That Tailed Beast Ball was directly split in two.
"Boom! Boom!"
The severed Tailed Beast Ball landed on both sides of the camp, creating deafening roars.
Aside from the hurricane generated by the explosion, the Tailed Beast Ball did not cause any harm to the Konoha ninja inside the camp.
"Nani!"
On the Hidden Cloud Village side, even the Third Raikage's eyes widened in astonishment.
Are you kidding me?! The Eight-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball was actually cut open!
"Raikage-sama, there's no mistake. That is Aoyama Ryuyun's sword skill! Back then, he used this very technique to cut open the One-Tail's Tailed Beast Ball!"
As the Third Raikage's deputy, after a brief moment of daze, he immediately looked at the Third Raikage beside him and relayed all the information he knew.
"Hmph!"
Honestly, Aoyama Ryuyun's ability to cleave a Tailed Beast Ball with his sword did indeed surprise the Third Raikage.
However, with war about to break out, could they possibly flee from battle?
"Be on guard! That Golden Lion is just one man! With so many of us from the Hidden Cloud Village, are we really afraid of him?!"
The Third Raikage's words woke up the ninja who were still shocked by Aoyama Ryuyun's strength.
"Exactly! Our Hidden Cloud Village is invincible!"
"No matter how strong that Golden Lion is, he's still just one person!"
"Defeat Konoha!"
...
Just as the Hidden Cloud Village was boosting morale, at the Konoha camp, Aoyama Ryuyun — standing at the very front — slowly returned Dead Tree and Sakura-ju to their sheaths.
"Liu Yun-sama!"
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio, who had rushed over, immediately looked at Aoyama Ryuyun with deep respect.
For a moment, they had all thought they were doomed.
But they hadn't expected Aoyama Ryuyun's strength to be far greater than during the Second Shinobi World War.
"Assemble! Let's go see if those reckless brutes from the Hidden Cloud Village are rushing to their deaths!"
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, under Nara Shikaku's summons, all ninja — except for the medical corps — gathered instantly.
Led by Aoyama Ryuyun, they rushed toward the battlefield.
"Why are you here?"
Looking at Kurenai Yuhi following beside him, Aoyama Ryuyun felt a bit helpless.
"Liu Yun-gege, I want to help you too!"
Kurenai Yuhi looked at Aoyama Ryuyun with a serious expression.
Even if she were to die on the battlefield, Kurenai Yuhi would not allow herself to be a useless vase.
"Is that so? I understand."
Meeting Kurenai Yuhi's determined gaze, Aoyama Ryuyun smiled faintly after a moment of silence.
He had originally intended to scold her, but it turned into praise instead.
"After the battle begins, try to avoid danger. I don't ask you to kill enemies — just to survive."
Once the battle started, his opponent would definitely be someone like the Third Raikage.
So Kurenai Yuhi being by his side actually made him uneasy.
"Mm-hmm!"
Her little head nodded earnestly.
...
"Are you the Golden Lion? Tsk! Just a brat."
When the ninja of Konoha and Kumogakure were only about a hundred meters apart, both sides stopped with tacit understanding.
On the Hidden Cloud Village side, the Third Raikage looked at Aoyama Ryuyun — who stood at the very front of Konoha's ranks — with a disdainful gaze.
Although he knew Aoyama Ryuyun's strength was extraordinary, at a time like this, how could he admit it?
Aoyama Ryuyun didn't care about being underestimated.
After observing the Third Raikage for a while, Aoyama Ryuyun smiled.
"Old man, have you finished planting the fields at home? You ran out here to fight. Go home and tend your crops — be careful not to die on the battlefield!"
Hidden Cloud ninja were mostly hot-blooded types — good at fighting, terrible at trading insults.
"Y-You...!"
The Third Raikage's son, Ay — the future Fourth Raikage — glared at Aoyama Ryuyun.
If it weren't for the Third Raikage stopping him, Ay would have already charged straight at Aoyama Ryuyun.
"Sharp-tongued brat! Later, this old man will let you know the might of the Hidden Cloud Village!"
