Even the legendary God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, and the Uchiha clan's Asura reincarnation, Uchiha Madara, had once stood on the battlefield before him.
Ōnoki had witnessed their presence with his own eyes.
Their killing intent.
Their pressure.
Their absolute dominance.
If he had not been frightened by them... (PS: Cap)
Then how could he possibly be intimidated by a brat now?
"With power at this level…"
Ōnoki roared, his voice rolling across the battlefield like thunder.
"You think someone like you can stand against Iwagakure head-on?!"
"Is that so?"
Shiki smiled.
Calmly, casually, he placed one hand on the hilt of his sword, his expression relaxed—almost amused.
"You—"
Ōnoki was just about to continue when—
His pupils suddenly shrank.
An instinctive sense of danger exploded in his mind.
BOOM—!!
Shiki stood at the center as an overwhelming pressure erupted outward.
Conqueror's Haki.
The invisible force surged into the sky, sweeping across the entire battlefield like a divine storm.
In an instant, everyone felt it.
Their shoulders sank.
Their breathing faltered.
Their knees trembled.
It felt as though the world itself had become heavier.
Even the sky seemed unable to endure it—
faint split spread across the clouds, as if the heavens themselves were cracking under the pressure.
"…Impossible!"
Ōnoki stared at Shiki in disbelief.
If Shiki were merely strong, that alone would not have shocked him.
But this...
This was not just strength.
This was dominion.
How could sheer willpower reach such a terrifying level?
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Among the Iwagakure shinobi facing Konoha, someone collapsed.
Then another.
And another.
Like dominos falling one after another, shinobi dropped to the ground, unconscious—unable to withstand Shiki's overwhelming will.
What had once been an overwhelming numerical advantage…
Vanished in seconds.
"This—!"
Hyūga Hiashi and the others standing beside Shiki were equally stunned.
They, too, felt that crushing pressure.
But because Shiki had not targeted them directly, they remained standing.
Even so...
Just standing near him was enough to make their scalps tingle.
To think that merely releasing pressure…
could defeat an army without lifting a finger.
This was power that could terrify people to submission.
"No…!"
Ōnoki's expression darkened.
More and more of his shinobi were falling.
If this continued, there would be no need to fight this war at all.
Without hesitation, he formed hand seals, his gaze locking onto Shiki.
"Dust Release — Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A blinding white cube appeared between Ōnoki's hands.
Under his control, the Dust Release shot forward at terrifying speed.
This was Kekkei Tōta, exclusive to Ōnoki—
a power that surpassed ordinary Kekkei Genkai.
Anything caught within it would be reduced to dust.
"Die beneath my Dust Release!"
"Lion Might — Meteor Slash!"
Golden light erupted.
A dazzling sword slash, blazing like a falling meteor, tore across the battlefield and collided head-on with the Dust Release.
BOOM—!!
The two forces crashed together and neutralized each other completely.
"…What?!"
Ōnoki froze.
How could his Dust Release—his ultimate technique... be canceled out so easily?
Was it because the Dust Release had decomposed Shiki's sword slash?
Before he could think further...
Shiki was already holding two swords.
"Hm."
Under Ōnoki's shocked gaze, Shiki suddenly lifted off the ground—
And flew.
He shot forward through the air, rapidly closing the distance between them.
"…How is this possible?!"
Blocking Dust Release was already absurd enough.
But flying?!
Since when did ninja capable of true flight become so common?!
"Lion Might — Thousand-Cut Valley!"
Shiki gave him no time to think.
Crisscrossing golden sword slashes surged forward like a raging storm, tearing toward Ōnoki without mercy.
"Damn it!"
Ōnoki hastily formed seals again.
"Earth Release — Rock Golem!"
Aside from Dust Release, the Third Tsuchikage was also a master of Earth Release.
BOOM—!!
A colossal rock golem, tens of meters tall, burst from the ground and positioned itself in front of Ōnoki.
Its massive arms swung forward, attempting to smash the incoming sword slashes apart.
But...
Ōnoki had underestimated Shiki.
"Nani?!"
Today was without question the most shocking day of his life.
Since becoming Tsuchikage, he had never experienced surprise after surprise like this.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The golden sword slashes cut through the rock golem as if slicing through paper.
The massive figure shattered instantly, reduced to rubble without any resistance.
"Dust Release — Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Ōnoki had no choice.
The sword slashes that destroyed the golem continued straight toward him.
He could only unleash Dust Release again, barely canceling them out.
The brief clash between Shiki and Ōnoki left not only Konoha stunned—
Even the shinobi of Iwagakure and Kumogakure were shaken.
"That Golden Lion… he's terrifying."
The Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi, and the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han, stared in shock.
In Iwagakure, the two of them were never particularly obedient toward Ōnoki.
If not for the fate of the village being at stake, they wouldn't have joined this war at all.
But even so—
They acknowledged Ōnoki's strength.
Yet now, that same Tsuchikage was clearly at a disadvantage.
Anyone with eyes could see it.
"Have I been cut off from the world for too long…?"
Rōshi scratched his head.
A monster like this had appeared in the ninja world and he had never even heard of him.
Han shrugged helplessly beside him.
"Don't look at me. I didn't know either."
"Lord Rōshi! Lord Han! Please help!"
The one who spoke was Kurotsuchi's father—Kitsuchi, Ōnoki's son.
Unlike Rōshi and Han, who were calmly observing, Kitsuchi couldn't stay idle.
After all—
The one being overwhelmed was his father.
His words made Rōshi and Han exchange a glance.
Then, they both sighed and shrugged.
They didn't particularly want to intervene…
But this was a battlefield.
Now was not the time to hesitate.
Han tilted his head slightly toward Rōshi.
"I'll go first?"
"Let's go together," Rōshi replied calmly.
"Better to avoid any accidents."
The boy wielding two swords—
The Golden Lion—
His strength was far beyond ordinary Kage-level.
If they were going to act...
It was safer to do so together.
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