On the ochre plateau, amid swirling yellow sand, a Village of crags and towering stone flickered in and out of view.
This was Iwagakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Freshly withdrawn from the Third Ninja War, it was licking its wounds.
In the original story, the battle that marked Iwagakure's withdrawal was the destruction of the Kannabi Bridge. Not only was their supply line severed, more importantly, Minato Namikaze wiped out fifty Jonin in one assault.
Even though Iwagakure had always boasted vast numbers, its Jonin were the weakest among the Five Villages—some couldn't even rival Konoha's Special Jonin—but they were still Jonin! The entire Village could field at most three or four hundred.
After the war, fewer than two hundred remained. Losing a quarter of them to Minato in a single stroke, Iwagakure simply couldn't continue.
Today, however, several uninvited guests appeared at the gate.
"Who are you? A Hyuga from Konoha?!"
The gate guards eyed the newcomers warily, their gaze fixed on the white-eyed, white-haired woman.
After Obito Uchiha turned over a new leaf, he regained affection for Konoha. So when Vegapunk's group headed there for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Obito used Kamui, fearing his companions might clash with Konoha's Ninja.
But Iwagakure—whose Tsuchikage had once nearly crushed him into Obito paste—ranked just above Kirigakure, the Village that had killed Rin, in his hatred. He had no intention of helping Vegapunk slip in quietly.
Put aside Boa Hancock's nation-toppling beauty or Obito's suspicious attire—Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's unmasked Byakugan alone was enough to spark both caution and greed in any Iwa-nin.
Feeling the two guards' stares, Kaguya shifted uncomfortably and looked to Vegapunk. "My lord, may I act?"
As more Iwa-nin drew weapons and covertly flared signals, Vegapunk merely shrugged. "Do as you please."
She inclined her head coolly. Fixing the nearest gatekeepers with her pale eyes, Kaguya flashed her Byakugan; dreadful pressure turned the two Ninja into bloody paste.
Byakugan—Pressure!
A technique innate to pure-blooded Byakugan. Though costly and of limited use—only effective in close combat and worthless against peers—it excelled at intimidation.
With a serene blink, she reduced foes to sludge, terrorizing the remaining guards into frantic retreat.
Yet this was Iwagakure's heartland. The gate sentries had already raised the alarm; within moments, scores of Ninja poured in.
Inside the gate, Vegapunk glanced at the semicircle of Ninja and asked bluntly, "Where is your Jinchuriki?"
"Villain! Do you think this is your backyard? How dare you rampage through Iwagakure!"
The roar came from a short, balding old man with a bulbous nose—Ōnoki—hovering mid-air, eyes blazing.
"We meet the Third Tsuchikage the instant we enter," Vegapunk mused. "Wartime reflexes—impressive."
"Even faster than that!" The old man snapped. With a cold laugh he forged a Dust Release prism between his palms. "Die!"
Yet none of Vegapunk's party flinched; none feared the famed Dust Release.
Obito could phase with Kamui; the other three possessed Chakra-absorption. Without Yin-Yang Release, Kekkei Mōra, or senjutsu infused with Natural Energy, no Ninjutsu could touch them—including the supposedly unblockable Kekkei Tōta.
Hancock stepped forward, palm out, and caught the Dust Release beam. The watching Iwa-nin gasped at the beauty's rashness—then gaped as she absorbed every mote of light.
"Courtesy demands I return the favor," she said.
Her smile lit her flawless face, dazzling every stone-nin in sight.
Mero Mero Mellow!
Pink light flashed. Moments later, only statues remained—save for Ōnoki and one Jonin who had resisted by slashing his own flesh.
Compared with the One Piece World, Naruto's harsher tone gave its Ninja slightly stronger resistance to her charms.
"W-what Ninjutsu is this?" Ōnoki's face turned livid at the sight of dozens of petrified comrades. "Change them back—now!"
Hancock's smile curved. "Very well, I'll restore them."
The old man's heart chilled at her blossom-bright grin. He twisted away, realization dawning. "Stop—!"
Too late. She clenched her fist and punched. The sweeping fist-wind shattered every stone statue into shards.
"You monster!!!" Eyes blood-red, Ōnoki began forming seals—then froze as Hancock tired of the game.
In an instant, crushing gravity seized him; before he could react, her hand closed around his throat.
The One Piece World breeds giants; though Hancock stood just shy of two meters, tiny Ōnoki barely reached 160 cm. With her long limbs and his stubby ones, the captured Tsuchikage looked like a child.
"B-bastard…" he croaked, face purple, limbs limp as she drained his Chakra in torrents.
"Old man, where are your two Jinchuriki?"