Aoyama Ryuyun didn't respond to the Third Raikage's words.
Instead, he scanned the ranks of ninja behind him.
It had to be said — compared to Konoha's two thousand ninja, the Hidden Cloud side had a staggering six thousand!
This was understandable; Konoha's forces were also divided across multiple battlefields.
Aoyama Ryuyun could only bring a portion of their total strength.
Six thousand against two thousand — just looking at that number made one's scalp tingle.
"This number is a bit too much," Aoyama Ryuyun muttered with a helpless shrug.
The Third Raikage, however, burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! My six thousand Kumogakure ninja are enough to sweep away your subordinates!"
"In that case..."
He slightly stretched his legs and placed one hand on the hilt of his sword.
The Third Raikage's words did not affect Aoyama Ryuyun; his expression remained calm.
Only, a faint red light flickered in Aoyama Ryuyun's eyes.
"Let me first reduce your numbers by half."
"Hmm?"
The Third Raikage frowned. Reduce by half? Was he joking?
He was just about to speak —
When suddenly, an indescribable aura filled the entire battlefield.
"Boom!"
Several thunderclaps suddenly rolled across the sky.
Centered on Aoyama Ryuyun, an invisible Haoshoku Haki rapidly swept toward the Hidden Cloud Village side.
"What is this?!"
Facing Aoyama Ryuyun's Haoshoku Haki directly, aside from Ay, the Fourth Raikage, and a few elite jōnin, the rest began collapsing one after another.
---
The First Encounter
The air hung heavy with the scent of ozone and the metallic tang of blood. The sky above the battlefield was a bruised purple — a grim testament to the ongoing conflict. This was the Second Shinobi World War, a brutal clash that had already claimed countless lives.
In the heart of the maelstrom, a Konoha ninja — a young man named Aoyama Ryuyun — moved with terrifying grace. He was an Elite Jōnin, a prodigy whose reputation was already spreading like wildfire through the ninja world. His dual blades, Kageyama and Sakura-ju, were extensions of his will, flashing through the chaos with deadly precision.
Suddenly, a massive dark orb of chakra materialized in the distance, hurtling toward the Konoha camp. It was a Tailed Beast Ball, fired by the Eight-Tails of the Hidden Cloud Village. Panic rippled through the Konoha ranks — a direct hit would be catastrophic.
But Aoyama Ryuyun didn't falter. With a roar that seemed to tear through the very fabric of reality, he channeled his chakra, a vibrant crimson aura erupting around him. He met the incoming Tailed Beast Ball head-on, his blades glowing with ethereal light.
"Hmph! A mere Tailed Beast Ball won't stop me!" he declared, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
With a single, impossibly swift strike, he cleaved the colossal orb in two. The halves veered off, exploding harmlessly on either side of the Konoha camp, sending tremors through the earth.
The Hidden Cloud Village forces, led by the Third Raikage, watched in stunned silence. Even the Third Raikage, a legendary figure in his own right, widened his eyes in disbelief.
"Impossible! The Eight-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball was cut in half!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with shock.
His deputy, a seasoned jōnin, quickly recovered and addressed his leader. "Raikage-sama, there's no mistake! That's Aoyama Ryuyun's sword skill — he used the same technique to cut the One-Tail's Tailed Beast Ball during the last Shinobi World War!"
The Third Raikage grunted, his expression grim. Aoyama Ryuyun's power was indeed surprising — but retreat was not an option.
"Be on guard!" he bellowed, his voice cutting through the lingering shock. "That Golden Lion is just one man! We, the Hidden Cloud Village, have countless warriors! We will not fear him!"
His words reignited his ninja. The shock turned to determination, then to fierce resolve.
"Hidden Cloud Village is invincible!"
"He may be strong, but the Golden Lion is just one man!"
"Defeat Konoha!"
Meanwhile, in the Konoha camp, Aoyama Ryuyun calmly sheathed Kageyama and Sakura-ju.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio — Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chōza, and Yamanaka Inoichi — rushed to his side, their faces a mixture of awe and relief.
