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WHOOSH!
A gale screamed to life. The Raikage's lightweight body was tossed skyward, bucking and flipping like a firecracker!
"He's seen through our tactic!" Ōnoki snarled.
"Damn it, do something…!!" the Raikage roared, struggling in the maelstrom.
"He's using Wind Style to stop us," Ōnoki analyzed, eyes sharp. "That means he fears our combination! Your Lightning Armor makes you hard to hurt, even if the wind can toss you around. Wait for it to die down, then charge again. A Wind Jutsu of this scale… he can't keep it up forever!"
The Raikage's spirit ignited. "Old man!!! You're a genius!!!"
The typhoon subsided. The Raikage shot forward, a bolt of renewed fury.
Sasuke grasped Ōnoki's plan instantly.
That old bastard… he's got experience, alright. More Wind Style would just waste my chakra.
He was already running on fumes after Obito. Coming into this five-Kage battle wounded meant he had to fight… elegantly.
CRACK!
The Raikage's fist blurred forward, a hypersonic hammer of lightning.
Sasuke's Susanoo ribcage flared to life.
Ōnoki smirked. "Still so young…"
—Super Weighted Rock Technique!!
Maximum speed from Super Light-Weight Rock. Maximum force from Super Weighted Rock. The kinetic energy packed into the Raikage's punch became absolute.
"BREAK FOR ME!!!"
BOOM!!
The Susanoo's skeletal wall shattered.
KRAKOOM! The concussive shockwave pulverized Sasuke's right shoulder.
"Hm. Stronger than I calculated."
Schlick…!
Wood surged from his stump, coiling up the Raikage's arm in an instant!
Rustle…!
The brown bark squirmed, transforming—into paper tags peeling away. And on every single explosive tag… a summoning formula!
Ōnoki's breath hitched. "No good!! He's copying the summoning seals onto the tags!"
CRUNCH!
Sasuke's back split open. A fresh version of himself tore free, wings snapping wide to dart away!
Ōnoki's eyes went wide. "He let himself get hit on purpose… to set up a substitution!!"
SWOOSH—!
Sasuke retreated high into the sky, two fingers pressed before his chest.
"I saved this trick for Obito. A shame it went unused. Raikage… you can have it."
—Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.
BOOOOOOM…!!!
A mushroom cloud of flame, layered upon itself, devoured the sky.
On the periphery of the blast, carried by Gaara's sand platform, Tsunade and Mei shielded their faces from the searing heatwind. Their expressions were grim.
"Caught in an explosion like that…" Mei muttered. "The Raikage and Tsuchikage are done for."
WHOOSH!
Dust and smoke tore apart. A streak of lightning shot out—the Raikage, clutching Ōnoki. The Raikage's right arm was gone. Blood poured from the ragged stump.
On the ground, Darui breathed out. "Cutting off his own arm to survive… That's the boss, alright!!"
The Raikage ignored the pain. "Hokage! Stop the bleeding! Once it's sealed, I'm tearing that bastard to pieces!!!"
Fwoom.
Green light enveloped Tsunade's skilled hands as she pressed them to the stump. Her eyes were shadowed. Uchiha Sasuke… He's truly trying to kill the Kage. Was Shikaku's guess… wrong?
Gaara's mind churned, equally troubled. Sasuke. What is your goal?
Sasuke watched from afar. The Raikage severing his own arm… predictable. Gaara and Tsunade know who I am. They're holding back. I need them to shed that last shred of hesitation. To give me the seventh battle I need.
The bleeding stopped swiftly under Tsunade's expert touch.
Ōnoki spoke up, hand on Gaara's gourd. "Kazekage. I have an idea. I need your sand."
Gaara nodded. "Go on."
—Earth Style: Super Light-Weight Rock Technique!!
Gaara felt the shift immediately. "The sand is incredibly light now… but its attack power is weakened."
