Facing Shinji's undiminished speed, Ōnoki reacted instinctively in his astonishment.
His hands quickly crossed in front of his chest, and Earth Chakra rapidly condensed and hardened.
Earth Release: Hardening Technique!
The technique had just formed when Shinji's kick landed heavily on Ōnoki's crossed, defensive arms.
Crack!
A clear, teeth-grinding sound of bone cracking was audible. The armor on Ōnoki's arms shattered, and the immense force ignored the defense of the Hardening Technique. It instantly penetrated through, slamming fiercely into Ōnoki's chest.
"Pfft—!"
Ōnoki spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his entire body crashing towards the ground like a cannonball. In the air, a curved line of blood lingered.
Rumble!
The massive impact caused Ōnoki's body to tumble continuously like a fire wheel. The ground cracked, and countless fissures exploded along with Ōnoki's trajectory.
"Ugh ah—!"
Ōnoki, who had finally managed to stop, spat out another large mouthful of blood. The violent impact made him feel as if all his internal organs had shifted.
Most importantly, the continuous collisions made him feel intense pain in his waist, almost causing him to lose consciousness.
"Old man, weren't you quite capable?"
Shinji, seizing the advantage, showed no mercy. Lightning sparked from his hand as he stomped his foot and charged at Ōnoki.
Lightning Release: Chidori!
His figure, moving at extreme speed, shot towards Ōnoki like a bolt of lightning.
"Don't underestimate a Kage!" Ōnoki endured the pain and let out a low growl.
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World!
A tiny cube formed, but it erupted with even greater speed than before, shooting towards Shinji.
Shinji's eyes suddenly narrowed.
This old man!
Using his own speed, and his even smaller Dust Release, he accelerated its release, instantly bringing the distance between them to zero, making it impossible for him to react in that moment.
A fatal sense of crisis made Shinji's hair stand on end. Instinctively, the Lightning Chakra frantically stimulated the cells in his legs.
Sizzle!
Amidst the harsh crackling of electricity, Shinji's figure, like a blue flash, shot away just as the Dust Release was about to make contact.
Pop—
In the air, only a faint burning smell remained. Shinji's figure appeared on the ground in the distance.
"Hoo..."
Shinji panted heavily, tilting his head to look at his shoulder.
Even though he had avoided it at the fastest possible speed, he was still grazed by the Dust Release.
The outer side of his shoulder, along with his sleeve, was instantly disintegrated, revealing white bone, with a faint burning sensation emanating from it.
However, in the next moment, the terrifying wound was rapidly healing, leaving only a faint red mark on his skin.
"I was a bit overconfident."
Shinji rubbed the healed wound on his shoulder, looking at Ōnoki in the distance.
Indeed, those who can become Kage, even in desperate situations, can achieve counterattacks that ordinary people cannot.
"Heh—hahahaha! It truly is you!"
Ōnoki, seeing his attack miss, couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.
"I! The Third Tsuchikage! Ōnoki of Both Scales!"
"Representing Iwagakure! I surrender!"
After laughing heartily, Ōnoki used Chakra condensed in his throat to amplify his voice, spreading it across the entire battlefield.
Boom!
Hearing Ōnoki's words, Five-Tails, which had just been fighting Jiraiya in Sage Mode and Gamabunta, flicked its tail. Then, it quickly reverted to its human form and headed towards Ōnoki.
"Uh—"
The opponent's quick reaction stunned Jiraiya, and even Gamabunta couldn't react for a moment.
"What's going on?" Gamabunta blinked, asking somewhat bewildered.
"You brat! The Tsuchikage just announced his surrender!" Shima slapped Gamabunta on the forehead.
The slap, imbued with Senjutsu Chakra, almost sent Gamabunta to the Pure Land.
Bang—
A huge cloud of smoke rose, and Gamabunta's body instantly disappeared from where he stood.
Jiraiya, slowly descending, couldn't help but gulp. He had seen it clearly. Gamabunta had lost consciousness and returned to Mount Myōboku.
How terrifying!
Even more terrifying than Tsunade!
"Jiraiya, since it's over, we'll head back first." Fukasaku, who was beside him, wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Jiraiya.
The next instant, his entire body vanished from Jiraiya's shoulder.
The release of Sage Mode immediately made Jiraiya feel pain all over.
He had just taken a direct hit from Five-Tails' incomplete Tailed Beast Ball. If it weren't for the two sages blocking some of it with Sage Art, he would have almost been sent to the Pure Land.
Right now, there were more important things to do now. Jiraiya quickly ran towards Shinji.
As soon as he saw Shinji's figure, he was so startled that he didn't dare to stop his feet, shouting as he ran.
"Shinji! Don't!"
Jiraiya, like a giant toad, immediately jumped onto Shinji, restraining his limbs.
"Shinji, stop!"
"Stop quickly! The Tsuchikage has surrendered. If we keep fighting, Konoha will be held accountable by the Daimyō!"
Jiraiya's face was bitter.
What was going on? Why were young people so hot-headed?
"Jiraiya! Let go of me! I'm going to beat this old geezer to death!"
Shinji was full of anger. This damn Ōnoki, after playing a trick, simply surrendered decisively. And at the end, he even pretended to say, 'Oh, you were one step too slow.'
"Just let it go. Don't bother with someone who's almost in the grave." Jiraiya, who understood, was speechless.
Shinji was almost killed by Ōnoki one second, and then the opponent surrendered the next.
Even Jiraiya would want to grind such an opponent to dust. However, it really couldn't be done now.
Ōnoki not surrendering was one thing, but now that he had surrendered, if Shinji were to act again, then he would be held accountable, and even the Kage of other villages would get involved.
After all, as a Kage, he had already swallowed his pride and surrendered, yet he was still killed. In their eyes, this was absolutely unacceptable.
"Heh. Young man." Ōnoki sneered.
"One of the Sannin, not even respected by the younger generation. You might as well die sooner."
"I'll smack you—you *******!"
Jiraiya, who had been restraining Shinji, instantly had fire in his eyes and started spewing profanities at Ōnoki.
Seeing Jiraiya in this state, Ōnoki instantly felt incredibly refreshed.
So what if he admitted defeat? Couldn't he still infuriate the people of Konoha in other ways?
They still couldn't lay a hand on him. Compared to that, he won.
This time, it was Shinji who restrained Jiraiya, while uttering a poisonous remark.
"Just let it go. Don't make it hard for an old man who lost his son."