Ōnoki's face flushed crimson with embarrassment, and he was filled with regret. His eyes widened as he looked around and anxiously asked the people nearby, "I was caught in his genjutsu just now. I didn't do anything bizarre or strange, did I?!"
There was a trace of doubt in his voice, but even more than that, guilt and fear.
Ōnoki's hands clenched unconsciously, and a thin layer of sweat even formed on his forehead, as though he were terrified of hearing an answer he could not accept.
Yet everyone around him remained silent. Only the Third Mizukage let out a few weak "Uh..."s and "Well..."s, though those filler words were actually spoken by the Third Kazekage.
The Third Kazekage had formed an alliance with Ōnoki in private, and they should have supported one another. Yet faced with Ōnoki's question, he found himself in a difficult position.
He knew that Uchiha Yato had indeed recorded something disgraceful involving Ōnoki. If he told Ōnoki the truth, Ōnoki would likely be so ashamed that he would want to disappear into a hole, perhaps even be unable to recover from the blow.
But if he concealed the truth, Uchiha Yato was standing right beside them and might expose it on the spot. Not only would that make Ōnoki resent him, it could also fracture their alliance.
Looking at the three people before him, Ōnoki would have known the answer no matter how foolish he was.
The Third Mizukage, who would not look in his direction; the Third Kazekage, who stammered and dared not speak; and Uchiha Yato, whose smugness was practically overflowing.
Ōnoki took a deep breath, then spoke.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
This Dust Release attack was probably the fastest Ōnoki had ever unleashed in his life, fired without