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"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Just as Jinghang's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken was about to strike the rocky barrier, a massive transparent barrier emerged, instantly enveloping the entire Rasenshuriken within it.
The immense Wind Release chakra energy began to undergo a series of transformations within the barrier. It twisted, churned, deformed, and exploded continuously, like a restless beast trapped inside. Yet, no matter how much it struggled, it couldn't escape the confines of the Dust Release barrier. A flash of white light later, everything returned to nothingness.
Jinghang's expression grew grim as he stared at Ōnoki, who floated calmly in front of him. This seemingly unremarkable, diminutive figure was undoubtedly the strongest opponent Jinghang had encountered since arriving in this world. The sheer mastery Ōnoki displayed in wielding the unique ninjutsu of Iwagakure, combined with his seasoned and ruthless combat style, far surpassed even Kazekage Kaze no Kaze. To top it off, the Dust Release—a Kekkei Tōta that transcended the Kekkei Genkai—was a terrifying weapon of mass destruction. A single touch could spell death, and even a glancing blow could cause grievous harm. Jinghang found himself momentarily at a loss for effective countermeasures.
But this was hardly surprising. After all, in the original manga, what was the caliber of Ōnoki's performance during the Fourth Great Ninja War at the age of seventy-nine? First, he joined forces with Naruto Uzumaki to seal the reanimated Second Tsuchikage, Mu. Then, with a single Super Weighted Boulder Jutsu, he shattered the shell of the Second Mizukage's summoned giant clam. Later, he and the other four Kage confronted the reanimated Madara Uchiha in a legendary battle.
Ōnoki's feats only grew more astonishing as the war progressed. He single-handedly resisted two Heavenly Obstacle Quaking Stars and obliterated Madara's Deep Forest Bloom with a single Detachment of the Primitive World Technique. Finally, he joined the other Kage in battling twenty-five Susano'o simultaneously. Such an awe-inspiring display of power was the epitome of the phrase "old but vigorous." And now, facing a younger, prime Ōnoki—whose stamina, endurance, and chakra reserves were leagues ahead of his older self—Jinghang knew this battle would be anything but easy.
Jinghang carefully analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of both his and Ōnoki's ninjutsu in his mind. It seemed he needed to find a way to drag the fight to the ground. Right now, the Iron Sand was limiting his greatest advantage—speed! However, accomplishing this would be incredibly difficult. Aerial combat had always been a hallmark of Iwagakure's elite shinobi. Expecting Ōnoki to relinquish such an advantage was wishful thinking.
Suddenly, a new strategy formed in Jinghang's mind. With a wave of his hands, the six Iron Truth-Seeking Orbs on his body split into twelve, then twenty-four, forty-eight, and finally ninety-six… In an instant, they fragmented into countless smaller Iron Truth-Seeking Orbs. With another gesture, Jinghang dispersed them, forming a massive three-dimensional plum blossom stake formation around him in mid-air. The formation's diameter stretched to Jinghang's limit—800 meters!
"If you refuse to abandon the skies, then I'll turn the skies into my 'ground'!" Jinghang thought.
With that, Jinghang stepped onto one of the small Iron Truth-Seeking Orbs and sprinted toward Ōnoki. His speed was astonishing, as if he were running on solid ground. Meanwhile, the smaller Iron Truth-Seeking Orbs weren't idle either; they darted toward Ōnoki at high speed, aiming to collide with him.
Ōnoki was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected the Iron Sand to be used in such an unconventional way! He tried to fly out of the Iron Plum Blossom Stake formation, but the Iron Orbs followed his every move. A few even relentlessly pursued him, forcing him to use Rock Fist Technique to fend them off. However, Jinghang had already closed the distance, leaving Ōnoki with no choice but to engage in close combat. The two exchanged blows mid-air, trading taijutsu techniques. Caught off guard, Ōnoki took several hits from the Iron Orbs.
