Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village.

Its infinitely extending arms, like machine guns, launched a frenzied attack on Hozuki Gengetsu, who raised his sword to block.

Two figures darted back and forth, their bizarre fighting style causing the few people present who witnessed it to have rather strange expressions on their faces.

Especially at night.

He could even picture the gomogomolo of some banana-faced guy from next door, along with sound effects like "muda muda muda muda."

Deng!

Hozuki Gengetsu bent his body slightly to dodge the incoming Grim Reaper's hand. At the same time, he gripped his Zanpakuto in the back of his hand and raised it upwards, slashing at the outstretched wrist. However, halfway through the attack, Hozuki Gengetsu was forced to stop. He flicked his mustache, raised his knee, and gathered spiritual energy.

"Binding Way Thirty-Nine: Round Gate Fan".

A circular barrier materialized at his knees, blocking the other hand of death that was about to strike.

The Zanpakuto fell from above, colliding with the incoming Shinigami hand, and Hozuki Gengetsu used the momentum to retreat.

Death did not pursue, but instead withdrew its extended arm.

"He's like a rubber man..."

Hozuki Gengetsu muttered twice.

The physical strength of this Shinigami is very similar to the 'steel skin' bestowed by Mizuki Yoru, such as the Steel Release of Iwagakure, which is very strong.

Add to that his freely extendable limbs, and in a fight, this guy is quite formidable. I'd say I'm slightly outmatched in a 40/60 split against him.

"Try this."

"Breaking Path No. 63: Thunder Roar Cannon!"

Hozuki Gengetsu raised his left hand, pointing it at the Grim Reaper. His spiritual power surged, and a ball of energy carrying the force of a thunderous explosion condensed in his palm.

Instantly, a burst of thunderous energy erupted from his palm, creating a powerful explosion.

Death floated in the void, seeing the thunderous explosions rushing towards him. Seemingly with nowhere to hide, Death took the short knife from his mouth, held it in his hand, and swung it down.

The originally surging thunderous explosion seemed to be cut in two in an instant, blasting into the forest behind along both sides of Death, unleashing a deafening energy explosion.

boom! !

Looking at the short sword in the Grim Reaper's hand, although it was called a short sword, its blade was about the same size as a normal Zanpakuto. It was just that the Grim Reaper looked rather large, making the short sword appear small.

Death, wielding a short blade, swung it down.

Suddenly, Hozuki Gengetsu felt the space in front of him darken, and a special spiritual energy slash came straight at him. There was no aftershock, but a tremor rose from the depths of his soul.

"what?"

Hozuki Gengetsu's pupils constricted slightly, and he instinctively raised his sword to block.

A Zanpakuto is a continuation of the soul's power, and its strength is determined by the strength of each person's spiritual power.

Therefore, in a sense, the Zanpakuto is not only the sharpest spear of the Shinigami, but also the thickest shield of the Shinigami!

"boom!!"

The slash came with a whoosh, and amidst the silent shock, an aftershock far stronger than the Thunder Roar Cannon erupted—it was the explosion and blossoming of spiritual power!

The immense pressure generated by the collision of spiritual energy caused everyone present to feel a sudden darkness before their eyes and an extreme heaviness in their bodies.

"What on earth is this..."

The elite ninjas surrounding the Third Hokage had no idea what was happening. They only saw a pale figure rush into the sky, as if fighting against some invisible force, and were then shocked by the terrifying pressure.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a similarly bad situation, but at least he understood what was happening inside the barrier.

That is……

A battle between Grim Reapers!

The spiritual energy clashed, and Hozuki Gengetsu forcibly blocked the attack. He looked somewhat disheveled as he gripped his Zanpakuto, his shoulders even trembling slightly, as if he had been somewhat exhausted in the clash just moments before.

Uchiha Shisui frowned slightly, wanting to move, but was stopped by Mizuki Yoru beside him.

"Don't rush, the second generation hasn't gotten into the zone yet."

“Don’t let his carefree attitude fool you, when it comes to strength…” Minazuki Yoru looked at Hozuki Gengetsu’s trembling hands and smiled, “That guy is no less than you.”

A solemn expression appeared in Uchiha Shisui's eyes. He knew very well just how strong he was after awakening the Rinnegan and becoming a Shinigami.

Shisui even felt that with his current strength, he could easily sweep through the entire ninja world. The Kage of the Five Great Nations and the Akatsuki organization were basically no match for him.

