Crack—
The golden sand barrier shattered, visible cracks spreading rapidly across its surface.
Rasa took a deep breath, yanking his hand back and manipulating the golden sand beneath his feet to propel himself into a swift retreat.
Just as he moved, Nagato's ninjutsu finally broke through the obstruction, piercing swiftly through the collapsing golden sand wall and surging forward.
"Dust Release!"
Onoki hovered behind Rasa. As massive chunks of debris began burying the Kazekage to cover their escape, Onoki quickly stepped in with support.
A flash of white light swept downward, an energy wave clearing a wide area in front of Rasa and opening a path for his retreat.
Seizing the moment, Rasa swiftly pulled back and reappeared beside Onoki.
"Thank you, Tsuchikage."
Rasa quietly spoke to Onoki at his side while taking the chance to recover his strength.
Summoning the golden sand defense had drained him greatly, both in chakra and physical stamina.
Their enemy wouldn't let up—the next moves would be even tougher. If he wanted to survive this battle, he needed to get serious fast.
"It was necessary. Although our villages have had major conflicts in the past, we must focus on working together now," Onoki replied, eyes locked ahead, scanning carefully for any sign of Nagato attacking again.
"We both know that even if we work together, I doubt we can stop Nagato completely. Only after facing him directly can one truly understand his overwhelming power."
That Akatsuki leader known as Nagato—who possesses the Rinnegan—was even more powerful than previously believed. His abilities far exceeded earlier reports. And even when releasing such powerful techniques, he made it look effortless.
"We'll hold off for now. I believe the Hokage will send reinforcements soon. That earlier rescue attempt was most likely Konoha's ninja."
Pausing briefly, Onoki continued grimly, "We both know that exposing the Jinchuriki to the enemy is undesirable—but if it comes down to it, they could still serve as powerful assets. The Nine-Tails alone can provide us significant combat strength."
"Then we hold out. Sunagakure may not be perfect, but we are still among the Five Great Ninja Villages. We won't fall easily to Akatsuki," Rasa agreed with a slight nod.
After speaking, Onoki's face darkened.
According to his intelligence, although Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki possessed notable strength, they had barely participated in true warfare and lacked actual battlefield experience. More importantly—could someone who hadn't fully mastered the tailed beast really qualify as a top-tier combat asset?
Onoki didn't wish to dwell too deeply on that question.
If things reached the point where the Jinchuriki entered the fray, it would certainly be the decisive battle.
A victory would ease tensions across the Hidden Villages; but a defeat wouldn't just mean Akatsuki capturing another Tailed Beast—it would also force him to consider desperate alternatives.
This method, Onoki had yet to reveal to the other Kage—it was a last-resort move, mutual destruction.
Although the Tailed Beasts couldn't die, severe injuries would force them into hibernation.
In some cases, this dormancy could last over ten years; in others, at least three to five years.
During the dormancy period, the Tailed Beasts would no longer "exist" within the Shinobi World.
Since Akatsuki aimed to collect all the Tailed Beasts, he had no choice but to disrupt their plan at the final moment and seek a counterattack afterward.
Bluntly speaking, such an action was nothing more than delaying the 'death' sentence.
Moreover, even without utilizing the power of the Tailed Beasts, Akatsuki had already managed to suppress the Allied Ninja Forces. When they could no longer summon the last remnants of the Tailed Beasts' power, resistance became out of the question.
Thinking about this, Onoki tightened his lips, his expression darkening further.
...
"Watch out!!"
Just as Rasa relaxed, a voice thundered in his ear suddenly.
It was Onoki who had sensed the danger beforehand.
Upon hearing the warning, Rasa's heart tensed instinctively, yet his face remained puzzled.
In his field of vision, Nagato had not moved from his hovering midair position.
Despite his confusion deep inside, Rasa still chose to trust Onoki's alert.
With a thought, he activated his Gold Dust, swirling around him while swiftly relocating himself.
Whoosh—
Unbeknownst to them, a figure had appeared beneath the two of them, rapidly closing in.
At the same time Onoki warned Rasa, he crossed both hands before his chest into a triangle-shaped seal. Chakra surged through his arms, transforming into yellow rock.
Thanks to Onoki's warning, Rasa also detected the approaching Saitama below and promptly released a ninjutsu.
[Golden Sand Coffin Bind!!]
Controlled by him, the Gold Dust shot downward fiercely, clumping tightly together.
An egg-shaped mass solidified midair.
Swish—
A flash of blue-white light cut through the gaps between the Gold Dust as Saitama activated the Body Flicker Technique, evading Rasa's attack and seizing the chance to close in on his opponent.
The previously hidden attacker under Nagato's assault now revealed his bloodthirsty fangs—Saitama Uchiha.
"Add Weighted Rock Jutsu!"
Onoki threw a punch downward, crashing into Saitama midair.
Having mastered the art of flight, he moved through the air with the same ease as on solid ground, even growing more nimble. Predicting accurately, he blocked Saitama's upward trajectory.
Bang!
The powerful punch exploded with a loud noise, sending both fighters flying backward.
Landing on the ground, Saitama slid backward continuously due to the impact, his feet grinding hard against the earth, leaving behind two trails.
He lowered his hands, lightning crackling across them.
But almost instantly, he disappeared once again, letting the pursuing Gold Dust grasp nothing but empty space.
Whoosh-whoosh—
Onoki, high above, was struck by Saitama and rolled backward uncontrollably, although after retreating some distance, he managed to stabilize himself.
The rock covering his fist had cracked into fragments, charred black.
Clearly, despite successfully repelling Uchiha Saitama thanks to terrain advantages, he hadn't come out unscathed.
"It's you again, Saitama Uchiha!"
Rasa saw his hated enemy, Saitama Uchiha, and burned with fury, launching another attack immediately after missing earlier.
In the sky, golden waves surged, relentlessly sweeping toward the evading Saitama.
After entering Sage Mode, Saitama gained brief aerial hovering capabilities—a unique ability of the Snake Sage Art.
Boom! Boom!
Gold Dust continuously exploded as Chidori Currents wove through it midair.
Get out of my way!
Saitama looked down on Rasa with clear disdain. Although the opponent's control over Gold Dust was indeed troublesome, their upper limit in combat power was obvious.
Therefore, his target was Onoki, who mastered Dust Release—he was currently the biggest threat.
Kazekage, watch out!
Onoki shouted while simultaneously relocating midair and unleashing Dust Release toward Saitama.
After activating Sage Mode, Saitama's perception and reflexes were greatly boosted, allowing him to vanish from his original spot before the Dust Release arrived.
Earlier, he had thrown a Kunai knife upward. It exploded into white smoke mid-air, splitting into multiple knives flying in different directions.
Saitama's mastery of the [Flying Thunder God Technique] was no longer a secret within the Allied Ninja Forces.
So Rasa immediately targeted those Kunai knives.
Countless Gold Dust enveloped several of the knives before strongly compressing and crushing the metal Kunai into dust.
Meanwhile, after releasing his technique, Onoki stayed busy by consecutively employing Earth Release techniques.
Rain-like falling rocks covered the battlefield, engulfing the remaining Kunai knives.
But to their surprise, Saitama didn't reappear next to any of the Kunai.
Both warriors stayed alert, scanning below for their enemy.
Not planning on finishing this yet, huh, Saitama?
Nagato watched the battle unfold, holding back for now.
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