The statue was forged entirely from chakra-infused metal. However, since it had been hastily crafted, it had no real function aside from glowing when Yamato injected chakra into it.
Fortunately, Uchiha Kirin didn't need it to do anything special—just a little divine display in front of others would be more than enough.
A good show was already underway.
Naruto and Sasuke had arrived at Hoshigakure. No sooner had they entered the village than they were caught in a fierce clash with local shinobi whose personalities had drastically changed. A fierce battle erupted right on the spot.
Both Chidori and Rasengan were spectacularly unleashed—but the Mysterious Peacock Method, fueled by negative Sage Energy, wasn't bad either.
This energy cloak, formed by fusing chakra with the power of the "Star", was incredibly durable—strong enough to resist even top-tier piercing ninjutsu like Chidori and Rasengan!
What's more, the cloak could morph into various beast forms, shifting its combat style entirely. This made it difficult for shinobi who were used to fighting humanoid opponents to counter effectively.
Eventually, it was Sumaru who stepped in. Also wielding the Mysterious Peacock Method, he joined Naruto and Sasuke in defeating the crazed shinobi guarding the village entrance.
They restored his clarity through sheer force, helping him realize the side effects of the Mysterious Peacock Method, and putting an end to his ambitions...
As Naruto and Sasuke pushed deeper into the village, their combat skills were honed further, and their resolve grew stronger.
Behind them, more and more defeated shinobi began to see the truth. With Sumaru organizing them, a powerful new force began to take shape.
Eventually, this group defeated the guards stationed near the "Star" and faced off against the master of the Mysterious Peacock Method, who had reached its peak and now plotted to reshape the shinobi world—the Hoshikage.
As the prophesied Child of Destiny, Naruto started with his signature "Talk no Jutsu."
He spoke from a place of peace, claiming that all shinobi were one big family, that their power should not be used for killing, and that completing missions was no different from helping your neighbors...
Naturally, that speech had absolutely no effect—especially since the Hoshikage had already gone insane.
His condition was not just psychological. The massive radiation exposure had caused organic damage to his brain. What he needed was medication, surgery—or at the very least, advanced medical ninjutsu to repair his brain.
Words alone weren't going to cut it.
So, with no agreement in sight, it was time to speak the language of truth: fists.
Naruto and Sasuke, after all their battles, had grown immensely in experience.
They also had Sumaru—a genius in the Mysterious Peacock Method—to support them. He knew plenty of counters to its various techniques.
The three of them joined forces against the Hoshikage. But as the battle dragged on, they realized things weren't going their way. The improved Mysterious Peacock Method gave the Hoshikage the upper hand. Their formation was starting to crumble.
The reason? His Mysterious Peacock Method had been "enhanced."
Back when the Hoshikage had first succumbed to radiation-induced madness, Uchiha Kirin had trapped him in a genjutsu and "upgraded" his Mysterious Peacock Method, evolving it into a secret technique nearly on par with Sage Techniques.
While not quite equal to the Sage Arts of the three great summoning realms, it was enough to elevate a typical jōnin-level ninja into a Kage-tier opponent!
For Naruto and Sasuke, who had only recently completed the Chūnin Exams, this was a massive gap. Even as Konoha genin, they couldn't overcome such a leap in power—they were facing a real threat to their lives.
Defeated, the three were forced to retreat...
Led by Sumaru, they escaped along a mountain path.
This marked the beginning of Uchiha Kirin's—or rather, the pangolin clan's—appearance on stage.
A group of massive pangolins was seen laboriously hauling a gigantic statue through the mountain gorge.
As the three fugitives entered the gorge, they immediately felt lighter, as though some invisible force had isolated them. Even the injuries on their bodies began to rapidly heal.
This, of course, was due to a barrier set up by Uchiha Kirin.
By adjusting his breathing rhythm, he infused his natural aura with the laws of life itself, spreading a subtle healing energy outward.
The trio quickly realized something was off, and began arguing about whether to stay or leave.
Sasuke believed they should immediately flee this strange area and find another route to escape the Hoshikage's pursuit.
Naruto, however, wanted to go deeper. His gut told him they might find help further in.
According to Sumaru, there was a legend nearby about a "Mountain God." Not many people believed in it, but a shrine had always stood hidden in the forest.
With no other options, the three decided to seek divine intervention.
Deeper within, they came upon a group of pangolins radiating powerful energy, hauling the massive statue.
Once they realized the pangolins could communicate, the three immediately asked for help in defeating the Hoshikage before he could destroy the shinobi world.
But the pangolins refused.
They had a task to complete: transporting the statue of the Mountain God. If they didn't finish, they would be punished!
With no choice, Naruto and the others offered to help move the statue to speed things up.
But Kirin had secretly added extra gravity to the statue, making it impossible for them to budge it.
In the end, the trio was forced to sneak down a side path, re-enter Hoshigakure, and call on the now-clear-headed Star shinobi to help.
With over a hundred people working together, they finally managed to move the Mountain God's statue and install it into a cliff wall.
At that moment, the statue suddenly emitted a blinding divine light. Everyone it touched felt a warm, healing sensation.
The natural energy dispelled all lingering aftereffects from the Mysterious Peacock Method training...
With their forces rallied and reinvigorated, they returned once more to face the Hoshikage—this time with the pangolin clan fighting alongside them.
They took turns battling him in a rotating formation.
Though the enhanced Mysterious Peacock Method gave the Hoshikage incredible strength, reaching Kage-level...
His techniques were still fundamentally unchanged. He lacked true killing moves. This allowed squads of three to rotate through the battle, dealing minimal damage while gradually wearing him down...
The pangolins, equipped with natural armor, demonstrated incredible defense against powerful attacks. When combined with supporting techniques like Explosion Release and Lava Release, they became a force to be reckoned with—even against an average Kage-tier foe.
In the end, the Hoshikage was overwhelmed by the recoil of the Mysterious Peacock Method, his body unable to sustain the technique any longer.
Collapsed, he finally came to his senses.
He realized the danger of the Mysterious Peacock Method and how laughable his own ambitions had been.
He asked Naruto and Sasuke to destroy the "Star."
At that moment, the light of the Mountain God appeared once more, healing everyone on the battlefield equally.
A clever pangolin immediately spoke up, saying that the great Mountain God would seal away the "Star" himself...
A divine beam descended.
Uchiha Kirin used Flying Thunder God to temporarily teleport the "Star" to a massive gaseous planet beyond the shinobi world. He had a feeling that trying to absorb something of that scale directly into Kamui would cause too much of a disturbance, so he opted to deal with it later.
As for the scattered radiation leaking from the "Star," he wasn't so cautious.
He took a deep breath, activating both his Breathing Art of the Sage Path and the Mysterious Peacock Method, and absorbed all the dispersed energy into himself.
The divine light faded.
The lingering radiation in Hoshigakure was completely cleansed...
The villagers raised their hands in celebration, cheering wildly at their liberation. They expressed deep gratitude to Naruto, Sasuke, and the young genius Sumaru.
The Hoshikage voluntarily stepped down and went into seclusion, choosing to follow the Mountain God in spiritual training. Sumaru was named the new Hoshikage!
As for the Mountain God and his little helper—
This divine appearance in front of mortals earned both Uchiha Kirin and the pangolin clan a considerable amount of faith energy!