Chapter 180: I Gave You a Chance
Just as Uchiha Dali was about to be killed by the Dust Release attack unleashed by Ōnoki—reduced to nothingness and turned to ash—he suddenly vanished.
Along with him, the Dust Release attack itself also disappeared. The transparent white conical barrier and its destructive Dust Release core simply vanished before everyone's eyes.
"D-Disappeared?"
"Was that Uchiha Dali killed? That was the power of the Third Tsuchikage's Dust Release bloodline limit, after all!"
"I couldn't see what just happened at all—can't confirm the result…"
"Hahaha! That must mean he was killed! As expected, this brat is nothing special. Our Third Tsuchikage-sama is still the strongest!"
"Dead? Killed?? No way…"
"How could that be?! I clearly saw him standing right there a second ago!"
"But the attack didn't even touch his body—how could it have killed him?"
"…"
Just as everyone was still confused about what had happened, and even Ōnoki himself was momentarily stunned—
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion erupted in the distance.
A blinding white light flashed toward them ahead of the sound, instantly drawing everyone's attention. People instinctively turned their heads, looking around frantically.
Due to the massive, sturdy Earth Release walls surrounding them in all directions, their vision was mostly blocked.
Still, the explosion seemed to have come from the left.
"Looks like it exploded on the left! Could it be…?"
"Ah, maybe that guy redirected the attack somehow! But how the hell did he do that?!"
"Then he wasn't killed? That bastard… damn it!"
"Thank goodness! Hahaha! As expected of the Fourth Hokage-sama!"
"You bastards—happy, are you?"
"…"
In that critical split second, Uchiha Dali had used an advanced Flying Thunder God technique to teleport Ōnoki's Dust Release attack far away.
As a result, he was completely unharmed.
This was something the entire Iwagakure, including Ōnoki himself, found both unbelievable and unacceptable.
Of course, for the newly surrendered leaders and shinobi from the smaller nations, this was great news.
They naturally hoped Uchiha Dali was still alive—after all, they had just pledged allegiance to him.
If Uchiha Dali were killed by Ōnoki right after they surrendered, wouldn't that make them all look like fools?
Who knew whether Ōnoki would spare them then!
Ōnoki glanced at the group of shinobi from the smaller nations, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Originally, he had planned to kill Uchiha Dali and then eliminate all the non-Iwagakure shinobi here as well.
He could simply report to their homelands that they had died heroically while protecting their countries in the Land of Fire.
Push all the blame onto Konoha. That way, the Land of Earth could justifiably become the protector of these small nations.
Then it would be easy to annex their territories.
Who would've thought Uchiha Dali would survive?
And not only that—he had redirected the attack.
Now, Ōnoki had to hold back. He couldn't act recklessly anymore.
After all, Uchiha Dali had clearly warned earlier: attacking them would be equivalent to declaring war on Konoha. He wouldn't spare a single enemy.
As the shinobi whispered among themselves, Uchiha Dali reappeared before everyone's eyes.
Not only was he completely unharmed, but he also looked calm and composed.
"You really attacked me?"
Back at the scene, Uchiha Dali confronted Ōnoki directly.
This time, even many of the Iwagakure shinobi didn't dare say a word.
Everyone turned their eyes toward Ōnoki.
They were starting to question their own fate.
Judging from Uchiha Dali's performance just now, even a Dust Release attack seemed trivial to him—something he could effortlessly handle.
If even Lord Ōnoki couldn't defeat him, how could they possibly resist?
A sense of deep unease and helplessness quietly crept into the hearts of many Iwagakure shinobi.
Ōnoki, meanwhile, was under even greater psychological pressure.
Faced with Uchiha Dali's question, he felt extremely awkward and didn't know how to respond.
Even though Dali wasn't raging in anger—
His eyes and expression made it very clear: this was no friendly conversation.
"Iwagakure and the Land of Earth will never bow down to Konoha."
After a long silence, Ōnoki finally threw out that sentence.
"Alright."
Uchiha Dali nodded, seemingly indifferent.
But then he added, "Then you deserve to die."
Truthfully, he had originally intended to spare Ōnoki.
He had even generously offered to let him continue as the county governor of Iwagakure.
But clearly, the man had chosen punishment over mercy.
If he didn't want to live, then so be it.
As his words fell, Uchiha Dali struck decisively.
Ōnoki, who had been on alert, immediately leapt backward the moment he saw Dali raise his hand. At the same time, he shouted to his subordinates: "Kill the traitors! Then we fight him together!!"
Of course, he wasn't foolish.
There was no way he could defeat Uchiha Dali alone.
Only by teaming up with the others did he stand a chance of survival.
The Iwagakure shinobi hesitated for a moment after hearing the command.
But soon, they responded and began attacking the shinobi from the smaller nations who had pledged allegiance to Uchiha Dali.
And right then, a powerful gravitational force suddenly seized Ōnoki.
He had intended to take flight, but his body was frozen in place as if pulled by some overwhelming force. His expression changed dramatically.
When he looked up at Uchiha Dali, he saw the man's palm glowing with a familiar white light.
That white light—it was unmistakable. The Dust Release core.
As he watched Uchiha Dali form the Dust Release core and aim it straight at him while he himself was completely immobilized, Ōnoki was utterly terrified.
"U-Uchiha Dali, what are you trying to do?! I'm the Third Tsuchikage!"
Ōnoki's pupils shrank, and his voice trembled with fear.
But he didn't just sit and wait for death. While speaking, he quickly formed a hand seal and extended both hands toward Uchiha Dali, assuming the starting stance for Dust Release.
"I gave you a chance,"
Uchiha Dali said coldly, then unleashed the Dust Release attack without hesitation.
With a whoosh, blinding white light burst from his palm. The cylindrical light barrier shot straight toward Ōnoki's body.
Before Ōnoki could even finish forming his Dust Release, he was engulfed in an explosion and consumed by flames.
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