"Bang!"
A piece of gravel was crushed by aged fingers. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, gritted his teeth, cold sweat beading on his forehead, but his eyes were sharper than ever.
"I guess I'm getting old..." He gasped for breath, his trembling arms supporting his small frame, his knees creaking under the strain. But the next second, his gaze swept over the other four fallen figures, and his cloudy pupils suddenly contracted.
"What a joke..." He clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging deep into his palm. "I'm making excuses, saying I'm too old, this isn't something I should be doing!"
"Whoosh--!"
He suddenly clasped his hands together, and the Chakra of Dust Release within his body frantically condensed, bursting forth with dazzling white light from his palms.
"Dust Release: Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A massive cubic beam of light swept out, and wherever it passed, the vines, giant trees, and even the earth itself in the Flower Tree World were reduced to ashes at the atomic level!
Half of Edo Madara's Susanoo shaved off, and Madara himself was forced back dozens of meters by the impact, his feet carving deep furrows in the ground.
"Whoosh... whoosh..." Ōnoki hovered in mid-air, the light from his Dust Release still lingering on his right hand, his white hair dancing wildly with the surge of Chakra. He looked down—
"Cough...!"
Raikage A was the first to prop himself up, veins bulging on his bronze muscles. He looked up at the Tsuchikage in the air, a grin spreading across his face. "Ōnoki..."
Immediately afterward, Tsunade slammed her fist into the ground. As cracks spread, she used the momentum to leap into the air, the green light of her Medical Ninjutsu already circulating in her palm. "The poison is gone!"
Mei Terumi wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, a dangerous smile curving her red lips, "How pathetic... to be driven to this point by a dead man."
Gaara's sands surged silently, his gaze remained calm, but the sand grains moved faster than before—proof of his rising fighting spirit.
"Awake? Good." Ōnoki's voice came from high above, aged yet filled with undeniable authority. "Now begin—the counterattack!"
"Whoosh!"
The four shadows acted simultaneously, instantly dispersing into different positions.
However, at that moment—
The armor of the twisted, Edo Madara shattered, exposing his upper body. And on his chest, a human face was clearly embedded—
"That's... the face of the First Hokage?!" The Raikage's pupils constricted, and he roared in disbelief.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed, her fists clenching so tightly they cracked. "I guessed right... no wonder he can even use Wood Release!"
Edo Madara glanced down at the Hashirama Cells on his chest, then said to Tsunade, "That woman who uses Medical Ninjutsu... you inherited her bloodline, didn't you?"
"So what?" Tsunade replied coldly.
"Let's start with you." Ban's tone was casual, yet chilling.
Mei Terumi instantly formed hand seals, and a Lava Release acid mist enveloped her. "It's common sense to kill the team's healing ninja first... We already know your plan. Do you think you can succeed so easily?"
Ban laughed, "Wrong."
His gaze locked onto Tsunade, a cold mockery appearing in his Rinnegan: "Because that woman is a descendant of Hashirama Senju."
"With your Medical Ninjutsu, you can only slightly postpone your death." His voice seemed to come from the abyss; compared to Hashirama Senju, it was nothing but child's play.
He can heal wounds without even using hand seals.
"His Ninjutsu is unparalleled."
He was known as the strongest ninja.
Madara's tone suddenly rose, Chakra erupted like a volcano:
"My battle with him was a life-or-death struggle, not some childish game!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the damage caused by Dust Release had been completely healed, and his Reanimated Body was as perfect as ever.
The real Shinobi World...
The eyes of everyone in the Shinobi World were firmly drawn to the content displayed in the Heavenly Screen, which seemed like an invisible rope, tightly binding the minds of each and every one of them.
In the streets and alleys of Iwagakure
The villagers gathered together, and seeing Tsuchikage's outstanding performance, they began to discuss it amongst themselves.
"See that? Our Lord Tsuchikage is truly powerful! That incredibly powerful Dust Release, used at a crucial moment, pulled the other four Kage back from the brink of defeat. How many people in the entire Shinobi World possess such strength?"
A burly, dark-skinned ninja stood with a face full of reverence, his words brimming with barely suppressed pride. The people around him nodded in agreement, their eyes gleaming with respect for the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
Far away in the Kingdom of Thunder, on the tall building of Yunyin Village, the Fourth Raikage Ai crossed his arms, his iron tower-like body standing in the wind, staring at the scene in the sky, his thick eyebrows knitted into a deep "chuan", and he snorted coldly, "That guy Onoki's strength really shouldn't be underestimated."
The guards beside him exchanged glances, all understanding the Raikage's emotions in each other's eyes. They didn't dare to utter a sound, simply standing silently by his side, all gazing at the Heavenly Screen.
On the vast ocean, the ships of Kirigakure rose and fell gently with the waves. Mei Terumi stood at the bow, her graceful figure exuding an innate aura of strength.
She parted her lips slightly, her gaze fixed on her slightly disheveled reflection in the Heavenly Screen, and gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Tsk, I really look quite pathetic in this Heavenly Screen. That Madara Uchiha is truly a monster. That overwhelming power, anyone who faces him would probably find it difficult to withstand." The sea breeze ruffled her hair, but it couldn't dispel the solemnity and apprehension deep in her eyes.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, the streets and alleys were already packed with people, and Naruto, Sakura, and other young ninjas were also mixed in with the crowd, looking up at the crowd.
Suddenly, a clever young ninja in the crowd had a bright idea and shouted, "Look, Madara in the Heavenly Screen has been talking non-stop for ages. Is he deliberately stalling for time? Look, he's almost fully recovered now. He's playing his cards right!" As soon as he said this, the crowd erupted in a commotion. Everyone whispered among themselves, and all sorts of guesses and discussions rose and fell like a tide.
"Yes, yes, that Madara Uchiha is too cunning. Those Kage have probably all fallen for his tricks."
"That Madara is really strong. The other Heavenly Screen they showed him fighting the First Hokage in such an exaggerated way."