At this moment, Ōnoki had already located Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Without any unnecessary words, upon finding his target, Ōnoki dove straight toward him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, crossed his twin blades, and a bolt of lightning erupted from the swords, splitting the sky.
Crack!
The thunder tore through the air as a silver-white lightning bolt descended diagonally from the heavens.
Under normal circumstances, he would worry about the lightning harming his allies and thus avoid using the Lightning Release: Kirin. But now, with a clear target in the sky, why hesitate?
In the blink of an eye, the thunder struck.
Ōnoki in midair turned into scattered ashes.
Yet, from within the lightning, a figure darted out—the one struck had merely been an Earth Clone.
However.
After dodging, Ōnoki pondered silently.
High altitude—
That was the key to countering this technique!
Unfortunately.
The countermeasure for Lightning Release no longer mattered.
Ōnoki glanced back.
Wherever he looked, Iwa-nin still dominated the battlefield. Many, spotting him, quickly regrouped, breached Konoha's defenses, and were now closing in.
Konoha's forces were outnumbered, so the Iwa-nin still held the advantage.
If he could kill or capture the Sandaime Hokage, the tide of battle would shift…
At the very least, he could use him as a bargaining chip.
The ANBU moved forward to shield the Sandaime, but he waved them off.
"Deal with the others. Ōnoki isn't at full strength—he can't do anything to me."
With that, he sheathed his lightning blade.
Swords were never his forte.
In a real fight, his ninjutsu served him better.
"Yes!"
The ANBU scattered.
Ōnoki wasted no time with courtesy—this battle concerned Iwagakure's interests. Even if the Sandaime fought with one hand, he wouldn't feel shame. In fact, he'd resent him for not handicapping himself further.
Once the ANBU left, he Shunshin'd to within striking distance of the Sandaime.
Yet Sarutobi Hiruzen also retreated with Shunshin.
At the same time.
Countless shuriken materialized, raining down from all directions. Ōnoki swiftly evaded midair, reinforcing his fists with Rock Fist to deflect the projectiles.
But before he could fully counter, a water dragon surged from below, crackling with silver-white electricity—
Composite Ninjutsu: Lightning-Water Dragon Bullet!
The Sandaime possessed all chakra natures and excelled in such combined techniques.
Earth Release countered Suiton Water Release.
However.
When Water Dragon Bullet was infused with lightning release chakra, Earth release's defenses crumbled.
Ōnoki dared not block it head-on.
He immediately burrowed underground with Earth Flow River to evade the Raiton-infused dragon.
Yet.
The moment he submerged, the ground beneath him softened.
Ōnoki knew instantly—something was wrong.
He surged back up, but was a step too late—the entire terrain had liquefied, surging like a river toward the earthen barriers erected by the Iwa-nin.
Ōnoki was swept along before substituting out with Replacement Technique.
By the time he reappeared…
Sarutobi Hiruzen had already retreated further.
Ōnoki pursued with Shunshin, only to be met by earthen projectiles erupting from the ground and a colossal fire dragon.
Composite Ninjutsu: Earth-Fire Dragon Stream!
Moreover.
The attack came from an unconventional angle.
Ōnoki felt the weight of Sarutobi Hiruzen's experience.
If Kyōichi was speed and unpredictability incarnate, then the Sandaime was a master of tactical combinations and unorthodox angles—making him nearly impossible to defend against.
Faced with this, Ōnoki had no choice but to use Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Technique.
However.
By the time his Particle Style erased the Earth-Fire Dragon Stream, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already repositioned underground.
Yet.
Ōnoki anticipated this, Shunshin'ing to intercept.
Rock Fist. Earth Release: Added Weight Rock).
Boom!
The ground shattered under the impact.
But then—
A staff burst from the earth.
Ōnoki had no time to reactivate Jinton, barely dodging before realizing something was amiss.
Rain?
This rain…
No—it's oil!
He immediately formed hand seals, slamming his palm onto the ground as a massive stone arm erupted to shield him.
But instead of flames—
Lava surged forth.
Ōnoki hadn't expected Kyōichi.
Assuming the black rain was the Sandaime's doing, he never imagined Kyōichi would arrive so quickly. The molten rock spread relentlessly, leaving no room for hesitation.
He was forced to use Jinton again.
Yet.
Kekkei Tōta techniques demanded immense chakra. Even Ōnoki couldn't sustain repeated use. Against Kyōichi earlier, he'd already expended much, and now two more activations left him dangerously low.
If it were just Sarutobi Hiruzen, he might still fight on. But with Kyōichi joining the fray…
Though three Iwa-nin squads were closing in behind Kyōichi, Ōnoki knew they'd never catch him—at best, they could help corner the Sandaime.
Ōnoki ascended to the skies.
This was the safe altitude he'd tested.
