Mutsuki released a burst of Chakra from his hands and threw three kunai toward the Hidden Mist.
These three kunai didn't have any Nature Transformation applied-they were just ordinary kunai-yet all the Hidden Mist ninja showed wary expressions, using various techniques to block their path.
But just then, from the side, a kunai was thrown from a tree. Some noticed the sound of it slicing through the air, but the kunai's speed was extremely fast. Because of the short distance, it reached the Hidden Mist ninja almost instantly.
Whoosh!
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!!
Using the Flying Thunder God Kunai thrown by a Shadow Clone, Mutsuki instantly teleported to the side of the Hidden Mist ninja and flung out a shuriken.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Under the effect of the jutsu, the shuriken Mutsuki threw began to multiply continuously, forming a dense rain of blades like an impenetrable arrow storm covering the Hidden Mist.
"Ice Release: Glacial Dome!"
Minazuki was the first to react. He immediately gathered Ice Release Chakra, forming a thick ice wall around himself.
The other Hidden Mist ninja who managed to react also used their own methods to defend or dodge, but most were unable to handle the close-range shuriken net.
One ninja swung his sword to block three shuriken but was pierced by more and killed. Another tried to evade using the Body Flicker Jutsu but wasn't fast enough and was impaled by a shuriken.
Minazuki's brows furrowed slightly-two-thirds of the Hidden Mist ninja were killed outright by Mutsuki's Shuriken Shadow Clone technique, and among the survivors, several were wounded.
"He even had a Shadow Clone hidden nearby in advance."
Minazuki believed he had to defeat Mutsuki as quickly as possible-otherwise, before long, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and all his subordinates would be killed by Mutsuki.
"Ice Release: Cold Wave!"
Minazuki converted a large amount of Chakra into Ice Release Chakra and unleashed it all in one burst, releasing an intense cold aura around him.
Crack! Crack!
The ground surrounding Minazuki began to freeze rapidly. The remaining Hidden Mist ninja, under his deliberate control, were not affected by the Ice Release Chakra, but he didn't care about the ones who had died-one by one, they were completely encased in ice. The frozen surface quickly spread toward Mutsuki's feet.
Mutsuki directly entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, releasing high-temperature flames to counter the incoming frigid air.
"What kind of Ninjutsu is that?" Minazuki was surprised to see Mutsuki remain unmoved and block his Cold Wave in place.
Still, Minazuki didn't pay it too much mind. He didn't expect this Ninjutsu to freeze someone powerful-the cold wasn't fast enough for that.
The purpose of this Ninjutsu wasn't to defeat Mutsuki, but to set the stage for the next technique.
"If I'd known this would happen, I would've just left with Juzo and the others," Aoma regretted following Minazuki here.
He had assumed that with Minazuki's strength, they wouldn't meet any worthy opponents. But out popped a ninja suspected to be the Yellow Flash.
Aoma could only hope the enemy would get careless and not use Flying Thunder God to escape the range of Cold Wave-then maybe Minazuki could seize the opportunity to seriously wound him.
With that thought, Aoma threw a Chakra light orb at Mutsuki, actively trying to pin him down. The other surviving Hidden Mist ninja also launched their attacks.
"Gotta find a way to get close and slash him," Jinin didn't act with the others. He focused intently on Mutsuki, who had effortlessly blocked all their attacks with just Fire Release, waiting for that moment when Mutsuki would slip up-so he could land a killing blow.
Any ninja can be killed-no matter how strong Mutsuki is, his body isn't made of iron. If Jinin managed to land a blow, even if it didn't kill him, it would cripple him.
"Ice Release: Ice Dragon Kill!"
Minazuki opened his mouth and released a massive amount of Ice Release Chakra, quickly forming an ice dragon beside him. Under his control, the Ice Blocks on the ground flew toward the dragon to enhance its power. The dragon rapidly grew in size-so massive that just looking at it made people feel insignificant.
The Ice Blocks around Mutsuki, however, didn't fly toward the dragon. Instead, they gathered together and formed ice spears that shot toward him.
"Good thing we're not in the Land of Snow. Feels like this guy's power would increase by half if we were," Obito muttered as he looked at the massive ice dragon.
But Obito didn't think the outcome would change either way. The environment could influence a ninja's combat strength, but that still depended on the person. Against the all-powerful Mutsuki-sensei, Minazuki didn't stand a chance-whether it was on a glacier or in the desert.
"Wait... his target is us," Kakashi noticed the ice dragon suddenly change direction and charge toward their group.
