Without the Sharingan, why was Hagoromo able to use Lightning Cutter so smoothly?
First, his dynamic vision was exceptional. This was an ability honed through long-term training rather than something innate. While it couldn't compare to the outright cheat-like perception of the Sharingan, it was still extremely practical. In the world of Naruto, not everything becomes impossible without a Sharingan.
Second, his physical reaction speed was terrifyingly high. This was tied to his innate advantages—an auxiliary benefit of the power he had been granted.
Third, he rarely used Lightning Cutter as a simple, long-distance, straight-line thrust. That kind of single-pattern movement, no matter how fast, was always prone to being read and countered.
But right now—
He was about to do exactly that.
At this moment, Hagoromo was using a low-output Lightning Release to stimulate his body, balancing stamina conservation with maximum speed as he raced back toward Konoha's command post.
Many Konoha shinobi were doing the same.
Reinforce.
Reinforce immediately.
This time, Konoha's intelligence division had made a mistake—or rather, Sunagakure had finally executed something genuinely clever.
The intelligence Konoha received wasn't wrong.
A thousand Sand shinobi had indeed been transferred from the front line facing the Land of Earth, and this movement—happening right under Konoha's watchful eyes—had been accurately detected.
But that was only one part of the operation.
While those thousand shinobi were moving toward the Land of Earth, Sunagakure simultaneously withdrew two thousand shinobi from another section of the Earth Country front. To conceal their movements, they traveled along the border of the Land of Rain, obtained permission, entered Rain Country, then cut through the Land of Rivers, launching a surprise assault on Konoha's command post.
And that wasn't all.
To ensure the plan's success, Sunagakure deliberately committed one thousand shinobi as expendable forces, launching a feint attack against Konoha's first defensive line.
They attacked without attempting a breakthrough.
Their true objective was to lure out Konoha's mobile second-line forces.
Once Konoha's core strength had been drawn away, Sunagakure's main force unleashed a thunderous strike against the command post.
After the distress signals were sent, the Konoha shinobi on the frontal battlefield reacted quickly. Mobile units attempted to disengage and rush back—but it wasn't that simple.
Even though few Sand shinobi remained on the front, they were already resolved to die. No matter what, they would delay Konoha as long as possible.
As a result, a portion of Konoha's forces remained locked in combat, unable to quickly resolve that front.
None of this directly affected Hagoromo.
He did only one thing—run.
Even while carefully rationing chakra, he continuously maintained Lightning Release to keep a steady, extreme pace. After roughly forty minutes of relentless sprinting, the command post finally came into view—
And his chakra reserves were nearly depleted.
He was among the fastest reinforcements to arrive.
Faint sounds of combat were already reaching his ears.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
What truly mattered was the roar.
A roar like that of a ferocious beast.
Then—
A massive silhouette entered his vision.
Even the night couldn't conceal its enormous body.
A gigantic tail sweeping back and forth.
A body of sand.
Strange, grotesque markings.
An appearance resembling an oversized tanuki.
And above all—
That vast, ocean-like chakra.
Twisted.
Corrosive.
So overwhelming that ordinary people couldn't withstand it.
"One-Tail… Shukaku."
Hagoromo unconsciously slowed to a stop, speaking the name aloud.
Sunagakure had truly gone all in this time.
Not only had they sacrificed a thousand shinobi as decoys—they had even deployed a tailed beast.
Their objective was unmistakable: eradicate Konoha's command post.
Once the command structure was destroyed, they were confident they could turn around and annihilate the remaining, leaderless Konoha forces. After securing victory in this battle, Sunagakure would then negotiate a ceasefire from a position of dominance—
And with the entire defensive line collapsed, the Land of Fire and Konoha would have no choice but to accept.
After all, Konoha had more enemies than just Sunagakure. They simply wouldn't have the manpower to rebuild such a defensive line.
For Sunagakure, stabilizing this front meant they could then focus all their efforts on Iwagakure.
Hagoromo paused only briefly.
Then he resumed running.
Most of the shinobi were the same.
No one turned and fled just because a tailed beast had appeared. A tailed beast was terrifying, yes—but to shinobi who had fought on the front lines for so long, death was commonplace.
Being killed by a tailed beast or by a single kunai made no difference.
At this distance, Hagoromo could already see Kushina's position.
It wasn't because of any emotional bond—
She was simply impossible to miss.
She was restraining the tailed beast.
Dozens of golden chains gleamed in the darkness, binding Shukaku tightly in place.
This was Adamantine Sealing Chains.
And at the origin point of those chains stood Kushina herself.
The unique chakra of the Uzumaki clan possessed the extraordinary ability to suppress tailed beasts. On this battlefield, there might have been shinobi with greater raw combat power than Kushina—
But when it came to dealing with a tailed beast, no one was more suitable.
Which also meant—
Her identity had been exposed.
Hagoromo could already see countless Sand shinobi swarming toward Kushina's position.
Shukaku's shrill roars echoed endlessly. Having been sealed within a ritual site for so long, it had finally been released—only to be bound again before it could unleash destruction.
Then Hagoromo spotted the commander of this battlefield.
Tsunade.
Her Strength of a Hundred Seal was already released. At her feet lay heaps of shattered puppet remains, and she herself was dust-covered and battle-worn.
Facing her was an old rival—
Granny Chiyo of Sunagakure, along with the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu.
Such high-level combatants were locked in mutual restraint. If fighters like them broke into the ranks of ordinary shinobi, the result would be catastrophic—
For someone like Tsunade, it would be one punch, one kill.
Hagoromo had reached the edge of the battlefield.
From atop a tree branch, he surveyed the scene:
Shukaku stood at the center.
Kushina was at Shukaku's feet.
Tsunade was positioned on the opposite side.
He exhaled softly.
There was barely any chakra left in his body—
Just enough for one Chidori Current.
Hagoromo pushed off lightly with his foot.
His body leapt from the tree and plunged into the battlefield.
While still in midair, brilliant lightning erupted across his body.
Then—
Without hesitation—
He charged straight toward Kushina's position.
From above, it looked like this:
A single mass of lightning, attempting to pierce straight through the battlefield.
And soon—
It would.
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