Through the rain, visibility was poor, but his sensory abilities revealed much.
Tsuchi's fate was unknown.
The elite squads accompanying him seemed annihilated.
Moreover, the path Kyōichi had taken was conspicuously sparse of Iwa-nin—
He'd carved his way here.
Without Ōnoki to restrain him, no one in Iwagakure could stop him.
Worse yet.
He noticed small slugs clinging to many Konoha shinobi—someone was continuously healing them with Katsuyu.
Tsunade?
Impossible.
Iwagakure's intel confirmed she hadn't left Konoha.
Surveying the devastation, he realized—
Iwagakure had lost.
Fighting further was meaningless.
A pang of sorrow struck him.
Konoha's geniuses emerged generation after generation, suffocating the other Great Nations. Just as they'd begun to show decline, Namikaze Minato and Kanda Kyōichi appeared.
How fortunate Konoha was!
With a heavy sigh, he spoke:
"Enough. Iwagakure seeks reconciliation."
"Ōnoki, what leverage do you have left to negotiate? Speak plainly—surrender unconditionally."
Kyōichi sealed the tailed beast's chakra.
"Reconciliation" was merely surrender in disguise. Since Ōnoki had conceded, the battle was effectively over. Still, Kyōichi didn't want to push him to desperation—
Particle Style: Atomic Destruction Technique had a far wider range.
If Ōnoki aimed it at himself, even Kyōichi's speed might not guarantee evasion. If pushed to the brink, Ōnoki could still inflict heavy losses.
But someone had to play the hardliner.
"Iwagakure still has reserves. If you force my hand, we'll surrender to Kumogakure and turn on you together."
Ōnoki's voice was icy.
Though yielding, he refused to show weakness—lest Konoha demand too much.
"Is that your stance? Then we keep fighting. Threats? Fine. I'll wait for you to join Kumogakure—but your son and men will die first."
Kyōichi drew his blade.
"Oh, and… care to guess who raided your headquarters?"
"Namikaze Minato. But he won't stop me."
Ōnoki wasn't a fool—he'd pieced it together.
"Let me enlighten you. Minato has mastered a technique of Nidaime-sama's—the very one that earned him the title God of Speed."
Kyōichi smirked.
Both knew neither wanted further bloodshed. This was merely posturing.
But what infuriated Ōnoki was the young man's refusal to concede an inch.
Negotiations required give and take.
Unconditional surrender?
Impossible.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his rage.
"Iwagakure fears no death. Unconditional surrender is out of the question. Push me, and I'll take you all down with me."
Ōnoki's tone was firm, but his stance had softened—an implicit invitation for Konoha to name terms.
"Ōnoki, threats are meaningless."*
The Sandaime coughed lightly before continuing.
"Here's my offer: You will dispatch forces to assault Kumo's rear and provide monetary and resource reparations. Refuse, and let's see how many Konoha shinobi your final Jinton can take with you."
Silence fell.
Was the Sandaime's demand excessive?
Compared to Kyōichi's harsh ultimatum, it seemed almost reasonable. But Ōnoki knew the implications—
Total war with Kumogakure.
Kumo was no pushover. Though he didn't know what had transpired there, Konoha's confidence suggested preparations were in place.
If Kumo retreated in disarray, intercepting them would be suicide.
He wanted to refuse, but—
For Tsuchi. For Rōshi. For Iwagakure's future.
He had no choice.
Ōnoki inhaled sharply, steeling himself.
"Fine. But Konoha must return all prisoners, including the Jinchūriki."
"Ōnoki, I've grown rather fond of this Jinchūriki. You're not getting him back."
Kyōichi swirled a mass of tailed beast chakra in his palm.
Salt in the wound.
Ōnoki nearly burst with anger.
"Impossible! The Jinchūriki must be returned!"
"Ōnoki, Iwagakure deployed its Jinchūriki first, while ours remained in Konoha. By all rights, you can't expect him back without compensation."
The Sandaime played good cop.
Ōnoki saw through it, but the Jinchūriki was non-negotiable—not for power, but to deny Konoha a second tailed beast.
Otherwise, Land of Earth's position would grow even more precarious.
"Very well. We'll pay for the Jinchūriki's return."
"And Tsuchi? Your own son—surely he's worth extra?"
"Isn't he already among the prisoners?"
Since when was Konoha this mercenary?
Ōnoki lamented inwardly.
Had it been just Sarutobi Hiruzen, terms would've been settled long ago. Now, prisoners were being ransomed by rank—absurd.
"You could have him for free… but I may have severed his arm. Only Tsunade-nee can heal such an injury. Surely you'll cover the medical fees?"
"..."
Was there any difference?
Ōnoki's eye twitched before he relented.
"Fine. But no more concessions!"