Onoki Cries

Beside the hot spring ruins, the shadow of the towering wooden Buddha covered a small area below. Warm, sulfur-scented vapor rose amid the broken walls and rubble.

Accompanied by Hiruzen Sarutobi, the four Kage arrived at the site where this miracle had occurred. Though the wooden Buddha no longer radiated the terrifying pressure it had possessed during battle, its enormous, distinct wooden form—especially the indescribable divinity and majesty lingering upon its face—still left the powerful figures present secretly shaken.

Onoki floated in the air, narrowing his eyes as he tried to glean more information from every damaged section. The Raikage, A, stood with his arms folded, his expression grave. Mei Terumi and Rasa were likewise lost in their own thoughts as they silently observed the scene.

Just then, a set of somewhat lighthearted footsteps came from the other side of the ruins. Everyone turned to see Tsunade and a young boy strolling over leisurely, as if they too had come to inspect the battlefield.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Qianyu, a genuine smile appeared on his face, and he waved him over. "Qianyu, come here." Once Qianyu approached, he patted the boy's shoulder, feeling as though he had grown quite a bit taller since yesterday. With the approval and warmth of an elder in his voice, he said, "Good child, it was fortunate that you remained calm in a crisis last night and knew to protect Naruto. Disregarding your own safety to safeguard your companion—that is how Konoha shinobi ought to be! You understand the Will of Fire very thoroughly."

His words were half sincere praise and half intended for the other Kage to hear, meant to emphasize Qianyu's "proper roots" and the "fine qualities" of Konoha's younger generation.

Qianyu obediently nodded. "You flatter me, Lord Hokage. I merely did what I should have done." His gaze swept over the other four Kage before finally settling on the floating Onoki.

At that moment, Onoki was also looking at the black-haired boy who had suddenly appeared, a youth with an unusual air about him. The instant his eyes fell upon Qianyu's face—especially those eyes and the contours of his features—

Thud!

The Third Tsuchikage, who had lived through three great shinobi wars and seen every sort of storm, seemed to have been struck by an invisible sledgehammer. His floating body suddenly sank, and he staggered, nearly falling from the sky! All color drained from his face. His aged eyes widened in unbelievable horror, his lips trembling as he instinctively squeezed out a nightmare-like name from the depths of his soul:

"U-Uchiha... M-Madara?!"

No! The age was wrong! His temperament was not quite the same either! But those brows, those eyes, that bone structure—especially that faintly chilling aura when the corners of his lips tightened ever so slightly... He looked exactly like a younger version of that man! Could Madara Uchiha have had an illegitimate child somewhere? Or perhaps...

Onoki's loss of composure stunned everyone. The Raikage, Mizukage, Kazekage, and their guards instantly became vigilant, their gazes locking onto Qianyu as chakra stirred faintly around them.

Qianyu was initially taken aback. Then, seeing Onoki's ghost-stricken expression and recalling that his own face closely resembled Madara Uchiha's, he immediately understood. A mischievous thought promptly rose uncontrollably in his mind.

The corner of his mouth slowly curved upward. It was no longer his previous obedient smile, but an expression carrying a hint of amusement, a hint of disdain, and even a trace of cold, sinister wickedness.

He released no chakra. He merely began walking slowly toward Onoki, as casually as if taking a stroll. His steps were neither fast nor slow, yet they carried a strange rhythm, as though he were the master of this place and everyone else merely his guests.

As he drew closer, the oppressive sensation born from his resemblance to Madara—and from the deepest fears in Onoki's heart—seemed to be invisibly amplified. Like a frog watched by a venomous snake, Onoki subconsciously retreated a short distance. His aged face was full of uncertainty as Dust Release chakra instinctively began to gather.

A's Lightning Release chakra crackled. Mei Terumi's fingers curled slightly. Every Kage guard assumed their strictest defensive stances, and the atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point!

Tsunade furrowed her brows, while Hiruzen Sarutobi inwardly cried out in alarm.

Yet Qianyu seemed utterly oblivious to the tension around him. He walked straight up to within a few steps of Onoki and stopped. Tilting his head slightly upward, he looked at the old face filled with terror and spoke softly. His voice was not loud, yet every person present heard it clearly:

"Two Scales... So you became Tsuchikage too."

