On the rooftop terrace of Hozuki Castle.
Onoki examined the box in front of him and Han, who was currently channeling chakra into the container. He asked, "Is that enough?"
"Yes, the way to open the Wish-Granting Casket is to let it absorb enough chakra..." Mui confirmed with certainty before continuing seriously, "Lord Tsuchikage, please place your right hand on my neck or press it on my head — this feels unprofessional."
"My apologies. Please continue." Onoki, not exactly a picture of professionalism, soared into the air and finally managed to land on Mui's shoulder.
Witnessing this, Kitsuchi remarked from the side, "Father, allow me to take over."
"Fine. My old bones tire easily from flying." Onoki landed on the ground. "But remember to act convincingly, and deliberately leave some openings when the time comes."
"Yes!"
Mui continued, "Kusagakure originally accepted the task of constructing Hozuki Castle specifically to have the Wish-Granting Casket absorb the prisoners' chakra, unfortunately, the prisoners' chakra levels were far short of what's required to break the seal."
"After analysis, we determined only a jinchuriki's chakra could suffice — which is exactly what Han is doing now."
"With its ability to absorb such massive quantities of chakra, this casket's sealed power mustn't be underestimated," Hikka mused while stroking his chin. "It might actually become the force that helps us defeat Konoha!"
"Don't let your guard down," Onoki cautioned. "A sharp weapon can cut its wielder too. Focus first on dealing with Seiki Shimaseki before entertaining too many other thoughts."
Meanwhile, at the lower entrance,
Seiki crouched halfway down, his right hand pressed against the ground.
Danzo whispered, "Any sign of them yet?"
Seiki pointed in one direction. "Right above us. They seem to be attempting to break the seal."
Seiki frowned inwardly.
"The absence of Black Zetsu's chakra two nights ago could be explained by assuming he went to sleep, but why do I still sense no trace of him today?"
"Could I have been wrong? Is Black Zetsu really not involved this time, and this is purely an action initiated by Iwagakure alone?"
Considering this, Seiki shook his head inwardly. "No, there's another possibility too — that Black Zetsu has disguised himself as someone else, or possessed another body. It wouldn't be surprising if my sensor abilities couldn't detect him under such a high-priority transformation technique."
"But considering how cautious Black Zetsu usually is, he wouldn't normally leave himself exposed like this. Could I really be mistaken again?"
What?! How dare they try to take what's already mine... Thinking this, Danzo, who had viewed that power as his own possession, impatiently made hand seals toward the direction indicated by Seiki. "[Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!] Before we start fighting, I'll send them a little greeting!"
Rasa looked at him strangely. How come this old man suddenly became so proactive?
Violent gusts sliced through the air, easily obliterating the thick roof above.
"Watch out! They're here!"
"Hurry! Grab the Wish-Granting Casket before it falls!"
Hearing the commotion from upstairs, Danzo urged, "Before they break the seal, move in immediately!"
"Everyone looked at him, quite at a loss for words. Well then, why don't you take the lead?"
Danzo frowned without the slightest sense of self-awareness. "What are you looking at me for? Why haven't you started yet?"
He sure *sounded* eager, but there was no way he was putting himself on the front line.
Once things got serious, he'd definitely hang back and avoid direct involvement.
Seiki sighed helplessly. "Follow me!"
With that, Seiki dashed straight up a pillar and leapt through a large hole in the rooftop to the terrace above.
The moment his head appeared, several ninjutsu attacks prepared by Iwagakure flew directly at him.
However, this reaction had already been anticipated by Seiki.
After drawing out the enemy's attack, he immediately used Flying Thunder God to retreat back to the opening. Before Iwa's second wave arrived, he led everyone out.
Although a few enemies deliberately avoided hitting him, such scattered efforts were no longer enough to pose any threat.
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Landing on the ground, Seiki's gaze lingered briefly on Mui, who was being restrained, before he "casually" shifted his eyes away.
Noticing Seiki's subtle movement, Onoki inwardly rejoiced but still spoke in a mocking tone. "You little mice have really sharp noses. You tracked us down so quickly."
Seiki spoke in a low voice. "Elder Onoki, what you're doing now is too dangerous. It would be best if you stopped while you still can."
Onoki sneered. "Are all Leaf ninja as naive as you? Actually trying to persuade me to stop at a time like this!"
Danzo urged them. "There's nothing more to say to this stubborn old man. Just start fighting!"
Seiki raised his right hand and calmly stared ahead. "At least let the Kusa ninja go first. There's no need to drag innocent people into our conflict."
Onoki showed clear displeasure. "Do you think you're qualified to lecture me on how to act?"
Then he looked at Mui. "Until this brat proves to me the correct method for breaking the seal, he'll just have to stay here quietly."
"There's nothing left to talk about!" Seiki's eyes narrowed slightly. He formed hand seals and slammed his hands onto the ground. A frost spreading with chilling cold rapidly advanced toward Iwa's side.
Roshi, who had recovered most of his strength, stepped forward and spat out a lava fire wall blocking the frost's advancement.
The collision between ice and flame instantly created a scorching hot mist.
This clash seemed to ignite the war signal, quickly escalating the battlefield into chaos.
"Hmph! Should've done this long ago!" Danzo snorted coldly before decisively stepping back several paces. "I use wind-style jutsu. You guys go first—I'll cover you!"
Rasa twitched the corner of his mouth, suddenly thinking Elder Chiyo wasn't so bad after all.
But this time, he didn't plan to just sit back like a useless piece of driftwood anymore.
In Sunagakure, he'd been lying low and building up his strength for far too long—now it was time for the shinobi world to witness the might of this Kazekage!
[Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!]
This move, dripping with the aura of wealth, indeed weighed heavily upon Iwagakure.
"Didn't expect this fellow to be this powerful!"
"Tch! I thought all he knew how to do was dig!"
Because of the disparity in strength, even though Iwagakure had the advantage in numbers, they were still being pushed into a disadvantageous position.
"Roshi hasn't fully recovered yet, Han needs to supply chakra, and Kitsuchi has to fight while keeping control of Mui…" Onoki's frown deepened. "Right now, things are really not looking good for us. We can only rely on my aerial advantage to keep them preoccupied with Dust Release techniques, preventing them from using their full strength..."
As Onoki pondered, he suddenly sensed something off on the battlefield below.
Roshi was actually locked in a brutal stalemate against Seiki Shimaseki!
Even at his best, Roshi couldn't hope to beat Seiki. So why were they now fighting so evenly?
"Maybe Seiki hasn't fully recovered either. It must be true—he must've taken heavy damage from fighting powerful enemies like Hanzo and Roshi back-to-back!" As this thought struck him, Onoki's eyes lit up with realization. "This time, we might actually have a real chance of taking him down!"
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