The dull thud of the Golden Crow Cage crashing to the ground hadn't even faded when Tian Yueqing's cheers slammed against the riddled city wall. " Tsubasa! You nailed that ghost bird to death!" Tears washed away the soot from her face, leaving two white streaks, and she still clutched half a burnt sealing talisman in her hand.
As Tian Uguisu's Susanoo crushed the last stone golem with a single step, it turned around upon hearing this, and even its giant black eyes showed a hint of weakness—the strange bird that spewed black flames had finally stopped circling, and the black flames on the fluttering wings of the golden firebird in the cage were being gradually devoured by the runes.
"Don't be too happy yet!" Tsubasa's voice suddenly boomed in the air. He lightly touched the top of the cage with his toes, the hem of his gray-blue outfit sweeping across the remaining Mars. "That thing in the north hasn't been dealt with yet!" Before he finished speaking, he had already transformed into a black lightning bolt, rushing towards the pile of puppets where the Moryo was. When he was restrained by the Golden Crow, this giant baby-like monster had been hiding in the puppet group, sneering. Now, seeing Tsubasa charging in, he grinned, revealing two rows of sharp teeth. "You brat, do you really think you're invincible just because you sealed away a beast?"
The Moryo's mental attack came faster than the wind. Tsubasa felt as if his temples had been struck by a heavy hammer, countless shrill screams drilling into his brain, and countless bright spots exploding before his eyes. He groaned, his left hand slamming against his brow, where the Senjutsu mark suddenly lit up with golden and green patterns. "This little trick dares to call it a mental attack?" The Spiritual Power of the Golden Core Stage surged within his body, like a red-hot iron ball crushing ice, instantly pulverizing the shrill screams that invaded his sea of consciousness. "When I Tribulation Transcendence, even when the divine lightning of the nine heavens struck my sea of consciousness, I didn't even flinch!"
The Setsuna the two collided, the entire battlefield seemed to be Shizune. Tsubasa's right fist, wrapped in a pale golden aura, slammed towards the face of the Moryo, but the monster bent backward as if it had no bones, dodging the punch. In the instant that it did, its ten fingernails suddenly grew half a foot long, gleaming with a dark blue poisonous light, and reached for Tsubasa's throat.
"Too slow!" Tsubasa stomped his left foot on the ground, and Earth Release: Earth Style Wall suddenly rose from under his foot, blocking the poisonous claws. At the same time, he used the reaction force to spin and kick, the sole of his boot carrying a shockwave of Spiritual Power, and kicked the Moryo solidly in the chest.
With a "crack," the Moryo flew out like a rag doll, smashing three puppets before stopping. He clutched his chest and chuckled eerily, countless tiny puppet threads crawling out of his wound, quickly mending his sunken ribs. "Interesting... your body is harder than stone." He suddenly clapped his hands, and the remaining puppet fragments around him began to wriggle, instantly piecing together a giant scorpion covered in barbs. "Try this— the Puppet: Myriad Transformations Giant Scorpion!"
The giant scorpion's Space Break hurtled through the air, but Tsubasa neither dodged nor evaded. Suddenly, a golden aura half a zhang high rose around him. This was a sign of the complete eruption of his Golden Core Spiritual Power. The air currents whipped up the pebbles on the ground, forming a swirling sandstorm around him. "Let me show you what real toughness is!" He charged towards the scorpion's tail, his right hand forming a claw as he grabbed the stinger. The instant his Spiritual Power surged into it through his fingertips, the entire stinger melted like wax scorched by a raging fire. " Moryo, you piece of junk are nothing but tofu dregs before the Spiritual Power Golden Core!"
Suddenly, countless earth spikes flew out from the sandstorm, each carrying the force to pierce through steel plates. Moryo, controlling the giant scorpion, dodged to the side, only to see Tsubasa already appear above his head, a dazzling ball of Spiritual Power condensed in his left fist. " Sage Art Earth Release - Earth Shattering!" The Setsuna his fist slammed into the ground, the ground within a hundred meters suddenly collapsed, and the giant scorpion, along with Moryo, plunged into a deep ravine. Before they even reached the bottom, the surrounding rock walls suddenly closed in, and countless earth spikes pierced from all directions, turning the giant scorpion into a sieve.
"Trying to bury me? No way!" The Moryo's voice echoed from the rubble. He abandoned the giant scorpion and transformed into a black shadow, disappearing into the ground. Tsubasa sneered, lightly touching the rock wall with his toes, and slipped into the ground like an eel. "Playing with Earth Release? I'll show you what it means to show off your skills before an expert!" The two engaged in a chase underground. Tsubasa casually slapped the rock wall, sending dozens of Earth Spear chasing after the Moryo's Kageko; the Moryo, in turn, continuously released puppet insects to gnaw at the soil, trying to hinder Tsubasa's pursuit.