In this situation, Yoru, who knew his strength, actually said that Hozuki Gengetsu's strength was no less than his own.

"Just watch," Yoru said with a faint smile. "Although the captains of Seireitei vary in strength, their overall abilities are not too different. Gengetsu's current combat power... even if you include me, he can be ranked among the top three in Seireitei."

"..."

Uchiha Shisui remained silent, but his eyes beneath the pure white mask had already rippled.

In mid-air, Hozuki Gengetsu, who looked somewhat disheveled and even trembling slightly, slowly raised his head and looked at the Grim Reaper holding the Soul Dagger.

"It's been a long time since I've felt this way... Yongdai-mei finally proved to be reliable for once. This is indeed a battle that can get this old guy's blood boiling a little."

"So... are you ready, sis-nan."

"Initial release".

Hozuki Gengetsu's tone shifted from joking to increasingly cold as he pointed his Zanpakuto at the Shinigami.

A vast spiritual pressure suddenly erupted, like Conqueror's Haki, instantly stunning all the elite Konoha ninjas watching. At the same time, the Zanpakuto in his hand transformed into a wisp of pure white mist, merging into Hozuki Gengetsu's hand.

"Roar, Mirage!"

As the mist merged in, seemingly without any change, Hozuki Gengetsu's aura surged dramatically.

"An enhanced Shikai?" Uchiha Shisui was somewhat puzzled, but fortunately, Hozuki Gengetsu directly demonstrated his Shikai ability, dispelling his doubts.

The captain of the Sixth Division raised his hand, his palm facing the ethereal Grim Reaper. The next moment, a dazzling blue-white spiritual energy roared out, the extremely compressed spiritual energy shooting towards the Grim Reaper less than a hundred meters away like a cannonball, its speed reaching the extreme.

"This is……"

Uchiha Shisui's pupils contracted, and the Shinigami seemed to sense the danger as well, dodging the incoming spiritual energy attack with a swift movement.

"boom!!"

The spiritual energy impact missed its target and crashed into the ground. After a deafening roar, the entire open space shattered into pieces, and Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, who were lying on the ground, were almost crushed by the shattered rocks.

"This power is basically comparable to the Thunder Roar Cannon."

Uchiha Shisui looked at the collapsed ground, estimating the power of Hozuki Gengetsu's Shikai, but he also had some doubts.

If that's all there is to it, then Hozuki Gengetsu's Shikai is honestly a bit weak.

This level of spiritual energy impact was neither particularly strong nor weak, comparable to the captain's release of the Sixty-Threeth Ghost Path.

But since everyone is a captain, who can't instantly cast this level of Ghost Path a few times?

"Just watch."

Mizuki Yoru gazed at the pure white mist swirling around Hozuki Gengetsu's arm, a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, often including nostalgia or regret) in his heart.

Currently, there are quite a few Zanpakuto that have awakened on their own in the Seireitei, some of which possess extremely abnormal or even bug-like abilities.

For example, Yagura's water mirror replica of the rhombus, and Shisui's clear moon.

But if we're talking about truly monstrous, it has to be the Mirage Sword in Hozuki Gengetsu's hand!

"Om..."

Despite missing his target, Hozuki Gengetsu's expression remained unchanged, and his raised arm was still aimed at the Grim Reaper below.

Blue and white spiritual energy was constantly brewing in his palm.

The next moment, as if endless flashes of light burst forth from his palm, one after another, blue and white compressed spiritual energy shot out from Hozuki Gengetsu's palm. For a moment, the entire night was even illuminated by this blue and white light!

Countless bursts of spiritual energy surged forth, their terrifying impact like a violent storm, hurtling towards the Grim Reaper below.

Under the terrifying energy bombardment, the entire earth below trembled violently, as if even the earth itself could not withstand such a terrifying impact. The earth roared, countless fragments of rock flew, and the ground was damaged.

"A spiritual energy surge that can be released indefinitely?"

A hint of surprise appeared in Uchiha Shisui's eyes. This ability was indeed terrifying. With its infinite energy burst, Hozuki Gengetsu alone was an army.

This is an absolute firepower crushing victory!

Almost instantly, thousands of spiritual energy impacts, comparable to 'Thunder Roar Cannons,' erupted from Hozuki Gengetsu's palm, overwhelming the so-called Grim Reaper.

At this moment, the sky was completely dyed blue by the spiritual power impact of the 'Illusory Mirage'.

