The chessboard that would decide who ruled the world had only just been laid out.
Chiya withdrew his gaze and lifted his military boot off Raikage A's cheek. The Raikage had already slipped into a deep coma from excessive blood loss and excruciating pain. Blood from his severed arm spread across the rubble, pooling into a dark red puddle.
Waves of higher-dimensional chakra, triggered by Obito absorbing the incomplete Ten-Tails, kept surging from the distant horizon. The energy was so powerful that it resonated with the reiatsu inside Chiya.
Chiya turned, preparing to head toward the source of those chakra fluctuations.
In midair, Ōnoki forced the last of his chakra into motion, hovering dozens of meters above the ground. He held his palms facing each other, fingertips touching, forming a triangular hand seal.
Two thick streams of blood ran from Ōnoki's nostrils. Veins bulged across his forehead. A tearing pain shot through his lower back. He knew perfectly well that forcing out another ninjutsu now would cause his body to collapse. He did not stop channeling chakra.
A triangular barrier rapidly formed between Ōnoki's palms, radiating a blinding white light.
"Old Tsuchikage, stop now and find somewhere to lie down, and you might cling to life for a few more days." Chiya stopped and looked up at Ōnoki, his tone flat. "Burning through your life to cast a skill? You'll drop before the cast bar even finishes. Classic feeding."
Ōnoki's eyes widened, their whites riddled with blood vessels.
"I've lived a long life and weathered countless storms in the Shinobi World." Ōnoki gasped for breath, his voice hoarse and thin. "The future of the Shinobi World must never fall into the hands of someone like you! Even if it costs me this old life, I'll stop you here today!"
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