Snow and wind continued to rage without pause, stretching on endlessly through the day.
At the ruins of a former village in the old Land of Whirlpools, Hagoromo and Kakashi once again encountered enemy shinobi.
Kakashi's opponent was another eyebrow-less brat from Kirigakure—one whose objective was clearly the Executioner's Blade.
As for Hagoromo, standing before him was a far more troublesome foe—
The Four-Tails Jinchūriki of Iwagakure.
Worse still, the man had already identified him.
Over the past year and more, Hagoromo had been almost constantly deployed on the battlefield.
And not merely deployed—he had been exceptionally active.
As his strength steadily increased, so too did the number of enemy casualties he caused. Many of the corpses left in his wake…
Some had died miserably.
Others had died even more miserably than that.
By now, his reputation for "cruelty" had firmly cemented the title "White Yaksha." In that sense, he was a textbook example of someone who truly loved his line of work.
His pure-white mask was frequently stained with blood.
The black iron gourd on his back had long since taken on a reddish hue.
—But that was simply the nature of shinobi.
Even someone with Nohara Rin's gentle personality would never hesitate when it was time to strike.
Because of that, after becoming well-known in Sunagakure, Hagoromo had also gained considerable notoriety in both Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
He was, after all, a highly recognizable ninja.
Though his face was hidden behind a mask, he almost always carried that distinctive gourd. Such a tool counted as a specialized ninja weapon, rarely used on the battlefield—and even more rarely by someone so young. After encountering him several times, enemy shinobi naturally remembered him.
Hagoromo and his squad spent most of their time stirring up trouble on the Kumogakure front, occasionally crossing over to harass Iwagakure as well—and more often than not, they escaped unscathed.
Especially Hagoromo himself. He was injured surprisingly infrequently.
So it was hardly strange that Iwagakure had intelligence on him.
But the fact that Rōshi knew him so well—that was unusual.
And when combined with the man's presence here…
Was he assisting Kirigakure in stealing the Byakugan? That seemed unlikely—their relationship wasn't that close.
Was he hoping to reap the benefits of a three-way conflict, then seize the Byakugan for himself? That sounded plausible—but this was an emergency situation. There was no way Iwagakure could react so quickly.
Coincidence?
Passing through?
That felt far too convenient. And Rōshi's calm demeanor didn't resemble someone who had merely wandered into the area.
And more importantly—
Were there other Iwagakure shinobi nearby?
In an instant, countless possibilities raced through Hagoromo's mind—only to be dismissed one after another.
Unfortunately, he had no time to think further.
A Jinchūriki exuded pressure that could not be ignored.
"Care to exchange information?" Hagoromo asked. "At least tell me why you're here—and I'll do the same."
He was probing for intel.
But clearly, his opponent wasn't an idiot.
Rōshi had no obligation to explain anything to a Konoha ninja—and Hagoromo himself certainly wouldn't tell the truth either.
"So negotiations are pointless after all?" Hagoromo sighed theatrically.
"In the end, shinobi still have to speak with the number and power of their jutsu…"
He even sounded almost melancholic, as if he were some kind of pacifist.
Strangely enough, that line of thinking aligned quite well with one of the Legendary Sannin.
In fact, Hagoromo could probably get along with all three of them.
"According to Iwagakure's intelligence," Rōshi said calmly,
"the White Yaksha possesses overwhelming control over Lightning Release. You could be classified among the strongest Lightning Release users."
He paused.
"But unfortunately for you—any combat style that relies on physical contact is inherently disadvantaged against me."
Whatever Rōshi's true objective was, battle was now inevitable.
As if to emphasize his words, the moment his sentence ended, his hand seals were already complete.
In the next instant, his entire body was engulfed in a brownish-red glow.
Even from a distance, Hagoromo could feel the scorching heat radiating from him.
"Lava Release?" Hagoromo asked—though he already knew the answer.
This was Lava Release Chakra Mode.
Rōshi's chakra cloaked his body like molten rock, transforming his surface into something akin to flowing magma. In this state, physical contact became impossible.
Anything that touched him would be melted away.
Flesh and blood were no exception.
This mode combined overwhelming offense with terrifying defense. In concept, it resembled Hagoromo's Chidori Current—but it was superior, especially in terms of defense.
"So you're sealing off my close-range attacks?"
Rōshi had activated his strongest state without hesitation—clearly wary of Hagoromo's Lightning Release, and choosing the most advantageous fighting style for himself.
And he was right.
Hagoromo could no longer use Chidori or Lightning Blade.
Trading damage using Chidori Current was even more impossible.
He was completely locked out of close-range taijutsu and ninjutsu.
Meanwhile, Rōshi could charge through the battlefield almost recklessly.
If this were a year ago, Hagoromo would already be feeling cornered.
But unfortunately—
He was no longer the same person he had been a year ago.
He was now past thirteen and closing in on fourteen.
By shinobi standards, he was nearly an adult.
"What you think you understand," Hagoromo said quietly,
"is only the version of me from the past."
As he spoke, he lowered his stance slightly.
His left arm extended forward, fingers pressed together, palm vertical to the ground.
His right arm drew back, fist clenched—as if the punch he was preparing could somehow reach an absurd distance.
"Behold the power of JET Hagoromo," he muttered.
"Even a Jinchūriki will cry."
…Yes.
From a character background perspective, Hagoromo had once been a die-hard One Piece fan with a severe case of chūnibyō. Though he'd long since recovered, it seemed a few symptoms remained.
Of course, he wasn't actually about to throw a Gomu Gomu no Jet anything.
He was bluffing.
Rōshi frowned slightly.
From his perspective, Hagoromo's posture looked like some kind of precise linear targeting—perhaps a high-speed, high-power technique?
But Rōshi was no novice.
Even if Hagoromo gained a speed advantage through Lightning Release, it wouldn't be enough to completely overwhelm him.
Speed alone did not determine victory.
Fast fighters had their methods.
Slow fighters had theirs.
And neither was universally superior.
While Hagoromo was still "posing," Rōshi moved.
A fist wrapped in molten chakra surged forward—
Expanding rapidly in Hagoromo's vision!
The intense heat distorted the air itself, warping space as though reality were bending.
Around Rōshi, the world was no longer ruled by wind or snow.
The searing Lava Release chakra vaporized the storm within its reach.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
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