As for Uchiha Fugaku and the others,
they naturally withdrew from the immediate vicinity of the wooden house,
taking up positions at a distance to maintain vigilance.
The commotion on this side ended in the blink of an eye,
bringing immense delight to the Fourth Raikage, who had already retreated.
"Hahaha! Ōnoki's old man's students aren't that great after all~"
"That brat just blew up our Kumo shinobi. Looks like he's in trouble now~"
"Ōnoki's going to regret this~"
It wasn't just the Raikage who was pleased—
the wounded Kumo shinobi who had been withdrawn also celebrated,
a sense of revenge coursing through them.
For the Cloud Village now,
there was a thrill in the notion: "I can't defeat them, but I can make someone else take the hit."
It felt fair in its own twisted way.
On the Iwagakure side,
seeing their students and grandchildren fall into Konoha's hands,
Ōnoki was dumbfounded,
regret gnawing at him.
Had he known, he would have stopped that brat at all costs.
Everything was going fine,
so why did they have to attack Konoha?
Why not finish off the reckless Cloud shinobi first,
and then deal with Konoha afterward?
Seeing his daughter captured,
Kōtsuchi couldn't remain idle.
"Father!!! Deidara and Kurotsuchi have been captured by Konoha!"
"We can't wait any longer!"
"The Cloud forces have already withdrawn—no need to worry!"
"Send the army forward immediately! Rescue Deidara and Kurotsuchi!"
Upon hearing this, Ōnoki realized:
no matter why Konoha had come,
they were now invaders within the Land of Earth.
Moreover, his student and granddaughter were in their hands.
They had to be rescued.
After a brief moment of thought,
Ōnoki issued the order:
"Relay the command! Launch an attack on Konoha!"
"Force them to release the captives!"
The Iwa forces quickly turned their attention,
charging toward the Konoha army's location.
Ōnoki and Kōtsuchi took the lead.
Ōnoki had only one thought:
rescue Deidara and Kurotsuchi as quickly as possible.
One, a student he valued greatly.
The other, his beloved granddaughter.
Neither could afford failure.
Preparing to open the path with Dust Release,
Ōnoki hadn't yet arrived when two figures blocked the front of the Iwa army.
"Sorry!"
"No passage beyond this point!"
"No one is allowed to disturb Byakuya-sama!"
Standing before them were Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi.
Ōnoki instinctively wanted to move forward,
but the sight of the Sharingan—the Mangekyō Sharingan no less—frozen him in terror.
"Stop!!!"
"Stop!!!"
The instant he saw Fugaku and Itachi's twin Mangekyō eyes,
Ōnoki halted his advancing troops,
cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
"This… this can't be!"
"Twin… twin Mangekyō eyes!"
Having been beaten by Uchiha Madara in the past,
Ōnoki vividly remembered the godlike power those eyes represented.
Even now, the memory sent shivers down his spine.
Seeing Fugaku and Itachi's eyes again,
the fear deep in his soul prevented him from taking another step.
"Father, it's only two people!"
"Why are you stopping?"
Kōtsuchi, unaccustomed to the horrors of Madara's power,
didn't understand the fear these eyes inspired.
Realizing this, Ōnoki focused on Fugaku and Itachi,
calculating quietly:
Could it be a bluff?
Godlike power shouldn't be so easily attained.
Otherwise, the Uchiha clan wouldn't have been suppressed by Hiruzen Sarutobi all these years.
Even with such power, if the Uchiha rebelled, they could do it effortlessly.
Thinking this,
Ōnoki's fear began to fade,
replaced by determination:
These two were definitely bluffing!
"Hmph!"
"Trying to trick me!!!"
Exploding with sudden resolve,
Ōnoki unleashed Dust Release.
A transparent, dangerous-looking cube formed in his hands.
Seeing this, Fugaku and Itachi glanced at the wooden house in the distance.
"This battle might disturb Byakuya-sama~"
"Itachi, keep him in check~"
Itachi immediately activated the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The Tsukuyomi was ready.
In an instant,
the Dust Release in Ōnoki's hands dissolved.
He dropped to his knees, panting heavily,
horror written all over his face as he stared at Itachi.
Kōtsuchi, seeing this, prepared to intervene,
but Ōnoki quickly stopped her:
"Wait!! Don't!!"
The recent events had confirmed for Ōnoki:
these two possessed godlike power.
Kōtsuchi, uninitiated, could not comprehend the terror of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Seeing his father restrain her,
Kōtsuchi grew impatient.
If he hesitated, action would be delayed.
Kōtsuchi might obey,
but Old Murasaki certainly wouldn't.
Once opposed by the village and traveling as a wandering monk,
Old Murasaki had no desire to help.
Now, with the Land of Earth invaded
and captives taken by Konoha,
Ōnoki hesitated to act—
"Hmph! Step aside if you're too old!"
"As Tsuchikage, hesitating at this moment?!"
"Move!"
Ignoring Ōnoki, Old Murasaki acted.
Facing Fugaku and Itachi,
though frustrated by Ōnoki's caution,
he knew the pair were powerful.
Otherwise, Ōnoki would have obliterated them with Dust Release long ago.
Without hesitation,
Old Murasaki released the Tailed Beast.
"I'll help you!"
Seeing this, Han, also a jinchūriki, could not remain idle.
He too unleashed his Tailed Beast fully.
"No!!"
"Stop!!"
The two ignored warnings, fully transforming.
Two massive beasts appeared on the battlefield—
the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails!
Ōnoki panicked.
In front of the Uchiha, releasing Tailed Beasts was like a grandmother sneaking into bed—
utterly ridiculous!
An Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan was terrifying enough;
a normal Uchiha was another matter.
With Mangekyō Sharingan,
even the Nine-Tails could be commanded like a dog.
These two beasts combined weren't even enough to rival a single Nine-Tails.
And now,
facing two Uchiha wielding Mangekyō Sharingan…
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