On the other side of the battlefield, Gildarts was facing his own swarm of Kirigakure forces. The mist shifted around him as countless ninjas charged in, weapons drawn. Gildarts bent his knees, then leapt high into the air. His fists glowed with a brilliant white light — the unmistakable sign of his Crush magic activating.
He came crashing down like a meteor.
His fist slammed into the ground, and a violent shockwave exploded outward. The earth split apart with a deafening crack, fissures ripping through the battlefield as Kirigakure ninjas were blasted off their feet. Some fell screaming into the newly formed chasms; others were flung dozens of meters away. The formation attacking him completely collapsed, and with that single, devastating strike, the mist around Gildarts blew away, leaving him standing in a clear pocket amid the chaos.
But Gildarts didn't stop there.
With the enemy formation broken and their coordination shattered, he charged forward. Genin, Chunin, even Jonin — none of them could withstand him. One punch, coated in Crush magic, shattered bones, and bodies alike. Wherever his fists landed, the enemy was reduced to scattered pieces on the ground. The scene was gruesome, brutal, and utterly overwhelming. Gildarts tore through the battlefield like an unstoppable calamity.
Seeing him rampage like this, some of the Kirigakure ninjas froze in terror — and at that exact moment, a massive hammer came flying from behind, aiming for a deadly blindside strike.
It should have been a perfect ambush.
But Gildarts had already sensed it.
Without even turning around, he reached back with his palm and caught the enormous hammer mid-swing. The weapon stopped instantly, unable to move even an inch, trapped in Gildarts's iron grip as the air trembled around the two forces poised to clash.
But suddenly, the wielder of the hammer revealed himself — Jinin, another member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. With a sharp grunt, he swung his massive axe and struck the backside of the hammer Gildarts was holding, adding tremendous force to the blow. The combined weight and impact pushed Gildarts backward, dragging him across the ground for several meters and carving a long, rough trail in the earth.
But that was all it did — push him.
There wasn't even a scratch on Gildarts.
Already furious with the Kirigakure forces — and especially irritated by this sneak attack — Gildarts dug his heels into the ground, stopping his slide. Then, with explosive power, he dashed forward. His fist ignited again with blinding white light. He unleashed Crush magic without hesitation.
Jinin reacted instantly, swinging his axe down with all the chakra he could muster. The two attacks collided.
There was no scene of Gildarts' arm getting sliced or even forced back.
Instead, the axe — Jinin's treasured blade — shattered. Completely. It cracked from the center and exploded into fragments, scattering across the battlefield like broken glass.
Jinin's eyes widened in disbelief. "How… how is this possible? I fully coated my axe in chakra! How was it cut so cleanly?"
Gildarts stepped forward, his gaze sharp and cold. "Oh? So you were relying on that — pouring chakra into your weapon and hoping it would withstand my Crush magic." He scoffed. "That won't work. You really think I stayed at the same level I was a few years ago when I fought Hanzo?"
He clenched his glowing fist, the white light crackling with overwhelming pressure.
"No. That defeat shook me. I trained — and I pushed my Crush magic far beyond its old limits. And I surpass you in both chakra quantity and chakra quality." He pointed at the shattered pieces of the axe littering the ground. "So your weapon breaking under my magic? That's not surprising. It's simply a fact."
After saying this much, Gildarts didn't waste another breath on Jinin. He lunged forward again, intent on ending the fight. But Jinin, now pale and shaken, kept dodging desperately. His confidence was completely shattered. He knew that if even a single one of Gildarts' Crush-enhanced blows touched him, he would die instantly — not maimed, not wounded, but erased.
Seeing Jinin repeatedly evade instead of countering, and noticing that the Kirigakure forces were once again ignoring him and rushing toward the Uzumaki Village, Gildarts clicked his tongue in annoyance. In the next instant, he vanished from Jinin's field of view and appeared directly in front of the running Kirigakure squad.
Then the slaughter resumed.
Crush-coated fists tore through formations, bodies, and chakra defences alike. Each blow shattered whoever stood in front of him, and the ground trembled under the relentless destruction. Screams mixed with the crack of collapsing earth as Gildarts carved down the incoming forces one after another.
From time to time, Jinin attempted another sneak attack — a thrown weapon, a sudden dash, a desperate swing — but none of it mattered. With his Kagura Heart Eye active, Gildarts was constantly aware of Jinin's position, even through mist and chaos. He didn't even turn to look.
To him, Jinin wasn't a threat — just a nuisance fluttering at the edge of the battlefield.
Like a dancing monkey, Gildarts thought with irritation as he wiped out another group of ninjas. That's exactly how he treated Jinin: an insignificant distraction unworthy of serious attention.
…
Makima stood at the centre of her battlefield, calm and unshaken. Behind her, adamantine chains came from her back, rising upward before curving down and stabbing into the earth several meters away. In moments, a half-dome cage formed around her — a shimmering barrier.
Inside that dome, Makima moved with cold precision. With her twin daggers flashing, she cut down Kirigakure ninjas one after another. Genin and Chunin fell instantly; not a single one could withstand her speed or strength. Even Jonin, though capable of putting up a decent fight, couldn't last long. They could only delay her — and Makima had no intention of wasting time.
That was why her summons filled the barrier as well. A giant slug oozed across the ground, neutralizing enemy attacks. Massive wolves darted between chains, tearing down Jonin before they could regroup. A towering crab snapped its claws, trapping and pinning enemies so Makima could finish them in an instant. Together, they created a small but absolute zone of death.
…
Within minutes, nearly forty Kirigakure ninjas lay dead inside the barrier — including two Jonin. As the last body hit the ground, Makima dismissed the adamantine chains with a flick of her fingers. They retreated into her back.
She stepped forward to continue her assault. Her summons also pressed outward, fanning through the white haze. The mist meant nothing to them — the wolves' scent tracking, the slug's sensitivity to chakra signatures, the crab's sharp hearing — all cut through it with ease. They located the Kirigakure shinobi and struck ruthlessly. Screams echoed, brief and distant.
…
But suddenly, one of her strongest wolves jerked unnaturally — then its body split apart as if pulled by invisible needles, thin threads slicing it into delicate segments. Another wolf toppled, fine puncture wounds stitched across its vital organs. Within moments, several of her more powerful summons were carved apart, sewn into pieces so neatly that the cuts seemed surgical.
Makima's eyes narrowed, sharp and cold.
The attacker stepped into view through the mist — a masked man wielding a long, needle-like sword.
Makima recognized him immediately.
Kushimaru.
One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
And the deadly technique he had just used to sew her summons into pieces… was the Longsword Ninja Art: Massacre Method.
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