His tone was calm and even carried a trace of sentiment, as though old friends had reunited and were reminiscing about the past. But combined with that face and his current demeanor, the effect was utterly terrifying!

Onoki shuddered as though struck by lightning. Then he stared fixedly into Qianyu's eyes—not Mangekyo, not even ordinary Sharingan, but plain black pupils. The age did not match either! He abruptly came to his senses, his voice sharp as he demanded, "Y-You're not Madara! Who are you?! Are you his descendant?!"

After hearing that, Qianyu did not answer. Instead, he threw back his head and let out a deep, somewhat wild laugh. "Hahahahahaha..." The laughter echoed through the empty ruins. It was not loud, yet it carried an indescribable penetrative force, as though it could draw out the most primal fear buried in one's heart.

That laughter made Onoki, who had experienced Madara Uchiha's terror firsthand, shiver from the cold in his heart. It was as if he had returned to that era ruled by despair.

"Qianyu! Do not be so rude!" Hiruzen Sarutobi finally stepped in to smooth things over, shouting sternly and breaking the bizarre atmosphere. He had to stop this now. If the brat kept acting, he would surely cause a diplomatic incident.

Qianyu's laughter came to an abrupt stop. He curled his lips, instantly putting away that frightening demeanor and returning to his obedient appearance. He took two steps back and stood beside Tsunade. "Oh."

But Onoki's gaze remained nailed to Qianyu, incomparably complicated. There was suspicion, wariness, and killing intent in his eyes, as though he wanted to dissect this boy who resembled his old enemy inside and out and see him clearly.

A child who looked so much like Madara Uchiha had appeared in Konoha and was held in such high regard by both the Hokage and Tsunade... That alone was an extremely dangerous signal!

Qianyu felt that icy, almost tangible gaze. His eyes shifted, and another idea suddenly came to him. A slightly bashful, apologetic smile appeared on his face as he gave Onoki a small bow.

"Lord Tsuchikage, I'm truly sorry for frightening you just now. I really am merely... well, someone who happens to resemble that legendary figure." He paused before clearly saying, "My name is Hyuga Qianyu, of the Hyuga Clan. Greetings."

As he spoke, a thought stirred in his mind. He mobilized that fused warm current within his body and circulated it according to the method of the Byakugan.

In an instant, the veins around his eyes bulged slightly. His eyes turned into a flawless pale blue-white, his pupils vanishing as the distinctive pressure and penetrating perception of the Byakugan spread out!

"Byakugan?!" Onoki cried out in shock. The horror and killing intent in his eyes were instantly replaced by immense astonishment! Not Sharingan? It was the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan?! This...

The other Kage and guards were stunned as well. The Sharingan and Byakugan were entirely different bloodline limits, and it was nearly impossible for them to appear in the same person. Seeing those unmistakable Byakugan, along with the name "Hyuga Qianyu," the tightly wound string in everyone's hearts suddenly relaxed considerably.

He was not Madara Uchiha's descendant! He was from the Hyuga Clan! Though the resemblance was absurdly close, a bloodline limit could not lie! The Hyuga Clan was one of Konoha's great houses, with a long history and a comparatively safe background.

The mad thought in Onoki's heart—that he had to eliminate "a young Madara Uchiha" at all costs before he could grow—instantly vanished. It was replaced by a weak, post-survival exhaustion and a deep anger at having been toyed with.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Qianyu suddenly reveal the Byakugan, he froze completely, his mind nearly crashing. This brat... Since when could he use the Byakugan too?! But he was a veteran Hokage, and his reaction was swift. He immediately picked up the thread, wearing an appropriately apologetic and helpless expression.

"I'm truly sorry, Lord Tsuchikage. We gave you quite a fright. This child... is somewhat mischievous and enjoys playing pranks. I will certainly discipline him properly when we return. Please be magnanimous and do not lower yourself to the level of a child." His words both gave Onoki a way out and confirmed the explanation that Qianyu's actions had merely been a mischievous child's prank.

Onoki's face alternated between green and white. He felt that he had been toyed with by a mere brat, and had even made such a spectacle of himself before the other Kage, losing all face. He gave a heavy snort, almost flinging his sleeve as he turned away. Without looking at Qianyu again, he floated toward the wooden Buddha, as though he intended to use studying the ruins to conceal his embarrassment and anger.

