Ōnoki was in a daze for a while, unable to regain his senses.
Kid, how much resentment do you really hold against your father?
You sealed him away in such a brutal manner, without hesitation.
And it was clear that he still had something to say in his final moments.
This Gaara is completely different from the one in the original series.
In the original, by the time Gaara participated in the Fourth Great Ninja War, he had been the Kazekage for quite some time, and his mindset had already changed.
He had seen the world.
Moreover, after Itsuki's care and protection, even when Shukaku was extracted, Gaara had essentially died once, which gave him a different perspective on life.
But now?
Thanks to Itsuki's help, Gaara had freed himself from the curse of being a Jinchūriki early on.
So, what memories remain in his mind?
His father's disdainful, scornful gaze.
And those repeated assassination attempts!
Had it been anyone else, Gaara might have let it go.
But this was different!
Who is Rasa?
Gaara's father!
As his father, how could he treat his own son like this?
If you didn't like me, why did you bring me into this world?
And to make matters worse, Gaara knew that the reason he had Shukaku inside him was because of Rasa's orders.
Rasa had even driven Gaara to personally kill the person he cared about most.
Well, there's nothing more to say—Gaara's only thought was one word: 'kill.'
Forgiveness?
That's not happening.
Rasa couldn't even find peace in death!
Under the guidance of Pakura, Gaara's power had grown tremendously, and he buried Rasa without hesitation.
Rasa's last sight was of Gaara's mother, and he wanted to say something, but Gaara didn't give him the chance.
Rest in peace!
As for what Gaara would do if he met his mother, no one could say for sure.
Having never known his mother, Gaara might not even care to know.
Boom!
A massive wave of golden sand fell from the sky, covering Rasa's 'grave.'
Gaara casually made another move.
Unless someone moved as fast as Mu or Tobirama, the Second Mizukage and the Third Raikage would be caught.
Of course...
It wasn't that these two couldn't dodge; they simply didn't need to.
It was as if...
"Ugh, just seal me already!"
The Second Mizukage muttered, "No matter the situation, being controlled like this is embarrassing. Edo Tensei... I'll kill the person who invented it, and the one who cast it."
Flying to a nearby hill, Tobirama glanced at him but said nothing.
You scum! If I could, I'd kill you first!
Tap, tap, tap!
Water droplets dripped from the Mizukage's body, soaking the sand around him. Slowly, he walked free from Gaara's grip.
As for the Third Raikage, he simply broke free with raw strength.
There aren't many things in this world that can hold him back.
"Let's do this!"
Deidara grinned. "Fighting the previous Kage generations... this is exciting!"
"Shut up!"
Several voices scolded him simultaneously.
Deidara was taken aback.
It's one thing for Ōnoki to yell at me, but Kakuzu, what's your problem?
Even Sasori yelled?
Damn it! Are you all ganging up on me?
Deidara's face turned red with frustration.
I'll kill all of you along with the enemy!
At that moment, Ōnoki and Kakuzu pulled out scrolls and opened them in front of everyone.
"What's that?"
Everyone present was stunned.
Why would they open scrolls now? If it were some powerful technique, that would make sense, but you're both reading them? What's going on?
"Old man, what is that?"
Deidara asked in a low voice.
"Hmph!"
Ōnoki shot him a cold glare.
At this moment, he really wanted to smack his student.
"It's information on the past Kage."
Kakuzu's deep voice echoed.
"What?!"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Information?
On the previous Kage?
"Collected by Uchiha Itsuki," Kakuzu sighed. "Uchiha Itsuki is truly impressive. When he realized someone was going to use Edo Tensei, he immediately began collecting the bodies and gathering intelligence on powerful ninja."
Itsuki had even considered destroying all the bodies.
Unfortunately, that was impossible; there were simply too many corpses from past wars.
Plus...
Orochimaru must have already taken some of the powerful bodies, like that of Hashirama Senju.
As long as there's even a part of his body, Edo Tensei can be performed!
But how much of the body is needed?
It's an unsolvable problem.
So Itsuki, relying on his knowledge of the original timeline, compiled information on the Kage and handed it to Ōnoki and Kakuzu.
