Undoubtedly, if Kyoichi were to describe his own "Sage Arts," he would not hesitate to use words like "crude," "rough," "utterly lacking in finesse." This wasn't false modesty—it was his honest self-assessment.
Because the series of so-called "Sage Arts" he had unleashed so far
were nothing more than the original framework of Earth Release techniques. The only difference was that he replaced the driving force—chakra—with senjutsu chakra, a blend of natural energy and his own. That alone amplified their power. But clearly, this crude approach failed to draw out the true potential of senjutsu chakra. Waste was inevitable.
If it were merely wasted energy, he could tolerate it.
What truly frustrated him was that the original framework of Earth Release itself limited the power ceiling. Once the technique reached that cap, it simply could not climb further, no matter how much senjutsu chakra he poured in.
I'll have to find time later to develop original Sage Arts of my own…
…and the time it takes me to enter Sage Mode must be shortened as well. If I run into a sudden battle and don't have time to gather natural energy, that would be troublesome. I can't rely forever on keeping spare shadow clones on standby, can I?
These tangled thoughts flickered through his mind—
but only for a moment.
Kyoichi quickly forced the distractions aside.
The future could be left to his future self. For now, his entire focus had to remain on the battle before him.
But—
"Iwami! Fall back, now!!"
Akaishi's shout rang out.
They couldn't withstand it.
They simply could not withstand this sudden, frenzied Kyoichi. If Bantō's death was still within the bounds of expectation, then the way Slate and Ishiza were annihilated was something altogether incomprehensible. Every jutsu Kyoichi used, Akaishi recognized—but the destructive might was so alien it felt like a dream.
It shouldn't have been that strong.
It shouldn't.
Fortunately, Akaishi's combat instincts pulled him back from despair, forcing his mind to slam on the brakes. He refused to chase that dead-end thought. Snapping back, he bellowed orders to the still-surviving Iwami to retreat.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Akaishi poured chakra into a large-scale technique, forcing solid earth to rise within the swamp, opening a livable path. Grabbing Iwami, he dashed along the makeshift causeway, not toward escape, but toward the neighboring battlefield.
This wasn't a scheme of "luring disaster eastward" by design.
It was simply that Akaishi had not given up. He admitted that their Iwa-nin offensive had suffered a devastating blow.
But this time—
they had even stronger allies in this alliance.
With Amegakure's power lending support,
he did not believe Kyoichi could survive.
In his mind, there was no way Kyoichi's burst of strength could last long. Experience told him that such explosive states were always brief, always carried severe aftereffects. If he could just endure the peak danger for a little while, Koeda Kyoichi would become like fish laid out on the chopping block—ready for him to cut into pieces.
Yes, this contradicted their original plan,
where Amegakure would handle the Akatsuki while Iwa-nin dealt with the Koeda clan.
But plans must adapt!
Akaishi didn't care how many Ame-nin died. Their alliance was glued together by shared profit; once goals were achieved, they would part ways anyway. As for whether his actions might trigger Amegakure's backlash later…
There was no time to worry about that now.
And truthfully,
Akaishi doubted Amegakure would dare turn on him in such a critical moment—for that would only waste all their sacrifices.
"Hanzō! Give me a hand!!"
Akaishi shouted while sprinting desperately.
Hearing this nearly made Hanzō, locked in battle with scythe and chain, vomit blood from sheer fury.
And yet—
Nagato's oppressive might left him no room to respond.
Every instant, Hanzō had to guard against Nagato's bizarre and unpredictable techniques. Just as the Iwa-nin had faltered, Amegakure's side was locked in a brutal stalemate. Nagato alone was holding back Hanzō and his eight Jōnin subordinates.
To be honest—
the fight had shaken Hanzō to his core.
He thought he had already accounted for how terrifying this man called Nagato could be. Only now, in battle, did he realize just how horrifying the truth was.
That seemingly bottomless chakra pool allowed Nagato to unleash one devastating jutsu after another. All five chakra natures—mastered to perfection. Combination techniques flowed as easily as breathing, turning him into a human artillery cannon, raining down divine destruction.
And then, shadow clones—
multiple, at once.
Three or five clones would gang up on one Ame-nin, turning the numbers advantage against them, isolating them one by one.
And this wasn't even the worst of it.
The most maddening were Nagato's utterly alien techniques, unlike anything Hanzō had ever seen:
Repulsive force that shattered stone.
Gravitational pull strong enough to drag his giant salamander off balance.
Techniques that absorbed ninjutsu itself.
Mysterious bombs trailing fiery tails that hunted their targets relentlessly.
One after another, strange abilities—enough to make even a veteran like Hanzō reel in disbelief. Still, with grim determination, he swung scythe and chain, managing to destroy two of Nagato's clones. He blasted another apart with Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation. A fourth fell to Water Release: Water Fang Bullet.
Four clones down.
Yes, Hanzō was still formidable.
Even aged and past his prime, he could still overwhelm most of the so-called "geniuses" of the younger generation.
But his opponent was Nagato.
And Nagato was nothing like an ordinary prodigy. The Rinnegan gave him a starting point higher than others could even dream of—and a peak most would never touch. Even if Nagato had not yet reached that peak, he was already enough to stand on equal ground with the legendary Hanzō, who had once been at the very summit of the shinobi world but was now in decline.
And Nagato was fighting him without falling behind.
At this very moment—
Hanzō was agonizing over how to locate Nagato's true body, so he could finally put an end to this draining war of attrition.
But before he could—
Akaishi, that useless fool, stumbled onto the field, having been crushed by Iwagakure's own traitor. He had dragged Kyoichi—the one they were supposed to keep separate—straight into Hanzō's battlefield.
For a moment, Hanzō's mind went blank.
And when Kyoichi began to unleash his next attack—
a chill ran down Hanzō's spine.