Hyuga Himon used his Byakugan to locate the Third Tsuchikage. Onoki was far more seriously injured than Nara Shikaku. Though the Rock Giant created by Kurotsuchi shielded him somewhat, he had been very close to Tendo Pain's Shinra Tensei.
"Tsuchikage-sama, the situation looks grim. Please retreat for now."
Supporting his broken arm, Nara Shikaku spoke quickly as he and Hyuga Himon approached Onoki. Hyuga Himon had already confirmed that there were fewer than 200 Iwa-nin still alive in the area. Before the Shinra Tensei, there had been at least 800.
In just one move, nearly 80% of their forces were wiped out, and even the Third Tsuchikage had sustained critical injuries. Onoki's left leg and right arm were broken, his body drenched in blood. He could likely no longer form hand seals—he was completely unable to fight.
Cough...
Kurotsuchi pushed away the rocks covering him. Having hidden inside the Rock Giant in time, he wasn't too badly hurt.
But when he saw Onoki and the state of the other Iwa-nin, fury welled up on his face.
"Damn it... that bastard… Unforgivable!"
"Kurotsuchi-san, now isn't the time to get caught up in this. We must retreat immediately. Once we've gathered intel on him, we'll devise a countermeasure," Nara Shikaku said quickly. Most of the Iwa-nin had lost their ability to fight, while the enemy had only expended a large amount of chakra. There were still five other Rinnegan users left untouched. If they didn't withdraw now, none of them would make it out alive.
Shikaku had already made up his mind: if Onoki and Kurotsuchi insisted on fighting to the death, he and Hyuga Himon would leave immediately. They had to bring back intelligence about the Rinnegan.
"Even if we wanted to retreat, he probably wouldn't let us go," Kurotsuchi said grimly. He glanced up at the floating figure and then at the gravely wounded Onoki beside him, making a decision.
"Father, take the lightly injured Iwa-nin and the Konoha shinobi with you. I'll hold him off."
Onoki froze at Kurotsuchi's words, then shouted angrily, "What nonsense! If anyone should stay behind, it should be me!"
Kurotsuchi interrupted, "I'm the only one still capable of fighting, Father. If you stay, you'll barely last a few minutes."
Nara Shikaku nodded inwardly. He agreed—Kurotsuchi was the best choice to cover the retreat. Onoki, in his current state, wouldn't last long. If he stayed, the injured Iwa-nin would be unable to escape either.
Kurotsuchi might be able to hold Pain off for a while. Though he'd likely die, it would ignite Onoki's hatred for the leader of Amegakure and solidify his alliance with Konoha.
Besides, Iwa-nin had already suffered heavy losses in this battle. Even if they had somewhat recovered from the Third Shinobi World War, today's battle had cost them nearly everything again.
Of course, Shikaku couldn't say these things aloud—it would seem like he was trying to drive a wedge between father and son.
After a brief argument, Kurotsuchi finally convinced Onoki with the will of stone and the pleas of the surviving Iwa-nin. Onoki couldn't selfishly sacrifice over a hundred remaining comrades—if he did, he wasn't fit to be the Third Tsuchikage.
"Ninja of the Nara clan, please take my father and the remaining Iwa-nin out of here and regroup with the Konoha forces. I'll buy you time," Kurotsuchi said with firm resolve. His tone made it clear: even at the cost of his life, he would ensure Onoki and the others could escape.
While Onoki was gathering the survivors, Tendo Pain, who had remained motionless in the sky for a while, finally descended. As Shikaku had guessed, that Shinra Tensei had consumed a tremendous amount of Nagato's chakra. He had to rest before he could resume controlling Tendo Pain.
Seeing Nagato slightly out of breath, Konan asked worriedly, "Nagato, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. The chakra consumption was within expectations. Resting afterward doesn't affect my body much."
By now, the other five Paths of Pain under Nagato's control had stood up one after another—except for the Animal Path, which wasn't nearby. The others would have to travel to rejoin.
"Trying to escape, are they…"
Through Tendo Pain's vision, Nagato observed Onoki and the others' movements. Leaving behind one elite jonin of Iwagakure to delay him—clearly, they intended to let the others escape.
"What wishful thinking."
