Just then.
"Whoosh!"
A sharp whistle suddenly rang through the air.
High in the sky, a short figure shot toward them like a cannonball.
Sosuke glanced at the newcomer, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly as a glint flashed in his eyes.
The Rock Ninja who saw the newcomer were all astonished, crying out.
"It's Lord Tsuchikage!"
"Look! It's Lord Tsuchikage! Thank goodness!"
"Why... doesn't Lord Tsuchikage look like he's in very good shape..."
Only when the figure was about to reach them did Kitsuchi, who had been watching tensely with a grim expression, suddenly change his look.
"Bang!"
He leaped from the tree trunk and shot into the air.
He didn't even dare use a jutsu to catch the badly injured figure. Instead, he used his sturdy body as a cushion, bracing himself against the small figure hurtling toward him.
"Thud!"
The two figures collided in midair. The badly injured Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, slammed straight into Kitsuchi's arms like a cannonball.
The sound of breaking ribs could almost be heard.
"Phew—"
The two figures slowed somewhat, but still fell rapidly toward the hard ground below.
Sosuke simply stood atop the tall tree, watching in silence with a trace of amusement in his eyes, content to remain a bystander.
The Rock Ninja below were horrified as Kitsuchi and the Third Tsuchikage plummeted toward them.
Several Rock Ninja formed Hand Seals in unison.
"Earth Release: Tanuki Soil Ground!"
"Earth Release: Rock Dissipation Technique!"
As they performed their jutsu, the ground in a radius of dozens of meters before them began to tremble violently, like boiling water.
The rocks and rubble on the ground softened into mud. With the violent shaking, the layer of earth rose higher and higher, and ripples formed across its soft surface.
It was like a tall