Sasori had guessed part of it as well.
Even for the Akatsuki, facing the previous Kage generations would be tough.
Yet Itsuki insisted they finish the battle quickly to support other areas.
Aside from gathering information, what else could help?
"Brilliant!"
Deidara chuckled. "With this information, taking down these Kage won't be too hard."
"Hmm."
Kakuzu didn't argue this time but simply said, "Let's begin."
BOOM!
The battlefield exploded into action.
The Kage immediately realized something was wrong.
It felt like their every move was being predicted, as if the enemy knew exactly what they were going to do.
This isn't right!
Something was very wrong!
"Damn it!"
The Third Raikage, known for his brutal strength, found himself trapped in the sand, unable to unleash his power.
He was frustrated.
Sure, he wanted to be sealed, but this fight was too stifling.
At least let me throw a punch or two!
Now?
I barely got into my stance, and I'm already forced to retreat.
You guys are too much!
...
"That mustached guy is here!"
Outside, the Second Mizukage's Steaming Danger Tyranny was wreaking havoc, but the real Mizukage was hiding nearby, panting heavily, cautiously observing the battle.
Too bad—he couldn't hide for long!
A Hyūga ninja immediately spotted his location with the Byakugan.
And then...
A large group of ninja rushed over and pinned the weakened Mizukage to the ground.
"To deal with you, we've stationed ten Byakugan users here."
One ninja sneered, "Didn't expect that, did you, Second Mizukage?"
"D-Damn it!"
The Second Mizukage was speechless. "Fine, just seal me already!"
In truth, he was curious about how they had gathered such accurate intel on him.
But then again, did it matter?
He was heading back to the Pure Land anyway—knowing or not wouldn't change a thing.
Buzz!
Two talisman seals were placed on the Second Mizukage, and immediately, black lines surged from the seals, firmly binding him.
"Second Mizukage, sealed!"
...
"Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
Mu and Ōnoki were still in the sky, clashing with each other.
The Particle Style technique, like a prepared cannonball, was fired off as soon as it was ready.
But—
Mu quickly vanished.
It was as if he had become invisible.
"Just like in the intel!" Ōnoki watched the scene unfold, but there was no satisfaction in his heart.
How did Uchiha Itsuki manage to do this? He even had information on Lord Mu.
There were so many things that even he, as Mu's disciple and the Tsuchikage, didn't know about.
Swish!
Gaara appeared once again.
A large amount of sand began to spread across the area.
Bam, bam, bam!
Suddenly, it was as if the sand had collided with something.
"Tsuchikage, behind you."
"I know!" Ōnoki growled, turning his head as he formed another Particle Style jutsu.
Boom!!!
The two clashed once more.
"This isn't going to work!" Ōnoki's face darkened.
Mu was a reanimated ninja with infinite chakra, while Ōnoki himself wasn't.
Raikage voiced the same concern.
Itsuki shrugged and said, "What can I do? I can't just kill Ōnoki and then reanimate him, right? Besides, we don't know how to use that jutsu!"
Raikage's face darkened with irritation. "Is that what I meant?" Good! It's a relief that you don't know! If Uchiha Itsuki knew that technique, I'd have no choice but to... surrender on the spot.
"Didn't you say Ōnoki's chakra is running low?"
Itsuki shrugged again, "If he became a reanimated ninja, he wouldn't need to worry about chakra anymore."
"Hmph!" Raikage snorted, too annoyed to argue.
Every time he was up against Uchiha Itsuki, it made him break out in a cold sweat.
It wasn't out of fear—it was pure frustration!
This guy, no matter where he was, always made people mad.
"Alright, alright, calm down. Don't be angry." Itsuki smiled at Raikage.
"Damn it!" Raikage's veins bulged in anger. What, does he think he's coaxing a child?
Mabuy could barely hold back a laugh.
The Hokage was too much—he was teasing Raikage, yet Raikage couldn't do anything about it.
This tough guy deserved a little suffering anyway, or he'd keep causing trouble for everyone.
...
Swish!
A figure suddenly flashed.
Tobirama Senju appeared before Orochimaru.
