Drake's single sentence instantly plunged the room into dead silence.
"So you're Wood Release Drake," Onoki said coldly.
"You're young, yet your arrogance knows no bounds."
They hadn't even started negotiating—and this brat was already trying to assert dominance?
"Is that so?" Drake shrugged.
"I'm already being pretty modest."
He stepped forward.
"Trying to get close for taijutsu?" Ōnoki's gaze sharpened as chakra surged.
Szz—
Rock rapidly formed over his arm, shaping into a stone limb.
"Oh? If you're doing that, then I won't hold back," Drake smiled.
His figure vanished in a blink.
The next instant—
He appeared right in front of Ōnoki, one hand resting on the Tsuchikage's shoulder.
"Your speed—?!"
Ōnoki's pupils shrank in shock.
Too fast.
So fast it was absurd.
An afterimage was still standing where Drake had been, yet his real body had already appeared here?
What kind of monster-level speed is this?!
Crack!
Drake tightened his grip, crushing the shoulder beneath his palm.
"Rock, huh?" Drake sounded mildly surprised.
"I'll give you that—you're not bad."
It wasn't just the arm.
Even the shoulder had been reinforced with stone.
Ōnoki counterattacked.
His stone-coated arm swung out, smashing toward Drake's head.
"Stone Iron Fist!"
Smack!
Drake casually blocked it. Power erupted.
Boom—
The rock shattered.
Ōnoki staggered, forced backward by the overwhelming force.
Step. Step. Step.
He retreated repeatedly to disperse the impact.
"You're too weak," Drake shook his head, utterly disappointed.
"I haven't even started trying."
Outrageous!
Ōnoki took a deep breath and prepared to go all out.
"Drake—you're the strongest taijutsu user I've ever seen! But do you really think taijutsu alone can defeat me…?"
"Stop yapping," Drake waved him off impatiently.
"If you're so confident, then use everything you've got."
Ōnoki's fighting spirit surged. He leapt upward—
He intended to take to the air and obliterate Drake with Dust Release.
But then—
Something went very wrong.
Ōnoki smashed through the ceiling—and with a thud, fell straight back down.
"What… how is this possible?!"
He scrambled to his feet, eyes wide with disbelief.
He could fly.
So why had he fallen?
"Is this your full strength?" Drake mocked.
"That was just an accident!" Ōnoki snapped—and jumped again.
Thud.
He face-planted.
At the staircase on the second floor, Kenjiro peeked out, barely holding back laughter.
I thought the Tsuchikage was terrifying…
Turns out I could probably beat him myself.
Back on the ground, Ōnoki stood up and glared at Drake.
"It was you, wasn't it?"
"You did something to me!"
His heart sank—he was certain now.
"When you touched my shoulder, you used some kind of sealing technique!"
"You talk too much," Drake said flatly—and threw a punch.
Whooo—!
A terrifying shockwave erupted, violently draining the surrounding air.
Ōnoki's breath stopped.
He realized in horror—
He couldn't breathe.
The sudden pressure difference sucked outside air violently into the inn.
At the staircase, Kenjiro clung to the railing, feeling a hurricane push him forward.
BOOM!!!
The inn shook violently. Several load-bearing pillars cracked with a sharp crunch.
A massive crater appeared in the floor.
Half of Ōnoki's body was buried inside it.
"D-dead…?" Kenjiro stared, dumbfounded.
The Tsuchikage… got one-punched?
Drake, however, shook his head.
"You've been hiding beneath an Earth Clone for this long," he said calmly.
"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"
"Dust Release—Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Ōnoki's voice rang out as a blinding white beam erupted from the crater, firing straight at Drake.
The beam struck—dead on.
"Did I get him?!"
Ōnoki's face lit up as Drake vanished from sight.
Szz—
Suddenly, something felt wrong.
Ōnoki couldn't move his feet.
Looking down, his heart dropped.
Branches were wrapped tightly around his legs.
"…He's not dead?!"
Whoosh—
The branches surged upward, hoisting Ōnoki upside down in the middle of the inn.
"You're too weak," Drake's voice sounded from behind.
Smack!
A slap sent Ōnoki spinning upright—still hanging—his head ringing.
Drake casually formed a wooden chair and sat down.
"You—put me down!"
Even dizzy, Ōnoki tried to maintain the dignity of a Kage.
"Want down?" Drake crossed his legs calmly.
"That depends on whether the negotiation satisfies me."
"My blood's rushing to my head!" Ōnoki shouted.
"At least turn me the right way!"
"I already told you," Drake replied evenly.
"I don't like people standing while talking to me."
Footsteps echoed.
Kenjiro ran down from the second floor, carrying lunch.
"Drake!"
"Kenjiro," Drake nodded.
At this moment, Kenjiro felt like he was glowing with honor.
He picked up the front counter, carried it over, and placed the meal on top.
"Eat while you negotiate."
With a conspiratorial grin, Kenjiro scurried back upstairs.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several Iwa ninjas burst into the inn.
"Tsuchikage-sama—!"
Thud. Thud. Thud.
They collapsed instantly.
Ōnoki's eyes widened in shock.
"What—what kind of ninja tool is that?!"
He saw it clearly—
A straight sword pierced through his subordinates' chests mid-air, then flew back, landing neatly in front of Drake.
Smack!
Another slap landed on Ōnoki's face.
"Stop looking around," Drake said coolly.
"Now—negotiations officially begin.
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