The Talisman Recovery Battle (Part Two)

Bang!

Faced with Ōnoki's Rock Fist, Shendu didn't back down. He chose to meet it head-on! Their fists—one large, one small—crashed together with a deafening boom, sending shards of rock flying. Ōnoki frowned.

"You actually managed to stop my Rock Fist...?"

He's no ordinary opponent. But what about this? "Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique!"

A deep rumble sounded. With his enormous rocky fist, Ōnoki pressed down on Shendu like a mountain.

He'd thought Shendu would be sent flying, but a moment later, Ōnoki realized he'd still underestimated Shendu's strength.

"What incredible strength!"

Ōnoki was putting nearly all his strength into it. His arm was already trembling violently, and sweat had begun to bead on his forehead. Yet Shendu's expression remained calm; he didn't look like he was trying at all.

"Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique!"

Pain throbbed through Ōnoki's waist, but he couldn't afford to worry about it now. He forced himself to exert even more strength and swung his rocky fist with greater force.

"How can such a feeble human have this much strength? Old man, you're impressive!"

"But impressive is all you are!"

Shendu's blood-red eyes flashed again. Ōnoki felt dozens of times more force than before bearing down on his arm muscles—and that force was still increasing!

"Agh!"

After several seconds of struggling, Ōnoki's arm finally buckled. The rocks encasing his hand fell away, and his sleeve was torn to shreds. He sensed that if he didn't retreat, his arm might be twisted into a pretzel and crippled.

Bang!

A fierce gust of wind from a punch swept toward him. Using the Rabbit Talisman's speed, Ōnoki dodged at the last second and spun around. A huge fist-shaped crater now marked the spot where he'd just been standing.

"What astonishing destructive power... And he doesn't seem to be using chakra. Is this just ordinary Taijutsu...?"

"Human, how dare you let your mind wander while fighting me?!"

In an instant, Shendu was right in front of him. A gale came rushing toward Ōnoki once more.

This time, it was a claw strike! Shendu's razor-sharp claws came at him like a speeding freight train. The moment Ōnoki came to his senses, it felt as though the world had frozen.

This is bad... I don't have time to use Light-Weight Rock!

Boom!

An entire mountain was ripped apart as easily as a pile of tofu, leaving behind several enormous, horrifying gashes. The buildings of Iwagakure could even be seen on the other side, but Ōnoki was nowhere to be found.

"That was close...!"

Ōnoki was hiding behind a small mound of earth, thinking over his next move.

From what he'd seen so far, Shendu had tremendous strength and a fairly strong defense. He could even fly through the air using some unknown "ninjutsu," but he seemed somewhat slower. He hadn't been able to dodge Earth Pillar Explosion or Ōnoki's Rock Fist.

In that case... I'll beat him with speed!

Ōnoki tucked the Rabbit Talisman inside his clothes. Its reflection shone in his eyes. The Speed Force... activated!

Moving too fast for the naked eye to follow, Ōnoki managed to surround Shendu all by himself. The instant Shendu exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?", Ōnoki swiftly gathered his strength, pressed his hands together, and formed a transparent cube between his palms.

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"

Dust Release was a Kekkei Tōta that surpassed "ordinary Kekkei Genkai." It created a special barrier that reduced its target to atoms, making it far more powerful than ordinary Kekkei Genkai.

Aside from Six Paths-level warriors with the Rinnegan, no one dared to face Dust Release head-on. Even Senju Hashirama's Wood Release and Uchiha Madara's Perfect Susanoo were no exception. It was arguably the most overpowered ability below the Six Paths level in Naruto.

"Turn to atoms!"

Under Ōnoki's control, the dazzling white light took the shape of a cone and swiftly swallowed Shendu's body.

"Is it over?!"

Ōnoki stared at the cloud of dust kicked up by Dust Release. A moment later, disbelief flashed in his eyes.

"H-How is that possible?!"

Shendu stood there unharmed, without the slightest scratch, as though Ōnoki had never used Dust Release at all.

"That was an impressive attack, but unfortunately... I'm immortal!"

(Note: In the original Jackie Chan Adventures, during the Book of Ages arc, Uncle used the Dog Talisman to completely nullify Shendu's Fire Breath. So the Dog Talisman not only grants eternal life, it can also nullify "lethal attacks.")

As Ōnoki stared in shock, Shendu's eyes began to glow. "Eye Beam! Eye Beam!"

The Laser Beam tore through the ground and stretched all the way to Iwagakure, leaving two enormous trenches behind.

As Iwagakure's leader, Ōnoki looked at the village destroyed by Shendu's Eye Beam and realized that he could neither dodge nor stay put.

He couldn't simply watch the village be destroyed without doing anything.

"Damn it! Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"

Ōnoki gathered Dust Release again and aimed it at Shendu. He didn't believe that anything in the world was truly immortal, nor did he believe Shendu's technique came without a cost.

So... all he could do now was wage a war of attrition!

Dust Release tried again and again to break down Shendu's body, but to no avail. Ōnoki could use the Rabbit Talisman to dodge every one of Shendu's attacks, but as time went on, he gradually grew exhausted.

"The games end here!"

Panting, Ōnoki tried to gather Dust Release again, but the little chakra he had left made it impossible. Shendu opened his mouth and unleashed a roiling torrent of flames toward Iwagakure.

Shendu was intelligent, too. Once he realized how important Iwagakure was to Ōnoki, he chose to attack the village directly.

"Earth Release: Gōryūka Technique!"

Just as Shendu had expected, Ōnoki immediately rushed forward and formed hand seals, summoning a rock monster to block the scorching flames. But in an instant, the stone giant melted into rubble.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Using almost all of his remaining chakra, Ōnoki raised a massive stone wall in front of Iwagakure.

To keep the wall from being breached by the flames, Ōnoki braced both hands against its back, pouring in what little chakra he had left.

His palms began to burn, and the searing pain was unbearable. But for the sake of the village, he refused to let go—until the fire dragon finally tore through his defenses and brilliant flames filled his vision.

"Aaaah!"

Ōnoki's body flew through the air against his will. After smashing through the walls of several buildings, he slammed into a pile of rubble. His consciousness faded completely, and he passed out. The Rabbit Talisman, tucked inside his clothes, fell to the ground when his garments were blown to pieces...