"Trying to escape? Not a chance!" Ōnoki snorted coldly and gave chase.
"Orochimaru, what should we do now?" Jiraiya asked anxiously.
Orochimaru shook his head slightly. Given the situation, they could only run as far as possible. Their opponent was a nation's Kage, after all. They had no chance of winning.
"Where do you think you can run?" Suddenly, a voice rang out above them.
The three of them faltered as they fled, then looked up toward the voice.
Their pupils contracted at the sight. A massive boulder dropped from the sky, hurtling toward the path ahead of them.
"Stop!" Jiraiya shouted, and all three came to an abrupt halt.
Boom... The massive boulder blocked their way forward, while the dense forest on either side impeded their movement.
"Now we've got nowhere to go!" Jiraiya sighed softly.
"Lord Tsuchikage, look. We're already inside the Land of Fire. Entering without notifying anyone is against protocol, isn't it?" Recovering his composure, Orochimaru looked sharply up at Ōnoki, who hovered in the sky.
Even now, Orochimaru hoped to talk his opponent into backing down. But would that approach really work on Ōnoki?
At those words, Ōnoki's expression darkened.
"What a joke. If I kill all of you, who will ever know I came here?"
The expressions of Orochimaru and his two companions grew increasingly grim.
"Enough nonsense. Hand over that woman, and I can spare your lives!"
With that, Ōnoki formed hand seals...
"Earth Release: Falling Boulder..." Huge stones formed around Ōnoki. With a sweep of his hand, he sent them hurtling toward the three at tremendous speed.
"Jiraiya..." Faced with those attacks, Orochimaru dared not take any chances and immediately turned to Jiraiya beside him.
Jiraiya gave a slight nod.
He formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall..." A massive earthen wall