A purple barrier suddenly appeared, forming a large, dome-like structure that encompassed an area of about a hundred meters. Naturally, Akira and the others were also trapped inside, completely isolating them from the outside world.
"This is... the Four Violet Flames Formation!?" The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, scowled as he recognized the purple light surrounding them.
When had this barrier been set up? He hadn't noticed any Konoha shinobi making a move. Yet here it was, fully activated. This could only mean one thing: Konoha had prepared this sealing formation well in advance and had just now triggered it.
Even though the Four Violet Flames Formation would trap both sides within its boundaries, and despite Konoha's forces having their chakra severely restricted by his sealing technique, Onoki realized this situation might actually favor him. This was, after all, a scenario where he could attack Konoha's forces without interference from the outside.
But why would Konoha activate such a formation when they knew it would disadvantage them? Were they really that desperate to die?
No, that couldn't be it.
There was no time to mock Akira and the others for seemingly cutting off their own escape route. Onoki raised his hand, and a blinding white light began to gather in his palm. He was preparing to unleash his Dust Release.
Whatever Konoha's plan was, Onoki's was simple: kill Akira as quickly as possible. Only then would he feel secure.
But just as Onoki was about to unleash his Dust Release, a toad suddenly appeared out of nowhere, jumping in front of Akira.
The toad was small—not tiny, but roughly the size of a regular cat. Compared to ordinary toads, it was quite large, but compared to the toads from Mount Myoboku, it was rather diminutive.
The toad opened its mouth, and shockingly, a human arm emerged from within. Following the arm, a large, muscular man crawled out of the toad's mouth. The sight was bizarre, like something out of a dream, where an impossibly large object is pulled from a small space.
"Jiraiya!?" Onoki's expression darkened upon recognizing the man who had just emerged. It was none other than Jiraiya, using his Reverse Summoning Technique.
In the original series, Jiraiya had used this very technique to infiltrate the base of the Six Paths of Pain.
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!
Onoki, his mind clear and focused, immediately activated his Dust Release. The massive destructive force of the Dust Release shot toward Akira and Jiraiya.
But Jiraiya was quick to respond. He raised his hand, and a massive amount of chakra gathered into a sphere the size of a water tank.
Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!
Jiraiya was well-versed in the Rasengan technique, and when infused with the vast amounts of chakra from Sage Mode, the Rasengan's size and power increased dramatically. Though it lacked any elemental nature transformation, the sheer amount of chakra made it overwhelmingly large and powerful.
It was like an engine without a turbocharger but with an enormous fuel consumption rate, capable of outputting an incredible amount of horsepower.
Boom!
The renowned Dust Release collided with Jiraiya's Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan, resulting in a catastrophic explosion. Neither side gained an upper hand, as the two techniques were evenly matched.
After the clash, Jiraiya quickly moved back to Akira's side, raising his hand to swiftly form seals and touch Akira, dispelling the sealing runes that had been placed on him.
As the flow of his chakra gradually returned to normal, Akira felt a sense of relief. Only with his full strength restored could he feel any semblance of security.
He silently thanked himself for having planned ahead. Without these preparations, he might have met his end at the hands of the Third Tsuchikage today.
"Onoki, I can't believe you're so shameless! You pretended to want peace talks, but you were really planning to ambush us!" Jiraiya, having blocked Onoki's Dust Release and saved the day, scolded the Tsuchikage angrily.
"Your Konoha isn't any better!" Onoki retorted with an unchanging expression. "You had this trap set up long before today. You were planning to take me down all along, weren't you?"
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained. This was just a precautionary measure, but it seems it's a good thing we prepared it after all," Akira said as he dispelled the seals on his companions.
At this point, there was no use in trading accusations. Akira, due to the knowledge from the Life Simulator, had known Onoki harbored a deep intent to kill him. So, he had set up a countermeasure in advance.
On the other hand, from Iwagakure's perspective, Konoha's forces had clearly prepared everything in advance, indicating that they had planned to ambush Onoki all along. It just so happened that Onoki had struck first.
