The Stone Hidden ninja army, while larger in number, was vastly inferior in overall quality to the Sand Hidden forces, which had received more than one power boost.
If it weren't for the need to look after too many young ninjas who required training, the situation for Stone Hidden would have been even more dire.
Even these young ninjas had, for the most part, learned Breathing Styles.
However, the Stone Hidden ninjas were defending their village, so their morale was high, and they fought fearlessly. Even when their lines were broken by the stronger Sand Hidden forces, they didn't give up. Instead, organized by their Jonin, they formed small units on the battlefield, cooperating to the best of their ability to hold back the Sand Hidden.
Unfortunately, their high-end combat power was insufficient.
"Earth Release: Hard-Packing Technique!"
A colossal rock giant rose from the ground, its fist smashing towards the massive Four-Tails Son Gokū.
The latter's two ape-like arms bulged, pushing the rock giant down as they engaged in close combat.
Within just a few exchanges, cracks began to appear on the giant's surface.
If it were only this, the rock giant would have been shattered very quickly.
It was just that Kitsuchi was also continuously using other Earth Release ninjutsu to restrict and impede the Four-Tails.
He was familiar with the Tailed Beast's fighting style, and Uzumaki Ayane lacked sufficient practical experience. Although she could stably control the Tailed Beast's power, she couldn't fully unleash it. For a time, the two fought to a stalemate.
But while Kitsuchi could hold back Uzumaki Ayane, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, no one else could stop Baki, the One-Tails Jinchuriki.
Compared to Uzumaki Ayane, Baki was originally an Elite Jonin specializing in Wind Release, with extensive combat experience. Combined with Shukaku's power, whose nature leaned towards wind, his current combat strength placed him among the front ranks of Kage-level experts.
If several Elite Jonin had joined forces, they might have been able to contend for a while, but the Sand Hidden had nearly a hundred experts comparable to Elite Jonin.
And besides Baki, there were also Oyakata En and Nitta Shunji, two Elite Jonin with near Kage-level strength, equipped with enhanced Puppet Armor – the latter being Uzumaki Ayane's current boyfriend.
The Stone Hidden Village ninjas, relying on temporary bravery, could temporarily hold back the Sand Hidden army, but over time, they would definitely not be able to endure.
As for the leader of the Stone Hidden Village, the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, he was currently flying in the sky, looking at Qingshui with a wary expression.
Unlike the higher-ups in the Sand Hidden Village, he didn't know how terrifying Qingshui's current strength was. But even based solely on the combat power Qingshui displayed in the last Great Ninja War, it was by no means something he, Onoki, could block alone.
In the Third Great Ninja War, Qingshui had already proven he possessed strength surpassing the Kage-level. Unless a speed-focused ninja intervened, it would require at least three Kage-level experts to stop Qingshui.
While this was formidable, it wasn't to a despair-inducing degree.
At least in Onoki's view, if his old bones were willing to risk their lives, he might be able to, like the Third Hokage who died in battle, hold off Qingshui for a while, buying time for the Stone Hidden Village ninjas to escape.
Yes, Onoki no longer expected the Stone Hidden Village to win, nor did he even expect them to hold their ground.
It was impossible for him to defeat Qingshui, and the Stone Hidden ninjas led by Kitsuchi below also couldn't defeat the Sand Hidden ninjas, whose average strength far surpassed their own and who had two Tailed Beasts as their sharpest blades.
All they could do was delay for as long as possible, allowing more people to escape and preserve their lineage.
Then, they would inflict a heavy blow on the enemies who destroyed Stone Hidden!
"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
A thick beam of Dust Release light enveloped Qingshui but was easily dodged.
With a long activation and slow speed, no matter how great the power, it was useless.
"Kekkei Tōta, it's somewhat interesting, but it's being wasted in your hands,"
Qingshui appeared behind Onoki with an unhurried, leisurely stroll and commented.
He wasn't serious at all, nor did he intend to be.
However, since he wanted to train his troops below, Qingshui also wanted to observe Onoki's Dust Release more.
After all, it was the only Kekkei Tōta in the Ninja World that currently fused three chakra natures, making it highly valuable for research.
If, perhaps, in the future, Qingshui also intended to cultivate the other three chakra natures and fuse them with his existing two to form a Kekkei Mōra, then the Kekkei Tōta Dust Release might have some reference value.
This wasn't as good as Truth-Seeking Orbs, but it was a decent "youth version." Even Qingshui acknowledged the power of Dust Release.