Minazuki curled his lips into a smirk. After all, he was a ninja. His initial demand for a one-on-one with Mutsuki was only because he was excited to meet another Ice Release user from a different village for the first time. But in real battle, he'd use any means necessary to win.
He wasn't stupid. The ice dragon had a huge attack range, but trying to hit Mutsuki-who had Flying Thunder God-was just too difficult. Rather than aiming at Mutsuki, it was better to smash it toward Kakashi's group and force Mutsuki to take the hit directly.
"Eight Inner Gates, Sixth Gate-Gate of Joy, open!" Seeing this, Duy immediately activated the sixth gate.
"Uncle Duy, no need to rush," Kakashi shook his head, trying to stop him.
Minazuki's attack was clearly not simple, and opening just the sixth gate wouldn't be enough to block it.
Of course, there was no need for Duy to block it anyway-Mutsuki-sensei was still here.
If Mutsuki weren't present, Kakashi would've ordered everyone to scatter immediately. Not just because they were exhausted-even at full strength, they might not have been able to block such a terrifying attack.
But since Mutsuki was here, and there were still multiple enemies on the field, Kakashi chose to trust in Mutsuki's judgment.
If Mutsuki had any special arrangements, he would've said so directly. The fact that he hadn't meant everything was still within his control.
Because Kakashi and the others had Mutsuki's Flying Thunder God Kunai on them, Mutsuki used the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to instantly return to their side.
Minazuki showed an expression of "just as expected."
"Your loss is because you weren't ruthless enough," Minazuki thought he had already won.
By this point in the fight, Minazuki had realized that in terms of individual combat ability, he couldn't beat Mutsuki. If it were truly a one-on-one, he'd likely lose.
But there was no "if." The reality was that he had the support of four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, along with his own Chunin and Jonin subordinates. Meanwhile, Mutsuki only had his wounded and exhausted disciples.
If their positions were reversed, Minazuki would have chosen to retreat.
Not just for himself, but for the bigger picture. A few Chunin could always be replaced by reinforcements from the village. But the death of a high-level ninja like himself would greatly affect the battlefield as a whole.
"Step back a little-there's probably going to be a lot of shattered ice in a moment," Mutsuki said with a calm smile as he gathered chakra.
Kakashi and the others nodded and backed away several meters.
Mutsuki then turned to face the incoming massive ice dragon and switched from Flame Breathing to Stone Breathing to enhance his physical strength.
He pushed Stone Breathing to its peak and activated Transparent World. Next, he placed his left hand in front of him and his right hand near his waist, extending his index and middle fingers.
Seeing this stance, Guy's eyes instantly lit up. He immediately recognized that Mutsuki was preparing to unleash the incredibly powerful technique-Golden Skyline.
"To use that move on such a huge ice dragon... this is gonna be awesome," Guy said with excitement.
He had no doubt about Mutsuki's ability and was eager to see what kind of brilliance Mutsuki's Golden Skyline would unleash when contrasted with such a formidable opponent.
"Golden Skyline!"
With Transparent World activated, Mutsuki could precisely utilize every ounce of strength. After all preparations were complete, his chakra surged as he sprinted forward.
As the massive dragon and Mutsuki were about to collide, every ninja on the field focused intently on the figure charging toward the dragon.
In front of the enormous dragon, Mutsuki appeared minuscule, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot-seemingly overestimating his own strength.
At the very moment they intersected, Mutsuki slashed forward with his fingers in a sword-drawing stance.
A beautiful golden thread flashed by.
Boom!!
A massive explosion erupted. White ice shards and powder rapidly filled the air, and blocks of ice of various sizes shot outward in all directions.
Rumble!!
The immense impact blasted craters into the ground. The shockwave scattered leaves and blew the ninjas' hair backward.
Minazuki stared in disbelief at the center of the explosion. The once enormous ice dragon had completely vanished, leaving only shattered ice scattered across the battlefield.
"How is this possible? My full-power Ice Dragon Kill was destroyed head-on-and with Taijutsu?" Minazuki found it hard to accept.
Such a massive ice dragon shattered by physical combat alone-how could pure Taijutsu produce such power?
"That's the same Taijutsu as that green brat... but the difference in power is like night and day," Aoma gasped.
Guy's Golden Skyline had already stunned them-nearly one-shotting Fuguki the first time, and the second time, tearing through multiple attackers, breaking the Executioner's Blade, and disabling Biwa.
But compared to Mutsuki's Golden Skyline, Guy's version was child's play. If it had been Mutsuki's Golden Skyline from the start, not a single member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would've survived.
