IMPORTANT: For every 30 POWER STONES there will be an extra chapter!
The terrain remained unchanged—nothing but mountains in every direction—though Ye Zi could now see a few mountains with springs flowing from them. As time passed, Ōnoki drew closer and closer, but Ye Zi's evasive maneuvers began to pay off. Finally, he spotted a river running through a gorge, winding its way through the mountains and stretching far into the distance.
"Found it!"
Ye Zi's eyes lit up as he ran along the mountain path. He quickly called for Shoku to get ready, then stopped in his tracks, turning to face the airborne Ōnoki, who was rapidly approaching.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Ye Zi sheathed his Raiga blade, bit his right thumb, and pressed it against the ground, forming a summoning seal. With a loud poof, the massive form of Shokui appeared, his menacing single eye glaring at Ōnoki from afar.
Unlike the smaller form of Shokui that had been summoned before, this time his original massive size emerged through the Summoning Jutsu.
Ōnoki, upon seeing the giant beast, assumed Ye Zi had given up on running and intended to make a last stand. The killing intent in his eyes grew even fiercer. To Ōnoki, large summons like this were easy targets for his Dust Release, a technique that thrived on hitting massive foes, making them perfect prey.
Hovering in midair, Ōnoki wasted no time. He aimed his hands at the enormous Shokui, slowly gathering white light for his Dust Release.
The only drawback of Dust Release was the brief charge time required before activation.
"Go!"
Ye Zi's eyes narrowed as he saw the white light gathering in Ōnoki's hands, and he barked out a command.
With a deafening roar, Shokui charged forward. His lone eye began to glow with an ominous black energy, gathering power. Even though he hadn't fully recovered from the injuries suffered earlier, Shokui's innate abilities were still formidable.
The dark energy in Shokui's eye appeared menacing and mysterious, resembling a dark, foreboding sphere of raw power.
Ōnoki's heart skipped a beat as he observed the black energy. It looked disturbingly similar to a Tailed Beast Bomb. However, he wasn't sure if it matched the full power of one.
"Nevertheless, my Dust Release isn't to be underestimated."
With a focused gaze, Ōnoki fired his Dust Release beam toward Shokui's eye.
The white beam of Dust Release and the black energy from Shokui collided in midair. For a brief moment, all the energy seemed to condense into a single point, shrinking down to the size of a star, glowing dimly like a distant object in the night sky.
Ōnoki's expression changed slightly at this bizarre sight. His Dust Release was supposed to annihilate everything, including energy itself, yet this was the first time he had encountered such a phenomenon.
Shokui, however, was unfazed. Telepathically, he spoke to Ye Zi: "Get ready."
With that, Shokui took a massive step forward, charging toward Ōnoki through the mountains, his single eye glowing ominously with black energy aimed at the collision point between the two forces.
Ōnoki knew nothing about Shokui's abilities. As Shokui prepared another dark beam, Ōnoki didn't hesitate. He gathered white light once more, but this time, Shokui was faster. His black beam was smaller but just as lethal, and it struck the condensed energy point between them.
The small light orb, now rimmed with a faint black glow, suddenly began to expand, like a balloon being rapidly inflated with air.
Ōnoki's face fell as he realized what was happening. He immediately canceled his Dust Release and summoned a thick earthen wall to encase himself.
Boom!
At that moment, the energy ball detonated.
A burst of blinding white light erupted, accompanied by a ferocious gust of wind that howled in all directions. The nearest mountains lost half their height, and the flying debris pelted the surrounding landscape like bullets.
Ōnoki's protective earth wall tumbled down a mountain slope, slamming into the rocky side of a cliff with a loud crash, but remained intact.
The explosion had been swift and intense.
As the dust settled, Shokui, clearly exhausted, lifted a massive boulder and hurled it at Ōnoki's earthen sphere.
Just as the rock flew toward the protective shell, Ōnoki emerged from within, shooting straight into the sky. The boulder crashed against the cliffside, sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
Several kunai suddenly flew through the air, aimed at Ōnoki. With a smirk of disdain, Ōnoki easily dodged them, his body weaving left and right. The kunai whizzed past, hurtling toward the river. As they lost momentum, they arced downward, eventually splashing into the water.
"Kid, I'm done for," Shokui muttered. His massive body bore numerous wounds from the earlier battle in Iwagakure, and he looked battered and beaten, barely holding on.
Ōnoki overheard Shokui's words.
Poof.
Before Ye Zi could respond, a puff of smoke erupted, and Shokui vanished from sight.
"He returned?" Ōnoki's cold gaze locked onto Ye Zi's surprised expression. He raised his hands toward Ye Zi, gathering white light once more.
Ye Zi immediately turned and fled.
The white light shot forward.
With a nimble move, Ye Zi narrowly avoided the beam. Lightning flickered across his body, and in the next instant, he bolted forward like a streak of lightning.
Ōnoki's brows furrowed as he quickly gave chase. To him, it was clear that Ye Zi was running low on chakra—it was only a matter of time before he caught him.
Moments after the two had left, Han arrived at the scene. Glancing briefly at the half-destroyed mountains, he wasted no time and sprinted off in the direction Ōnoki had gone.
Ōnoki continued his pursuit, and before long, he noticed that Ye Zi's lightning aura was weakening—a clear sign of chakra depletion.
"You're finished," Ōnoki muttered coldly.
After a short while, the lightning around Ye Zi dissipated entirely, and his speed decreased. Realizing he couldn't outrun Ōnoki, Ye Zi came to a halt and turned to face him, staring up at the hovering Tsuchikage.
"Giving up, are we?"
Ōnoki descended slightly, arms crossed, coldly gazing down at Ye Zi.
Ye Zi said nothing, only offering a mocking smile before shifting his gaze toward the horizon. There, a figure covered in steam was rapidly approaching—it was Han, the Jinchūriki of Iwagakure.
Seeing that Ye Zi had stopped, Han's expression was just as cold. At this moment, he and Ōnoki shared the same thought—Konoha's Little White Fang was done for.
"Take your own life, and I'll leave your body intact," Ōnoki offered, surprisingly. Perhaps it was Ye Zi's sarcastic smile that made him say this.
Ye Zi remained silent, his mocking smile growing even more pronounced. His lips parted, and he uttered a single word: "Idiot."
Ōnoki's eye twitched, and in a flash, he appeared in front of Ye Zi. He raised his hands, and a glowing white prism began to form around Ye Zi.
"Hey, wait!" Han's expression changed. He had wanted to deal with Ye Zi himself, to vent his rage with his fists, but the Tsuchikage had already enveloped Ye Zi in his Dust Release.
Before Han could say another word, the white light surged, and Ye Zi was instantly disintegrated into nothingness.
Han's mouth twitched, looking speechlessly at the Tsuchikage.
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