The sudden turn of events made the battlefield atmosphere eerie.
By the time Onoki and Chiyo came back to their senses, the mad dogs of the Senju Clan had already charged.
Senju Yukika's sudden flash wiped out a large number of enemies in an instant. For those who had lost the will to fight, Yukika didn't even bother to strike.
He said this was a moment of the clan's evolution and growth.
And so...
How could there be transformation without battle?
"What kind of power is that?" Chiyo gasped, her face full of terror.
It was the first time in her life she had seen such radiance.
"Could it be... Guangdong? Besides Wood Release, does the Senju Clan have other powers?" Onoki said gravely, mentioning a name he had never even heard before. His eyes, however, burned with unmistakable anger.
At this moment, Iwagakure had lost at least hundreds of elite troops.
Because the enemy was the Senju, Onoki had brought only the very best shinobi in his village.
And the number of shinobi capable of bypassing Konoha's defenses had to be limited.
For a village, one to five thousand was the absolute limit, which just showed how much they valued defeating the Senju.
Almost five thousand shinobi from three villages, plus Danzō's Root shinobi, had gathered to eliminate the Senju.
But now, with just a flash of light, they had suffered devastating casualties.
The loss of people wasn't the worst part.
Death in war was normal.
What Onoki saw was far worse — his shinobi had lost their fighting spirit.
A single flash.
Who knew how many more times Senju Yukika could unleash that terrifying light?
"Do not panic!" Onoki roared. "The stronger the jutsu, the more it consumes!"
"He definitely can't use it continuously. Reorganize yourselves — or you're all doomed!"
As expected of Lord Onoki.
Despite the crushing defeat, he maintained remarkable composure and leadership.
A figure lightly landed in front of Onoki.
Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, caressed his White Fang short sword with admiration burning in his eyes.
Soldiers fought soldiers, and generals fought generals.
The Senju were fighting the enemy shinobi.
Sakumo and Orochimaru's job was to hold off Onoki and Chiyo.
Killing Chiyo's son was within their grasp!
Chiyo, nearly losing her mind, tried to charge, but Orochimaru blocked her, pointing with a sinister smile.
"Your opponent is me."
This arrangement was very logical.
Orochimaru, never an arrogant man — at least not now — understood well that his strength still couldn't match the Tsuchikage.
Before undergoing Yukika's modifications, Orochimaru was absolutely no match for Onoki.
And Sakumo?
His strength was no match for the Tsuchikage either.
Even a master of flying sword techniques would have trouble dealing with Onoki, who could simply keep his distance and use Dust Release.
But that was the past!
Orochimaru watched Sakumo with envious eyes.
This man, reborn once, had gained the power Orochimaru had always dreamed of.
"Konoha's White Fang?" Onoki floated calmly, regarding Sakumo.
"Do you think you can stop me, old man?"
"Never underestimate a Tsuchikage," Onoki warned. "If you think I'm like Chiyo's worthless son, you are gravely mistaken."
Worthless son?
"You old fart! Who are you calling worthless?" Chiyo raged, throwing a shuriken at Onoki.
Was Onoki wrong?
Letting a young upstart break into the camp and kill him — wasn't that worthless?
With a sneer, Onoki brushed the attack aside.
"Enough talk. Go fight."
Orochimaru frowned.
This was the so-called dignity of a Sand Village elder?
"Fight your mother!" Chiyo screamed, pulling out a scroll and unleashing her ten puppets to pressure Sakumo, ignoring Orochimaru completely.
Disrespectful!
An enraged Orochimaru wasted no time. He dashed forward, blocking the puppets from reaching Sakumo.
"Triple Rashomon!"
Boom, boom, boom!
Three massive gates crashed down, blocking Chiyo's advance.
"If you can't break through these, don't even think of passing."
Infuriated, Chiyo's anger exploded.
The battle erupted.
Onoki scrutinized Sakumo carefully and nodded approvingly.
"Good lad. You dare stand before me. You have guts."
No more talk.
In the distance, the Senju had already clashed with the forces of Sand and Stone.
As Tsuchikage, he had to join the battle quickly and raise morale, or the Senju would kill their way through.
Sakumo, hailed as the White Fang of Konoha, wasn't renowned for his weapon alone.
His swordsmanship was peerless among shinobi.
Shinobi battles were contests of intelligence and power, not idle chatter about martial arts.
Floating calmly, Onoki calculated a swift end.
He wasn't hiding anymore.
Everyone knew about his Dust Release.
But just as he prepared to gather energy, Sakumo floated up to meet him.
Flight?
Through the system's transformation, the soul and flesh had fused, granting Sakumo this virtual flight ability — no contradiction at all.
Otherwise, how could he use void techniques to summon Yukika?
"Unlike you, I don't need a quick fight," Sakumo said calmly. "I'll just hold you here until Master Yukika arrives."
"Still, facing the Tsuchikage, even if it costs me everything, it's worth it!"
Strange markings appeared on Sakumo's face, and a terrifying horn sprouted from his forehead.
He was no longer fully human.
A resurrected monster!
"This power... Master Yukika's creation!"
Power surged through Sakumo's body.
Battle intent flared in his eyes as he charged at Onoki.