Enraged, Ōnoki let out a furious shout.
"Earth Release: Double Rock Fist Technique!"
Ōnoki's hands transformed into massive rock fists, which he swung at Jinghang in a flurry of combination attacks. Jinghang quickly dodged, but any small Iron Orb that came into contact with the rock fists disintegrated into Iron Sand and fell.
"Can't you come up with something new?" Jinghang muttered in exasperation. Though Ōnoki's techniques lacked variety, they were executed with such precision and finesse that they were hard to counter. Fortunately, Jinghang's goal wasn't to gain an advantage in this close-quarters exchange but to buy time for his senjutsu cooldown.
Among Kage-level shinobi, the total amount of chakra often determined the outcome of a battle. As formidable as Dust Release was, it required a significant amount of chakra. How many times could Ōnoki realistically use it? With the support of senjutsu—especially the long-lasting Xuanyuan Tomb Senjutsu—Jinghang's endurance would be akin to fighting with a cheat code.
Ōnoki began to sense that something was amiss. Jinghang's speed was increasing—so much so that Ōnoki's eyes could barely track him. Left with no choice, Ōnoki raised his massive rock fists in a desperate defense. But Jinghang's attacks came faster and harder, each strike more powerful than the last. The relentless assault caused chunks of rock to break off from Ōnoki's fists. Squinting through the cracks in his defense, Ōnoki caught a glimpse of Jinghang's face and was startled. Jinghang's once-refined features now bore five black "whisker marks," while his eye sockets and nose bridge were gradually turning white.
"What… what is this? When did this brat put on makeup?!" Ōnoki thought, bewildered.
Before he could process what was happening, Jinghang underwent another transformation. With a deep growl, his entire body began to emit golden-blue lightning. The aura was reminiscent of the Third Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, though the color was different.
"This is bad!"
Ōnoki's body hadn't even begun to react when Jinghang appeared behind him in a flash. With a thunderous roundhouse kick to Ōnoki's waist, Jinghang sent him hurtling toward the ground. The sheer force of the blow caused Ōnoki to cough up blood and nearly lose consciousness. His spine felt as if it might snap. Like a meteor streaking across the sky, Ōnoki plummeted toward the earth.
Jinghang waved his hand, and the countless small black spheres in the sky reassembled into six Iron Truth-Seeking Orbs. Stepping on one and surrounded by the other five, he pursued Ōnoki's trajectory toward the ground. "In a fight, you have to go all out. If you don't finish the job, your enemy will come back to haunt you."
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Ōnoki, regaining consciousness mid-fall, gritted his teeth and launched a Dust Release attack at the descending Jinghang.
Fortunately, Jinghang had anticipated this. Now in Sage Mode, his reaction speed was several times faster than usual. He narrowly dodged the attack, but one of the Iron Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him was grazed, leaving a large chunk missing as if bitten by an invisible force.
"Impressive. You're tougher than I expected. To take a kick like that and still stand—well done. But you might feel it when it rains," Jinghang quipped as he landed, noticing Ōnoki struggling to stand while clutching his waist.
"Hmph, no need for your concern. It rarely rains in Iwagakure," Ōnoki retorted, maintaining his defiant demeanor.
"Alright then! Hard-headed it is. Let's continue!" Jinghang gave Ōnoki a thumbs-up.
Ōnoki smirked. "Jinghang, I'll admit your skills are impressive. But do you really think you've won this battle? Look!"
Ōnoki pulled out a flare and ignited it, sending a dazzling firework into the sky.
Moments later, a massive plume of white smoke rose from the rear of the Iwagakure forces. As the smoke cleared, a colossal beast emerged. Its body was snow-white, adorned with twin horns on its head. Its dolphin-like face and horse-like physique were complemented by five massive tails swaying behind it.
It was none other than Kokuō, the Five-Tails.
With a thunderous roar, Kokuō charged straight toward the Sunagakure forces!
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