Sanada hid behind a great tree while three Shadow Clones revealed themselves and fled in different directions.
A transparent cone of light appeared in the sky and caught one of the Shadow Clones. When it vanished, only a smooth crater remained.
All the soil and trees within the Dust Release's reach, along with everything else it touched, had been reduced to dust.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Sanada's forehead. Only by facing Ōnoki himself could he truly feel the pressure of his power.
Sanada peered through a gap in the forest canopy. Ōnoki was scanning the ground for anything suspicious.
A figure suddenly appeared nearby. It was Takigawa.
"Can your ability reach Ōnoki?" Sanada asked.
"No. Not unless he comes down," Takigawa said.
Sanada glanced up at Ōnoki. He was far higher than he had been when he used Dust Release earlier, probably to keep Takigawa from appearing behind him and catching him off guard.
"Draw his attention. My other ability might be able to reach him. At the very least, we can't let him run wild," Sanada said.
Takigawa nodded. Every Mangekyo Sharingan wielder had two abilities. Sanada's first was Amaterasu, and Takigawa was curious about what his second could be if it could strike Ōnoki so high in the sky.
"Get ready. I'm going out."
Takigawa vanished and appeared farther off in the forest. After several more jumps, he landed on Kannabi Bridge.
"Ōnoki! You were looking for me, weren't you? Here I am. Take a look beneath my feet—this is Kannabi Bridge. Use Dust Release, and you'll turn it to dust too. Then Iwagakure can forget about attacking Konoha."
Standing confidently on the bridge, Takigawa shouted up at Ōnoki.
A vein bulged on Ōnoki's forehead as he struggled to contain his anger.
"Hmph. You think