Crisis

"Thank you for the compliment, Senior Ōnoki. I still have a long way to go compared to you."

"Heh, I like modest children. Come! Come to Iwagakure!"

"Are you drunk? Who said I wanted to go to Iwagakure?"

Ōnoki did not get angry either. "Hand over Roshi, and we'll let the matter of you killing so many of our people end here."

"Ōnoki, have you had too much counterfeit liquor?" Shimura Danzō said. "Enough, Danzo. Stop trading barbs with him. Let's fight!" Hiruzen Sarutobi then gathered a small Energy Wave in his hand. "Hiruzen, when did you learn that?" Danzo asked incredulously, his eyes wide. Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled faintly. "It's very simple! I learned it ages ago." In fact, he trained hard every night and had only learned it a few days earlier. Looking at everyone's admiring gazes, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt immensely pleased with himself. Haha, I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, am definitely going to be Konoha's king of overachievers.

Shimura Danzō nearly exploded with anger. In fact, he had also been training hard every night, but without much success. He had been planning to ask Itō Yuying for advice after a while. When he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi use an Energy Wave, his lungs nearly burst with rage. Damn you, Sarutobi Hiruzen! When I asked whether you'd learned it, you told me you hadn't. You're really, really despicable!

Ōnoki noticed, and cold sweat immediately broke out. If it were Itō Yuying, he could easily dodge using his speed and combat experience. He could guarantee that Itō Yuying would not even touch the hem of his clothes. As for Roshi getting injured, that was because he had been careless.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi was different. Their strength was about equal, and he might even be a little stronger than Ōnoki. Ōnoki had seen the moves Itō Yuying had used earlier. Every one of them had the destructive power of an S-rank Ninjutsu. He couldn't handle that, absolutely not! ...

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, perhaps we can talk this over. What happened just now might have been a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding? Haha, let's fight first!" He then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique. Ōnoki hurriedly rose higher, surveying his surroundings with a grave expression. Damn it, where is he? "I'm here!" The instant Ōnoki turned around, he rapidly finished his hand seals. "Earth Release: Earth Spear!" A sharp earth spear stabbed toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, who dodged it easily. Another beam of Dust Release shot toward him, and Hiruzen Sarutobi evaded it with the Substitution Technique, then swung his staff at Ōnoki.

Ōnoki hastily dodged and fired off several more Earth Release techniques. With nothing to push off from, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly fell. "Damn you, Ōnoki!" The instant he landed, he vanished again. Ōnoki did not attack, simply flying higher and higher, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi cursing furiously.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was falling, Itō Yuying flew to his side, took him onto his back, and charged toward Ōnoki. Seeing this, Ōnoki instantly fired a Dust Release attack. Hiruzen Sarutobi vanished from Itō Yuying's back and appeared in front of the Dust Release, unleashing a Combined Ninjutsu that collided with it in a thunderous explosion.

By then, Itō Yuying had taken Hiruzen Sarutobi onto his back again and was charging toward Ōnoki. Ōnoki was furious. His flight speed was too slow, while Itō Yuying flew incredibly fast. Hiruzen Sarutobi seized every opportunity to strike Ōnoki, leaving him thoroughly bedraggled. Ōnoki tried to interfere with all kinds of Earth Release techniques, but Hiruzen Sarutobi countered every one.

The distance between Itō Yuying and Ōnoki kept shrinking. Hiruzen Sarutobi gathered an Energy Wave in his hand and said, "Yuying, cover me." "All right," Itō Yuying replied. Hiruzen Sarutobi vanished from his back again. Itō Yuying did not remain idle either. He raised one hand, and a purple Destructo Disc appeared. He hurled it fiercely toward Ōnoki, and it flew at him rapidly. Ōnoki smiled disdainfully and dodged it easily. Just as he was about to mock Itō Yuying, he sensed something wrong behind him and saw the Destructo Disc that had flown past coming back. Ōnoki twisted aside, but it sliced a large gash across his body, sending blood gushing out. At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared beside Ōnoki and launched the Energy Wave gathered in his hand at him.

