Inside Iwagakure,
"BANG!!!"
By the time Ōnoki received the report,
the Cloud Village army had almost reached the outskirts of Iwagakure.
This infuriated Ōnoki to no end.
The teacup he loved most in his hand shattered into pieces.
"Damn it! Is the Anbu all useless?!"
"The enemy is nearly at our doorstep, and this is the first we hear of it?!"
Thinking of these fools,
Ōnoki could hardly contain his rage.
But all of this stemmed from a pitfall left by the previous Ninja World War.
To eliminate the Third Raikage,
Ōnoki had pushed all of Iwagakure's forces into the fight.
Over ten thousand Iwagakure ninja,
ultimately succeeded in overwhelming the Third Raikage through sheer numbers.
But Iwagakure had paid a heavy price.
Of the ten thousand ninja,
six or seven thousand were killed by the Third Raikage.
This left a massive gap in the village's core forces.
Ōnoki knew there was no time to blame anyone.
The Cloud Village invasion had to be stopped.
"Fourth Raikage… that madman!"
"Why attack the Land of Earth for no reason?!"
"That bastard! He's infuriating me!"
Hearing this,
Kōdo gave Ōnoki a strange look,
as if saying: not long ago, it was you who sent the intelligence that provoked the war between the Cloud Village and Konoha.
Now the Cloud brutes had noticed something was wrong and came to settle the score.
"Mobilize the army!"
"Notify Ozu and Han immediately!"
"At this critical moment for the Land of Earth, we must unite!"
With Ōnoki's orders given,
Kōdo quickly went to execute them.
Ōnoki, meanwhile, stared at the battlefield map with worry.
The Cloud Village brutes were approaching,
and he had to carefully plan a strategy.
Soon,
Iwagakure's forces assembled.
But their numbers and quality were noticeably inferior to those during the last Ninja World War.
Seeing this,
Ōnoki sighed in resignation.
Who could have predicted that the Third Raikage was so powerful,
nearly wiping out over ten thousand Iwagakure ninja?
Thinking about how that monster was finally gone,
Ōnoki felt some relief.
Otherwise, if the Third Raikage had lived until now,
Iwagakure would certainly not be so calm as a neighbor.
Both armies quickly gathered near Iwagakure.
Seeing the Fourth Raikage leading his forces to the village,
Ōnoki twitched his lips in frustration.
He shot a murderous glance at the Anbu chief beside him.
But all that could wait until the battle was over.
The most important thing now
was to deal with the Cloud Village army.
"Fourth Raikage… your sudden incursion into the Land of Earth is a bit excessive, isn't it?"
Ōnoki's words were met with no respect.
The Fourth Raikage, having lost face from Konoha,
was determined to regain it from Iwagakure.
"Hmph! Talk is useless!"
"I haven't even avenged my father's death yet!"
"Ōnoki, you old fool! Retire already! Clinging to the position of Tsuchikage at your age… aren't you afraid someone will poke you in the back?!"
A volley of insults instantly sent Ōnoki flying off Akatsuchi's back.
His face darkened like a storm cloud.
Ignoring the Tsuchikage title would have been fine,
but once mentioned, Ōnoki's fury flared.
If it weren't for his deceased father wiping out most of Iwagakure's core forces,
he might have had a proper candidate for Tsuchikage.
Finally finding a candidate and taking him as a disciple,
he turned out to be a problem child—
all he thought about all day was explosions.
How could Ōnoki trust him with the Tsuchikage position?
The village might be blown to bits on his first day.
As for the others,
Ōnoki didn't even consider them—
they were all too mediocre to shoulder such responsibility.
"Enough talk! Let's begin!"
Now completely enraged, Ōnoki had no patience left.
It was time for battle.
With the orders given,
war erupted instantly.
The battlefield was a storm of Lightning and Earth Release attacks.
Both sides clashed blade to blade in ferocious combat.
Yet,
without the core forces of the previous generation, Iwagakure was at a disadvantage.
Soon, their army fell behind,
and with Lightning Release countering Earth Release,
Iwagakure's forces were quickly overwhelmed.
Seeing this, Ōnoki knew that if he didn't act,
their army wouldn't hold.
He quickly locked onto the Fourth Raikage's position,
and using the Super Lightweight Earth Technique, charged straight at him.
"You brat! Learn to respect your elders!"
"Dust Release: Domain Separation Technique!"
"Dust Release: Domain Separation Technique!!!"
Strike the leader first.
Ōnoki, having lived most of his life, knew this principle well.
He immediately unleashed his signature move at the Fourth Raikage.
Ōnoki's hands spread wide,
and a glowing transparent cube hurtled toward the Raikage.
As Ōnoki's famed ultimate technique,
the Fourth Raikage knew full well what it was.
Before the Dust Release could take full effect,
the Raikage's body crackled with lightning.
He activated Lightning Release chakra mode,
blinking out of the incoming attack,
and charged directly at Ōnoki.
A hand-chop, glowing with lightning, aimed straight at Ōnoki's neck.
"Lightning Fist!!!"
If this strike connected,
Ōnoki would be crippled even if he survived.
Fortunately,
thanks to his extensive combat experience,
Ōnoki was ready.
As the Raikage's strike descended,
countless stones suddenly rose, encasing Ōnoki.
In an instant, he became a massive stone golem.
"BOOM!!!"
The Raikage's strike shattered only a few outer stones,
missing its mark.
The Fourth Raikage immediately vanished and reappeared nearby,
keeping his distance.
After all, Dust Release was terrifying—
one hit could be fatal or at least severely injuring.
For example, in the original tale, if the arrogant Second Raikage hadn't been restrained by Obito,
he would have been eliminated during the Five Kage Summit.
Seeing the Raikage so cautious,
Ōnoki smirked.
"You're no match for your father, brat~"
Ignoring Ōnoki's taunts,
the Fourth Raikage calculated his next move
and charged at Ōnoki again.
Instantly, they clashed in a brutal one-on-one.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield,
Iwagakure's elite were insufficient.
Only the Anbu led by Kōdo could stand their ground;
everyone else was no match for the Cloud forces.
In contrast, the Cloud side,
whether the Anbu led by Tsuchidai
or Darui's escort team,
all were far stronger than the opposing Iwagakure forces.
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