Although shocked, Minazuki still retained the composure of a true powerhouse. He immediately tried to use the Body Flicker Jutsu to relocate and flee.
However, Mutsuki had already anticipated his move. Just as Minazuki attempted to retreat, a wind blade released by Mutsuki's Shadow Clone forced him back.
Failing to escape in the first instant meant Minazuki completely lost his chance to flee-because Mutsuki was already right in front of him.
"Ice Release: Glacial Dome!"
With no hope of escape, Minazuki made a final effort and created an ice wall in front of himself.
Crack!
Mutsuki's finger pierced through the ice wall and stabbed through Minazuki's body, ending him completely.
There were those who wanted to stop Mutsuki, but at Mutsuki's full speed, they had no way of doing so.
"How could this be... Minazuki-sama actually..." Minazuki's subordinates were dazed as they witnessed the scene.
Though Minazuki had many flaws, his strength was undeniable. None of them had expected him to be killed by Mutsuki so easily.
"I've got to train even harder. This kind of power is what the real Golden Skyline looks like!" Guy's desire to train ignited.
Compared to Mutsuki's Golden Skyline, his own was far inferior. Whether in terms of physical strength or technique proficiency, he still had a long way to go.
"This move is truly powerful-perhaps the most terrifying Taijutsu in the ninja world. I wonder how it compares to the Third Raikage's Strongest Spear," Kakashi thought to himself in awe.
The Third Raikage's Taijutsu belonged to the Lightning Release Nin-Taijutsu category, and his Hell Stab was renowned across the ninja world as The Strongest Spear. But Kakashi felt that Golden Skyline might not be any weaker than Hell Stab.
Thinking this far gave Kakashi a bit of a headache. How were they supposed to fight in the next civil war? If Guy could normalize his use of the Sixth Gate and Stone Breathing Chakra Mode, it might take all three of them ganging up on him just to stand a chance.
"Die!"
At this final moment, Jinin finally made his move. Seizing the opportunity when Mutsuki's arm had just pierced through the ice wall, he suddenly lunged forward, swinging his Greatsword at Mutsuki's neck.
Whoosh!
Mutsuki's body vanished from its original spot, and Jinin's Greatsword slammed into the ice wall, sending shards flying.
In the next instant, Mutsuki reappeared beside Jinin, Kunai in hand, and stabbed it directly into Jinin's heart.
Jinin looked at Mutsuki in confusion, collapsing with doubt in his eyes. Even in death, he couldn't understand how Mutsuki had instantly appeared next to him-there wasn't even a Flying Thunder God Kunai there.
"Sometimes, the dead can be useful," Mutsuki said, glancing at the now fully lifeless Minazuki.
When he killed Minazuki, he had secretly left a Flying Thunder God Mark on his body.
Aoma watched as Mutsuki finished off Minazuki and then killed Jinin as effortlessly as slaughtering a chicken. He instinctively reached for his back, only to realize that his clothes were drenched in cold sweat.
Without hesitation, Aoma turned and fled. At that moment, he had not a single shred of will to fight.
He believed he still had a chance to survive. Although he couldn't outrun Mutsuki, he could at least outrun the other Hidden Mist ninja.
It was a good plan in theory-unfortunately, his opponent was Mutsuki.
As the remaining Hidden Mist shinobi realized something was wrong and tried to escape, two Shadow Clones cut off their retreat and killed them. Aoma himself was quickly caught by Mutsuki's main body and died instantly after a Rasengan smashed into his chest.
After killing all the enemies, Mutsuki swiftly cleaned up the battlefield, sealing the ninja blades and the corpses of Minazuki and the others into scrolls.
This time, Mutsuki didn't intend to hide the battle like before.
First, because the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and Minazuki were heavyweights on the eastern front-Konoha would definitely be paying close attention to them.
Second, Mutsuki's publicly known strength was no longer low. There was no need to suppress or conceal it like in the past. Letting word of his accomplishments spread would only boost his reputation.
A ninja possessing great strength yet deliberately keeping a low profile and holding back only draws more attention.
Mutsuki's concealment wasn't brainless low-key behavior or playing dumb-he aimed for a level of secrecy that matched his status, strength, and persona, so it wouldn't raise suspicion.
After finishing up, Mutsuki led his disciples back to the camp. His current strength still wasn't enough to completely ignore everything on the battlefield-no matter how powerful the skills, they still required Chakra to use.
Once back at the camp, Mutsuki checked the panel-some of his disciples' life mission rewards had been settled.
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