Many Sunagakure's Ninjas had initially resented Onoki for bringing the conflict to Sunagakure. But now, seeing Pain, an Iwagakure's Ninja, working so hard to rescue people, their hatred towards Iwagakure lessened slightly.
Onoki, watching from the sky, was somewhat surprised. When he had previously sent people to investigate the Akatsuki, his subordinates reported that Akatsuki was an organization that loved peace.
He had scoffed at that report at the time, believing that a love for peace was merely a 'persona' deliberately crafted by Akatsuki. In this cruel Ninja World, people that naive were all dead.
But now, it seemed it might be true!
Just as things were stabilizing and improving, a Jonin who was diligently evacuating villagers suddenly let out a sharp cry: "No! The Daimyo... the Daimyo fell from the viewing platform and died!"
Hearing this cry, all the Sunagakure's Ninja who could still move froze, feeling genuine terror from the depths of their hearts.
"What? The Daimyo is dead?"
"If the Daimyo is dead, the sky has fallen over the Land of Wind!"
"What will happen to us?"
After a few voiced this question, they looked at each other and finally reached a conclusion.
"Actually... does it really matter that much? So a person died?"
"Right? We're already at rock bottom. Are we still afraid of him cutting our military funds? Besides, he can't cut them anymore."
"If you think about it, this whole tragedy was caused by that foolish ruler himself."
"Let's disperse, disperse. Just throw his body out. That's the least we can do for the military funds he provided."
Setsuna found it rather absurd, 'Did a single battle somehow awaken the people of Sunagakure?'
Mui hid in a corner, watching the chaos before him, utterly confused.
'In a war like this, even a major figure like the Daimyo of the Land of Wind could die like a worthless weed, completely unable to shake the Ninja World's situation. What could a small village's Ninja like me possibly do?'
'Power. Only power matters!' Mui's gaze burned as he looked at Setsuna, who was dominating the battlefield, 'To force one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure, to the brink of annihilation single-handedly... This is how a real man should be!'
Mui lowered his head, feeling a flame named ambition burning fiercely within him.
'The legendary sacred treasure passed down by the Sage of Six Paths, the Box of Ultimate Bliss is said to be able to grant anyone's wish. This treasure is kept in the Hozuki Castle. Perhaps I can use it to obtain the power to change the world!'
As Mui lost himself in his fantasy, he didn't notice his teammate being led away.
"From today on, you're with us," Yahiko said to the red-haired girl before him.
"Iwagakure?" the red-haired girl asked timidly. She didn't care about her destination, as it was just jumping from one cage to another. Everyone just saw her as a tool, an instrument for healing injuries.
Yahiko grinned and lowered his voice. "It's fine to tell you now. The few of us are actually from the Land of Rain. We're just hired by the Tsuchikage. By the way, what's your name? Do you have any family?"
"My name is Serina. I lost my family long ago," Serina answered mechanically.
"Don't be sad. Everyone in our organization is like you. But we are family to each other. From today on, we are your family." Yahiko grinned.
Serina could hardly believe it, 'Could someone like me really have a family?'
"Come help us evacuate the villagers too." Yahiko acted while explaining their ideals, "Our organization's dream is world peace. We hope people can overcome the barriers between them."
Hearing Yahiko preach their ideals, the numbness in Serina's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a light. She nodded vigorously.
While the Ninja below raced against time to evacuate villagers, the battle in the sky grew increasingly intense.
Rasa was excited, as if he had discovered a great secret, "I've got it! You can't leverage your strength in the air! Your explosive speed can't be utilized in aerial combat. You're only slightly faster than us here."
Setsuna didn't deny it. Ground speed depended on physical explosiveness, but speed in the air relied on the application of his 'energy'.
At the very least, dodging Dust Release in the air was indeed much more troublesome for him.
"In the air, I certainly can't defeat you as easily. But the problem is, aren't you the ones trying to stop me?" Setsuna retorted.
The smile instantly froze on Rasa's face. Having been suppressed so badly earlier, he had momentarily forgotten that they were the ones on the offensive.
"It seems you have already accepted in your hearts the reality that Sunagakure is about to be destroyed." Setsuna laughed.
Rasa and Chiyo's expressions turned very ugly. They had also noticed that, thanks to everyone's efforts, the vast majority of Sunagakure's villagers had been evacuated. This was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.
But that didn't mean they were willing to let their village be destroyed. This was their home, the bond that held their people together. If the village was destroyed, that close-knit connection might develop barriers.
"We will never let you succeed!" Rasa swallowed a soldier pill, continuing to squeeze Chakra from his body. "Magnet Release: Gold Dust Gathering Technique!"
The entire battlefield's ground suddenly turned into a flowing ocean of gold dust. Countless gold dust tentacles reached out from all directions to entangle Setsuna.
The others also acted in tacit understanding. It had to be said that pressure was the best catalyst. The pressure of Sunagakure's impending destruction had allowed them to develop tacit teamwork in just over ten minutes.
Scorch Release fireballs, Dust Release beams, puppet assaults, gold dust sealing… they actually formed a perfect encirclement and kill zone at this moment.
Even with Setsuna's reflexes, it was difficult to escape such an encirclement. But inwardly, Setsuna felt joy. His speed reached its absolute limit at this moment, allowing him to dodge the Dust Release beam from an impossible angle, but he was still hit by the other attacks.
"Did we succeed?" Pakura couldn't quite believe it, wondering if they really defeated that monster?
"He was too arrogant, unwilling to put his other hand down even in that situation." Chiyo let out a long sigh of relief.
However, Onoki's expression was serious. "Be careful! He's not dead yet!"
The smoke from the explosion cleared, revealing Setsuna with one side of his body bloodied. He looked very weakened, yet no one dared to underestimate him.
"This monster... he's still not dead!" Rasa gritted his teeth. If he were in Setsuna's position, he'd probably have been vaporized by now.
"That was a properly organized attack." Setsuna praised them sincerely. This kind of battle was exactly what he needed. It accumulated combat experience for him. Later, when he transplanted the Saiyan's cells, he could convert this combat experience into fighting power at the fastest rate.
"Still using that condescending tone at a time like this?" Onoki was somewhat displeased.
"I'm just congratulating you. You've finally reached Phase Two. Food Honor: Restoration!" Setsuna took a sharp breath. The gourmet energy stored in his Gourmet Cells rapidly surged throughout his body.
Under the disbelieving eyes of the five, Setsuna's injuries healed in an instant, and even his stamina was replenished.