"You can't escape!" Inside a natural cave, Tsubasa finally cornered the blood-soaked Moryo. The strange man's back was slashed open by Earth Spear, revealing deep bone; most of the threads controlling his puppets were severed, yet he still laughed maniacally, "Once I get out, I'll turn Iwagakure into ashes!" Tsubasa, too lazy to waste words, moved his hands with lightning speed, and countless golden rune chains suddenly descended from the cave ceiling. " The Sage Art: Adamantine Sealing, this is far superior to ordinary Sealing Jutsu!"
The runic chains, as if alive, coiled around the Moryo's limbs, tightening their grip. He struggled desperately, his fingernails digging into the rock, drawing deep blood, but he could only watch helplessly as the golden light seeped into his skin. "No—my Puppet Technique!" As the golden light engulfed his neck, the giant infant's voice suddenly turned shrill, "I curse you... you will all die a horrible death..." Before he could finish speaking, he was completely enveloped by the runes, transforming into a half-meter-tall golden crystal, nailed to the center of the cavern.
As Tsubasa dragged his nearly broken body out of the ground, the sounds of battle from Iwagakure continued. He'd barely caught his breath when he saw dust billowing to the south—the allied forces of the Land of Birds and the Land of Bears had returned! The cursed samurai brandished their blood-stained swords, while the Star Ninja circled in the air like vultures eyeing their dying prey. "Aren't they really fearless?" Tsubasa wiped the blood from his mouth, a terrifying glint suddenly flashing in his eyes. "Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"
He slammed his hands on the ground, and the Spiritual Power of his Golden Core core erupted like a volcano. Golden flames shot into the sky, tearing open a rift in the clouds. Sunlight poured down through the crack, and as it shone on him, countless Tsubasa suddenly emerged from the light—not phantoms, but each clone possessed a substantial weight, wielding a longsword imbued with Spiritual Power. "A million Shadow Clone? This... is this something a human can do?" Tian Uguisu's Susanoo froze in place, even its giant eyes filled with disbelief.
"The scum of the Land of Ghosts, come first!" With a command from Tsubasa's main body, half of his clones transformed into a golden torrent, rushing towards the undead army to the west. He himself closed his eyes, the Senjutsu mark between his brows shining like a small sun— his Kamui pressure swept out like a tsunami, and the ferocious undead that touched this power instantly melted away like ice and snow under the scorching sun.
Even more terrifying was that this oppressive aura could penetrate layers of corpses and precisely target the high-ranking officials of the Land of Ghosts behind them. The priests who were casting spells in their tents fell to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices, and died without ever knowing who had done it.
"Now it's your turn!" After dealing with the undead, Tsubasa's clone had already reached the rear of the allied forces. The cursed warriors of the Land of Birds had just turned around when they were cleaved in two by several Spiritual Power longswords; those cursed runes were utterly useless in the face of golden Spiritual Power.
The Star Ninja of the Land of Bears tried to escape in flight, but were pinned in mid-air by Earth Spear hurled by their clones. "Run! Why aren't you running anymore?" A Tsubasa clone kicked the Allied Forces commander to the ground, a long sword pressed against his neck. "Didn't you just say you were going to raze Iwagakure?"
Just then, a strange red light suddenly erupted from the southeast corner of the battlefield. Tsubasa turned his head sharply and saw Hoshikage from Hoshigakure kneeling in front of a meteorite. The stone was their sacred object, "Star," which was now constantly oozing a dark red liquid that was seeping into Hoshikage's seven orifices.
"Finally couldn't hold back anymore?" Tsubasa sneered. This old bastard had been hiding in the back since the start of the war, waiting to pick up the scraps.
Hoshikage's body was expanding, red light emanating from the cracks in his skin, and bat-like fleshy wings were sprouting from his back. " Tsubasa! Once I merge with the power of the stars, you and this village will be buried with me!" His voice became shrill and hoarse, his fingers transforming into sharp claws, "This sacred object from outer space can grant me eternal life!" Red liquid had already submerged most of his face, and it seemed that he was about to completely merge with the power.
"Stop right there!" Tsubasa's figure suddenly appeared in front of Hoshikage, moving so fast that he left a golden afterimage. The ball of Spiritual Power he condensed in his right hand was brighter than ever before, and the full power of his Golden Core Stage erupted without reservation at this moment. " Sage Art - Breaking Illusion!" The ball of light pierced through Hoshikage's chest and accurately struck the "star".
The dark red liquid solidified instantly, and Hoshikage's expansion came to an abrupt halt. He looked down at the hole in his chest, his eyes still brimming with the ecstatic joy of his impending transformation, but his body had already begun to turn to ash.
"No... my immortality..." As the last ashes were scattered by the wind, Hoshikage's lament still echoed in the air. Tsubasa stood still, the golden aura around him gradually receding, and his million clones also turned into specks of light and dissipated. He looked back at Iwagakure, where Tian Uguisu and the other three were helping the wounded ninja walk over. Although the surviving villagers were covered in dust, their eyes shone with light.
Smoke still rose from the breach in the city wall, and the remains of the dead might still be buried beneath the ruins of the houses, but when the first rays of the rising sun crossed the mountain and shone on Tsubasa's blood-stained but upright spine, everyone understood— Iwagakure had held out.