As Hoshiyomi charged toward him with lightning speed, a glint of caution flickered in Hiruzen's eyes.
He wasn't about to let himself get skewered by that blade.
But even with the ferocity of Hoshiyomi's assault, it wasn't enough to threaten Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Rather than retreat or form hand seals, the Third Hokage calmly reached behind his back and drew two kunai—he was going to meet Hoshiyomi head-on.
Though Hiruzen was famed for his ninjutsu prowess, his taijutsu was far from lacking. During the Chūnin Exams in the original series, he had gone toe-to-toe with Edo Tensei'd First and Second Hokage using nothing but the Adamantine Staff transformed from Enma. That alone spoke volumes about his close-combat ability.
Hiruzen exhaled a surge of Wind Release chakra, coating his twin kunai.
—Wind Release: Vacuum Blade.
This technique, often favored by Danzo, extended the cutting edge of weapons and drastically boosted their lethality.
Eyes locked on Mikazuki Munechika—Hoshiyomi's blade—Hiruzen raised both arms and intercepted the slash.
Their weapons clashed with a resounding clang, momentarily locking them in a dead heat.
Then Hiruzen launched a surprise attack, snapping his leg forward toward Hoshiyomi's shin. Hoshiyomi reflexively leaned back to evade, but in doing so, he lost his offensive momentum.
Hiruzen took the opportunity to knock aside Mikazuki Munechika and began a furious dual-wielding barrage, kunai in each hand slicing through the air in a blur of afterimages.
The sheer pressure had Tsunade and Orochimaru watching from the sidelines with wide eyes.
Even Hoshiyomi began to feel the intensity. But his refined swordsmanship and sharp reflexes held strong—he blocked each blow with clean, measured precision.
Then, channeling Wind Release chakra of his own, Hoshiyomi capitalized on the wind's speed enhancement to start pressuring Hiruzen in return.
This isn't good.
Though Hiruzen's kunai were augmented with Wind chakra, they were still ordinary weapons. After clashing so many times with Mikazuki Munechika—a famed sword—they were beginning to crack.
One more strike, and they'd shatter.
Realizing this, Hiruzen didn't hesitate. He flung both kunai away and backflipped out of reach.
The sudden retreat caught Hoshiyomi off guard. Not wanting to trade blows unnecessarily, he deflected the airborne kunai with his blade.
Then he launched a snap kick, catching Hiruzen mid-flip square in the gut and sending him flying.
Fortunately, Hiruzen was still in his forties and physically close to his prime. Had this been his 69-year-old self, that kick might've been the end of him.
Even while airborne, the old man didn't falter. Gritting through the pain, he rapidly formed hand seals midair:
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
A barrage of over a dozen small fireballs erupted from his mouth, scattering like bullets to cut off Hoshiyomi's approach.
Seeing the wall of flame, Hoshiyomi managed to slice apart two of the incoming fireballs but had no choice but to dodge the rest.
Boom—boom—boom!
The remaining fireballs struck where Hoshiyomi had been moments earlier, kicking up clouds of smoke and obscuring the field.
While still in the air, Hiruzen formed a new set of seals with blinding speed—so fast they blurred like afterimages.
Summoning Jutsu!
With a puff of smoke, the Monkey King Enma appeared.
"What's the deal, Hiruzen? You haven't called me out in ages."
"No time to explain! Give me the Adamantine Staff!"
Having fought together for decades, the two were perfectly in sync. Without another word, Enma flipped midair and transformed into the staff, which Hiruzen caught in one hand.
On the other side, the smoke cleared—but Hoshiyomi was nowhere in sight.
Using Transparent Escape Technique, huh?
Hiruzen's face showed feigned confusion, but inwardly, the wily old fox was lying in wait, fully prepared for Hoshiyomi to make his move.
And sure enough, Hoshiyomi took the bait. Seeing an opening, he surged forward—like an arrow loosed from a bow.
His second innate technique—Secret Art: Assault—activated.
But just as he closed the gap, he heard the sharp whistle of air being torn apart—whoosh!
The Adamantine Staff extended midair, aiming straight for his chest.
"The old bastard set me up!"
Hoshiyomi cursed internally but had no choice. He swung Mikazuki Munechika to block.
Clang!
The two legendary weapons collided, unleashing a metallic shockwave.
Ordinarily, that would've been enough to deflect the blow—but the Adamantine Staff kept growing, pushing forward with unstoppable force.
Hoshiyomi was launched backward, slammed into a massive tree, and crashed through it, splitting it in half.
A mouthful of blood spilled from his lips.
Hiruzen chuckled as he raised the staff.
"How about it? Want to call it here, kid? Chalk it up as a win for the old man?"
Hoshiyomi spat out a mouthful of bloodied saliva and sneered,
"Keep dreaming."
He raised one hand in a Buddhist salute stance—the opening motion of Oboro Urazuki: Eleven Forms.
In the next moment, eleven identical Hoshiyomis appeared in the field.
They all smiled in unison.
"I don't go down that easy."
Before Hiruzen could react, they all charged simultaneously, each one unleashing Crescent Moon Slash.
Shadow Clones? Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
But something didn't add up. His perceptiveness—sharper even than Hanzō's—spotted the flaw immediately.
These clones had overlapping chakra signatures. They weren't solid. Not real Shadow Clones.
Unwilling to gamble, Hiruzen stabbed the staff into the ground and let it grow vertically, lifting himself into the sky for a better vantage point.
Meanwhile, all eleven "Hoshiyomis" converged on Enma, who had remained on the field.
The Monkey King grimaced as they landed blow after blow.
"Hey now—if this keeps up, I'm going to take real damage here, Sarutobi!"
"Sorry, Enma! Just hang in there!"
Hiruzen quickly formed a new hand seal—Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
But to conserve chakra, he didn't summon eleven. Just four clones joined the fight—five Hiruzens in total.
While Oboro Urazuki: Eleven Forms excelled against single opponents, it faltered when facing multiple adversaries of Kage-tier strength.
The Hiruzen clones, each wielding the Adamantine Staff, began taking on the illusory duplicates two at a time.
Though the "Moon Shadows" couldn't be destroyed through impact alone, the Sarutobi clones could keep them tied down until their durations expired.
Eventually, Hiruzen's clones all dispelled—and the Moon Shadows vanished with them.
Only the real Hoshiyomi remained.
He stood in front of Hiruzen, Mikazuki Munechika already sheathed, one hand resting gently on the hilt.
"This was my final move," he said quietly.
"Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style—Flash of the Heavenly Soaring Dragon."
Author's Note:
Next chapter: Hoshiyomi finally breaks into Kage-level. His new technique is already planned out—it won't disappoint!