Chapter 320: Returning
Crack!
At last, without hearing a single word of mercy from Li Yao's Wind Release Clone, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki—who had reigned over the ninja world for decades—died.
Li Yao's Wind Clone crushed Ōnoki's neck. Blood flowed from his mouth.
In his final moment, Ōnoki's eyes were filled with a chaotic storm of regret, hatred, fear, and guilt.
He never thought he would die this way. He had assumed… well, he hadn't expected anything at all.
With this, four of the Five Kage who once united to kill Li Yao were now dead. Only one remained—our beloved Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Li Yao's Wind Clone absorbed Ōnoki's soul, then flew downward with his corpse in hand.
Below, Rasa was locked in a fierce, evenly matched battle with Han, the jinchūriki of the Five-Tails.
Using Boil Release, which created high-pressure steam for explosive power, Han's every strike hit like a wrecking ball.
Rasa didn't dare fight in close quarters. He relied on massive waves of flowing sand to restrain Han from a distance.
Neither side could gain the upper hand.
Both Iwa and Suna had taken heavy losses. But overall, the Sand shinobi had suffered more.
Most of the Sand force consisted of chūnin and genin. There were few jōnin among them—the elite had been dispatched to the Konoha front.
By the time Li Yao's Wind Clone landed, only about forty of the original one hundred Sand shinobi remained. More than half had died, and only about thirty were still combat-ready.
The toll on the Sand side was massive.
Still, even though Iwa's force had been made up of elites, more than half of them were also dead. Only the Five-Tails jinchūriki Han and a few ANBU remained.
But this was still the Land of Earth—and they were close to Iwagakure.
By now, the first wave of Iwa reinforcements had arrived.
"It's time to go."
Seeing this, Li Yao's Wind Clone knew the moment had come. He had never intended to storm Iwagakure. Killing the Third Tsuchikage had been the only goal.
It wasn't yet the right time to destroy Iwagakure entirely. Once Obito awakened Kamui and the Mangekyō Sharingan, wiping out any of the Five Kage villages would be as easy as snapping a finger.
"That's… Lord Third Tsuchikage!!"
After a clash, Han looked up and saw Li Yao hovering fifty meters above, holding the limp body of Ōnoki—and his expression changed drastically.
One of the more perceptive Iwa ANBU scanned the chakra of the figure in Li Yao's grip. His face paled with horror.
"Th-The Third..."
His voice trembled. He couldn't even form a complete sentence—he simply couldn't believe what he was sensing.
There was no chakra left in Ōnoki.
That meant the Third Tsuchikage… was dead!!
Even without being spoken aloud, the truth hit everyone like a brick. When the Iwa shinobi saw Li Yao holding the unmoving body of their leader in midair, a wave of terror swept through their hearts.
The battlefield fell silent. Every eye locked on the body of the Third Tsuchikage dangling in Li Yao's grasp.
But Li Yao didn't give them time to cling to false hope. He released the body.
Whoosh!
Han launched himself with a steam-powered leap, catching Ōnoki midair and landing with him.
"Lord Third…"
He looked down at the mangled neck of his Tsuchikage—and could no longer speak.
The man who had led Iwagakure for more than twenty years was gone.
"Lord Tsuchikage!!"
The Iwa shinobi nearby burst into cries of anguish as they saw their leader's ruined body.
"FOURTH KAZEKAGE!!!"
They turned their hate-filled eyes to Li Yao's Wind Clone above. The sheer fury in their gaze seemed solid, suffocating.
And yet… as Li Yao descended, they instinctively stepped back.
That one movement filled them with shame—but they couldn't stop their bodies from recoiling in fear.
"Lord Kazekage."
Rasa came up beside Li Yao and stared across at the remaining Iwa shinobi. "Shall we finish them off?"
"No. We're leaving."
Li Yao shook his head and turned away.
There was no need to kill the survivors. It was better to leave some behind—to keep pressure on Konoha.
Besides… Li Yao glanced at the surviving Sand shinobi. So many had died already. If the fight dragged on, even Rasa might not survive.
Not that he cared if they died.
But if only the Kazekage returned after leading a hundred-man force out—it would damage his persona.
Unless he wiped out every Iwa shinobi, which also didn't suit the character of his Wind Clone.
And it would make him look too invincible—unnecessarily so.
"Alright then."
Rasa glanced at the surviving Iwa shinobi with regret. This had been the perfect chance to kill the Five-Tails jinchūriki and weaken Iwagakure even further.
But since the Fourth Kazekage had spoken, he didn't dare disobey. He turned and left with the Sand troops.
"Fou—!"
"Don't pursue them! Bring Lord Tsuchikage's body back first."
Han paled and quickly stopped the Iwa shinobi who wanted to give chase. It was a blessing that the Fourth Kazekage had chosen to leave. If they pushed their luck and provoked him, the nearly defenseless village wouldn't survive the assault.
"Send word to Shiyan. Tell him what's happened and call him back. The village needs him."
As they carried the Third Tsuchikage home, Han gave the order.
The Fourth Kazekage was terrifying. Not even Ōnoki could stop him. And he could fly.
If he attacked the village, there would be no stopping him.
Only Ōnoki's disciple, Shiyan—who had once shattered the Third Raikage with a single punch—had the power to counter the Wind Slash.
Only with Shiyan guarding the village could they ensure its survival.
The next morning.
Upon returning home, Huitu stepped into her clan's main hall and saw her father and brother—Ōnoki and Huangtu—lying peacefully inside crystal coffins.
Their corpses had been repaired posthumously. Their faces looked calm.
But Huitu's heart was shattered.
"Father… Brother…"
She collapsed against her father's coffin, sobbing uncontrollably. The surrounding clansmen mourned with her.
Ōnoki had been Tsuchikage for so many years—bringing endless prosperity to their clan.
Now that he was gone, the family could no longer enjoy the privileges they once had.
How could they not be heartbroken?
Fortunately, the most likely next Tsuchikage was Shiyan.
Not only was he Ōnoki's personal disciple—he was also, maybe… no, definitely, the family's son-in-law. Huitu's husband.
Only in that way could the clan's influence be preserved.
Even as Huitu grieved, political maneuvering around the Tsuchikage's succession had already begun in the shadows.
Huitu herself was too overwhelmed to notice.
After some time, once she had cried herself out, she gathered her composure and summoned Han.
"Brother Han… Tell me everything about how my father died."
Her voice was cold.
Though she already knew the Fourth Kazekage had killed her father, the details remained unclear—and she sensed something was off.
A Kage—her father—had died so close to the village.
It was absurd. Where had everyone else been?
There were many powerful shinobi from elite clans still in the village. Multiple jōnin-level fighters were stationed nearby.
Why hadn't anyone intervened?
Huitu didn't believe her father would lose in a one-on-one fight with the Fourth Kazekage.
And even if he had… was there no one else who could've saved him?
If Huitu ever learned who had allowed her father to die… she would never forgive that person—or their clan.
(END CHAPTER)
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