It was a pity that Onoki wasn't strong enough.
If this old man had more chakra and a higher output limit, he could reduce the activation time and expand the range. If Dust Release could hit enemies more easily, it would be even more unstoppable.
Qingshui felt that with just Onoki possessing such strength, given Dust Release's terrifying destructive power, if the user had a chakra pool like a Tailed Beast, their strength would likely be elevated to the Super Kage level.
If they had the chakra reserves of the Nine-Tails, they might even be able to contend with Senju Hashirama in his base form without Sage Art.
Compared to other conventional ninjutsu, Dust Release wasn't as easily countered by Wood Release, and its range was sufficiently large.
Even if Wood Release could absorb chakra, as long as Dust Release's decomposition speed could match Wood Release's regeneration speed, it would be a fight.
Wood Release was strong because Senju Hashirama was strong, but Dust Release wasn't strong because of Onoki.
As a Kekkei Tōta, Dust Release's destructive power and potential were inherently superior to ordinary Kekkei Genkai.
This was why Qingshui felt Dust Release was being wasted on Onoki.
"Whether it's wasted or not isn't for you to say, you brat of a Fourth Kazekage, the old man has no intention of letting you leave here easily today!"
White light illuminated Onoki's aged face as he once again shot the beam towards Qingshui's location.
However, with shimmering bright blue sparks, as Qingshui raised a finger, a circular Teleportation Halo appeared before him, swallowing the Dust Release.
The other end of the halo emerged behind Onoki.
"Not good!"
As an elder older than the Third Hokage, Onoki could be considered a true powerhouse who had come through the Warring States period. His combat experience was extremely rich. The moment he saw the Teleportation Halo, he reacted instantly, using the Light-Heavy Rock Technique to drag himself and smash rapidly towards the ground, avoiding his own Dust Release beam.
Onoki narrowly dodged Qingshui's counterattack. However, as soon as his body landed, countless lightning bolts surged from the ground, transforming into a sea of lightning.
"What powerful Lightning Release!"
He spat out balls of earth and rock from his mouth, forming spherical rock walls to protect himself within, blocking the lightning attacks as he crashed into the ground.
Onoki never expected that he would be in such perilous situations right at the start of their engagement.
The opponent's strength was terrifyingly formidable!
"Your reaction is quite sharp."
Qingshui's expression held a hint of playing with his prey.
Meanwhile, below ground, Onoki was also catching his breath and quickly contemplating a way to break free.
"A spatial ninjutsu I've never seen before, it actually displaced my Dust Release attack. It seems that's how Sand Hidden could move so many people at once with this spatial ninjutsu!
Launching a long-range Dust Release attack takes time, and the opponent possesses spatial ninjutsu, making it almost impossible to hit them. It's also impossible to control them using conventional ninjutsu, so I can only try to close the distance and attack with a faster ninjutsu."
Thoughts flashed through his mind rapidly. His extensive combat experience told Onoki what he needed to do at this moment.
Engaging Qingshui at close range would be extremely dangerous.
The opponent was known for his Puppetry from the start of his career. Everyone in the Ninja World knew that to defeat a Puppet Master from the Sand Hidden Village, one had to close the distance and attack their true body.
However, while the principle was clear, no Puppet Master would easily allow others to breach their personal space.
Not to mention that Qingshui's fame wasn't solely due to his Puppetry.
Swordplay, Separation Release, Lightning Release, Wind Release, Flying Thunder God, Medical Ninjutsu, and so on, were all signature abilities that could establish a powerful Kage-level shinobi.
Whether it was close-combat ability, mobility, or even self-preservation capabilities, they were all exaggeratedly strong.
And now, the opponent was clearly not using his full strength, nor had he even deployed all his puppets.
He clearly didn't take Onoki seriously.
This was an opportunity!
"Earth Release: Earth Core!"
The ground trembled, and a towering earthen platform instantly rose.
Onoki's short figure stood on the platform, rapidly approaching Qingshui. Rocks, enhanced with the Light-Heavy Rock Technique, floated around him as defense. His palms faced each other, emitting white light as he charged directly at Qingshui.
"Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
A massive, transparent white cube expanded at that moment, attempting to envelop Qingshui.
Qingshui, however, employed the same tactic again, opening a Teleportation Halo in front of him, with the other end behind Onoki.
"Fell into my trap!"