"D-dream on…"
Leave it to me!" Uchiha Obito stepped forward, his eyes spinning into the Mangekyo pattern. "In a situation like this, genjutsu is always the better choice.
Although Hancock and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki possess exalted bloodlines, the Ōtsutsuki Clan almost never develops Ninjutsu, and Hancock, owing to her combat habits, rarely uses illusions. When it comes to prying out information with genjutsu, Uchiha Obito is unquestionably the expert.
A perfectly healthy Ōnoki might have withstood the Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu, but with most of his Chakra drained he stood no chance against Uchiha Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan.
Obito effortlessly hypnotized Ōnoki, extracted the intel, then frowned and told Vegapunk, "Got it. The Five-Tails Jinchuriki is living in a valley not far from the Village; the Four-Tails Jinchuriki is currently at a temple in the Land of Earth.
Because of their destructive power and tendency to lose control, Jinchuriki are usually housed in remote parts of a Village, but for the Four-Tails host to leave outright clearly indicates a falling-out with Ōnoki.
As long as they had the information, that was enough. Vegapunk nodded. "Good. We'll secure the Four-Tails Jinchuriki first, then go after the Five-Tails."
Release the Tsuchikage!"
At that moment reinforcements from Iwagakure arrived. Seeing their captured Tsuchikage, they charged forward in shock and fury.
Hancock and Vegapunk couldn't be less interested in these Ninja; Kaguya showed no reaction either. Obito stepped out, his Chakra flaring.
As far as Obito was concerned, Iwagakure was an enemy; he clapped his hands, eyeshadow appearing around his eyes as the ground quaked and vast forests erupted.
Sage Mode—activate!
Wood Release—Verdant Sea!
Wood Release—Wood Golem!
Adorned—Susanoo!
A forest spanning several kilometers sprang up, instantly obliterating the charging Iwa Ninja. Trees born of Sage Wood Release were as hard as steel, absorbed Chakra from Ninja and jutsu to fuel their own growth.
From the forest rose a colossal wooden golem, clad in mighty Susanoo armor. With earth-shaking steps the Susanoo-Wood Golem lumbered through Iwagakure.
The entire Village saw the titan; no warning was needed. Countless Iwa shinobi swarmed like ants.
What kind of monster is that?!"
Stop him—don't let him advance another step!"
That's Wood Release—a Konoha Ninja!"
Damn it, Ninjutsu does nothing!"
Earth Release, Fire Release, Wind Release, shuriken, exploding tags… every attack merely clanged against the Susanoo armor, leaving the Susanoo-Wood Golem unscathed.
Simply walking, the golem inflicted devastating losses on the Village.
Wherever it passed, walls collapsed, houses crumbled, and cliffs shattered, driving the Iwa Ninja to desperation.
Stop wasting jutsu—everyone, combine techniques!"
A leader emerged from the chaos, shouting orders. The Ninja grouped up and began synchronized Ninjutsu.
Earth Release—Mountainous Rise!
Earth Release—Golem Formation!
Massive earth peaks lifted on either side of the Susanoo-Wood Golem and slammed inward, while a huge stone demon rose at the front, powered by the combined Chakra of dozens of Iwa Ninja.
Standing atop the golem's head, Obito sneered. "Quite the resolve—willing to destroy your own Village?"
Map-clearing jutsu like Mountainous Rise devastated half of Iwagakure, dealing more damage than Obito's golem.
Nice determination, but that level of power won't stop me!"
The forest beneath the golem surged, wrapping the earthen peaks and pinning them in place. As the rock demon charged, the Susanoo-Wood Golem slowly drew a katana of Susanoo Chakra, its edge laced with tiny spatial fissures.
Kamui—Single-Slash!
The space-rending katana cleaved the stone demon in two; the lingering fissure carved a vast canyon through Iwagakure.
Ninja caught in the slash vanished into ash without even a scream.
No…"
A monster!!"
We can't win—impossible!"
The strike broke the Village's will; some Ninja fled outright.
Just then a roar echoed from a distant valley as a strange white beast galloped forth.
Five long tails, pure-white fur, a horned head, slender limbs—if not for its size it might have been a unicorn spirit.
So that's the Five-Tails—looks pretty good!"
Vegapunk shaded his eyes, watching with interest.
Among the nine Tailed Beasts, the Two-Tails, Five-Tails, and Nine-Tails are the most handsome; the rest grow stranger—especially the Six-Tails, basically a giant slug.
Unaware of the compliment—or simply uncaring—the Five-Tails lowered its head, aimed its horn, and charged like white lightning, slamming into the Susanoo-Wood Golem.
With a boom the golem was hurled dozens of meters; the Five-Tails reared, a black sphere forming in its mouth before it swallowed and blasted a flash of light.
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