Onoki shook his head at Kitsuchi and the other Rock Hidden ninjas, indicating for them to disperse, then looked at Sosuke and said weakly:
"The strength of a Ninja Master is indeed well-deserved and admirable."
Sosuke's ability to defeat Sarutobi Hiruzen showed that his strength was inevitable, but Onoki really didn't expect Sosuke to be this extraordinarily strong.
He hadn't even figured out Sosuke's methods before he was utterly defeated.
If Sosuke hadn't held back, in a real battle, he would probably already be dead.
Now, Onoki wasn't curious about how Sosuke defeated Sarutobi Hiruzen; he was more curious about how Sarutobi Hiruzen managed to return to Konoha alive from Sosuke's hands.
Even his Limelight Separation Technique couldn't do anything to Sosuke, so Sarutobi Hiruzen's ninjutsu certainly wouldn't work against Sosuke either.
"For the sake of the Ninja Sect."
Onoki thought Sosuke probably didn't want an all-out war with Konoha and spared Sarutobi Hiruzen's life.
Sosuke's strength was undeniable, and even if all the elite ninjas in the village gathered, Onoki had no confidence they could take down Sosuke.
But no matter how strong Sosuke was, he was only one person, while the Great Ninja Village had many elite ninjas.
Sosuke could protect himself with his formidable strength and kill many enemy ninjas, but he couldn't protect every Ninja Sect ninja.
If the Ninja Sect went to war with any Great Ninja Village, the inevitable result would be mutual destruction, with neither the Ninja Sect nor the Great Ninja Village gaining anything beneficial.
Most of the Ninja Sect's ninjas would be killed by the Great Ninja Village, and the Great Ninja Village would have to face the threat of the terrifyingly powerful Sosuke.
"Dust Release is indeed a bloodline elimination superior to kekkei genkai, and it's quite enlightening," Mokgetsu replied graciously.
Onoki's mouth twitched. Although Sosuke was praising, it was hard for him to feel happy.
Considering the recent battle, Onoki had reason to suspect Sosuke was being sarcastic.
No defense was broken at all; what was enlightening about that? Or was the enlightenment meant to imply that the so-called all-decomposing Dust Release couldn't even damage his clothes?
"The village has many affairs to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer." Onoki said, bidding farewell with a slightly darkened face, refusing the Ninja Sect's farewell offers, and left with the support of his subordinates.
Due to Onoki's insistence, Mokgetsu and others merely stood in place as they watched Onoki leave.
"What a stubborn and relentless old man," Roshi sighed.
Onoki's arm injury wasn't light, yet he stubbornly refused Sosuke's treatment.
He couldn't understand; they were utterly defeated, so what face was there to keep? Was receiving treatment from an opponent really disgraceful?
"Shirakawa, are you familiar with the Tsuchikage?" Yahiko asked curiously.
Few in the Ninja Sect knew Roshi's true identity; only Mokgetsu, Nagato, and Kakuzu were aware that Roshi was the Hidden Rock Jinchuriki. Others only knew of Roshi's superficial identity.
"I know a little about him." Roshi nodded, but didn't elaborate.
He didn't care if people knew his identity, but he was mainly concerned about causing trouble.
The Tailed Beasts are as crucial as the lifeblood of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and if the Hidden Rock discovered he had joined the Ninja Sect under the name Shirakawa, even if they were wary of Sosuke's power, they would still find ways to counter the Ninja Sect.
Yahiko didn't overthink it and soon set aside the matter, excitedly asking Mokgetsu about questions that arose during the observation of the battle.
On the other side.
After walking a short distance, at Onoki's signal, the Rock Hidden Jonin skilled in Medical Ninjutsu quickly began treating Onoki.
In fact, he had been ready to start treatment as soon as Onoki's battle ended, but Onoki had stopped him.
"Tsuchikage-sama, do we still agree to the cooperation with Hidden Sand?" Kitsuchi asked after a moment of silence.
Having watched the battle between Sosuke and Onoki, Kitsuchi understood why after news of Sarutobi Hiruzen's defeat spread across the Ninja World, Konoha had no reaction.
Sosuke was so powerful; what could Konoha do?
Dispatch a ninja army to annihilate the Ninja Sect?
In an effort to save face, they would lose numerous ninjas only to end up resented by a supreme powerhouse, a loss so huge it would reach their ancestors.
"Let's put it on hold for now," Onoki replied after pondering.
His motive for dealing with the Ninja Sect was that its continued growth would affect the interests of The Hidden Rock Village.
If they allied with Hidden Sand against the Ninja Sect now, they would offend Sosuke without being able to kill him, and in the end, The Hidden Rock Village might not have a good outcome.
Fortunately, they hadn't made any commitments, so they didn't have to explain anything to Hidden Sand.
"Why hasn't Hidden Rock birthed such a genius?" Onoki sighed inwardly.
He thought that after the death of the God of Ninjas, there wouldn't be any more ultra-spec ninjas, but unexpectedly, Sosuke, such a monster, emerged, and Mokgetsu was a potential monster too.
Onoki was truly depressed; both are among the Five Great Ninja Villages, yet Konoha stands out, first with Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, and now Mokgetsu.
After half an hour of treatment, deeply concerned about potential long-term issues, Onoki did not stop and immediately returned to The Hidden Rock Village.
Upon returning to the village, the first thing Onoki did was convene a high-level meeting to relay the information he had gathered to all the high-level officials.
Upon hearing it, several Rock Hidden high-level officials all displayed expressions of extreme shock.
Had the information not come from their own Tsuchikage, they would probably have suspected its authenticity in an instant.
"Konoha is truly sly, no wonder their confidentiality is so good; they probably want to use the Ninja Sect to make us suffer a huge loss," Elder Bokka immediately sensed the sinister intentions of Konoha.