"Yuki Yoru!!"
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
Watching Nara Shiomizu collapse, the fury in Jiraiya's heart surged out of control.
Chakra erupted violently around him. His white hair extended rapidly, whipped into flowing bundles like a lion's mane, lunging toward Yoru in thick strands.
At the same time, his hands clapped together, cheeks puffing out.
"Ninja Art: Toad Oil Bullet!"
As the hair bound Yoru's movements, Jiraiya spewed sticky oil from his mouth in an arc, aiming to cover Yoru completely.
And at that instant—his hands formed seals again.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
Flames ignited upon contact with the oil, erupting into a blazing inferno that surged forward to engulf Yoru.
"Heh... I'm starting to feel like a serial killer of the Nara Clan."
Faced with Jiraiya's full-force assault, Yoru grinned, showing no intent to dodge.
"I'd love to fight you one-on-one, Jiraiya of the Sannin... but I'm not your opponent."
"Water Style: Water Mirror Technique!"
The searing flames surged toward Yoru—but in the blink of an eye, Yagura appeared beside him.
At that moment—
A stream of water condensed into a transparent mirror.
A second later, an exact replica of Jiraiya emerged from the mirror, spitting oil and fire right back.
The clashing infernos collided, consuming several unfortunate shinobi in the blast. The two opposing forces canceled each other out evenly in a roaring explosion.
"Yagura…"
Staring at the baby-faced boy before him, Jiraiya's eyes were filled with killing intent.
"You really think you can take me on?"
"Guess we won't know until we try."
Yagura smiled faintly, holding his signature hook-bladed staff.
"Besides, I don't need to beat you. As long as I can stall Konoha's war general here... that's already a win for us."
Behind him, Yoru vanished instantly, reappearing behind a Konoha shinobi.
One slash.
The Konoha ninja hadn't even reacted before his head and torso separated.
With a flick of his palm, a blast of Sōkatsui erupted, vaporizing another nearby shinobi.
A casual sweep of his blade sent a wave of killing intent that cleaved through several more enemies, splashing blood into the lake beneath his feet.
"Bastard!!"
Jiraiya's eyes blazed with rage.
Someone like Yoru—if left unchecked on the battlefield—was nothing short of a wolf among sheep. A massacre incarnate.
Originally, Uchiha Fugaku was supposed to handle Yoru. But now, he was pinned down by two or three Kirigakure jōnin—each one a bloodline limit user!
Shikotsumyaku,
Ice Release,
Hydrification Technique...
Kirigakure had truly gone all out to deal with the Uchiha clan head!
"Don't get cocky, brat of the Yuki Clan!"
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet! Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Just as Yoru prepared to continue the slaughter, a figure stood in his path.
His hand seals were blindingly fast—within seconds, twin dragons of earth and flame burst forth.
"Combination Jutsu: Earth-Dragon Flame Stream!"
Sarutobi Shin'nosuke roared, twin dragons bellowing as they charged at Yoru.
"Now that's some spirit, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke."
Yoru slashed his blade, unleashing an icy dragon from its tip that collided head-on with the flaming earth dragons. All three dragons clashed midair and vanished in a chaotic explosion.
"Killing the Third Hokage's son would be quite the statement... but I have other priorities. Can't waste too much time here."
Shunpo exploded.
Yoru vanished from Shin'nosuke's sight and reappeared behind another Konoha ninja.
Another slash. Another corpse.
[Ding! Jōnin defeated — Reward: 1000 points.]
The crisp chime of the system echoed in his mind. Watching his points counter rise rapidly, Yoru couldn't help but grin.
"Kill and burn, and you'll wear a golden belt; build bridges and roads, and you'll die forgotten."
Only war could make him rich overnight.
To Yoru, these Konoha ninja weren't enemies—they were walking point banks. Even better, many of them triggered system missions.
The system's trigger conditions were simple: if the character had ever appeared in the original series, they could trigger a mission.
He'd already killed Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, Hyūga Hizashi—no need to explain the payout.
Even minor characters like Nara Suzaku or Nara Shiomizu, who only appeared in the Fourth Great Ninja War, triggered missions.
Their ranks were low—just C-rank missions—but still rewarded 5,000 points each.
A C-rank mission plus a jōnin kill meant 7,000 points. A few more like that, and he'd be rolling in tens of thousands!
As the saying goes:
"A horse will not be fat without night grass, and a man will not be rich without windfall."
And this battlefield? This was Yoru's personal path to the top.
"Super Giant Rasengan!!"
Just as Yoru prepared to move again, Jiraiya reappeared on his flank, pressing a massive spinning orb of chakra—several cubic meters in size—into his side.
The force of impact was immense. Yoru barely had time to activate Bakudō #39: Enkōsen.
But that barrier was nowhere near enough to stop such power.
BOOM!
The round shield shattered. Yoru was blasted away violently.
That damn Yagura...
He set me up?!
Turning midair, Yoru saw Yagura engaged with Sarutobi Shin'nosuke, water mirror active—clearly buying time so Jiraiya could sneak in his attack.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
As Yoru flew back, strands of Jiraiya's hair twisted and lashed forward, infused with chakra, trying to bind and crush him completely.
At the last second, Yoru's figure vanished—leaving behind a white ANBU mask that was shredded into powder.
"Utsusemi!" (Cicada Shell)
"You're not getting away!"
Jiraiya's reinforced hair swept the area like iron wires, drenched in oil and set ablaze. Even water-style jutsu couldn't put it out.
Yoru kept teleporting, but many unlucky Kirigakure shinobi weren't so fortunate—any caught in the blast radius were severely wounded or outright killed.
"This won't do..."
Yoru's eyes narrowed. He raised his hand and clenched toward Jiraiya while shouting at nearby Mist shinobi:
"Everyone, fall back!"
They didn't need to be told. The scale of this battle was far beyond what they could survive. One stray blast from either side meant certain death.
"Bakudō #4: Hainawa!" (Crawling Rope)
Golden tendrils of light appeared out of thin air and wrapped tightly around Jiraiya, binding him midair.
Jiraiya struggled, muscles flexing—but then three massive, beak-like beams of light shot forth, pinning his arms and waist to a wall formed by Earth Style.
"Bakudō #30: Shitotsu Sansen!" (Beak-Piercing Triple Beam)
"Carriage of thunder, gap of spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!"
The incantation burst from Yoru's lips. As he stared at the bound Jiraiya, he clenched his right hand tightly.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!" (Six Rods of Light Prison)
Six bars of radiant light shot out from every direction and slammed into Jiraiya's body, sealing him firmly in place.
Then Yoru gripped his Hyorinmaru tightly. His aura surged—exploding in spiritual pressure—as he lunged at Jiraiya's neck.
"Sit upon the frosted heavens—Hyorinmaru!"
"Vacuum Ice Fang Slash!!"