled and answered in a clear voice.
"They didn't have time—or maybe I should say they didn't have the lives—to teach me how to use the Sharingan. My mission is simply to keep you here and, while I'm at it, experience the legendary Dust Release for myself."
"What? So you're an orphan brat. Well, at least you won't have to suffer. Once we've tortured the information out of you, we'll send you straight to join your mommy and daddy!"
In an instant, blades flashed in the Iwagakure Ninja Hikari's hands. Moving with a reaction speed far beyond that of an ordinary Taijutsu specialist, he rushed forward, the cold gleam of his blades sweeping toward Hanazuki's limbs.
"It's over!"
The next moment, as the sensation of his blade passing through empty space traveled to his wrist, Hikari froze. He stumbled forward, passing straight through Hanazuki's body.
"Who's it over for? You?"
Shing!
The Kunai swept past, blood beading along its sharp edge. The crimson drops and the pain reminded Hikari that the figure behind him was no illusion.
"Your Taijutsu is impressive. You'd rank among the best even among the jonin. I may hate Sarutobi Hiruzen, but I hate rude people even more."
"Since he sent me to hold the Third Tsuchikage at bay, I may as well play a little ninja game with the old man. Could you all stay right where you are and not move?"
The Iwagakure Ninja exchanged bewildered glances. Hikari's attack had definitely landed, yet his blade had passed through his opponent's body in a bizarre fashion.
"So you're no ordinary brat. If you want this old man to obey you, show me what you can do. But..."
Ōnoki rushed toward Hanazuki in an instant. Between his hands, a transparent cube glimmered around a brilliant white core.
"Even if you bear the Uchiha name, you're not the one I first fought who also bore that name and was hailed as the God of Shinobi. Die without pain, brat—Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
The transparent barrier expanded in an instant, engulfing the space where Hanazuki stood. A terrifying explosion and dazzling light flashed, briefly driving away the sunlight before clouds of dust drifted across the area.
"My Dust Release, passed down from the Second Tsuchikage, can break anything down into atoms. It's a forbidden jutsu that reduces all things to dust. Nothing can withstand it."
"Above the Kekkei Genkai lies an even higher level: the Kekkei Tōta. Judging by that Body Flicker illusion just now, you're a genius brat of the Uchiha Clan, too."
"But talent that never gets the chance to shine is no more than a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected in water. At the very least, I should have let you leave your name. It's been a long time since I've encountered a brat from the Uchiha Clan."
Ōnoki slowly shook his head, his voice full of pride, as if certain Hanazuki had vanished from the world for good.
"As expected of the Third Tsuchikage. Dealing with a brat like that was effortless. It's a shame we didn't get to interrogate him for information."
"Tch. If that arrogant brat had awakened his Sharingan, we might've been able to take his eyes..."
"Idiot. The Sharingan's abilities require a body suited to the Sharingan. Even if you transplant one into someone else, the mismatch will only burden them."
The Iwagakure Ninja chattered noisily, evidently confident in the Third Tsuchikage's jutsu. Some were already celebrating before the battle was over, imagining the spoils they would claim after conquering Konoha.
"Uchiha Hanazuki. That's my name. The Mist Village and Sand Village Ninja like to call me Flash Illusion Moon. Want to know why?"
The faint whisper by Ōnoki's ear made his pupils contract.
He turned his head with difficulty. Beneath the Three-Eyed Demon Fox Mask, the intricate Mangekyō Sharingan now stirred long-buried memories in Ōnoki's mind.
"Those eyes... You..."
"Is it false or real? Like a flower blooming in a mirror, or a waning moon reflected in water. How can you know which it is without experiencing it for yourself?"
A terrifying Immobilization Genjutsu instantly bound more than sixty Iwagakure Ninja. The clear, youthful voice echoed across the empty plateau, its tone detached.
"The Sharingan's genjutsu isn't limited to being cast when our eyes meet. It seems you once fought someone with similar eyes somewhere. Uchiha Madara?"
His hands and feet went cold. Sweat streamed down his forehead as that long-buried fear quietly came alive once more.
But the boy in his memories had since become the leader of a village. The being so powerful he could not be looked at directly, a godlike figure, had now become a young boy.
"I can't believe I was careless enough to fall for your genjutsu. Was the figure inside the Dust Release just now an illusion, too?"
"No, that wasn't an illusion. It really is a Kekkei Tōta jutsu. If I hadn't had these eyes, a direct hit might actually have killed me."
A smile played at Hanazuki's lips, while shadows concealed his intricate Mangekyō Sharingan and Sage markings.
He was lucky. Of all the randomly drawn Mangekyō Sharingan techniques, he had gotten one that ranked among the SSRs.
At the same time, he was unlucky. The technique consumed considerably more chakra than Double Kamui, and Hanazuki had yet to receive a Hashirama Cells transplant.
It wasn't until he learned Sage Mode at Ryūchi Cave and gained the exclusive trait [Sage (Snake)] that he dared to use it, even a little, outside his inner world.
"Sounds like my Dust Release wasn't entirely useless after all. Your eyes contain power similar to Uchiha Madara's. What exactly is it?"
"Want to know? Even if you did, you wouldn't know how to counter it. We're leaving. Our target is Iwagakure."
Before you continue