Looking at Uchiha Mirai's confident expression, Onoki couldn't help but recall the moment he once faced Uchiha Madara.
Back then, Madara had looked at him with the same kind of gaze—
A gaze of absolute dominance, as if no one in the world was worth his attention.
But…
Onoki clenched his fists tightly.
He was no longer the boy who would break into a cold sweat from just a single glance.
"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"
His right arm hardened into solid rock as he shot toward Mirai with incredible speed.
Seeing this, Mirai smirked in disdain.
He swung his fist forward, colliding head-on with Onoki's rock-enhanced punch.
In the next instant, Onoki's body shot through the air like a cannonball, crashing hard into the ground below.
Boom!
A muffled explosion echoed as dust and debris were sent flying.
Moments later, as the dust settled, Onoki wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and struggled to his feet, his expression grim.
If he hadn't used Light-Weight Rock Technique to reduce his body's weight upon impact, that single punch might have already taken him out of the fight.
This guy…
Uchiha Mirai was beyond common sense—his strength was simply terrifying.
"Onoki, is this all you've got? The so-called confidence that made you challenge me?"
Seeing the mocking glint in Mirai's eyes, Onoki slowly ascended into the air once more.
"Mirai, the will of the Tsuchikage is as unyielding as a boulder. This will shall shake the very foundations of the world!"
"I haven't lost yet!"
"Hmph!" Mirai snorted. "Strength is not will. On the contrary, it is the arrow that pierces conviction."
He narrowed his eyes. "You've lived this long, yet you still don't understand that?"
"No, it's you who doesn't understand!" Onoki shot back before swiftly forming hand seals. "Earth Release: Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique"
Having gauged Mirai's power from their initial exchange, Onoki no longer held anything back.
Against an opponent of this level, failing to unleash his full strength from the start could mean never getting another chance to strike.
With the technique applied to his body, Onoki transformed into a streak of light, accelerating toward Uchiha Mirai at an astonishing speed.
Then—
"Earth Release: Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique!"
As he reached his target, he instantly switched techniques, making his body as heavy as a mountain.
His right arm, now a massive rock fist, radiated sheer determination.
This was the move that had once allowed him to defeat Roshi, even in his Four-Tails form.
With such momentum and mass, even a Tailed Beast would struggle to withstand the impact—let alone a human.
"Uchiha Mirai, you have no chance of blocking this attack!"
Onoki intentionally taunted him.
While he had confidence in his attack's power, he lacked confidence in landing the blow—
After all, Mirai's speed was enough to overwhelm even the Fourth Raikage.
If the attack didn't land, it was meaningless.
Thus, Onoki resorted to provocation.
The stronger an Uchiha, the prouder they tended to be. Mirai was unlikely to be an exception.
If he tried to take the hit head-on, Onoki would have his opening.
As Onoki closed in at lightning speed, Mirai suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Onoki, you don't need to be so afraid."
His eyes gleamed with amusement. "An elephant doesn't dodge the charge of an ant. Your strength is insignificant to me."
He threw out a punch.
Boom!
Their fists clashed with a deafening impact. Onoki felt as though he had crashed into a speeding mountain.
Once again, he was sent hurtling toward the ground at an even greater speed than before.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Dozens of voices shouted in unison as the solid, rocky terrain suddenly turned into soft, sinking mud.
Onoki crashed into it with a sickening thud.
"Cough… cough… That was close—I almost died there."
Half-kneeling in the mire, clutching his chest, Onoki's face was pale with lingering fear.
If not for the terrain shifting at the last moment, he might have been reduced to dust.
Even so, he was already gravely injured.
"Grandfather! Are you alright?"
A worried voice called out. Kurotsuchi rushed to Onoki's side, her face full of concern.
Onoki shook his head. "I can still fight. What are you all doing here?"
Looking at Kurotsuchi leading thousands of Iwagakure shinobi to the battlefield, Onoki frowned deeply.
Kurotsuchi responded firmly, "Grandfather, you are the Tsuchikage. How could we let you fight alone?"
The surrounding Iwagakure shinobi chimed in.
"That's right, Tsuchikage-sama! We will fight alongside you!"
"When we took down the Third Raikage, we fought together! That victory wasn't yours alone—it belonged to all of us!"
"We can't just let you bear the burden of the entire village alone!"
"Hahaha! It's just one Uchiha Mirai. What's there to be afraid of? We are an unbreakable rock!"
"You've led us through so much, and this time will be no different!"
Seeing the unwavering determination in his comrades' eyes, a wave of emotion surged in Onoki's heart.
Fighting side by side, shoulder to shoulder.
This… was their bond.
Finally, he nodded. "Then—prepare for battle!"
"Yes!"
As Mirai landed on the ground, he couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.
This—
This was what it truly meant to be a Kage. When attacked, a Kage should be backed by their village.
Unlike in the original timeline, where Orochimaru attacked Hiruzen Sarutobi during the Chunin Exams and no one came to his aid—
That was the real absurdity.
It was proof that, even without his interference, Hiruzen had long since lost the people's trust.
For him, dying as Konoha's "hero" was merely Orochimaru's final act of mercy.
"Attack!"
With Onoki's command, Kurotsuchi gave the order. Thousands of Iwagakure shinobi charged at Uchiha Mirai in unison.
Their footsteps thundered like rolling storms, shaking the very earth.
The sheer scale of their advance was overwhelming—like an unstoppable tide, stretching endlessly into the horizon.
Just witnessing this charge would be enough to break most people's spirits.
But Mirai?
He showed no fear.
If anything—
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
He stepped forward.
Gradually, his pace quickened.
Though he stood alone against thousands, his presence seemed even more oppressive.
Then—
Uchiha Mirai and the entire Iwagakure army clashed head-on.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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