Looking in the direction of the red glowing light, Onoki glanced around at the encroaching Tsunade and her team. Though reluctant, he still issued the command.
He had already assessed the situation. The war had reached this point, and he no longer had the strength to waste.
If he couldn't escape the battlefield successfully, he might not make it out alive under Orochimaru and their group's relentless attack.
He and Kitsuchi each created a Mud Clone, helping the heavily injured Iwagakure shinobi to their feet. They used Earth Jutsu to reduce their weight and applied healing seals while retreating.
Orochimaru and Tsunade, noticing Onoki's intent to retreat, immediately sped up to encircle him.
Onoki knew very well that Orochimaru and the others wouldn't let him leave the encirclement easily, much less escape with the Iwagakure shinobi.
Onoki shouted, and Kitsuchi, who was also retreating, understood the pursuit they would face.
Earth Release: Earthquake Core!
Kitsuchi quickly formed hand seals, and the ground beneath her feet rumbled as it rose over ten meters in height.
By the time Orochimaru and his group reached the raised terrain, Onoki had already altered the ground behind them using his Earth Release, turning it into a labyrinth-like maze with uneven surfaces.
Orochimaru's eyes scanned the layered earth walls quickly, releasing his sensory abilities to search for Onoki and his team's chakra and soul fluctuations.
Earth Release techniques excelled in shaping terrain and structures. They could quickly construct fortresses for defense or, in some cases, attack.
When necessary, it can be used to block the opponent's line of sight, giving oneself time to escape using Earth Release ninjutsu.
"Don't think you can escape! Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!"
Orochimaru quickly locked onto a certain area, leaping from the raised ground. In mid-air, he rapidly formed hand signs and slammed his palms onto the ground when he landed.
Tiny cracks appeared, winding from Orochimaru's palm toward the front. Once reaching a certain area, the ground suddenly split open like scissors cutting through paper.
This Earth Release technique requires sensing the dragon vein's flow underground, using the flowing dragon veins beneath the earth to cut the ground and lift it.
It is essentially an Earth Release technique that uses chakra to communicate with the dragon veins, borrowing their power, and it has great force.
The ground rolled up, revealing a group of people, including Onoki, who jumped out from below the cracked earth.
Earth Release: Iron Cannon!
Several stone-like projectiles were spit out from the mouth of a hidden figure, growing larger as they flew through the air. They transformed into solid cannonballs, whistling through the air and heading towards Orochimaru and the others, who were chasing after them.
Multiple Crimson Fire Cannons!
The shadows around Kagetsu also released ninjutsu, detonating each incoming Iron Cannon one by one.
The remaining stragglers posed no threat to Orochimaru and the others.
Orochimaru and his team walked straight through the debris and dust caused by the explosion.
Soon, they saw from afar that Onoki, bending down, grabbed the ground that had been lifted, and with a stern shout, he lifted a massive rock with a single shake of his hand.
Onoki's towering figure, in comparison to the giant rock he lifted, looked almost like an insect, out of place. But the visual impact was truly astonishing!
Earth Style: Earth Burial Ball. Newest update provided by novel⁂fire.net
Onoki hurled the massive rock towards Orochimaru and his group.
The elliptical rock was huge, blocking out the light from the sky as a shadow descended from above.
"Let me handle this, Tsunade-san!"
Seeing Tsunade step forward, Shisui quickly spoke up, moving forward in an instant.
His Sharingan shifted to the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the towering green giant of his Susanoo rose from the ground.
The giant swung the spiraling sword in its hand, splitting the incoming giant rock in two.
The split rocks fell to either side, and Shisui's weapon was now a longbow.
Drawing the bowstring back, he let loose the arrow.
Onoki reacted quickly. With a fierce push of his hands forward, a massive Dust Release cube rolled out of his palms, colliding with the arrow shot by Susanoo.
The arrow was instantly consumed by the Dust Release, along with the illusionary power it carried.
Once the sense of danger faded, Onoki let out a sigh of relief, casting a wary glance at the towering green giant. He quickly retreated with Onoki and the others, rising into the air.
Having missed, Shisui's Susanoo underwent another transformation.
Heavy armor formed around it, and a circular hole opened up in its chest, facing Onoki and his group flying towards the sky.
Dense emerald green arrows poured out from the circular opening, a heavy downpour of arrows sweeping across the sky, heading towards Ōnoki and the others.
Ōnoki, seeing the rain of arrows approaching from below, gritted his teeth. His small body floated forward, and once again, he gathered the power of Dust Release in his palm.
He then expanded the cube-shaped Dust Release, using it as a shield to block in front of them.
The arrows collided with the Dust Release once more, and the storm of arrows was eradicated by the rolling Dust Release.
Ōnoki's clone seized the opportunity to pull Ōnoki and the others, lifting them to a higher altitude.
"Don't chase them. Go take care of the Iwagakure forces."
Looking at the small black dots of Ōnoki and his group disappearing from view, Orochimaru didn't feel any sense of defeat.
In fact, this was the first time he had gained the upper hand in a battle with Ōnoki.
Over the past two years, if he could just hold his ground and keep the opponent in check, that was already pushing his limits.
It wasn't because he had too many ways to save himself or relied on group attacks, but if his name had been written on the Konoha memorial stone, perhaps it would have been long ago.
Clearly, Ōnoki was heading towards the battlefield to command the Iwagakure forces in retreat. If they could catch up, they might still see him and restrain him.
But no matter the outcome of this battlefield, as long as Minato destroyed the Kannabi Bridge and the supplies stationed at the Iwagakure base near it, Ōnoki might be forced to consider retreating and negotiating.
After all, the war had reached this point, and both sides had almost spent all their strength.
Under such high pressure, any major mistake or loss on either side could cause the situation to collapse like a snapped string, turning the tense situation upside down.
At that point, unless Ōnoki had lost his mind, the most likely and probable option would be to negotiate and end the war.
The war wouldn't end, but the pressure on Konoha would significantly decrease.
No longer having to fight against two major shinobi villages, the pressure on Konoha would be greatly reduced.
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