Will of Stone and Will of Fire
"Interesting! Ōnoki, I acknowledge you!" Uchiha, wielding the Uchiha Twin Sickles, raised one scythe in his left hand and pointed it at Ōnoki.
Ōnoki ordered his men to clear a path through the Earth Style Wall. He stepped out and saw Uchiha in front of the Konoha army, his hair flying in the wind, his face full of excitement, and the corners of his mouth turned up. Onoki's heart skipped a beat.
This is Uchiha, the God of Shinobi, a powerful figure who fought against the God of Shinobi his entire life.
Uchiha into laughter upon seeing Ōnoki, "Hahahaha, everyone step back two kilometers! Don't stop me from dancing with Ōnoki!" With that, Uchiha waved his hand, and the eyes of the Konoha Ninja were filled with fanaticism. After so many years, they could finally witness the power of the God of Shinobi once again!
Upon seeing this, Ōnoki ordered, "All Iwagakure, withdraw your ninjutsu and retreat two kilometers!" The Iwagakure ninjas obeyed, their faces grave, but they could not disobey the Lord Tsuchikage's orders, so they all retreated.
Ōnoki breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. If Iwagakure suffered heavy losses in this battle, he would be guilty of a thousand deaths. These were Iwagakure ninjas, the hope for the future of Iwagakure!
He knew perfectly well that if these people fought against the Konoha Ninja and Uchiha, they would only be wiped out in a one-sided battle! Rather than that, he decided to take the lead himself!
"Uchiha, I hope that after this battle, if I lose, you will not target the ninjas of my Iwagakure, and you will not exterminate them. As for me, you can do whatever you want with me!" Ōnoki clenched his fists, completely unafraid of the pain from the burns he had just suffered.
Seeing this, Uchiha nodded. "If I lose, Konoha will withdraw its troops and refrain from attacking Iwagakure for ten years. If you lose, you will step down, and Iwagakure will be renamed Konoha Rock Division. You will step down, and the village head will be appointed by Konoha. You must fully cooperate!"
He still remembered Uchiha Kō's words: the purpose of this battle was to subdue Genin villages and control all the Genin world would Konoha!
Ōnoki was taken aback. So this was Konoha's true objective? To make Iwagakure an annex of Konoha and under its control, while his assistance would be more beneficial Konoha's rule.
He has no choice but to cooperate; he cannot refuse. If he does not cooperate, Konoha will annihilate his Iwagakure today!
Ōnoki looked up at the sky and murmured, "Today I'm afraid I'll have to let down the Tsuchikage of the past! Ōnoki, am an unfilial descendant. I can only do my best to defend my Iwagakure. If I lose, I hope the Tsuchikage of the past will not blame me!"
After saying this, Ōnoki took a deep breath and looked at Uchiha, the one who had once forced him to the ground and abandon his Will of Stone with sheer pressure. Now, he was about to fight Madara. He had to overcome his fear and surpass himself!
"Let's fight!" He struck first, using the Light-Weight Rock Technique to leap into the air and charge towards Uchiha. As he got close, his right hand transformed into Rock Fist and slammed towards Uchiha.
"An ant trying to shake a tree!" Uchiha's eyes narrowed. He spun around with his scythe in one hand, the tip of the scythe touching Ōnoki's Rock Fist, unleashing a huge shockwave that spread outwards from the point of impact!
The Konoha Ninja and Iwagakure ninjas felt the shockwave, their pupils widening, their hair flying behind them—so powerful!
Ōnoki gritted his teeth, his own Rock Fist ninjutsu managing to fight to a draw with his opponent's casual attack. Uchiha's eyes lit up. "That brat from back then has become quite strong now, but that's not enough!"
After saying that, Uchiha raised his left hand to change the direction of his Rock Fist attack, and delivered a powerful kick to Ōnoki's chest. Ōnoki was unable to dodge in time and was sent flying by the kick, crashing into a rock wall.
Puff!
Ōnoki coughed up blood, his pupils widening in shock. Uchiha's Taijutsu attacks had actually reached Kage Level! This kick had caused Ōnoki's internal organs to tremble violently, resulting in significant internal injuries.
"Hey, Ōnoki, is this all you've got? You're the Third Tsuchikage, bearing the heavy responsibility of Iwagakure on your shoulders. It seems your responsibility is quite light now!" Uchiha laughed wildly. That's just how he was, unrestrained and arrogant in battle. Apart from Senju Hashirama, no one could be taken seriously by him.
Ōnoki gasped for breath, his expression and pupils wide. This power was too strong. To achieve this level with just Taijutsu alone, Uchiha truly lived up to his title as the God of Shinobi!
Ōnoki rose shakily from the rock wall, his legs trembling. A sense of fear welled up within him, as if he had returned to that night when he and his disciple were pinned to the ground by Uchiha, unable to resist.