Tendo Pain rushed toward Onoki and the retreating shinobi, but Kurotsuchi immediately noticed his movement. With a desperate resolve, he unleashed a jutsu to stop him.
"Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!"
Two dome-shaped masses like small mountains rose instantly from the ground, trapping Tendo Pain mid-flight between them.
When it comes to buying time, Earth Release techniques are second to none.
Back on Onoki's side, when some Iwa-nin heard Kurotsuchi was staying behind, they wanted to stay too—but Onoki vehemently forbade it. Kurotsuchi was giving his life to buy them a chance to live—this wasn't something to squander out of hot-headedness.
Onoki had to admit—he had underestimated the power of the Rinnegan. His arrogance and reckless advance had led to such heavy losses for Iwa, and now Kurotsuchi was going to die for it.
'After the war in the Land of Rain ends… I may need to step down. As for the Fourth Tsuchikage—should it be Akatsuchi or Kurotsuchi?'
As other Iwa-nin carried him away, Onoki reflected bitterly. With a mistake this grave, no one in the village would accept him remaining in power.
Still, among the candidates, Kurotsuchi was the most promising. Akatsuchi and the others didn't have his strength or experience.
"Tsuchikage-sama, once we reach the Konoha camp, you and the others can receive treatment. Please hold on for now," Nara Shikaku said reassuringly. They still needed Onoki's Dust Release. To face the Rinnegan, both the Hokage and Tsuchikage had to unite their strength and devise a plan based on its capabilities.
"Well done… truly the perfect tool,"
Hyuga Mirai muttered as he watched the aftermath of Nagato's Shinra Tensei. If this war continued, Iwagakure would be trapped in the Land of Rain battlefield for good.
"Mirai-ojisan, what did you just say?" Naruto Uzumaki, sitting beside Haku, turned to ask. It wasn't curiosity—he was just bored. No one had paid him much attention along the way.
Even Kushina was unusually quiet, wanting to rest. Haku, meanwhile, was focused on driving the anti-gravity hovercar.
"It's nothing. Naruto, have you finished studying everything I told you to?" Hyuga Mirai changed the subject and put away the nano-display. "Your basics are really weak. If you enrolled in the Shinobi Academy of the Satori Federation, you'd rank at the bottom."
Naruto's whiskered face drooped the moment he heard the word "study." He turned away and muttered, "Not yet… but Mom says I'm already really strong."
"Being strong and being smart are two different things. On that front, don't listen to Lady Kushina, and definitely don't ask Ayaka. If you have questions, consult Haku more."
Hearing this, Haku turned his head and smiled gently at Naruto. That smile instantly turned Naruto beet red. Even though he knew Haku was male, that gentle, beautiful smile was warmer than even his mom's.
After Hyuga Mirai said this, Kushina and Ayaka puffed out their cheeks, glaring at him. They were clearly unhappy that he had pointed out their shortcomings in front of the younger generation.
Though blunt, Mirai had never met a single member of the Uzumaki clan who was actually smart. Even Nagato had been tricked by a single lie for over a decade and then practically brainwashed himself into believing he was a god.
Mirai had never seen a god with a limp before.
This time, he would join the Sand Federation as Roran's acting regent and intended to establish two trade routes between Roran and the Federation.
There were still many untapped energy resources in the desert. Though Mirai had access to nearly limitless energy from his Ark Reactor to drive industrial production, that power couldn't be distributed to ordinary civilians.
Much of the shinobi world still relied on hoes and basic tools. In such conditions, taking three steps forward in reform was difficult. For the average person, petroleum and coal were still irreplaceable energy sources.
Once Roran was integrated into the Federation, Mirai planned to have the Federation absorb the Land of Wind, followed by the Land of Tea and the sea regions.
The Federation's shinobi forces would also undergo reform. Traditional shinobi tactics were obsolete. He and Sasori planned to develop a new shinobi power armor in the Federation—combining shinobi mobility with high-tech firepower.
As for ninjutsu, anything unrelated to Yin-Yang Release, sealing arts, or forbidden techniques would be considered useless for development—basic five-element techniques could be thrown in the trash. The reformed Federation schools would no longer teach them anyway.
(End of Chapter)