No one could have predicted that Hozuki Gengetsu could unleash such an exaggerated attack. In the blink of an eye, not only was the so-called Grim Reaper overwhelmed by thousands of spiritual energy impacts, but even the sky seemed to have been torn open with a huge hole.

"An offensive of this magnitude..."

Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki below were extremely shocked. Was this still the power that a ninja could unleash?

No, the opponent is not a ninja, but a Grim Reaper.

In other words, the two sides were not even in the same league from the start!

"You possess such a powerful army of death gods, yet you haven't launched any wars or invasions against the ninja world..." Minato Namikaze's gaze fell on Yoru Mizuki in the distance, his expression growing increasingly complex.

During the meeting in the Land of Iron, he could clearly sense what Mizuki Yoru was thinking. He tried to probe him several times, but the attitude the other party showed made him realize that he had no interest in this ninja world whatsoever.

So, having such power, yet showing no interest in the ninja world... Minazuki Yoru, what exactly is your purpose?

"There's no time to lose, we must seal the Nine-Tails inside Naruto first!"

Minato Namikaze did not hesitate. In a battle of this magnitude, if Naruto were even slightly affected, all their hard work would be in vain.

He slowly brought his hands together, forming a hand seal, and then opened them to the side, saying, "Spirit Summoning Technique!"

Amidst the white smoke, the toad-sage Fukasaku, who had just finished dinner, made his appearance, and the moment he appeared, he noticed the situation around him.

His gaze lingered briefly on the Nine-Tails beside him before being drawn to the intense battle taking place in mid-air.

As a hermit of Mount Myōboku, Fukasaku the toad can see things that ordinary people cannot. Therefore, he can clearly see the fierce battle between Hozuki Gengetsu in mid-air, as well as the pale white figure dodging the endless spiritual energy.

"Is that... Death?"

Although he recognized the figure, Gamabunta's tone was filled with astonishment. Then, he noticed Minato and Kushina's situation and asked anxiously, "Minato, what's wrong? What happened?"

Minato breathed weakly, "Brother Fukasaku, I don't have time to explain the details to you. Next, I will give you the key to the sealing technique for safekeeping, and I hope you can sign the summoning scroll with Naruto."

"...You're planning to make your child the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?!"

Upon hearing this, the toad-sage seemed to understand something and whispered, "How did things turn out like this... Wait, that guy is!"

Suddenly, Toad Shenzuo, the immortal, paused abruptly, his eyes fixed on the two figures standing calmly on the ground not far away.

The familiar aura caused the toad sage from Mount Myōboku to shrink his pupils, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Yo, long time no see. Isn't this the toad sage from Mount Myōboku that Jiraiya summoned back then?" Mizuki Yoru greeted him with a faint smile. "How come you've gotten so sluggish after just a few days?"

"Water without a moonlit night..."

Enemies meeting are bound to be furious, and Toad Shen, who was pretending to be an immortal, suddenly became serious.

When he brought Minato Namikaze back from the Land of Iron, this guy was still in the Land of Iron. How come he arrived in Konoha in just a short while?

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was on the verge of death after using the Reaper Death Seal.

The fourth son who became the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the two Shinigami who fought fiercely in the sky.

In an instant, the toad sage conjured up a whole host of schemes by Minazuki Yoru.

"Your eyes are telling me you're thinking about something very impolite right now," Mizuki Yoru said softly. "Looks like I need to find some time to go to Mount Myōboku and have a heart-to-heart talk with that giant toad."

Shen Zuoxian's mind sharpened, and he quickly withdrew his gaze.

Although he did not witness the battle between Minazuki Yoru and Nagato in the Land of Iron, Minato Namikaze's description had already given him a certain understanding of Minazuki Yoru's strength.

Plus……

Despite being a sage, he couldn't sense the energy intensity within Mizuki Yoru's body, nor could he even detect her existence.

That feeling was like facing the Great Toad Sage.

Has this guy... grown to the point where he can rival the Great Toad Sage?!

"Everything that happened today has nothing to do with Minazuki Yoru..."

Minato Namikaze coughed a few times, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth: "Brother Fukasaku, I need to record the rune key. The future Naruto still depends on you..."

Fukasaku, the toad-like immortal, nodded and waited for Minato's instructions.

A moment later, the seal incantation was completed. Fukasaku, the toad sage, glanced at Minato Namikaze and whispered, "This child... should I take him back to Mount Myōboku?"