The leader of Amegakure, who had been constantly dodging, finally stopped, unable to bear it any longer. He quickly made a hand sign, and a stream of water rose from his feet! With the roar of a dragon, it charged at Onoki!
Onoki nimbly dodged in the air, but the water dragon jutsu pursued him! With no other choice, Onoki used his ninjutsu to disperse it.
He then turned and shot out a volley of stones from his mouth! The stones swept across the ground like bullets. The ordinary Amegakure ninja couldn't withstand this attack; their bodies were pierced in multiple places. Some were even shot through the head or chest, dying instantly.
For Amegakure, this was a massacre, but their Kage-level ninja weren't just for show. They were also brutally slaughtering the ninja of the Land of Earth, though not as efficiently as Onoki. There were also many Jonin tying them down. They couldn't kill each other or defeat each other, so they were locked in a stalemate, waiting for a chance to strike.
The true battle was between Onoki and the leader of Amegakure, as they represented the highest level of power for their respective sides. The leader's strength was the same as the golden-haired man's, mid-level Kage, and Onoki was at that same rank. But it was clear that the Amegakure leader's presence was weaker than Onoki's.
"Hmph, a Kage-level ninja who achieved his power through external means truly can't compare to a real Kage!"
He then quickly made hand signs, puffing out his cheeks and spewing a large amount of rock! A giant rock golem slowly formed behind Onoki.
The leader tried to interrupt Onoki, but the jutsu was already complete the moment he jumped! The rock golem swung its fist and slammed it down hard on him! It sent him flying back several meters.
"You're a weakling, easily crushed."
Such a blow would have shattered the bones of an ordinary person, but the Amegakure leader acted as if nothing had happened, slowly getting back up from the ground. He quickly made hand signs, and three water arrows shot out of his mouth!
Although Onoki reacted very quickly, one of the arrows still hit his arm. "It seems to have damaged my muscle. Is he trying to prevent me from making hand signs? How ridiculous! A Kage-level ninja won't be limited by something like this!"
Onoki clapped his hands over the wound! A brown light appeared, and his entire injured arm was encased in rock, forming a rock fist.
He moved the fingers of the rock fist. "It's not as nimble, but it will suffice." With that, he clapped his hands again. "Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Jutsu!"
A light beam shot out of his hands! By the time the leader reacted, the Dust Release was already in front of him! The next second, he was hit by the light beam, but as a wisp of white smoke scattered, the man turned into a stream of clear water.
"Water Release: Water Shockwave!"
A jet of water, like a high-pressure hose, shot out from the shadows. Onoki felt the danger approaching and immediately turned around! The water jet slammed heavily into the rock golem, creating a deep crater in its smooth body.
Onoki immediately retaliated, making hand signs with both hands, and countless rock spikes suddenly emerged from the ground! Through these spikes, Onoki could sense the enemy hiding in the shadows.
He picked up a shard of rock from the ground and threw it with all his might! The rock spun continuously, and when it finally landed, it caused a violent explosion! Countless fragments burst out, and the scattered rock acted like bullets, indiscriminately assaulting that entire area.
Onoki was laughing when he saw a figure flash across the ground!
"Trying to run! Not so easy! Weight Rock Jutsu!"
Onoki's hand immediately reached toward the figure, but he was a step too slow. The Weight Rock Jutsu could only be applied to objects and living things that were physically touched.
"Damn it, he's fast!"
When the Amegakure leader fled, he gave the command for all his ninja to retreat toward the village. Amegakure, who had some morale left, now had none and immediately threw down their weapons and fled.
Their numbers were already half that of the Land of Earth, and they had only dared to fight this battle because they had so many Kage-level ninja. They were all holding on by a thread. Now that their leader had run, and their Kage-level ninja were all tied down, with one even at a disadvantage, where would they find the courage to keep fighting? Wouldn't that just be a suicide mission?
"Full-scale retreat! Retreat!"
Like an army in retreat, the ninja who had been fighting so hard were influenced by their comrades, losing all courage. They joined the main force in their retreat.
Onoki stood in the air with his hands behind his back. "Amegakure, I'd like to see what kind of power you have to dare declare war on three countries at once."
Onoki looked at the sky. It was already dark, and the road ahead was completely unfamiliar to them. Many people had been to the Land of Rain, but none had been to Amegakure. Traveling at night in a strange and unfamiliar place was not a wise choice. Onoki didn't want his ninja to act rashly, as it would cause unnecessary losses to his army.
"Everyone, let's make camp here for now. The Land of Rain has unique geography with many swamps and hidden waterways. Traveling at night would not be a wise decision."
The ninja of the Land of Earth didn't object to Onoki's suggestion.
The battle came to a temporary halt, but the ninja didn't rest. They began to clean up the battlefield, collecting and burying the bodies of their fallen comrades. It was unrealistic to take all of them back. They could only note the names of those who died in battle and erect symbolic tombs for them once they returned to the village. In other countries, they could have cremated the bodies and taken the ashes back, but this was the Land of Rain. It rained all year round, and they almost never saw a clear day. Even if they did, the rain would start again before the bodies were completely cremated, which would be a sacrilege to the departed souls.
Therefore, the best way was to bury them. This was the land where they fought. As long as they conquered the Land of Rain, this land would become a part of the Land of Earth. They would be able to rest peacefully in their own country.
"Tsuchikage-sama, you're injured. Let me help you with that."
A medical ninja stepped forward, wanting to check Onoki's injuries. He smiled and dispersed the rock on his arm. "Thank you for your trouble."
"You're too kind, Tsuchikage-sama. It's my duty."
The medical ninja took a quick look and found that the injuries weren't serious. The Tsuchikage showed no signs of being poisoned, so it was just a regular injury. The muscle was only partially torn, not completely severed. A simple medical ninjutsu could heal it.
"Thank you very much. Go check on the others; they need you more than I do."
The medical ninja nodded. "Of course, Tsuchikage-sama. I have healed you completely. It won't affect your fighting tomorrow."
With that, the ninja left Onoki's side to heal the others. The casualties in this battle were moderate for the Land of Earth, with around three to four hundred deaths. Although the losses were minimal in the grand scheme of things, every one of them was a living person.