Boom!
Ōnoki's Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique slammed into the ground where Hoshiyomi had been standing, blasting open a massive crater.
For a brief moment, the demoralized Iwa shinobi stared silently at the massive crater—then erupted in cheers:
"Gekko Hoshiyomi is dead!"
To them it looked obvious: their Tsuchikage had disintegrated him with Dust Release, leaving nothing but a pit. There was no trace in that crater, so he must be gone.
Their deafening shouts startled the Konoha forces. For a moment many of them wavered — Hoshiyomi had always seemed invincible, but Dust Release could literally dissolve anything. Could Lord Hoshiyomi possibly have survived that?
They glanced back toward the front line, searching Orochimaru and the others' faces for answers.
Orochimaru only smiled faintly from the front ranks. "Hoshiyomi still has a funny way of joking," he said.
Jiraiya laughed out loud. "Right? And that 'bye-bye'... I bet that old man Ōnoki's nose is crooked with rage by now."
Fortunately, Minato was kinder. Seeing the grave expressions behind him, he turned and explained: "Everyone, rest assured. My sensei has mastered space-time ninjutsu, just like I have. I sensed the spatial fluctuation just now. Sensei is definitely fine."
Just as Minato's words fell, a somewhat lazy voice came from behind:
"Minato, you guys are way too slow."
Hearing Hoshiyomi's languid voice, Minato smiled. "Sorry, Sensei. I had to make sure everyone could keep up, so we couldn't rush."
Seeing Hoshiyomi appear safe and sound before the Konoha forces, the Konoha side naturally erupted in cheers, while the Iwa side fell into despair once again.
Ōnoki, floating in the air, looked gloomily at the nonchalant Hoshiyomi, his teeth grinding audibly. This damned Gekko Hoshiyomi completely didn't take me seriously.
Looking at the Konoha ninja behind Hoshiyomi, Ōnoki quickly calculated in his mind.
The Kage-level powerhouses on Konoha's side were Hoshiyomi, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Sakumo.
On his side, there were himself and the Four-Tails and Five-Tails. Besides that, Akatsuchi barely reached the semi-Kage level. Adding in their numerical advantage, this war wasn't necessarily lost.
In fact, if they could achieve victory here, Iwagakure would turn the entire tide of the war.
Konoha had deployed nearly all its top fighters to this front line; the rear would be defenseless against the combined might of himself and the two tailed beasts.
Sunagakure and Kumogakure were already crippled.
Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen were reportedly dead, and the Fourth Mizukage remained severely injured.
If he could crush the enemies before him today…
then Iwagakure would stand just one step away from ruling the entire shinobi world.
That thought lit a fierce gleam in Ōnoki's eyes.
He turned toward Rōshi (Four-Tails' jinchūriki) and Han (Five-Tails' jinchūriki), signaling them with a sharp glance before shouting:
"Everyone, follow me! Engage the enemy!
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
White light flared once again in Ōnoki's hands—
but before he could fire, a razor-sharp slash of sword energy suddenly screamed through the air toward him.
Even Ōnoki, battle-hardened as he was, felt a chill at the immense power emanating from it.
This wasn't something he could casually deflect while focusing on another jutsu.
He was forced to abandon the Dust Release he had been preparing and dodge immediately.
The instant Ōnoki's attack dissipated, Hoshiyomi issued his own command:
"Jiraiya, you, Sakumo and Orochimaru hold Ōnoki. I'll take care of those two jinchūriki; once I'm done, I'll come back to assist you."
"As for Shinku, Minato, and Nawaki — your job is to deal with the other Iwagakure shinobi. Focus on causing as much damage as possible; that'll be enough."
Hearing Hoshiyomi's assignments, everyone nodded without objection and replied in unison:
"Leave it to us!"
With Hoshiyomi's command, the Konoha shinobi roared and charged forward.
The war between Konoha and Iwagakure had finally entered a stage of all-out battle.
From high in the air, Ōnoki looked down at the rapidly approaching trio—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Sakumo—and didn't seem concerned.
He had fought Jiraiya before, and that battle had been a complete one-sided crush. Even adding Sakumo and Orochimaru now, he didn't believe the three of them posed any real threat to him.
As for Hoshiyomi claiming he would take on both the Four-Tails and Five-Tails at once, Ōnoki found that laughable.
Strong as Hoshiyomi was, there were limits. Facing two Tailed Beasts simultaneously was difficult even for Ōnoki himself; even if Hoshiyomi somehow managed it, the effort would surely exhaust him.
If Ōnoki could just eliminate the three enemies in front of him first, the scales of victory would tip his way.
But just as that thought crossed his mind, a sharp whoosh cut through the air from below. Looking down, Ōnoki saw Orochimaru's right arm suddenly transform into countless writhing serpents that shot toward him — the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, Orochimaru's signature jutsu.
Originally, the attack range of this technique was limited, but after years of bodily modification and serpentine enhancements, its reach had greatly expanded. By now, Orochimaru could even threaten opponents flying high in the air.
The sudden strike caught Ōnoki off guard, and he quickly increased the output of his Ultra Light–Weight Rock Technique, boosting his altitude further.
Orochimaru sneered. "You think flying higher will help you?"
With a puff of smoke, the giant purple serpent Manda appeared beneath Orochimaru's feet.
Completely subdued by Orochimaru now, Manda obediently extended his massive body skyward, raising Orochimaru nearly a hundred meters higher. The snakes from Orochimaru's Hidden Shadow Snake Hands stretched even farther, and the sudden burst of reach caught Ōnoki by surprise.
Despite his best efforts to dodge, a few serpentine bodies coiled around his legs, binding him midair.
Seeing this, Orochimaru smirked.
With a powerful yank of his arm, he tried to drag Ōnoki down from the sky.
Ōnoki frowned, lifting both hands and rapidly gathering chakra.
The next instant, the white brilliance of Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique flared from his palms, slicing through the entangling snakes like a pair of light blades.
The serpents were severed instantly, and Ōnoki managed to free himself—at least for the moment.
He couldn't help but admit—Orochimaru's tactics were far more inventive than he had expected.
But just as that thought passed through his mind, another voice suddenly shouted up from below:
"Let me tell you something, old man — Hoshiyomi's not the only one who's gotten stronger these years!"
A sharp, cutting sound split the air, and a sticky tongue lashed upward, wrapping tightly around Ōnoki's left hand.
The tongue's owner was none other than Sage Shima, perched on Jiraiya's shoulder!