Kushina was in a precarious position. Bound to her task of restraining the Shukaku, she was a stationary target. Despite the Konoha ninjas throwing themselves into the breach to protect her, the Sand's numbers were overwhelming. The defensive line was fraying, thinning out under the relentless tide.
Konoha didn't just need a shield; it needed a devastating hammer.
"Clear the field, Sand ninjas."
Bathed in blinding electricity, Hagoromo gripped the vibrating hilt of his iron sand sword and charged into the densest cluster of enemies. This was a level of destructive power he'd never had a reason—or a safe place—to unleash back at the village. No one, including Hagoromo himself, had ever witnessed the true potential of this technique until now.
His Electromaster ability allowed him to manipulate electromagnetic forces with the same terrifying precision as a certain "Railgun" of Academy City. By vibrating the magnetic field, he harvested iron sand from the soil within a 200-meter radius, shaping it to his will.
The "sword" was less of a blade and more of a shifting, serpentine whip. It emitted a drone like the hum of a thousand hornets magnified to a deafening roar. The whip could extend tens of meters in a heartbeat, radically expanding Hagoromo's lethality. In a world where ten meters is a standard engagement distance, fifty meters of reach is god-like.
Because the iron sand vibrated at high frequencies, it functioned like a high-speed orbital chainsaw. It didn't matter if it touched an arm, a leg, or a neck—it didn't just cut; it disintegrated. Sand ninjas tried to parry with their steel blades, only to find their weapons severed as easily as flesh. At a molecular level, the vibrating sand was sharper than any legendary smith's masterpiece.
Hagoromo's visible eye was a void of cold calm. His white hair stood on end, wreathed in blue arcs; his shattered mask and the blood-soaked cloak created an image of a demon. To both ally and enemy, he was a vision of absolute shock.
Where he walked, limbs flew. Where he struck, only a visceral blur remained.
The Sand's momentum ground to a halt. This "meat grinder" style of combat triggered a dormant, traumatic memory for the Sand elders. It reminded them of a man they never wanted to think of again: Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of the Leaf.
Sakumo had been a nightmare—a man who carved through Sand ranks like they were nothing. Though Sakumo was dead by his own hand, tonight, it seemed Konoha had birthed a new, equally terrifying predator. Unlike Sakumo, who relied on a single, clean strike, Hagoromo's "Phase Two" was a whirlwind of mass destruction. He was more efficient against "trash" mobs, though a Jonin might still survive a glancing blow.
But the sheer quantity of enemies meant some would always slip through. Hagoromo seemed to ignore his immediate surroundings, focusing his whip on distant targets. It looked like he had abandoned defense entirely.
It was a trap.
Hagoromo was in a state of "Absolute Discharge." Anyone entering within a three-meter radius was hit with a current so intense it caused muscle paralysis. Within two meters, the high voltage induced instant unconsciousness. Within one meter, the enemy simply charred.
He didn't count the kills. He just moved forward.
With Hagoromo acting as the tip of the spear, the Konoha defenders rallied and pushed back. For a brief moment, a "dead zone" appeared around the Shukaku's feet—a circle of absolute silence in the middle of a war.
Before the next wave could crash in, Hagoromo retracted the whip into a dense spear and hurled it into the thickest group of Sand ninjas. In mid-air, he detonated the magnetic hold, turning the spear into a storm of thousands of iron needles—a literal "Sand Storm" of assassination.
He returned to Kushina's side, his skin and hair stained a deep, visceral red.
Kushina was speechless. She understood the Chidori Current, but this "Phase Two" was a different animal entirely. Beyond the power, what baffled her most was that she couldn't sense a single drop of chakra from the technique. How could someone unleash such a disaster without a chakra signature?
Hagoromo didn't give her time to process.
"Kushina-sensei! Is there no sealing technique to just... finish this big guy off?!" he shouted, gesturing to the roaring Shukaku.
"What do you want me to do?!" Kushina snapped back. "I'm using everything I have just to keep it from moving!"
It was worse than she admitted. Because the Shukaku was present, the Nine-Tails inside her was beginning to stir, agitated by the scent of its rival. Kushina wasn't a perfect Jinchūriki like Killer Bee; she held Kurama back through sheer force of will and Uzumaki chakra. With her reserves depleted, the seal was weakening. The fox wanted out.
Battlefield Status: The "White Yaksha" Effect
The arrival of "Phase Two" has temporarily stabilized the center. However, the lack of chakra in Hagoromo's attacks makes him an anomaly on the battlefield.