A crisis that had nearly spiraled out of control was resolved by Qianyu's sudden display of the Byakugan and Hiruzen Sarutobi's quick-witted intervention. Everyone let out a long breath of relief.

The group continued toward the foot of the wooden Buddha. Gazing up at this creation, which radiated grandeur even while motionless, even Kage-level experts could not help but feel small. Tsunade looked at the hot spring bubbling beside them, then at the great Buddha, and her eyes lit up.

"Old man," she said, pointing at the area, "this land is mine. I'm going to build a hot spring retreat here and call it the 'Great Buddha Hot Spring.' Don't tear down this great Buddha either. Leave it as a landmark—it'll attract customers too. What do you think?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been worrying over how to handle this troublesome battlefield relic. It would be a pity to demolish it, yet leaving it there would make it too conspicuous. Tsunade's proposal would turn waste into something useful, develop the economy, keep this place filled with legends of Wood Release under the control of their own people, and indirectly protect its possible research value. It accomplished several things at once.

"Do as you please." He nodded in agreement. "You'll be responsible for the detailed planning and construction."

Standing behind the others, Qianyu's eyes fell upon the towering wooden Buddha. He closed his eyes and sensed it faintly. Sure enough, although the battle had ended, a large amount of pure Wood Release energy still remained inside this Buddha created by his future self's Sage Art Wood Release. Moreover, that energy resonated with the newly born chakra in his body; they shared the same origin.

A bold thought rose uncontrollably in his mind again. He had plenty of chakra anyway. Why not try it?

While everyone's attention was focused on admiring the great Buddha and discussing plans for the hot spring, he quietly stepped forward a few paces and extended his hand, seemingly curiously touching the cold, rough base of the Buddha.

In truth, he mixed his chakra with his own will and slowly injected it through the point of contact into the pathways of residual Wood Release energy within the great Buddha.

At first, nothing happened. Just as Qianyu thought it had failed and was about to put in more effort—

"Bzz..."

A low vibration, almost too faint to hear yet seeming to rise from the depths of the earth, rang out!

Then, before the horrified eyes of the Five Kage and their guards, the hundred-meter-tall wooden Buddha, which had originally faced away from Konoha Village, actually... began to turn slowly with a teeth-grating "creak"!

"Stay alert!"

"What's going on?!"

"Enemy attack?!"

The five Kage instantly erupted with terrifying chakra! Lightning blazed around the Raikage, blinding white light from Onoki's Dust Release shone in his palm, mist flickered around Mei Terumi's mouth, golden sand surged wildly around Rasa, and the Hokage's robes billowed without wind! The Kage guards reacted as if facing a great enemy, instantly raising all manner of defensive ninjutsu and weapons!

Sarutobi trusted the great Buddha, so he did not move.

Yet the expected attack never came. The great Buddha merely turned clumsily and slowly by roughly ninety degrees, changing from facing away from Konoha to... directly facing Konoha Village.

Like a silent guardian deity, it would henceforth look down upon the village it protected from the front.

The turning stopped, and everything returned to silence. Only the bubbling sound of the hot spring water remained.

The five Kage looked at one another. The imposing aura they had erupted with moments ago slowly subsided, but the bewilderment and suspicion on their faces only deepened. Could this wooden Buddha... possess a will of its own?

The instant the tremor began, Tsunade darted to Qianyu's side and shielded him behind her, her eyes full of vigilance. But when she turned back and saw the mischievous grin he had not managed to fully hide, she froze for a moment before immediately understanding what had happened.

A small vein bulged on her forehead. Her face darkened as she ground out in a low voice, "You little brat... was this your doing again?!"

Qianyu blinked innocently and whispered, "It was facing away from the village. Isn't that rude? I just helped it turn around so it could face the village. Isn't that better...?"

Tsunade: "..." She wanted nothing more than to grab this little bastard and spank him right then and there! Pulling a stunt like this in front of the Five Kage—did he have a death wish?!

But with things already as they were, she could only pretend to remain calm. Like everyone else, she lifted her head to admire the great Buddha that had suddenly "moved on its own," while cursing Qianyu eight hundred times in her heart.

Meanwhile, Onoki, the Raikage, and the others looked at the wooden Buddha that seemed to have come alive only to fall asleep again, then at the hot spring beneath their feet. The wariness, suspicion, and unease in their hearts reached their peak.