Ōnoki had the conviction to protect Iwagakure. Under the power of that conviction, he had all but surpassed his own limits.
Yet Ōnoki had ultimately failed to protect all of Iwagakure. He could see it clearly: at least a tenth of the village had been destroyed by Super Shinra Tensei, and the villagers in that area had naturally-
"Konan, Kakuzu, Sasori, it's time to go!"
"Our score with Iwagakure is settled!"
In the sky, Pain also felt a wave of exhaustion after unleashing Super Shinra Tensei.
But Pain knew his own condition better than anyone. He was far from being in good shape. If Iwagakure attacked them now, he and the Akatsuki Organization might not have enough strength left to escape.
"Aren't we taking anything with us? Ōnoki's body, for instance?"
Sasori's gaze remained fixed on Ōnoki. Although Ōnoki was very old, both his Dust Release and his Earth Release were awfully tempting to Sasori.
"Since he protected this land, let him be buried here!"
Pain shook his head. He could tell that Ōnoki had burned through every last bit of his life force. To put it bluntly, it was doubtful whether Ōnoki would even live long enough to see them leave.
"Besides, if we really took Ōnoki with us, we might have trouble getting away."
Kakuzu added his own observation. He could tell that Pain was no longer at his peak after unleashing that terrifying technique. And he probably wasn't the only one-the ninja of Iwagakure would likely notice it too.
"Let's go!"
Paper wings spread behind Konan. As the sheets of paper unfolded at her back, streams of Exploding Tags swirled up beneath her feet, once again forming a surging tide for Kakuzu and Sasori to stand on.
"These things aren't going to suddenly explode, are they?"
"We