Appearing

"Whoosh—"

A fierce wind howled as Ōnoki's figure gradually descended from midair toward the battlefield, the hem of his robes dancing in the wind as his sharp gaze swept over the ground below.

When he noticed the Konoha group gathered together, his eyes narrowed slightly as he said in a deep voice, "Konoha's Sannin!?"

Hearing him, Jiraiya and the others naturally realized that Ōnoki had already set his sights on them. Their expressions turned grave as he said in a low voice, "Hurry and leave. I'll stay behind and hold him off for a while!"

With that, he stepped forward and stood before the others, fearlessly meeting Ōnoki's gaze.

Seeing this, Ōnoki let out a cold laugh and said in an aged voice, "Interesting. It seems Konoha's Sannin aren't complete fools after all. You know that you stand no chance against this old man."

"But unfortunately, you can no longer escape. This old man has already set up a barrier around the area. Everyone here can just wait to die!"

At his words, Jiraiya and the others' expressions changed drastically.

Just then—

"Crackle, crackle—"

Amid the shriek of electric currents, A, clad in lightning armor, suddenly appeared beside them. His dark face was stern as he stared fixedly at Ōnoki in midair and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry. You still have me."

Jiraiya and Tsunade's expressions shifted slightly as they looked at him in surprise. Minato hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "Teacher Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, this is the Raikage's son, A. He's our ally."

Only then did the two relax slightly, looking curiously at A.

To have mastered Lightning Style ninjutsu to this extent at such a young age... he truly was worthy of being the Third Raikage's son...

At A's appearance, Ōnoki's face darkened. A cold smile