If he could, Ōnoki really wouldn't want to face Uchiha, because he knew there was no chance of winning. But today, Ōnoki couldn't back down. He carried the expectations of nearly 400,000 people in Iwagakure on his shoulders, the future freedom of the ninjas, and the reputation of Iwagakure.
Even if he were to die in battle, he could not admit defeat. He still had a powerful enemy Kumogakure, to deal with; he still had the sin of causing the Iwagakure to lose Jinchūriki to atone for; and he still had the mistake of misjudging the situation to correct. He could not fall, he could not fall here!
It is said that a person's life is as fleeting as a blade of grass in autumn. Perhaps death is not terrible, but a humiliating death is the most regrettable. He would rather die standing than live on his knees!
Ōnoki crouched down and grasped the rock in his hand. "Madara, perhaps a genius like you will never understand the perseverance of people like us."
"You made me lose myself. Faced with your immense power, I was powerless, I was trapped, and I abandoned my inner convictions. But the First Hokage told me that my will was powerful enough to overturn the Ninja World, and if I didn't protect it, it would disappear in the future!"
"But today, I will overcome my fear, reclaim the Will of Stone, protect my village with all my might, and fulfill the Will of Stone with all my might." Ōnoki's chakra erupted, making his hair fly wildly, and at this moment his aura was no less than that of Uchiha.
"Any rock on the ground can be a symbol of our village's unwavering will. Although it may be ordinary and unable to make a ripple in the water, the most important thing is the will in our hearts. I, Ōnoki, may not be strong enough, but my will is to protect Iwagakure and everyone else!"
The First Hokage's voice rang out again. "It's easy for a person to abandon their will after hitting a wall, to find excuses for themselves, and to replace their lack of will with hatred. Listen carefully, you must never abandon your will, protect it!"
"This time, I will not make excuses anymore. Madara, let's fight! Dust Release is never just about destruction, but about protection!" Ōnoki was fully restored, breaking free of the shackles in his heart, and his strength surpassed that of Kage Level!
Uchiha's pupils widened. At this moment, he was silent. He respected, he acknowledged, he understood how strong Ōnoki's will was.
"Well, Ōnoki has really gotten better... I take back what I said before. I will defeat you with all my might! I will fulfill your will!" Although Uchiha knew that Ōnoki had broken free of his shackles, their strength was still worlds apart.
What truly changed Uchiha's attitude was Ōnoki's Will of Stone!
The ninjas of Iwagakure wept. Deidara looked at Uchiha and said, "Hey, Madara, if you kill this old man, I swear, one day I will wipe out Konoha!"
Kitsuchi also stepped forward, saying, "That's right. If you harm Lord Tsuchikage, I will fight Konoha to the death."
"And us too! Lord Tsuchikage is our guardian angel. If he dies, we'll fight to the last breath to take a piece of flesh from your Konoha!" The Iwagakure ninjas exclaimed excitedly.
They chanted, "The Will of Stone, never give up!"
"The Will of Stone never gives up!"
"The Will of Stone never gives up!"
The sound echoed across the entire battlefield, even causing Uchiha Kō to sigh. Had the Will of Stone, the will that awakened during the Fourth Shinobi World War and led the Five Kage to fight again, awakened once more at this moment?
Upon hearing this, the Konoha ninjas were shocked and their morale plummeted. At that moment, Uchiha Kō stepped forward.
"Where Konoha dance in the air, fire will never cease to burn. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and new leaves will sprout. Wherever Konoha dance, fire will burn, Kakkō will guide Konoha in its direction."
"We in Konoha are doing this for the villagers, to end this absurd war in the Ninja World, and to seek peace and unity for our future generations!"
"Even if the Will of Stone is admirable, we will remove any obstacles that stand in our way of Konoha!" Uchiha Kō quoted Sarutobi Hiruzen's words before his death in the original story, making slight modifications to interpret their will as inheritance and peace!
This strengthened the resolve of the Konoha Ninja. They met the gazes of the Iwagakure ninja, declaring, "Where Konoha dance, fire will burn; the shadow of fire will illuminate the village, and new leaves will sprout. Wherever Konoha dance, fire will burn, Kakkō will guide Konoha's path forward."
The enemy may be respectable, but that cannot be a reason for Konoha to retreat. If sacrifices must be made, then let it be done by their generation!
Uchiha unleashed his chakra once more. Although he admired the Will of Stone, his actions ultimately served the purpose of passing on his legacy to Konoha.
"You heard it all, Ōnoki! The Will of Fire is no less powerful than your Will of Stone!" Uchiha roared, and his blue Susanoo a roar!
Susanoo roared, unleashing tremendous power. Sensing its master's Susanoo grew wildly to 350 meters tall, becoming like a giant, looking down upon all living beings!
Ōnoki spread his arms wide, unleashing "Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!" Dust Release prisms rapidly converged, illuminating the world with dazzling white light. A massive pillar of light formed and blasted towards the top of Uchiha's Susanoo.
That's Uchiha standing there. If I can kill him, I'll win, Iwagakure will be preserved!
For Iwagakure, for the villagers, charge!