Konoha: This Uchiha is extremely sneaky

Chapter 542 Old Problems

"Everyone!"

The short-statured Onoki floated in the air, roaring loudly, trying to make his presence known to every Allied Ninja present.

"Once we pass through that pass, we can reach the heart of the enemy."

"If everyone just puts in a little more effort, we can thwart the Akatsuki's plot, and then we can go home and continue enjoying peace!"

A vast plain is dotted with shimmering lakes.

At the edge of the plain, a large ninja alliance gathered at a strategically important valley entrance.

The canyon is shaped like a trumpet, wider at the outside and narrower at the inside.

From outside the canyon, one can see that it is shrouded in mist, and amidst the shadows, there are a large number of white figures guarding the canyon.

"oh!"

The scattered echoes eventually coalesced into a loud roar, startling a pair of birds flying overhead, causing them to turn away in panic.

"attack!"

With a loud shout, Onoki raised his arm and swung it, leading the charge towards the distant canyon.

"Tsuchikage, don't be so impulsive. You need to be careful!"

Wearing an ordinary Sand Ninja combat uniform, Gaara, with quicksand beneath his feet, also flew through the air.

Seeing such a passionate and energetic Earth Shadow, one can't help but feel a bit of a headache.

Unexpectedly, the Tsuchikage, who has always been very wary of outsiders, would one day take the initiative to lead an attack.

"No need to worry, the ninja who can kill me hasn't been born yet!" Onoki said with a nonchalant smile, "Besides, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this is my last time stepping onto the battlefield. There won't be another chance like this."

Even he, known for his stubbornness, had to admit that the peace of recent years was truly intoxicating.

Although there were some bumps along the way, and numerous trade disputes, it was commonplace for each other to undermine each other.

However, this method of resolving disputes through politics, trade, and negotiation is far better than their previous practice of fighting each other.

He could already foresee that after this war, there would likely be no large-scale war retaliation in the ninja world in the short term.

Especially after this collaboration.

He's getting old, and if he doesn't make the most of his remaining abilities, the fame of Dust Escape might soon be forgotten.

"What is that?"

Standing high, one can see far. Ōnoki, flying in the air, rubbed his eyes, trying hard to make out a tiny black dot in the distance.

"Could it be that the Akatsuki has a new flying unit?"

He muttered something to himself first, then turned to ask Gaara beside him.

"Kazekage, do you see that black dot over there?"

After trying hard, he still couldn't figure out what the black dot rising from the ground was. Onoki stretched out his arm and pointed into the distance.

"There seems to be nothing there!"

Following Onoki's finger, Gaara saw that the place was completely empty and began to mutter to himself.

"Is this elderly person experiencing presbyopia?"

The Tsuchikage is not young anymore and has presbyopia, so it's understandable that he misread it.

"No?"

Turning his head to take a closer look, he saw nothing but distant white clouds. Onoki's eyebrows furrowed so deeply they were almost knotted together.

"Be careful!"

Just as Onoki was struggling with his decision, a beam of soft white light shone down from the distant sky, as if a flashlight had been turned on.

"That's impossible!"

Upon first seeing this light, Onoki trembled, staring at the white light shining towards him in disbelief.

"This is Dust Release. In the entire ninja world, apart from myself and the late Second Hokage, no one else possesses this kind of bloodline limit elimination."

So shocked was Onoki that he forgot his most pressing concern: dodging the attack. His eyes were wide open, staring intently at the source of the white light.

"Damn it!"

Having just shifted his position, Gaara looked at the Tsuchikage who was about to be attacked, somewhat annoyed.

"go!"

With a wave of his hand, a clump of crystalline sand shot out from the gourd on his back and flew towards Onoki.

The reason it is described as sparkling is because this clump of flying yellow sand is sand that Gaara carefully selected and repeatedly washed.

It has regained some of the original color of quartz, and when exposed to sunlight, it will also shimmer with a rainbow of colors.

Because of Toshiro, Gaara knew long ago that his mother's soul resided in the sand that protected her.

How could these grains of sand become so dirty? Not only do we frequently wash them with precious clean water, but we also replace some of the unusable sand from time to time.

The sand that was replaced was, of course, carefully selected.

Normally, when facing enemies, he wouldn't bear to let the sand get stained with even a trace of blood. If it weren't for saving the Tsuchikage this time, he probably wouldn't have been willing to use this sand at all.

*Pfft!* *Snap!*

Using the impact of the sand, Onoki was pushed off his original flight path, thus avoiding the white light.

"Ah... my back!"

Before Gaara could retrieve the sand containing his mother's soul, Onoki, who had just escaped death, clutched his aching back and let out a mournful howl.

He froze in mid-air, like a stone statue, not daring to move an inch.

"..."

Upon seeing this scene, even Gaara, who is not fond of saying much, felt an urge to make a sarcastic remark.

He knew that it was because the sand he had thrown out in his haste was too fast and happened to hit Onoki's wing that caused all of this.

But the old man's back is too fragile!

And... the way you were all fired up and leading the charge just now, I thought you could fight for another 20 years.

That's it?

"Tsuchikage, are you... alright?"

With a twitch of his lips, Gaara, seeing Onoki's state, disregarded the attacker and quickly manipulated the sand to protect him.

"No... hiss!"

I was just about to move around to show that I was okay, but reality quickly proved me wrong.

His body swayed in the air. If Gaara's sand hadn't caught him, he probably would have fallen headfirst into the air and become the first Kage in the ninja world to die from a fall.

"Watch out, they're attacking!"

Just as they breathed a sigh of relief, before Onoki could even catch his breath, another cylindrical beam of white light shone towards them.

He immediately reminded Gaara, who was standing nearby, to dodge, and of course, he couldn't forget to bring his ally along.

"Thank you, Kazekage!"

Having dodged the attack again, Onoki breathed a sigh of relief.

This time, being prepared, although the pain was still somewhat unbearable, the back pain did not worsen when being carried by the Wind Shadow to dodge attacks.

Otherwise, it would truly be adding insult to injury.

If he were to die here because of this, he would become an indelible stain on the reputation of Iwagakure.

(End of this chapter)