Earth Style: Rock Fist Jutsu!
Ōnoki struck first. He didn't reveal his ultimate techniques right away—only hardened his arm in stone and swung a massive punch toward Senju Haruto.
But Ōnoki knew full well—against an elite jōnin, maybe this level of power could do something. Against a monster like Haruto? A simple physical strike would never land a decisive blow.
And just before the rock fist connected, Ōnoki revealed his true move.
"Earth Style: Added-Weight Rock Jutsu!"
With a deep growl, the stone encasing his arm grew exponentially heavier. The sudden weight nearly threw his balance off and sent him tumbling out of the air.
"Damn it… my back—!" Ōnoki grit his teeth as pain flared sharp in his waist.
If only he were five years younger. No—even just three. Without such a frail body weighing him down, this battle might have been a little easier.
Not winnable—but easier.
"No… it's precisely because of this that I must fight like myself once more."
"Rock Fist, enhanced with Added-Weight Rock, hm? The strength is there, but…"
Haruto glanced sideways, barely sparing him a look—yet already saw through his intent.
As someone who had crossed into this world, Haruto naturally knew all there was to know about the Kage.
Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage of the Fourth Shinobi World War, had shone brightly on the battlefield. A powerful supporting force. Haruto didn't even have to think twice to recall his records.
More than that—through his system's sign-ins, Haruto had already obtained Ōnoki's signature bloodline: Dust Release.
A fusion of wind, fire, and earth chakra. A technique above kekkei genkai—classified as a kekkei tōta.
The same technique that had once annihilated twenty-five of Uchiha Madara's Wood Clone Susanoo, as well as a partial Susanoo itself. Its destructive power was fearsome beyond measure.
Unfortunately for Ōnoki, when he faced Madara, the man had already been revived with Edo Tensei and wielded the Rinnegan.
Edo Tensei bodies could endure Dust Release, recovering with time.
The Rinnegan outright absorbed it.
In other words—it was Ōnoki's natural counter.
Otherwise, his fight with Madara might not have been so hopeless. Especially with the aid of the other Kage.
"…In that case, I'll answer with this."
Haruto's lips curved into a faint smile as he flared his chakra, giving it form.
Susanoo—manifest!
Rumble!
Ōnoki's weight-enhanced Rock Fist slammed straight into Haruto's newly-formed Susanoo.
The strike landed hard. But it still failed to break through.
Not even the skeletal frame of Susanoo yielded.
"That's it? Is that all you've got, Ōnoki?" Haruto glanced at the spot struck, unharmed, unimpressed.
To say that punch carried "enough strength" was almost giving him too much credit.
"Funny. The first time the Five Kage ever broke through Madara's Susanoo, it was with Fourth Raikage A's Lightning Chakra Mode at full force—combined with your Added-Weight Rock Jutsu."
The details came to Haruto's mind easily.
Ōnoki's Rock Fist alone couldn't compare. Not in speed. Not in strength.
And besides—Haruto's Susanoo was stronger than Madara's ever was.
Seeing the Tsuchikage and Raikage fight side by side did stir something inside him, a flicker of excitement. He respected their courage, their choices.
But still… at this level, it was far too dull.
As expected.
"Willpower, no matter how strongly inherited, doesn't change strength. Against absolute power, every trick is just decoration. Especially something as intangible as will."
Even in the face of Susanoo, Ōnoki's so-called Will of Stone could not change the outcome.
Besides—he wasn't the only one with will.
Haruto had no need for something like the Will of Fire. But his own will was just as firm as anyone's.
The will to unify the shinobi world.
The will of inevitability.
A river rushing to the sea.
The rolling wheel of history.
"And I'm not done yet!"
Darui's shout cut through Haruto's thoughts.
Gone was the lazy, half-hearted expression he was known for. His eyes now burned with determination and fighting spirit. His chest surged with passion like never before.
Truth was—after the death of the Fourth Raikage, Darui hadn't been idle. Even if he appeared listless, in secret he had trained constantly, day after day, honing his strength.
And at last—he had mastered a technique reserved for Raikage alone.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode!
With both hands he drew the twin blades from his back. Blue lightning erupted around him, enveloping his entire body, surging through every vein.
Power. Speed. Both leapt to an entirely new level.
"This is…" Kakashi tugged down his forehead protector, his Sharingan eye fixed on Darui.
As someone who could also use a form of Lightning Chakra Mode, Kakashi knew full well just how far Darui had come.
Omoi, Karui, Kitsuchi, Kurotsuchi—all of them stared wide-eyed.
It was the first time any of them had seen such a power radiate from Darui.
"Isn't that the signature jutsu of the Third and Fourth Raikage?"
"When did Lord Fifth master it? Maybe… maybe we really can win!"
Ōnoki, too, couldn't help but glance over, astonished.
He remembered clearly—during the Third Shinobi World War, the Third Raikage had used this very technique to battle an army of ten thousand ninja. None could stop him until his body finally gave out from exhaustion.
Now, seeing Darui command the same ability with ease, it was as though he were looking at the Raikage of old.
And then—Darui vanished.
"What—he's gone?!" Zabuza gasped. For a battle-hardened assassin like him, to lose sight of an opponent was unthinkable.
Even Kakashi felt his stomach sink. Darui's speed had already surpassed his own.
He was faster.
"Ōnoki!"
Darui's voice rang out as he reappeared in a blur—at Haruto's left side.
His fist clenched, crackling with black lightning, he drove it toward Haruto's chest. At the same moment, he shouted the Tsuchikage's name.
The spot he had chosen wasn't just Haruto's left flank—it was directly in front of Ōnoki.
Ōnoki instantly understood his intent. He pressed both hands on Darui's shoulders.
"Earth Style: Added-Weight Rock Jutsu!"
The same combination that had once been born on the battlefield of the Fourth Great Ninja War—
—now appeared once more!