"It's fine," Ōnoki said. "You will be the diversion. Don't try to kill him with it—that's not realistic. Just use the sand to pin down that Susanoo's movements."
"..."
"Well? Is that a problem?"
Gaara's resolve hardened. "No. Can't afford to hesitate now. I am the Kazekage!"
SWOOOOOSH—!!
A river of sand, accelerated to impossible speeds, surged toward Sasuke!
"Too fast! The Tsuchikage's lightened sand!"
Sasuke's Susanoo expanded defensively.
Splat!
The sand splattered over the Susanoo's outer skeleton, clinging like wet paint.
Gaara clenched his fist, strain evident. "I can't hold him for long!!"
Ōnoki grinned. "A moment is enough…"
—Earth Style: Clay Drop!
Fwoop!
A circular barrier shimmered into existence high above. Countless lumps of sticky clay rained down!
The Susanoo was the first and biggest target, instantly smothered in a thick, sealing layer.
"Hokage!" Ōnoki barked. "Use your monstrous strength! Throw me!!"
Tsunade grabbed the old Tsuchikage with one hand and hurled him forward with all the might of her Hundred Healings.
"GYAAH—MY BACK!!" Ōnoki shrieked, a human arrow enduring the agony as he formed hand seals mid-flight. He slammed his palms onto the clay shell encasing the Susanoo.
From the clay rain to Ōnoki's impact—it was all a single, blinding instant.
—Earth Style: Super Weighted Rock Technique!!!
THUD…!!
The clay and sand coating the Susanoo transformed. Their weight multiplied ten-thousandfold.
"!!!"
Sasuke's fragile cursed wings couldn't bear the load. He plummeted toward the earth like a falling star.
KABOOOOOOOOOM…!!!
It wasn't a man that hit the ground. It was a mountain.
In the crater's depths, Sasuke tried to rise. Mei's Water Dragon Bullet, fired from point-blank range, was already upon him.
Sasuke's Susanoo flared defensively once more.
But Gaara's hand was already outstretched. "You're on the ground now. The sand at your feet is mine."
Shink!
Tendrils of sand snaked around Sasuke's ankles. They yanked him out of his Susanoo's protection and directly into the heart of the roaring water dragon.
Ice Release, then Kagutsuchi to break free—
His hand moved to form the seal, but the Raikage's Lightning Style, channeled directly into the water, struck first.
Mei's gaze was icy. "This Lightning Water Dragon was tailor-made for you. Lightning conducted through water induces powerful paralysis. You can't move a muscle now!!!"
The Raikage snarled. "JUST TAKE IT!!!"
Ōnoki hovered, hands forming the final seal. "And now… the end. Hokage. Channel your Hundred Healings chakra into me. I'll finish him with one ultimate technique!!!"
Tsunade looked at Sasuke, immobilized and crackling within the watery prison. A sliver of mercy remained. She shouted, "Take off the mask! Give the Five Kage a proper explanation! It's your only way out!!!"
Sasuke's voice, strained but clear, cut through the noise. "It's too late for that. I have nothing to say. Death… or ascension. Choose."
Tsunade's expression finally closed. "Fine. Have it your way."
She placed both hands on Ōnoki's back. The markings of her Hundred Healings seal spread like luminous cracks.
Ōnoki completed his seals. A terrifying, prismatic light coalesced before his palms.
"Vanish…!!!"
—Particle Style: Boundary Detachment Jutsu!!!
Kabuto, watching from the shadows, broke into a cold sweat. "Sasuke…!!!"
Mind and body—both reached their absolute limit.
Sasuke closed his eyes.
On the nape of his neck… the dormant White Cursed Seal erupted.
On the battlefield's edge, Orochimaru's lips curled into a wide, knowing smile. "It's coming. The final form of the White Cursed Seal. The most… inconceivable form. I guarantee it will shock you, Sasuke-kun."
—White Cursed Seal: State Four.
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