"Damn Orochimaru, you're using my jutsu again without permission." Tobirama's face darkened as he glared at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru glanced at him briefly, not even bothering to respond.
He wasn't in the mood to answer because his plan had gone awry.
He originally thought that by sending out five Kage, it would be enough to block the enemy's forces, maybe even deal significant damage.
But!
The enemy had specifically targeted his reanimated warriors, hunting them down.
Among the Kage, only Tobirama had been recalled when Orochimaru sensed something was off.
The rest were completely wiped out.
"It doesn't matter!"
"It doesn't matter!" Orochimaru paused, then couldn't help but laugh again.
So what if he lost a large number of reanimated soldiers? As long as his trump cards were still in hand, he feared no one.
Orochimaru turned his gaze to the two figures standing by his side, acting as his guards—Tobirama Senju and Madara Uchiha!
As long as these two were with him, even if the Shinobi World War resulted in total defeat, he was confident he could still live a good life.
What I need to consider now is, when should I send these two to the battlefield? The more chaotic the situation outside becomes, the more these two can suppress everyone.
Uchiha Itsuki, do you really think you can defeat these two? That's absolutely impossible!
Orochimaru squinted as he looked at the data in his hand.
He had an idea—a bold one.
...
"Finally, they're all sealed!"
The Second Mizukage! The Third Raikage! The Second Tsuchikage! The Fourth Kazekage!
Apart from the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who escaped, all the other Kage were sealed.
"Wait a minute!"
Deidara grabbed the scroll, looked it over, and said, "Something's wrong. Isn't there supposed to be the Third Hokage too? Why hasn't he shown up?"
Kakuzu calmly replied, "I'm not the one controlling them, so how would I know what he's thinking?"
"Let's go!"
"Go?" Deidara asked in surprise. "Where are we going?"
"Itsuki gave us more orders. We can't just ignore them, can we?"
Kakuzu glanced at the others.
Chiyo was still fussing over Sasori, trying to hint that she could help him regain his human form.
She had also fought recently, showing impressive strength during the battle.
If not for her, sealing Mu wouldn't have been easy.
Kakuzu said, "We have another mission now. Are you staying with the army, or…?"
"I'll go with you!" Deidara grinned.
"Hmph!" Ōnoki snorted, glaring at Deidara.
If—
If there wasn't already a Shinobi Alliance and a common enemy, he would never let Deidara off.
"How about we use Number 18?"
Kakuzu checked the intel and looked at Deidara.
"Oh!" Deidara's eyes lit up. "What's this, Kakuzu? Are you finally acknowledging my talents?"
"Heh, don't flatter yourself," Kakuzu said, holding up the scroll. "Itsuki ordered you to use your most explosive clay to blow up as many White Zetsu as possible."
He then turned to Ōnoki, "Tsuchikage, can you still use Particle Style? If you can, that'll be a huge help."
"No way," Ōnoki said, his face dark. "I'm too old. Chakra consumption is too much. I need a rest."
"Then maybe you shouldn't be running around anymore," Deidara sneered. "What if someone takes you out by accident? You'd have nowhere to cry."
"What did you say?"
Ōnoki glared at Deidara.
Deidara was about to retort, but Kakuzu gave him a sharp look, forcing him to shut his mouth.
"The White Zetsu are underground!" Kakuzu said, looking at Deidara. "Go, show off your skills until our ninja forces arrive."
"Got it!" Deidara laughed as he mounted his white bird.
Just as he was about to fly off, he turned back to Ōnoki and shouted, "Old man, this time, watch carefully! Don't be too shocked by my art!"
Art, my ass!
Ōnoki's temper, which had finally calmed a little, flared up again.
He could never forget that Deidara had given up on Particle Style in favor of learning Explosion Style, all for the sake of his so-called "art."
One is a Kekkei Genkai, the other is a Kekkei Tōta.
You idiot!
Can't you tell the difference? The two are on completely different levels!
You gave up a watermelon for a sesame seed! And now you want me to watch?
Heh, I'm afraid if I do watch, I won't be able to resist killing Deidara on the spot! And that would cause problems for the Shinobi Alliance.
(End of Chapter)