Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Hand Kill!

"Green skin?"

The corner of Guy's eye twitched slightly. His clenched fist crackled with the grinding of bones as his dangerous gaze shot straight at Genichi. "A secret ninjutsu of the Fire Temple? Let me see what you've got!"

He extended his right hand and brought his legs together, assuming a fighting stance. A blazing fighting spirit flashed through Guy's eyes. "Watch out!"

"First level!"

Boom...

With Guy's warning, the ground caved in and ripples spread through the air. His fierce fist wind roared like a dragon raising its head to the sky, charging straight at Genichi, who stood motionless.

Genichi remained where he was, his expression calm as he watched Guy rush toward him at tremendous speed. His hands formed seals.

"Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Hand Kill!"

With a loud shout, a Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara appeared behind Genichi, invisible to ordinary eyes. A fist formed from chakra condensed out of thin air and collided with Guy's own fist.

Boom...

A violent explosion of air rang out. Powerful shockwaves erupted from the point where the two attacks collided, while fierce winds swept across the ground, carving fine lines into the frozen surface as hard as steel.

The gale swept over the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. Watching the chakra fist explode, Genichi's expression changed.

"If you can block one, then what about these?!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

More fists formed from chakra, dozens of them packed together as they blasted straight toward Guy.

"Ha ha ha!"

Guy's laughter rang out. Facing the ever-increasing attacks, a blazing light ignited in his eyes.

"Attacks like this! It doesn't matter how many you send!"

"Eight Gates Formation, Opening Gate! Open!!!"

Boom...

Blue chakra surged from Guy's body. His hair stood straight up under the force of the chakra bursting from him. Watching the chakra fists draw nearer and nearer, he smiled. "Boil over! My youth!"

Boom boom boom boom...

Dense explosions rang out endlessly through the air. Guy's fists became afterimages as excitement flashed through his eyes, and surging shockwaves continuously spread in every direction from the clash between the two.

Samu Kokaze was forced several steps back by the blast waves, his expression turning grim as he watched the two men devastate their surroundings. "Are they really only Jonin?!"

The destruction they were causing was fully comparable to an artillery battalion from his previous life.

And this was only Guy after opening the first gate. Thinking of the world-destroying battles that would come later—especially Kaguya Otsutsuki's Expanding Truth-Seeking Orb, said to be capable of ending the world—even though Samu Kokaze had great confidence in himself...

"Time... is too short!"

If he had enough time, Samu Kokaze believed he could crush every enemy in the Naruto World.

It was now Konoha Year 53. There were only eleven years left until Kaguya Otsutsuki's return. Reaching the level of the Sage of Six Paths before the final battle was practically impossible. Even in the original story, AB had constantly given Naruto and Sasuke absurd boosts in the later stages before they barely managed to seal Kaguya Otsutsuki.

And in this world, where he had altered the timeline, there was no telling whether Naruto and Sasuke could still pull off those miraculous power-ups. Besides, Samu Kokaze had no intention of placing his hopes in others.

Watching the two fight with fiery intensity, Samu Kokaze was not worried in the slightest. Guy had only opened the first gate. If he truly wanted to kill him, it would take only an instant.

Feeling the Nano Core continuously calculating within his body, his expression shifted uncertainly.

"I... really don't want to take that step!"

"But... I hope you turn out as I expect."

He clenched his fist tightly and looked toward the two ninjas across from him, whose expressions had been blank since the battle began. Then he walked toward them.

Gulp...

The sound of swallowing echoed across the wilderness. Watching Guy and Genichi's battle, the two men—who had never witnessed a fight between high-level ninjas—felt their legs tremble uncontrollably.

"Humans! How could humans possibly reach such a level?!"

"Could it be... could the rumors we heard before be true?"

The two men muttered in terror, their faces utterly blank.

Tap... tap...

Calm, steady footsteps rang beside them. When they turned around and saw Samu Kokaze's emotionless face, panic rose in their hearts.

"Continue. Our battle."

Samu Kokaze lifted his head slightly and calmly looked at the two men, sweat dripping continuously from their foreheads.

"Why?!"

"Why aren't you shocked by what you're seeing, you brat?!"

"Facing the power they've displayed, how can you still calmly speak of continuing the fight?!"

The ninja's face nearly twisted apart as he roared those words. The arm holding his kunai trembled violently, as though he would collapse completely the next second.

Whoosh...

The bitterly cold wind howled past, while violent explosions continued to erupt from both sides. Hearing them, Samu Kokaze's raised face showed a trace of mockery.

"I'll surpass their strength sooner or later. As for trash like you, who have never seen how vast the world is and only know how to bully the weak, let me end your miserable lives!"

He tightened his grip around the kunai, preparing for the coming battle.

"Dynamic: Konoha Diamond Power Whirlwind!"

A sky-shaking roar burst from Guy's mouth as he fought fiercely.

His fists, throwing off endless afterimages, shattered every obstacle in their path. In an instant, Guy arrived before Genichi, raised his right leg, and swung it in a savage roundhouse kick at Genichi's head, blue chakra wrapped around it.

With his chakra nearly exhausted, terror appeared on Genichi's face. He could no longer evade this attack. He could only gather every last trace of chakra in his body at the back of his head, hoping to survive.

Boom...

Genichi took the kick squarely. The sound of his skull cracking rang out as his body flew like a tattered sack into the forest beside the road, leaving a streak of white air behind him.

"Genichi... Lord Genichi lost!"

The two ninjas spoke with difficulty. Watching Guy shift his gaze toward them, a fierce glint instead flashed through their eyes.

They glanced at Samu Kokaze, less than five meters away. Their fear of death and overflowing hatred gathered on their twisted faces.

"Before we die, we'll definitely take you down with us, brat!"

"Die! X2"

Desperation and bloodlust filled the two men's eyes as they waved their kunai, one from the left and one from the right, staggering forward to attack.

"Time Domain... double speed!"

Facing their flaw-ridden pincer attack, Samu Kokaze spoke softly. His body suddenly accelerated as he lunged forward, drawing two elegant arcs through the air with his kunai. Behind him came two heavy thuds as bodies hit the ground.

"Have you been so frightened by the fact that you're about to die that you've forgotten how to fight? What a disappointment!"

He turned and glanced at the two dead men, shook his head, and walked toward Guy.