At this moment, he felt it was a bit of a pity that Onoki was not a Jinchuriki; if the opponent were a Jinchuriki, things would be somewhat simpler. After all, a Jinchuriki's ultimate trump card is generally a full Tailed Beast transformation.
In that situation, he would only need to thoroughly defeat the Jinchuriki in their full Tailed Beast form, after which the host usually loses the ability to resist—just like Roshi now.
At that point, capturing them alive would be as easy as turning over one's hand.
However, unfortunately, Onoki was not a Jinchuriki.
Takuno slowly shook his head and stopped overthinking. The urgent matter at hand was the practical goal of ensuring he successfully obtained the Five-Tails' chakra.
As for that powerful Dust Release, perhaps an unexpected turning point would appear in subsequent actions.
Furthermore, his desire to study Dust Release was not because of its inherent destructive power, but because he valued the fusion process of its three different elemental chakras.
Takuno's exploration of numerous Kekkei Genkai was not fundamentally driven by the immediate, significant leap in combat power they might provide.
In fact, within his current combat system, most Kekkei Genkai provided a quite limited boost to his overall strength.
The key reason lay in how he used these powers; he focused on stimulating their most primitive and original characteristics, but never invested energy into developing sophisticated ninjutsu to match them.
This seemingly "wasteful" approach to talented power was actually a choice made after careful consideration.
To study such a vast array of Kekkei Genkai one by one, analyze their deep operational principles, and tailor-make efficient ninjutsu would require an incredibly staggering time cost.
On Takuno's scales of value, investing this precious time into a breakthrough leap in his own chakra energy level was the wiser and more strategic choice.
His record against the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, was the best evidence of this philosophy.
The Ice Release he utilized at that time featured no fancy innovations on a technical level; it was purely the release of the essence of power.
Yet, relying solely on his overwhelming chakra magnitude, he was able to freeze a Four-Tails that wielded Lava Release!
Could any other user of Ice Release achieve this?
This clearly corroborated his core viewpoint: when the "magnitude" of energy reaches a sufficient height, even a relatively crude application of technique can erupt with terrifying power capable of crushing an opponent.
While the refinement of technique certainly brings marginal gains, the leap in magnitude is the fundamental qualitative change on the road to the peak of power.
Therefore, for Takuno, the plan to deeply study various ingenious applications of Kekkei Genkai in pursuit of minor combat power increments was explicitly ranked behind more important goals.
This "future option" would only be truly put on the agenda if his path toward increasing chakra magnitude encountered an insurmountable bottleneck.
In the "present" and "near future" within his sights, there was a clearer and more enticing direction:
The normalization of Sage Mode!
Although he had already mastered what could be called a perfect Sage Mode and could enter the state instantly at will via the Cursed Seal—a realm already unreachable in the eyes of ordinary people—Takuno pursued a higher level of breakthrough: transforming the precise allocation process of Senjutsu chakra into a passive physical instinct.
His ultimate goal was to achieve a constant Sage state, maintaining Sage Mode at all times.
Current progress showed that from initially needing full concentration to allocate perfect Senjutsu chakra, he had improved to the point where he could operate while distracted.
He firmly believed that by continuing to refine himself along this path, he could one day solidify this process as an instinctive reaction.
Though this would be a long journey, the endless potential contained within a "Constant Sage" was far more attractive than studying existing Kekkei Genkai.
Moreover, his core motive for conducting basic research on multiple Kekkei Genkai was not to master these powers themselves, but to gain a thorough understanding of the internal laws governing the fusion of different chakra natures.
This research was merely the groundwork and knowledge reserve for that ultimate form representing the pinnacle of chakra fusion: "Kekkei Mora."
To him, Kekkei Genkai were merely ladders to the final goal and byproducts of the process.
Of course, Takuno did not completely reject using these byproducts.
For those Kekkei Genkai that could effectively integrate into his combat system and improve efficiency—such as the extreme speed brought by Swift Release and the chakra absorption capability granted by Dark Release—he had already mastered their use, making them an indispensable part of his combat style.
When his chakra had mostly recovered, Takuno stretched his body and rapidly formed seals.
"Kujaku Myōhō: Wings."
A pair of purple-black chakra wings condensed on his back. He picked up the unconscious Roshi and flapped his wings, flying at extreme speed toward the direction of Iwagakure.
...
The piercing gale whistled past Takuno's ears; below was the iconic ochre-red land of the Land of Earth, eroded into thousands of gullies by wind and sand.
Thanks to the extreme speed of his Swift Release, flying from the location where he captured the Four-Tails Jinchuriki to Iwagakure—a journey that would take an ordinary person a long time to trek—took him only a moment.
At this moment, he hovered directly above the grayish-yellow buildings of Iwagakure, like a deity looking down upon ants.
