Onoki's eyes were completely bloodshot under the crushing pressure, disbelief written all over his face.
It was as if he had been dragged into a reality he refused to acknowledge.
"Ah—!"
With a hoarse roar, Onoki pushed his Dust Release to its limit, the light growing ever more dazzling.
"Very powerful! But it's a pity you met me!"
Shiki said as he narrowed his eyes slightly.
Only by facing it head-on could one truly understand—Dust Release was terrifying. Its power deserved respect.
Unfortunately…
Your opponent is me.
Shiki planted one foot heavily into the ground.
The earth cracked.
His arm expanded layer by layer as power surged through his body.
"Playtime's over, old man," Shiki said calmly.
"And when I say it's over, it is over. So stop struggling so pathetically."
Boom!
Under the stunned gazes of every Iwagakure shinobi—
Their confidence shattered.
They truly believed they had won. After all, they trusted their Tsuchikage's Dust Release absolutely. And Shiki had even agreed not to use his swords.
They were certain.
And what destroyed that certainty—
Was Shiki's fist.
Armament Haki bloomed over it, glowing crimson like a blazing star as it tore straight through the Dust Release.
After the clash, the haki slowly dispersed.
Shiki lifted his gaze.
Onoki was still suspended in midair, eyes dull and unfocused, as though his mind had yet to catch up to reality.
Shiki smiled.
With ordinary Armament Haki alone, it truly was difficult to deal with a Kekkei Tōta like Dust Release.
But Shiki's Armament Haki stood at the absolute pinnacle.
Emission.
Internal destruction.
He hadn't even needed to use Advanced Conqueror's Haki.
There was simply no reason to.
The god-level template system bestowed upon Shiki didn't just grant abilities—it granted perfection.
Whether it was Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Conqueror's Haki, or supreme swordsman talent—everything existed at the highest tier.
And once Shiki synchronized with the Golden Lion Shiki template at one hundred percent, every one of those abilities could be unleashed at its absolute peak.
That was why...
Even with Armament Haki alone, it was something a low-level opponent like Ōnoki simply couldn't contend with.
In Shiki's eyes, the average Kage of the ninja world wasn't even stronger than a vice admiral from the pirate world.
And vice admirals already understood advanced applications of Haki.
If one of them descended here and casually cleaved a mountain in half, these people would probably worship him as a god.
Shiki found the thought amusing.
Turning his attention back to Ōnoki, who still floated there as if questioning existence itself, Shiki smiled.
"Ōnoki," he asked lightly, "do you have any evaluation of my punch just now?"
"…."
Ōnoki didn't answer at first.
He simply hovered there, staring at Shiki, the image of Dust Release being shattered replaying endlessly in his mind.
Shiki wasn't in a hurry.
He gently stroked his chin, patiently waiting.
Finally, after a long silence—
Ōnoki let out a bitter smile.
He slowly floated to the same height as Shiki.
"It's my loss."
Admitting defeat stung his pride.
But defeat was defeat.
He had been beaten head-on. There was no excuse to be made—no justification to cling to.
"You won, Shiki," Ōnoki said heavily. "I acknowledge your title… Golden Lion."
He paused, eyes filled with complicated emotion.
"Even Uchiha Madara, back then, was not as strong as you are now."
Those words sent a ripple through the battlefield.
Konoha's shinobi—and Iwagakure's—were instantly thrown into an uproar.
"No way!"
"Has Lord Shiki already surpassed Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage?!"
"It can't be a lie—Lord Ōnoki lived through that era himself!"
"That's incredible!"
As a living witness to the age of Madara and Hashirama, Ōnoki's words carried undeniable weight.
For a moment, every gaze turned toward Shiki with awe and reverence.
But Shiki himself remained utterly casual.
Uchiha Madara? Senju Hashirama?
Frankly speaking—he had never cared.
Whether he was weaker than them or stronger than them had never mattered.
Because his goal had never been to surpass them.
His gaze was fixed far higher.
"Alright, alright—enough flattery," Shiki waved his hand dismissively.
Hearing Ōnoki say such words felt… strange.
When Madara praised Might Guy, it carried weight.
But hearing it from Ōnoki?
Well… let's just say the value wasn't that high.
With an impatient shooing gesture, Shiki dismissed the old man.
He had no interest in wasting time chatting here.
If he had free time, he'd rather go relax somewhere.
Ōnoki wasn't angry.
After all, Iwagakure was the defeated side now. They had no right to demand anything.
"Haa…"
With a final sigh, Ōnoki turned toward the remaining Iwagakure shinobi.
His heart was heavy—filled with unwillingness and bitterness.
But there was no choice.
The strength gap was simply too despairing.
"Iwagakure," Ōnoki announced, voice firm despite everything, "surrenders."
The moment Dust Release had been shattered, most of the Iwa shinobi had already seen this outcome coming.
Still, hearing it spoken aloud crushed morale.
Without another word, Ōnoki led his people away from the border battlefield.
With that—
Iwagakure withdrew from the Third Great Ninja War.
On the other side, once the Iwa shinobi retreated, the Konoha forces erupted.
"Victory!"
"We won!"
"Long live Konoha!"
"Long live—are you stupid?! Who said that?! It's Lord Golden Lion who's invincible!"
"That's right! Lord Golden Lion is invincible!"
It felt almost dreamlike.
After all, throughout this war, Konoha's shinobi hadn't done much at all.
Shiki had carried everything alone.
And yet, when victory finally came, cheers rang out endlessly.
Every gaze fixed on Shiki with pure admiration.
Shiki simply smiled, saying nothing.
"What we've defeated is only Iwagakure," he said calmly. "The Third Great Ninja War is far from over."
The cheers gradually quieted.
Indeed—four great villages had declared war on Konoha.
Only one had fallen so far.
Sunagakure. Kumogakure. Kirigakure.
The war was nowhere near its end.
Yet instead of despair, confidence burned brighter.
"With Lord Shiki here, we'll never lose!"
"That's right! With Lord Golden Lion, this war will end soon!"
"Lord Golden Lion is invincible!"
Their faith in Shiki bordered on blind worship.
In their eyes, as long as Shiki stood with Konoha, victory was inevitable.
Shiki chuckled and waved his hand.
"Alright. Rest for two days," he ordered. "After that, all forces move toward the battlefield of Kirigakure."
"Yes, Lord Shiki!"
That night, inside Shiki's camp—
After writing a message scroll, Shiki had it delivered to Tsunade, who was still stationed at the Sunagakure front.
Just then—
Kurenai approached, her eyes shining with admiration.
"Shiki-nii… you're the strongest in the ninja world now!"
"Hahaha," Shiki laughed lightly, waving his hand. "It's still too early to say that."
Kurenai tilted her head in confusion, not understanding his words.
But Shiki knew.
The Sage of Six Paths.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
And the Ōtsutsuki clan—beings even more terrifying than her.
He hadn't surpassed them yet.
Not even close.
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