Ōnoki possessed the will to protect Iwagakure. Under that conviction, he had, in a sense, surpassed his own limits.
But in the end, he still failed to completely protect the village. He could see it clearly—at least ten percent of Iwagakure had been destroyed by that Super Shinra Tensei, and those villagers…
"Konan, Kakuzu, Sasori, it's ti for us to go!"
"The score between us and Iwagakure has been settled!"
Up in the sky, after unleashing Super Shinra Tensei, Pain also felt a wave of exhaustion.
However, Pain understood his own condition better than anyone—his current state was far from good. If Iwagakure were to launch a counterattack now, neither he nor the Akatsuki would necessarily have the strength to leave.
"Not taking anything with us? For example… Ōnoki's body?"
Sasori's gaze remained fixed on Ōnoki. Though the old man was aged, both his Dust Release and his Earth Release were things Sasori coveted greatly.
"Since he protected this land, let him be buried here."
Pain shook his head. He could tell that Ōnoki's life had been completely burned away. To put it bluntly, whether Ōnoki could even survive until they left was already uncertain.
"And if we really took Ōnoki with us, it'd be hard for us to leave."
Kakuzu added calmly. He could see that after using that terrifying technique, Pain was no longer at his peak. And not just him—the ninjas of Iwagakure would likely notice that as well.
"Let's go."
Paper wings unfolded behind Konan. As they spread, explosive tags surged beneath her feet, forming a flowing tide that Kakuzu and Sasori could stand on.
"This thing isn't going to suddenly explode, right?"
"We just pulled off sothing huge. If we die at our own hands, that'd be pretty ridiculous."
Looking down at the explosive tags beneath him, Kakuzu couldn't help but complain. Since when could explosive tags carry people through the air? If they went off, even with multiple lives, he wasn't confident he'd survive.
As the white tide of explosive tags rose into the sky, Ōnoki's eyes finally showed a trace of relief.
"It's over…"
He let out a long breath. This battle had made him realize that the strength of the Akatsuki likely exceeded the imagination of the entire shinobi world.
But at the sa ti, he also realized sothing—
This Akatsuki had already suffered losses after fighting Uchiha Keizumi!
"I really wonder just how strong that Uchiha Keizumi is…"
"Unfortunately… I probably won't get to see it."
Ōnoki sighed, staring blankly at the blue sky. He understood his own body better than anyone—after unleashing that level of power, he truly had no way to survive.
"Father!"
"Sensei!"
With the Akatsuki's retreat, Deidara, Kitsuchi, and even Kurotsuchi rushed over.
When Kitsuchi saw the devastating injuries covering his father's body, his eyes couldn't help but turn red. Even Deidara—who usually annoyed Ōnoki to no end—called out "Sensei" instead of "old man."
"After I die, Kitsuchi will beco the next Tsuchikage."
"Kitsuchi, you haven't mastered Dust Release. So when Deidara does, you should pass the position to him."
"Deidara, I know you're obsessed with your so-called art of explosion. I don't oppose it—your clay techniques are powerful. But I still hope you can calm yourself and learn Dust Release."
"Or… after I die, pass Dust Release on to another shinobi in Iwagakure who can master it."
"Preserve Dust Release—that is my only request of you."
Ōnoki looked at Kitsuchi and Deidara before glancing at Kurotsuchi, who was crying openly. Regret filled his heart—he had yet to truly teach Deidara Dust Release… he had yet to see Kurotsuchi and Deidara get married… and yet, he was about to die like this.
"Father, we'll go to Konoha and ask Tsunade! If we can bring her here, you'll definitely be saved!"
Kitsuchi forced himself to hold back his tears, trying to give Ōnoki even a sliver of will to live.
But after hearing this, Ōnoki only slowly shook his head.
He knew his own body—his bones were shattered beyond count. His already aged body had been completely consud under that extre strain.
Let alone Tsunade—even if the Sage of Six Paths returned, Ōnoki felt there was little chance he could be saved.
In these final monts, the one he worried about most… was still his disciple, Deidara.
As Ōnoki shook his head, it seed to drain the last of his strength. His gaze toward the sky gradually froze… then turned vacant.
"Sensei…"
Seeing the life fade from Ōnoki's body, Deidara stood there, montarily at a loss.
At this point, Deidara had not yet entered his rebellious phase. His bond with Ōnoki still ran deep. Watching his teacher die before his eyes left him unable to process what he was feeling.
"Akatsuki!"
"I won't forget this!"
"One day, I'll find your base—and I'll do to you exactly what you did to Iwagakure! I'll blow you—and your entire base—into the sky!"
Deidara shouted his vow. Right now, he had only one thought—to return everything the Akatsuki had done to Iwagakure.
For Iwagakure, this would be a day they would never forget. The entire village was imrsed in grief.
anwhile, Konoha was bathed in celebration.
After Tsunade took office as Hokage, although she had yet to implent any policies, Konoha already seed to have stepped into a new era.
But beneath that lively atmosphere, others were already making their moves.
For example—Uchiha Obito.
"The information's confird. That guy Uchiha Keizumi really did return the Tenseigan to the Hyūga Clan."
"And now, among the main family, only Hyūga Neji, Hyūga Hinata, and Hyūga Hanabi remain."
"Hanabi is still too young—there's almost no chance the Tenseigan is in her hands."
"Hinata is originally from the main branch, while Neji, though older, used to be from the branch family."
"As long as we keep an eye on Neji and Hinata, it won't take long before we find out who holds the Great Tenseigan."
Black Zetsu felt sowhat speechless at Obito's actions.
They had finally taken advantage of the Hokage selection period to infiltrate Konoha—and yet Obito, instead of handling business, had co to the graveyard first to mourn Rin.
And judging by his current state, if no one interrupted him, he could stay here for half the day.
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