Facing the Tsuchikage

"Lord Tsuchikage, I think you should reconsider. You are the leader of a village—how could you so easily take the field personally over a mere thief?"

At Iwagakure's entrance, Shū earnestly tried to persuade Ōnoki, his face full of anxiety.

"Hmph! A thief? This so-called thief of yours has already killed nine Iwagakure Jōnin! If he is a thief, then what are you Jōnin? Heads of cabbage?" Ōnoki snapped irritably.

At the mention of the dead Jōnin, Ōnoki felt his blood pressure spike, his heart bleeding. Even Iwagakure, whose ninja forces were second only to Konoha's, had only a little over two hundred Jōnin. That seemed more than Konoha's hundred-odd Jōnin, but Iwagakure had no rank of Special Jonin. Calculated that way, they fell far behind Konoha.

Losing nine Jōnin at once had wounded Iwagakure badly, no matter how substantial its foundations were. If they relied solely on dispatching troops to hunt down an expert of this caliber, setting aside the question of success, even if they succeeded, how many more ninja would they have to sacrifice?

"Damn it, why does Iwagakure have no outstanding talents?" Ōnoki looked at Shū. Shū was already considered one of Iwagakure's better talents, yet compared to those of the other ninja villages, he still fell quite short. Otherwise, why would he, the Tsuchikage, need to act personally?

Then he recalled Iwagakure's participation in the first Chunin Exam, where they had been swept three in a row by Yagura of the Mist Ninja, after which the Mist Ninja had been crushed by Konoha's second-place contestant. By that measure, where would Iwagakure's geniuses rank in Konoha?

"Forget it. I can still serve for another ten or twenty years, and Rōshi is already a Jinchuriki now. We'll focus on raising the next generation when the time comes. Kitsuchi is a fairly promising prospect."

Ōnoki sighed inwardly, though his face remained calm. With a casual wave, he activated the Light-Weight Rock Technique. The Shadow Guard behind him immediately became as light as swallows, racing into the distance like arrows released from a bow.

Konoha.

Sarutobi Toru, who had been gathering up the spoils, suddenly shuddered. A Shadow Clone that had remained at a Root base had sent him a message.

"So Iwagakure really sent the Tsuchikage himself. Makes sense. Aside from flying Ōnoki, how many in all of Iwagakure could match the speed of the Sakumo I'm impersonating? And after losing so many ninja, he must be hurting badly!"

Shū and Ōnoki had analyzed many possibilities, but without intelligence on Sarutobi Toru, they had ultimately been led astray.

With the Flying Thunder God, Sarutobi Toru had finished handling all the spoils by himself in ten minutes. Combined with the deliberately misleading Hatake Sakumo disguise, he had easily caused Ōnoki to make the wrong judgment.

"But this still isn't enough! Sakumo has conveniently been summoned to the Land of Earth's border as well. Now comes the climax of the plan!"

One day later.

Looking at the base that had been burned into a barren white expanse, still smoking with wisps of green haze, Ōnoki's face darkened. "Chase him! He can't get away!"

A Sensor Ninja hurriedly pressed his palm to the ground. After a brief moment of sensing, he shouted, "There's a powerful Chakra signature twenty kilometers north! No—it's moving so fast! It'll be here any moment!"

"Oh? Then let me see the true face of this 'Konoha White Fang'!" Ōnoki said viciously, his features twisting.

Moments later, a white-haired figure flashed into view in the distance like lightning. Upon seemingly noticing Ōnoki, it immediately turned and fled.

"Hmph! Did you realize something was wrong? Too bad it's too late!" Ōnoki snorted and flew into the sky.

The other members of the Shadow Guard did not hesitate either, charging straight at their opponent.

Yet even enhanced by the Light-Weight Rock Technique, which greatly boosted their speed, they were still far slower than that 'Konoha White Fang.'

Ōnoki's expression sank. He accelerated through the air, leaving the Shadow Guard behind, and soon arrived above the 'Konoha White Fang.'

"Dust Release—Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!" Without hesitation, Ōnoki used Dust Release to attack the 'Konoha White Fang.'

However, Dust Release had too much startup time. Against a high-speed ninja, it posed almost no threat unless used in an ambush or against multiple opponents.

The 'Konoha White Fang' on the ground traced an arc and easily evaded the Dust Release attack.

Ōnoki frowned, but he was not discouraged. He naturally knew Dust Release's flaws. If not for its excessively long startup, Dust Release could contend with Hashirama Senju's Wood Release for the title of strongest under heaven. He had merely been testing it just now.

No longer seeking to kill his enemy in one strike, Ōnoki formed hand seals. "Earth Release—Four Pillars of Floating Earth!"

With a thunderous roar, four enormous black earthen walls, each like a mountain cliff, rose around the 'Konoha White Fang.' Their range was so vast that it was like a small fortress rising from the plain.

Ōnoki took a slight breath. Even with his strength, an Earth Release of such immense range was somewhat taxing.

But as he looked at the 'Konoha White Fang' trapped at the center of the fortress, a trace of cold mockery appeared in Ōnoki's eyes.

"Let me see your true face! Or you can die wearing the mask of the 'Konoha White Fang'!"

A glowing cube slowly formed in his hand. Astonishing Chakra fluctuations emanated from Ōnoki's body. Clearly, he was preparing to use a major move.

The 'Konoha White Fang' hesitated for a moment. Seeing the Chakra fluctuations above him grow ever stronger, he finally let out an angry roar as lightning surged all over his body!

Within the dazzling lightning, the 'Konoha White Fang's' body suddenly swelled to twice its size. His skin turned bronze, while his silver hair transformed into golden yellow.

Then the 'Konoha White Fang' threw away his short blade, slowly raised an arm, curled four fingers, and left only his middle finger extended.

"That technique... Damn it, could he be the Raikage?!" Ōnoki was shocked, but his hands did not hesitate in the slightest. "Dust Release—Super Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"

Whoever you are, die now! A cruel expression appeared on Ōnoki's face as the Dust Release construct instantly expanded to an astonishing size, enveloping the entire fortress.

In an instant, the entire fortress was completely erased. Even the ground sank several meters, becoming a square-shaped basin.

Panting heavily, Ōnoki watched coldly as the Cloud Shinobi, who had blasted through the fortress and escaped at the final moment. By now, he could see from the man's face that he was not the Raikage. Yet the power of that Hell Stab—One-Finger Nukite had been no weaker than the Third Raikage's. Combined with the Cloud Shinobi's distinctive skin and features, along with the Yagura clan's exaggerated physique, a speculation could not help arising in his heart.

"Yagura clan... a new A?" Ōnoki lowered himself slightly and asked.

"Hehehe." The Cloud Shinobi suspected of being the next generation's A slowly drew in a breath, even his chest swelling high. He raised his head and looked at Ōnoki, who was only a dozen or so meters above him, revealing a smug smile.

In that instant, Ōnoki's battle-honed instincts screamed a frantic warning. His expression changed, and a chill ran through his entire body!