Onoki's face lit up with excitement. The Dust Release light in his hand instantly extinguished. His small body swiftly turned and charged towards the Teleportation Halo behind him, then emerged from the Teleportation Halo in front of Qingshui.
On his small fist, a massive rock condensed into a fist.
"Earth Release: Rock Fist!"
"Earth Release: Ultra Heavy Rock Technique!"
The giant rock fist, under the effect of the Ultra Heavy Rock Technique, moved with incredible speed and immense power. In its friction with the air, it generated flames akin to those produced by falling meteors.
"Bang!"
Qingshui's expression was calm as he threw a punch in Onoki's direction.
"Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist!"
The air exploded, and a terrifying wave of energy erupted, transforming into a sharp whirlwind.
The rock fist, caught in the direct path, shattered into pieces along the whirlwind's trajectory.
Onoki's body, like a broken puppet, was blasted into the ground.
Qingshui had used his full strength for this punch.
Onoki couldn't withstand it.
In the depths of the crater, cracked like a spiderweb, Onoki's body lay within, coughing up blood and even internal organs.
He wasn't dead yet, but he was barely clinging to life.
"Even the sturdiest rock will eventually turn to sand under the erosion of a hurricane. Onoki of the Two-Tails, you have lost, and the Stone Hidden Village has lost. From today onwards, the so-called Stone Hidden will become history, and this place will only become territory of the Sand Hidden Village."
Qingshui's figure slowly descended into the air not far from Onoki, looking at his glasses, whose divine light was gradually dimming.
The latter reluctantly raised his hands. White light surged between them, attempting to gather chakra one last time to cast Dust Release.
Qingshui didn't give him the chance.
Sword energy flew out, transforming into a bright mirror, which then shattered violently.
Onoki's hands were now bleeding, shattered along with the mirror.
A bloodline appeared on Onoki's neck.
Then, the head of the old man with a large nose, long white hair, and a receding hairline rolled from his small body clad in a Kage robe.
Qingshui's eyes shifted slightly as he extended a hand, reaching out towards Onoki's corpse.
"Spirit Control and Summoning."
The avatar of Yi Ren World had obtained this among the Eight Unique Skills from the Feng father and son some time ago, and Qingshui had already successfully mastered it.
Wisps of black energy surged from Onoki's body towards Qingshui's palm, eventually transforming into a disheveled, small spirit.
The large nose on its face made it easy to identify this as Onoki's soul.
As a Kage-level expert, Onoki's spiritual power was quite strong. After becoming a soul, he wasn't dazed from the lack of a physical body; instead, he maintained his sanity.
"You've actually forcibly controlled my soul! I never imagined you'd invent a ninjutsu more sinister than the Leaf Village's Impure World Reincarnation jutsu to deal with it!"
Onoki's soul indignantly addressed Qingshui.
"You're resisting me quite a bit, but resistance is useless."
Qingshui reached for Onoki's head, gripping him tightly.
Unlike spirit mediums or shamans, Spirit Control and Summoning doesn't require appeasing spirits or building relationships to borrow their power.
Spirit Control and Summoning possesses absolute suppression abilities over spiritual bodies. Once a soul falls into the hands of a Spirit Control and Summoning user, it can only be manipulated at their will.
"Tell me all of Stone Village's hidden treasures and secrets, where your heritage is hidden, which secret passages allow for escape. Oh, and also tell me about Lava Release and Dust Release, as well as secret Earth Release ninjutsu like Light-Heavy Rock Technique and Heavy Rock Technique."
Qingshui glanced at the now-decidedly-won battlefield and spoke to Onoki.
Onoki also witnessed the defeat of the Stone Hidden ninjas. His eyes widened, unwilling to submit to Qingshui, yet he was unable to control himself and honestly revealed everything Qingshui wanted to know.
"Very good."
The black energy surged, and Onoki's soul flew into the air, entering through the crown of Qingshui's head.
Qingshui clapped his hands together, and his body, which had been standing on the ground, slowly broke free from gravity, floating up before settling back down to the ground.
Light-Heavy Rock Technique and Heavy Rock Technique.
Besides these, there was also...
"Ding!"
A small, bright white cube appeared in Qingshui's palm and then vanished.
Dust Release!
By attaching Onoki's spirit to himself, Qingshui could also master Onoki's skills to a certain extent.
Although there was a considerable gap compared to Onoki in his prime, he could still recover about sixty to seventy percent of them.
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