Am I going to die? Ōnoki had no strength left to dodge Hiruzen Sarutobi's attack. The Energy Wave pierced his chest, and he slowly fell toward the ground. Itō Yuying seized the opportunity and directed the Destructo Disc toward Ōnoki. Just then, a Dust Release attack struck the Destructo Disc, which instantly shattered into dozens of smaller Destructo Discs that flew in all directions. Itō Yuying flared his ki and flew toward the ground with Hiruzen Sarutobi. A man covered in bandages now stood in front of Ōnoki, his body covered in wounds from the Destructo Discs. Ōnoki behind him was not much better off, with several more wounds on his body.

Itō Yuying and Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the ground. Shimura Danzō, Kagami Uchiha, Torifu Akimichi, and the Anbu instantly formed a circle around Itō Yuying, Tsunade, and the others.

The Second Tsuchikage looked at everyone on the ground and slowly descended with Ōnoki. He then handed Ōnoki over to a Rock Ninja to take him for treatment. More than a dozen people carried Ōnoki off into the distance.

The Second Tsuchikage glanced at Roshi, then vanished. Torifu Akimichi rushed forward, instantly enlarged, and stopped the Second Tsuchikage with a punch. "No, it's a substitution!" Kagami Uchiha's Sharingan spun furiously. "On the right!" Without hesitation, Shimura Danzō unleashed "Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!" The Tsuchikage staggered from the attack. "Watch out above!" Itō Yuying shouted.

Hiruzen Sarutobi rapidly formed hand seals. "Fire Release! Fire Dragon Rock Bullet! Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" A Combined Ninjutsu burned the Tsuchikage above Shimura Danzō's head to charcoal, only for him to turn into a pile of rocks with a bang. It was an Earth Clone. Hiruzen Sarutobi searched left and right for the Tsuchikage, Mu, only to be punched flying by him. "Kagami, behind you!" Before Kagami could turn around, he was slammed to the ground, coughing up blood.

By then, the Tsuchikage's clone had crippled both of Shimura Danzō's hands.

"Human Bullet Tank!" The Tsuchikage pinned him to the ground in an instant. "Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique!" Torifu Akimichi was then smashed firmly into the ground, unable to move. Hiruzen Sarutobi struggled to his feet, coughing up blood, and used a Combined Ninjutsu that the Tsuchikage easily dodged. Another punch shattered Hiruzen Sarutobi's jaw. Itō Yuying's eyes widened. He flared his ki and charged at the Tsuchikage, who slapped him to the ground with a backhand. Bang! Itō Yuying turned into smoke, while his real body flew toward Hiruzen Sarutobi. The Tsuchikage gave Itō Yuying no chance, appearing in front of him with the Body Flicker Technique and throwing another punch. Itō Yuying flared his ki, shifted sideways to dodge, and rushed toward Hiruzen Sarutobi again, because Hiruzen Sarutobi's vital signs were rapidly fading.

"Heh, you want to feed him that miracle medicine of yours, don't you?" The Tsuchikage grabbed Itō Yuying by the ankle, held him upside down, and began searching his belongings. Aside from some kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, and a small bottle of Senzu Bean Soup, he found nothing else.

The Tsuchikage slammed Itō Yuying hard into the ground, then walked toward Roshi and fed him the Senzu Bean Soup. Within a few breaths, Roshi was full of life again. "What an extraordinary miracle medicine. Roshi, bring that brat along. Break the others' arms and legs. Oh, and kill the ones named Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō! Once that's done, we'll head back! I'm going to interrogate this brat thoroughly."

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage," Roshi answered, then charged toward Jiraiya and the others. "Let's go!" Uchiha Hanyue was the first to rush forward. "Heh, the Sharingan? Interesting. I won't fall for the same trick twice." Then Roshi froze in place. Hyuga Yeyang used Rotation to pin Roshi to the ground and grind him against it, while Tsunade and Might Duy each fired an Energy Wave from their hands at him. The Tsuchikage appeared in front of Roshi and pulled him away, reappearing a short distance off before throwing him to the ground. "What a useless piece of trash. I'm starting to wonder whether you're on their side."

Roshi did not dare raise his head to look at the Tsuchikage.

Having vented his anger, the Tsuchikage raised his head and turned his gaze toward Jiraiya and the others.