"Yes!"
Soon, hundreds of shinobi capable of performing Water Release (Suiton) lined up at the very front.
Aoyama Ryuyun raised his hand casually and commanded,
"Use Water Release to greet those Iwagakure shinobi who spend their lives eating dirt!"
"..."
The remark earned a few awkward chuckles. Under the command of such a powerful leader, what should have been a tense battlefield somehow became almost lighthearted.
"Yes!"
None dared question the order.
The Water Release users in the front row immediately began forming hand seals in rapid succession.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique! (Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!)"
"Water Release: Violent Water Wave! (Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!)"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique! (Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!)"
"..."
A single Water Release user was impressive enough,
but hundreds of them unleashing their ninjutsu in unison? That was another matter entirely.
A roaring torrent, vast as a tsunami, cascaded from the cliffs —
a wall of water sweeping down upon the Iwagakure encampment, obliterating everything in its path.
---
"Boom! Boom!"
The combined force of hundreds of Water Release techniques struck like a natural disaster, shaking the earth and sky.
Inside the Iwagakure camp, the newly assembled ninja froze as the ground trembled beneath their feet.
"What is that sound!?"
"Is this… a natural disaster?"
"Even the heavens have turned against Iwagakure!"
Their panic was understandable — such overwhelming Water Release seemed less like ninjutsu and more like the wrath of nature itself.
But Ōnoki, hovering midair with his Light-Weight Rock Technique, barked furiously,
"What natural disaster?! That's clearly ninjutsu, you fools!"
Though the scale of the attack was terrifying, it wasn't enough to frighten the Third Tsuchikage.
He glared down at his trembling subordinates.
"Idiots! Don't just stand there — use Earth Release!"
Ōnoki's voice thundered across the camp, jolting them into motion.
"Y-Yes, Lord Tsuchikage!"
The Iwagakure shinobi quickly formed hand seals, their chakra surging in unison.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart! (Doton: Doryūjō no Jutsu!)"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall! (Doton: Doryūheki!)"
Thick stone walls erupted across the perimeter of the camp.
The surging flood smashed into the first few walls, shattering them to rubble,
but after several layers of defense, the torrent was finally halted.
"It's blocked!" someone shouted.
Aoyama Ryuyun watched calmly from above, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
He showed no disappointment — instead, his hands, which had been resting behind his back, now fell to the twin hilts of his greatswords, Dead Tree and Sakura Ju.
"Lion's Might: Extreme Slash! (Shishi no I: Kyokugeki Dan!)"
"Swish!"
A golden arc of sword energy, tens of meters long, tore through the air —
its brilliance blinding, its power unstoppable.
The beam sliced downward toward the Iwagakure camp like a divine judgment.
The thick stone walls that had blocked the torrent a moment ago were now cleaved apart like tofu.
"Dammit! That golden sword aura — it's him!"
Ōnoki's heart pounded.
There was no mistaking it. Only Aoyama Ryuyun, the Golden Lion, could unleash such devastating sword energy.
He immediately began forming hand seals, floating higher into the air as a white cube of energy formed between his palms.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique! (Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!)"
"Boom!"
A dazzling white flash filled the sky. The Dust Release collided with the golden sword energy,
and the two forces annihilated one another in a blinding explosion.
Even so, Ōnoki's expression remained grim.
His Dust Release — his ultimate technique — had only managed to cancel out the attack.
That's all it could do.
Attacking Aoyama Ryuyun directly with Dust Release? Impossible.
Ōnoki couldn't even keep up with the man's movements, let alone target him.
"Golden Lion! Since you're here, show yourself!" he roared.
The Tsuchikage's voice echoed across the valley.
If Aoyama Ryuyun chose to remain hidden, striking only from a distance, there was nothing Ōnoki could do.
"Hmph. That kind of taunt is really outdated," Ryuyun said, smirking as he rested his massive blade on his shoulder.
Even Hyūga Hiashi, standing behind him, gave a small, exasperated smile.
Everyone knew Ōnoki was trying to lure him out — but Aoyama Ryuyun's next words silenced them all.
"Still… old-fashioned or not, it works surprisingly well!"
"Eh!?"
Before anyone could stop him, Aoyama Ryuyun leapt from the cliff, descending in a golden blur.
He landed before the Iwagakure camp, his stance relaxed, his grin unbothered — as though the enemy before him was nothing worth fearing.
Hyūga Hiashi and the clan leaders exchanged helpless looks before following.
"Perhaps this is how truly powerful men think," Hiashi muttered.
Knowing full well the enemy had provoked him, he still appeared —
for anyone else, it would have been arrogance.
But for Aoyama Ryuyun, it was sheer dominance.
Standing before the Iwagakure army, Ryuyun exuded a calm that bordered on mockery.
"Aoyama Ryuyun!"
Ōnoki's furious voice rang out. The more casually Ryuyun stood there, the more it enraged him.
That easy smile — that lack of concern — it was as if he were being openly mocked.
"Why are you here!?"
He had to ask. After half a year of silence, why now?
Why choose this moment to reappear before Iwagakure?
The truth was simple: Ōnoki didn't believe he could win.
Aoyama Ryuyun met his glare and answered with a faint, fearless smile.
"What else could it be for?"
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