This Mountain-Splitting Earth-Cracking Slash wasn't a technique gifted by the system. Rather, Hoshiyomi developed it himself, inspired by the success of his Earth Dragon Tremor and the Berserker's Mountain-Splitting Earth-Cracking Slash in DNF. The structure of the attack was similar.
It also involved compressing chakra and combining different chakra natures. But unlike the original Earth Release-based jutsu, Hoshiyomi used Fire Release combined with the chakra of Matatabi, the Two-Tails, sealed within his Mikazuki Munechika.
While the Earth Dragon Tremor created a wide-area quake, the Mountain-Splitting Earth-Cracking Slash caused an eruption of flame.
The fire-natured chakra, previously forced underground, instantly detonated the moment it separated from Mikazuki Munechika. Ghostly blue flames burst forth from the earth, engulfing the Explosion Release unit's entire camp in front of Hoshiyomi.
Even though it was the dead of night, shinobi were still shinobi—there was always some base level of alertness. The powerful chakra disturbance jolted a few shinobi awake as soon as Hoshiyomi released the technique.
Six figures detected something was wrong and used Body Flicker Technique to narrowly escape before the fire erupted. But most of the others—still asleep, or unable to form hand seals in time—were swallowed by the blaze.
Among those six, Hoshiyomi sharply noticed one person whose outfit was different from the others. He guessed this man was the one named "Yōgan"—the individual Danzō had deliberately concealed in his intel. Without hesitation, he hurled a wave of sword energy at him.
But Yōgan's reaction was razor-sharp. Though he hadn't even landed on the ground yet, he sensed the sword slash that had been aimed at his predicted landing point. Instantly, he flung two shuriken to collide midair, disrupting the path and velocity of the incoming blade.
Taking advantage of the moment, Yōgan twisted his body midair and narrowly avoided a fatal blow. The sword slash that should have cleaved him in two only grazed him slightly.
"Seeing this, Hoshiyomi clicked his tongue, used Shunpo to dodge an incoming punch from an Explosion Release shinobi, then launched his prepared signal flare.
As the enemy's fist smashed into the spot Hoshiyomi had just vacated, a deafening explosion followed. Hoshiyomi raised an eyebrow.
Yeah... this kind of power is terrifying on the battlefield. This night raid was definitely the right move.
Though he hadn't taken out Yōgan, the first step of his night raid plan had gone off without a hitch.
More and more Iwa shinobi were now rushing out of their tents in panic. Hoshiyomi knew he couldn't afford to linger. He glanced into the distance—judging by the towering blaze over there, Lobo's jutsu had worked.
He closed his eyes and sensed the environment. Confirming that Lobo had already returned to the Summon Realm, Hoshiyomi no longer hesitated. With a rapid burst of Shunpo, he widened the distance between him and the pursuers. Only a few could barely keep up with his speed.
Looking back, Hoshiyomi flashed them a mischievous wave:
"Bye-bye~"
The moment the words left his mouth, Hoshiyomi activated Transparent Escape Technique, blending into the night and vanishing.
The next second, Takekawa and Yōgan arrived at the spot Hoshiyomi had just vacated. They looked around, but there was no trace of him.
Takekawa was so furious his eyes turned bloodshot. He smashed a fist into the ground, unleashing a massive shockwave:
"Damn it! That bastard got away!"
Yōgan, however, was far more composed. Looking up at the still-burning flare in the sky, his expression shifted dramatically. He quickly grabbed Takekawa, who was still eager to give chase.
"Stop chasing. If we keep going, the entire camp will fall. This isn't just a solo night raid by Hoshiyomi—Konoha has declared war.
We have to return and rally the troops immediately!
If we lose this battle… we're really done for!"
Takekawa, reckless though he was, could still distinguish what mattered. Hearing Yōgan's words, he instantly understood and followed him back to the Iwa camp.
By now, the Iwagakure base was in complete chaos. Some shinobi rushed out in half-dressed panic to guard their positions, others ran toward the supply depot to put out fires, while survivors from the Explosion Release unit screamed for reinforcements.
It was a chaotic scene of shouting and neighing. One could only lament that the shinobi world didn't have cavalry. If Konoha had launched a mounted charge right now, Iwa might've just surrendered on the spot.
Yōgan and Takekawa returned to camp. Yōgan immediately slapped the original commander across the face to jolt him awake. At Yōgan's signal, Takekawa stepped forward and slammed three devastating punches into the ground.
With each thunderous blast, the riotous camp was finally subdued.
Yōgan didn't bother hiding his identity anymore. He shouted at the top of his lungs:
"I am Yōgan, Captain of Iwagakure's ANBU!
I am temporarily taking over command of the battlefield.
Everyone, listen to my orders. Those who disobey will be executed on the spot!"
The authority of the ANBU captain, combined with his threat of execution, was finally enough to subdue the panicked Iwa shinobi.
Seeing order restored, Yōgan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't have time to devise any clever strategies, so he simply gave the most effective commands he could:
"Twenty Water Release shinobi—get to the supply depot and put out the fire.
Everyone else, follow me. Prepare for battle.
Sensory team—gather in formation, maximum range detection. We cannot let the Konoha shinobi exploit a gap in our defenses.
Everyone else, get into the formation you're most familiar with. Now!"
After a frantic round of orders, Iwagakure finally managed to piece together a semi-functional formation.
Yōgan exhaled deeply and was just about to give the command to engage when the sensory unit captain spoke up:
"It's bad. The Konoha shinobi… they're already here."
Just as those words landed, the sound of shouting could be heard faintly in the distance—the war cries of Konoha's forces.
Even Yōgan turned pale at that moment. Who could have imagined that, even when besieged by two great shinobi villages, Konoha would still dare to take the initiative—and with such careful planning?
Now, even Yōgan had no solutions left. All he could do was shout:
"All forces—attack! Let Konoha see what we're made of!"
He gestured for the original commander to resume deployments. Fortunately, that man wasn't a complete waste of space. Once he calmed down, he quickly resumed his tactical responsibilities.
The Iwa shinobi surged out of their tents, shouting as they rushed into battle. Though they weren't fully prepared, they had no choice now but to face the charging Konoha head-on.
At the rear of the formation, Yōgan looked at the barely-assembled battle lines. His thoughts drifted to the shadow that had launched tonight's raid.
There was no mistake. That person was definitely Gekkō Hoshiyomi.
To have the courage to infiltrate enemy lines alone—even if he had the help of unique abilities—that kind of resolve was not something ordinary people could possess.
Tsuchikage-sama was right—such a brilliant talent absolutely couldn't be allowed to remain in Konoha.
But the war hadn't even properly begun, and they'd already suffered such a loss…
Could he—along with the remaining Explosion Release unit—really take down that astonishing "Konoha's Silver Moon"?
Almost unconsciously, he reached into his shirt and took out a photograph.
In it, a newly adult Yōgan smiled happily alongside a red-violet-haired boy.
No matter what… I'll live through this. I'll come back to see you, Rōshi!
Author's Notes:
The character Takekawa is based on the character Takekawa from the character suggestion thread. He has the same Explosion Style, but instead of a sword, he uses a style similar to Jinpachi Munashi. Also, for the character Yōgan, anyone who has read it should know. I have set him up as the older brother of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, with the same Lava Release ability as the actual Rōshi, but not as overpowered, of course.