As long as one was human, it was impossible to completely extinguish one's emotions.
Especially for someone like Hagoromo—blessed (or cursed) with what could only be described as protagonist-tier circumstances—it was even more impossible to be shackled by the rigid rules of shinobi society or the so-called "laws of the ninja world."
Because of that, his way of thinking differed greatly from that of ordinary ninja.
At times, his actions seemed impulsive—
and in truth, they often were.
When he made decisions, personal inclination weighed more heavily than cold logic.
Sometimes it looked unreasonable—
Yet, in its own way, it was the most reasonable choice of all.
That was why he had shouted earlier, all because of a joke from Kushina.
In reality, even if Hagoromo wanted to keep his identity hidden, it would have been nearly impossible. Exposure was only a matter of time.
Thinking back—
Kumogakure had once attempted to kidnap Kushina when she was still a child. Judging by the timeline, the Raikage who issued that order was very likely the same man now sealed inside Hagoromo's scroll.
History had come full circle, in a deeply ironic way.
The man who killed the Third Raikage—
Was, in fact, Kushina Uzumaki's disciple.
As for Hagoromo's rather blunt way of revealing his "identity"…
Kushina Uzumaki was certainly famous—but primarily as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
So Kitsuchi failed to immediately register who "Kushina" actually was.
All he saw was a mysterious ninja who refused to state his own name, instead throwing out his teacher's name as a shield.
To Kitsuchi, it made little sense.
What was this supposed to be—framing someone?
Hagoromo continued, half to himself:
"Since I've already given a name… I can't just run away anymore."
He had changed his mind completely.
He no longer intended to flee.
Not only would he stay—
He would cause trouble.
Kushina's disciple killing the Raikage wasn't enough.
Next, he intended to clash head-on with nearly ten thousand enemies.
If he was going to do this, he might as well make his teacher's name resound across half the ninja world.
At this point, all the expected back-and-forth dialogue had become unnecessary.
Hagoromo pinched two purple pellets between three fingers—
And slammed them hard into the ground!
A cloud of purple smoke instantly erupted, swallowing the battlefield.
First things first: conceal his position.
Hagoromo was not the Third Raikage.
His defensive power was nowhere near that level, so being focused by dozens of ninja at once was the last thing he wanted. If more than ten enemy ninja unleashed jutsu on him simultaneously, things would get ugly fast.
"Don't let the enemy escape!"
Kitsuchi's voice rang out through the smoke.
Escape?
Hagoromo let out a silent chuckle.
He still had a never-before-used weapon of mass destruction.
This battlefield was the perfect place to test it.
His arms hung naturally at his sides.
Electric arcs flashed across his palms, slicing shallow wounds into both hands.
Blood immediately flowed out.
Then—
Summoning Jutsu!
Summoning Jutsu!!
Summoning Jutsu!!!
A thunderous beastly roar echoed through the smoke!
The massive presence distorted the purple haze instantly.
Heavy footsteps shook the ground as something enormous charged forward.
Kitsuchi's expression tightened.
So they're coming out.
"Giant summons! Stop them!"
A Two-Horned Rhinoceros!
A Split-Fang Hound!
A Cloven-Hoof Bull!
Three massive summoned beasts burst from the smoke at equal angles, charging in three different directions!
Enormous in size, overflowing with ferocity, and utterly untamed—
They slammed straight into the Stone formation.
Restraining creatures of this scale was, in some ways, no easier than restraining the Raikage himself.
It certainly wasn't something that could be handled with a single shouted order.
A freshly raised Earth-Style Wall was shattered instantly as the rhinoceros crashed through it!
A Stone Dragon Spear erupted from the ground—but the Split-Fang Hound dodged it effortlessly!
Earth-Style: Rising Land was smashed aside and trampled into pieces by the bull!
The summons were nowhere near the Raikage's level—
But snapping fangs, tearing claws, bloodshot eyes, and raw brutality…
The terror of a rampaging beast often exceeded that of a stronger human opponent.
This should keep the Stone ninja busy for a while.
Or so Hagoromo thought.
Then his expression changed.
After issuing the order, Kitsuchi hadn't moved to intercept the summons at all.
Instead—
He charged straight toward Hagoromo.
The smoke hadn't fully cleared. Hagoromo's exact position was still uncertain.
In that case—
Why not capture everything?
Two massive earthen hemispheres rose from both sides of Hagoromo's body.
They looked slow due to their size—
But in truth, they moved with terrifying speed.
Smoke was sucked violently into the narrowing gap.
In an instant, Hagoromo felt as if he'd been shoved into a narrow stone crevice.
Then—
BOOM!
The two hemispheres slammed together!
Earth Release: Mountain Coffin!
At sufficient scale, this technique was said to be able to crush even a tailed beast.
Killing Hagoromo should have been as easy as crushing an insect.
But Kitsuchi didn't believe that—
Because just before the stone sealed shut, he saw lightning flash.
First, a spark in the gap.
Then—
Lightning flooded the entire structure.
Like a faulty bulb flickering—
Until suddenly, under a surge of overwhelming current—
It burst.
A piercing, birdlike screech rang out.
The stone shattered violently.
The Mountain Coffin collapsed.
Hagoromo stood unharmed.
Kitsuchi didn't hesitate.
He surged forward with crushing momentum!
A furious punch!
But while it carried immense power, it lacked agility.
Hagoromo, now in Lightning Release mode, evaded it with ease.
BOOM!
Kitsuchi's Petrification-enhanced fist smashed into the ground, triggering massive collapse and destruction.
By now, even more Stone ninja were rushing toward Hagoromo!
The summons couldn't hold everyone back—
Even with the Split-Fang Hound already beginning to divide.
That meant only one thing.
Clear the field again.
Lightning faded.
Hagoromo switched modes instantly.
Hand seals flashed:
Tiger → Ox → Monkey → Rabbit → Rat → Boar → Rooster → Ox → Horse → Dog → Tiger → Dog → Tiger → Snake → Ox → Monkey → Rabbit!
Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!
Create a lake?
Hagoromo could do that too.
It just meant burning chakra.
…Almost burned himself dry, in fact.
Roaring torrents erupted outward from Hagoromo, accompanied by deafening crashes.
The ninja in front were swept away instantly.
Those behind, desperate to maintain the encirclement, began collectively using Earth Release to block the water—
Earth counters water, after all.
As a result, through the combined efforts of Hagoromo and Iwagakure—
A bathtub-like lake rose above ground level.
An oddly successful collaboration.
Kitsuchi charged again.
Hagoromo didn't activate Lightning Release.
Dodging, he spoke calmly:
"Strictly speaking, I've already helped you, haven't I?
I cleared the path toward Kumogakure.
Wouldn't it be more important for you to press the attack than to fixate on me?"
He spoke as if he couldn't hear the roars of his own summoned beasts.
Ironically—
This whole situation had started with his attack.
Kitsuchi ignored him entirely.
Fighting on water limited Earth Release effectiveness, so he switched to taijutsu.
Hagoromo, meanwhile—
Switched to Fire Release.
Fire Release: Great Flame Flower!
Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
Overlapping waves of heat.
Steam billowing everywhere.
Water.
Fire.
What exactly was Hagoromo planning next?
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