"The Four Violet Flames Formation can only last for five minutes. We need to finish this quickly," Hyuga Hiashi reminded Akira.
Hiashi himself had set up this formation. While it was strong, it required a steady supply of chakra from capable shinobi to maintain it for any length of time. Without that, the formation could only hold for five minutes at most.
Nodding in acknowledgment of Hiashi's warning, Akira knew they needed to act fast. The formation was designed to trap and eliminate their enemies efficiently. Then, with the toad summoning Jiraiya via the Reverse Summoning Technique, they had laid out the perfect plan.
Hiashi, as the head of the Hyuga clan, was a master of Gentle Fist and Byakugan. While his Gentle Fist didn't cause the large-scale destruction of powerful ninjutsu, it was extremely effective in a close-quarters battle like this. Hiashi was an elite Jonin, teetering on the edge of Kage-level strength.
As for Naruto, his power fluctuated wildly, but in this situation, he was among the strongest allies they had.
With no more time for words, Akira and the others launched their assault.
It was a fight meant to be a complete rout. Akira immediately opened six of the Eight Gates, determined to end the battle swiftly. Jiraiya, too, was in Sage Mode.
Onoki and his men quickly realized they had gone from hunters to prey. Faced with the overwhelming force of two Kage-level opponents, Onoki fought with everything he had, driven by a powerful will to survive.
Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi also fought with desperation, unleashing their most powerful jutsu to fight back. The battle within the confined space of the Four Violet Flames Formation was incredibly fierce.
Konoha had the advantage in numbers, with four against three. With Akira and Jiraiya on their side, they also had the edge in terms of sheer power.
While the formation would only last five minutes, Akira was confident that they could finish the fight within that time.
In the first minute, the Iwagakure shinobi were already in disarray.
By the second minute, Akira landed a powerful punch on Akatsuchi, shattering the bones in his shoulder.
In the third minute, under Akira's relentless pressure, Kitsuchi was hit by Hiashi's Gentle Fist, his chakra points sealed and a mouthful of blood spilling from his lips—severely injured.
With Jiraiya in Sage Mode, his power was even greater than Onoki's. When Onoki saw his son and bodyguard both injured, his mind wavered, and Jiraiya seized the opportunity to strike him with a powerful sage technique, sending Onoki flying.
Three minutes in, and all three Iwagakure shinobi were gravely wounded.
Realizing the dire situation, Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi exchanged a glance, seemingly making a decision. Their chakra flared as they moved to the edge of the Four Violet Flames Formation, grabbing at the barrier and tearing it open with all their strength.
The searing violet flames began to burn their bodies, but they gritted their teeth and held on.
"Go, now!" they shouted, enduring the pain.
If they were captured, Onoki might still have room to negotiate. But if Onoki were to die here, Iwagakure would be finished.
Weighing the lesser of two evils, Onoki understood their intent. After a brief hesitation, he quickly fled through the gap they had created.
Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!
Jiraiya's hair transformed into countless needles, shooting towards Onoki.
At this point, if Onoki escaped, all their efforts would be for nothing.
No one had anticipated that Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi would tear open the formation at the cost of their own lives.
Onoki raised his hand, pouring all his chakra into a defensive Earth Style barrier behind him.
The Hair Needle Senbon shredded through the earth barrier like a machine gun ripping through a wooden board, rapidly tearing it apart.
But the barrier held just long enough for Onoki to escape the formation and take to the sky, quickly fleeing into the distance.
In moments like this, the ability to fly was invaluable.
On the ground, all that remained was a severed leg, charred and blackened by the Lightning Blade's searing burn.
*******Your chapter****
Thank you so much for your incredible support! We've hit 1500 Power Stones, and as promised, here's the extra chapter.
The next goal is 2500 Power Stones, and when we reach it, you'll get another bonus chapter! I apologize for the slight delay in releasing this one—I didn't notice right away when we hit the 1500 mark.
Thank you again for your amazing support, and let's keep going strong!
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 180 at patreon.com/Emik01.