Ōnoki held his hands together in front of his chest, and a cubic barrier glowing with white light began to form between his palms.
Almost the same moment Dust Release began to gather, the Scaled Wood Dragon circling near Ōnoki struck. Its wings folded as it lowered its armored head, aiming its horns straight at Ōnoki and diving toward him.
"Father, watch out!"
Below, Kitsuchi had been watching the battle closely. His expression changed as he shouted.
"Hah!"
Akatsuchi, who had been guarding Ōnoki from the rear, let out a thunderous roar.
"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"
He clenched his fists. His arms bulged, a gray-brown sheen spread over his skin, and he punched straight at the charging dragon's head.
Fist collided with horns.
Bang!
A shockwave exploded outward. Akatsuchi let out a muffled groan, his arms trembling violently as his body slid back several meters.
But the Scaled Wood Dragon's momentum was stopped by that punch. That brief delay was enough.
Ōnoki pushed his arms forward, aiming the cube at Shinichi atop the Wood Human's head.
"Die!"
Wherever the Dust Release passed, the air was decomposed and the light distorted, as if it would erase both the black-clad figure and the wood golem beneath him from the world.
Shinichi watched the white light shoot straight toward him. The next instant, he kicked off and leaped backward, leaving the top of the Wood Human and landing on the rocky platform below.
Almost at the same time, the white light struck the wood golem's head.
There was no explosion, no flames... only silent annihilation. The golem's head vanished the moment it touched the white light, leaving behind a mirror-smooth cut.
In an instant, the hundred-meter wood golem was headless.
Shinichi landed on the rocky platform and looked up at the headless golem with an indifferent gaze.
"As expected," he muttered. "Without the ability to absorb ninjutsu, facing this move... I still need to avoid a direct clash."
"After all, Dust Release... is something even Madara's Susanoo couldn't withstand."
His gaze shifted to Ōnoki, who was floating in midair. Ōnoki's expression was cold and stern, as if the attack had succeeded.
But his slightly ragged breathing and the sharp drop in his chakra did not escape Shinichi's perception.
Shinichi's mouth curled slightly.
"No matter... it's only a little damage."
His massive chakra surged, and the headless wood golem regenerated in an instant before charging toward the Iwagakure army again.
Shinichi looked at Ōnoki and said coldly, "I didn't come this far because of clever ninjutsu combinations, much less some bullshit combat wisdom. It's overwhelming power that makes tactics and techniques meaningless."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But what about you, Ōnoki? How many times can you use Dust Release?"
'When the Thousand-Armed Kan'on descends with the four dragons, what will you use to stop it?'
Thinking this, Shinichi raised his hands and pressed them together in front of his chest, using the move that had just been interrupted.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"
Ōnoki hovered in midair, his expression darkening as he watched the Wood Human regenerate in an instant and charge toward them.
Dust Release was powerful, but it drained too much chakra. Worse, its path was direct, making fast targets difficult to catch.
The failed strike had already left his body sluggish.
'We have to settle this quickly. I can't let him throw around that monstrous chakra so freely... Damn it. Of all people, I had to run into an opponent like this!'
Ōnoki had no good answer for Shinichi's fighting style.
Just as that thought appeared, the situation suddenly changed. The entire ground beneath them began to tremble.
It was not just one area. As far as the eye could see, the entire battlefield, and even the outskirts of Iwagakure farther away, seemed to groan at the same time.
"Hmm!? ...Not good!"
Ōnoki's expression changed drastically. He looked down and shouted, "Everyone, be careful! This is that brat's..."
His warning stopped there. The scene below was even worse than he had expected.
Rumble!
Countless giant vines, more than ten meters thick and covered in sharp wooden spikes and strange flower buds, erupted from the ground.
"Is this... Wood Release!?"
"Watch out!"
Cries of shock and screams rang out at the same time. A giant vine swept across the battlefield, catching three Iwa ninja in the middle of forming seals and sending them flying with a dull crack.
"Earth Release! Use Earth Release to block it!"
Nearby, several giant trees closed in, crushing and swallowing a small team of Iwa ninja along with the rock walls they had raised in defense.
"It's no use! Earth Release can't stop them! They're too strong!"
"Rock Fist Technique: Strong Power!"
Akatsuchi roared, expanding his petrified fists to their limit before smashing them fiercely against a main vine sweeping toward him.
Crack!
The giant vine snapped from the impact, but it made little difference. The severed vine regenerated instantly and continued lashing at the ninja below.
Kitsuchi was even more overwhelmed.
The hundred-meter Wood Human, accompanied by four dragons, rampaged through the army, instantly splitting the entire battlefield into several sections.
He had no time to support the others.
Ōnoki watched his troops fall into a desperate situation in an instant, and fury filled his eyes.
"Bastard!"
He roared and formed the hand seals for Dust Release again.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Where the white light passed, the giant trees and vines were silently annihilated, carving out an empty space. But beyond that empty space, more giant trees kept growing and filling the gap.
Sweat appeared on Ōnoki's brow. He could clear one area. He could clear ten. But this forest covered several kilometers and was still expanding. How long could he keep clearing it?
The jutsu covered too much ground and grew too quickly. Even Dust Release could barely keep up with its regeneration.
"How is this possible... Is his chakra truly infinite?"
Ōnoki's breathing grew ragged as he looked down at the Iwagakure troops struggling in the green tide, their numbers thinning.
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