"Whoa! That's a genuine forty-meter greatsword."
"Not bad, Senko. That move really suits you—very much your old man's style!"
Kazuyama Gekkō had been sitting, but the moment he saw Senko draw out that enormous blade, he immediately stood up.
He and Rasa stepped to the edge of the platform, both watching the girl unleash her power—with Kazuyama smiling proudly.
"Hmph! Why don't you admit you're the one who led your kid astray?"
"A weapon that big might look stronger, but it's far more exhausting to swing. For a girl who doesn't naturally have much physical strength, she should be using smaller, lighter weapons."
Rasa crossed his arms, launching a direct and "scientifically sound" critique straight into Kazuyama's face.
In his mind, he was speaking from years of practical experience—surely he was right.
But he never expected Kazuyama's casual, floating reply to completely fry his mental CPU.
"Yeah, yeah, you're totally right. Your daughter's weapon is small."
"When she opens that fan, she could stuff you inside!"
Rasa: …I…****
"Hahaha! Rasa, why would you even bother arguing with him? After all these years you still haven't learned?"
"Idiot. Always picking a fight. I'll give you one second of pity."
Minato Namikaze nearly died laughing. Everyone in Konoha knew—never try to trade barbs with Kazuyama Gekkō.
His battle power was terrifying, but his mouth was even scarier. No one ever walked away from a verbal spat as the winner. Rasa simply lost because he was too young for this fight.
Meanwhile, the clash below continued fiercely.
Senko Gekkō's forty-meter blade slammed into Gaara's Sand Shield.
Sand exploded outward in all directions. Gaara's brows tightened sharply as he formed seals, channeling all his chakra into defense.
Even under the impact of such a massive weapon, he held his ground.
"Oh? You can still hold on?"
"I thought this one strike would shatter your Sand Shield."
"In that case, I'll break your defense a different way!"
"Crystal Release: Assimilation!"
The horror of Crystal Release didn't come from raw destructive force—it came from its ability to extend and spread. Crystal Release could instantly crystallize any material except chakra.
Even the air… even the blood flowing inside a person.
Once she activated Assimilation, Senko's sword became the medium—everything it touched began turning into crystal.
Gaara's sand took the hit first. His chakra-coated, high-density sand instantly hardened into crystal.
"No!"
"Sand Body Flicker Technique!"
He hesitated for not even half a second. He knew—any moment of delay and he'd be trapped in crystal.
To escape faster, he immediately used Sand Body Flicker to reposition himself.
Crack!
As the Sand Shield fully crystallized, Gaara's figure reappeared ten meters away.
"So this is Crystal Release…"
"This won't be easy."
Feeling the heavy chakra drain from earlier, Gaara's expression grew increasingly tense.
He was just about to act when Kazuyama Gekkō suddenly appeared in the center of the arena.
"Sorry—this match ends here!"
"Everyone! Proceed as planned!"
"Crystal Release: Celestial Canopy!"
Kazuyama pressed his hand onto the ground. A Crystal Release far beyond Senko's scale detonated outward.
Everything around them seemed wrapped in transparent crystal. A massive crystal column shot from the earth into the air, then spread into a full dome shielding the entire arena.
As he cast the jutsu, Rasa appeared as well.
Gold Dust surged forward, binding both Senko Gekkō and Gaara.
"From here on, I'll protect them."
"Kazuyama Gekkō, go do what you need to do!"
"Gold Dust Realm!"
Crystal on the outside, gold within—within moments, the arena became an impenetrable fortress.
Before anyone inside could react, countless fireballs rained down from the distance, exploding against the crystal dome.
BOOM!
The explosions shook the canopy violently, yet the crystal held firm, unbroken and unscathed.
"What's going on?!"
"Dad?"
Michihito Gekkō had jumped down from the stands. With the sudden assault, his mind raced.
But his question received no answer.
Kazuyama Gekkō glanced briefly at his children, then vanished with Flying Thunder God.
He reappeared atop the crystal canopy.
"I knew you would come."
"Konoha isn't a place you can stroll into."
"Sage Mode!"
Without hesitation, Kazuyama activated Sage Mode. Strange patterns spread across his body.
In the eerie blue glow, he vanished from the sky.
"Already moving? That impatient fool."
Minato Namikaze appeared a moment later—he'd needed to stabilize the arena first. By the time he arrived, Kazuyama was already gone.
Behind Minato, three figures appeared—his personal guards, the Flying Thunder God Squad.
"Raidō, the three of you sweep the village. Anyone who didn't evacuate, move them to the shelters immediately."
"We prepared for this attack already. Do not let civilians be harmed."
Namiashi Raidō, Shiranui Genma, and Tsurugi Iwahashi nodded and immediately sped off.
Minato vanished next.
"Dammit, Black Zetsu, this is all your fault. You insisted we wait two days."
"They clearly prepared for us!"
Muren Uchiha and Black Zetsu stood atop a rooftop as the other "soldiers" began their attack.
The earlier fireballs that struck the arena were fired by one of those soldiers.
"It's too late now. We continue the assault."
"Where's Kabuto?"
Black Zetsu's expression didn't change. Attack was attack—whether Konoha was ready or not didn't matter.
"He's already at Konoha's main gate. Oh…"
"It's begun."
Muren Uchiha suddenly turned his gaze toward the village entrance.
A massive silhouette had appeared.
Kabuto's giant puppet.
"Good. You should get ready to move too."
"Our target is capturing Shukaku the One-Tail. Remember, you absolutely must—"
BOOM!
Before Black Zetsu could finish, he felt an attack slam into his back. In the next instant, he was spinning violently through the air.
"Now that you've come to Konoha, I should at least extend some proper hospitality."
"How's that Rasengan taste, you pitch-black freak?"
Kazuyama Gekkō's presence materialized like a ghost.
Transparent Escape at its peak was silent—undetectable even through chakra sensing.
Paired with Sage Mode's ability to fly…
He was a phantom.