"Liu Yun-sama!" Shikaku exclaimed, his usual stoicism replaced by genuine admiration. "Your strength has grown beyond anything we could have imagined since the Second Shinobi World War!"
Aoyama Ryuyun nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Gather everyone. Let's see if those brutes from the Hidden Cloud Village are truly eager to die."
Under Nara Shikaku's command, all Konoha ninja — except the medical corps — quickly assembled. Led by Aoyama Ryuyun, they marched toward the impending battle.
As they moved, Aoyama Ryuyun noticed Kurenai Yuhi, a young kunoichi with fiery red eyes, walking beside him.
"Why are you here?" he asked, a hint of exasperation in his voice.
Kurenai looked up at him, her small face resolute. "Liu Yun-gege, I want to help you!" she declared. Even if it meant dying on the battlefield, she refused to be a useless bystander.
Aoyama Ryuyun met her earnest gaze; after a moment of silence, he smiled. "I understand. After the battle begins, focus on avoiding danger. I don't ask you to kill enemies — just survive."
He knew his main opponent would be the Third Raikage, and he didn't want Kurenai to be caught in the crossfire.
Kurenai nodded, her small head bobbing in agreement.
The Konoha and Hidden Cloud forces finally stood a mere hundred meters apart. The air crackled with tension — the silence before the storm.
From the Hidden Cloud side, the Third Raikage scoffed, his eyes dismissive as he looked at Aoyama Ryuyun.
"So, you're the Golden Lion? Hmph! Just a brat."
Though he knew of Aoyama Ryuyun's formidable power, he wouldn't admit it now.
Aoyama Ryuyun merely chuckled. After a brief appraisal of the Third Raikage, he retorted, "Old man, have you finished planting your fields at home? Why are you out here fighting? Go back home and farm! Be careful not to die on the battlefield!"
His words, sharp and cutting, struck a nerve. The Hidden Cloud ninja, known for their brawn over wit, bristled.
"You…!" Ay, the Fourth Raikage, the Third Raikage's son, glared at Aoyama Ryuyun — ready to charge if not for his father's restraining hand.
"Sharp-tongued brat!" the Third Raikage growled. "Later, this old man will show you the might of our Hidden Cloud Village!"
Aoyama Ryuyun ignored the threat. His gaze swept across the Hidden Cloud ranks. Two thousand Konoha ninja faced six thousand Hidden Cloud ninja — the sheer numerical disparity was daunting, a chilling sight.
Konoha had to allocate forces to other battlefronts, leaving Aoyama Ryuyun with only a fraction of their total strength.
"This number is a bit much," Aoyama Ryuyun murmured, shrugging his shoulders.
The Third Raikage, however, roared with laughter.
"Hahahaha! My six thousand Kumogakure ninja are enough to sweep away your subordinates!"
Aoyama Ryuyun's expression remained calm, unaffected by the taunt. He subtly stretched his legs, one hand resting on his sword's hilt. A faint red glow flickered in his eyes.
"In that case," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "let me thin your ranks by half first."
"Hmm?" The Third Raikage frowned. Reduce by half? Was he serious?
He was about to speak when suddenly, an indescribable surge of power — a suffocating pressure — filled the battlefield.
"Boom!"
Thunderclaps split the bruised sky.
Centered on Aoyama Ryuyun, an invisible Haoshoku Haki erupted outward, sweeping toward the Hidden Cloud forces.
"What is this?!"
Directly facing Aoyama Ryuyun's Haoshoku Haki, all but the Fourth Raikage and a few elite jōnin collapsed — their bodies falling like puppets with cut strings.
"Look at the sky! The sky is splitting!"
"Can a human truly possess such power?!"
"This is the legendary Golden Lion!"
The sky above the battlefield indeed appeared to be cracking — a visual manifestation of Aoyama Ryuyun's overwhelming Haoshoku Haki.
The surrounding Konoha ninja were affected as well, but since the pressure wasn't directed at them, they remained standing.
In the ninja world, strength was absolute.
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