A golden Adamantine Chain, glowing with pure light, extended from his back, its other end firmly binding Roshi's body.
Roshi's condition was miserable; his entire body was covered in dense, bone-deep, hideous wounds. Blood had long ago soaked his tattered robes and had dried into dark red scabs during the high-speed flight.
This was not intentional torture by Takuno, but the result of the terrifying resistance generated when Swift Release tore through the air.
Takuno himself relied on Wind Style secret techniques to reduce most of the impact, added to his inhumanly powerful physique and defense in Sage Mode, which were enough to withstand these invisible blades.
But for the bound and high-speed dragged Roshi, it was completely different.
To him, this journey was no different from being forcibly dragged through a death tunnel composed of billions of wind blades.
Every tear of the air left new cuts and scorch marks on him.
Takuno's gaze swept indifferently over Roshi's battered body, showing no trace of pity or concern.
As a Jinchuriki who wielded Tailed Beast power, tenacious vitality and high-speed recovery were their trademarks.
These terrifying wounds, which would kill an ordinary person a hundred times over, were something Roshi could recover from as long as he was given a moment to breathe.
At this moment, Roshi was to him more like a "cargo" that still held value and would not be easily damaged; he only needed to ensure the man didn't die.
He stopped focusing on the prisoner and refocused his gaze on Iwagakure below, which looked exceptionally coarse and solemn in the twilight of dusk.
A cold and supercilious smile quietly crept onto the corners of Takuno's mouth.
The next moment, he no longer suppressed the surging power within his body!
BOOM!
A majestic, suffocating, and tangible terror of chakra erupted from within him with a roar!
This chakra fluctuation instantly acted like an invisible nuclear blast wave, sweeping through the entire Iwagakure at a terrifying speed.
It was not physical destruction, but it could shake the mind more than any physical attack, acting like an invisible "radar wave" that precisely pierced into the nerve endings of every ninja with chakra perception!
In an instant.
All Iwagakure ninjas—whether sentries on guard, trainees in practice, busy Chunin, or resting Jonin—all felt as if they had been struck by a heavy blow!
A violent sense of crisis originating from biological instinct gripped their hearts; their hearts pounded so hard they almost burst through their chests!
Countless gazes filled with absolute horror uncontrollably turned in unison toward that heart-palpitating source of terror: the sky above the village, where a giant shadow loomed!
What met their eyes was a pair of massive purple-black wings that blocked out part of the sunset's glow, appearing like an ancient demon god descending!
The edges of those wings flowed with a deep, eerie light, and every slight flap stirred the air, bringing a pressure that made one's heart and gall split with fear.
"Is it... some kind of powerful summoned beast attack?"
This was the first thought that flashed through the minds of countless ninjas; at such a distance, they could not clearly see Takuno's figure at all.
However, this thought lasted for only a split second!
A cold, clear voice carrying an absolute, unquestionable will sounded as if it were directly inside everyone's inner ear, echoing clearly in everyone's consciousness and instantly crushing all speculation and hope:
"Onoki, bring the Five-Tails Jinchuriki and come see me."
the voice was not loud, yet it contained a power that could penetrate the soul!
The truth exploded in every ninja's heart like a thunderclap: that existence in the sky with the terrifying wings and the horrifying chakra fluctuations was no summoned beast!
He was a man!
A ninja so powerful that he dared to call the Tsuchikage by name and demand another Tailed Beast Jinchuriki!
Onoki's hunched body suddenly straightened the moment the chakra erupted. His aged pupils pierced through the glass window of his office, locking onto the hovering figure in the sky.
The window frame let out a faint groan under his unconsciously tightening knuckles; that vast, abyss-like chakra pressure caused his sealed memories to suddenly unlock.
Only decades ago, when facing Hashirama's heaven-scraping Wood Style statue or Madara's mountain-crushing Susanoo, had he felt this nearly suffocating sense of insignificance.
And now, the legends had long since withered, and their traces were hard to find in the shinobi world.
Yet the ninja currently reigning over the clouds had actually recreated the pressure of the age of myths with a mortal body!
Onoki's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.
He knew well in his heart that whether this person could truly reach the level of the "God of Shinobi" made no difference to him.
The Hashirama and Madara of old could have crushed him to dust with a snap of their fingers, and the figure beneath the heavens above him held that same power over life and death.
A heavy sigh mixed with the scent of earth escaped his lips.
His withered hands formed seals, and the glow of the Light-Weight Rock Technique flowed around his body.
As the Tsuchikage, even if a bottomless abyss lay ahead, he had to step into it with his head held high.
"Old man!" The office door was slammed open, and Kitsuchi's brawny frame rushed in, bringing a gale with him, his eyes swirling with alarm.
Onoki did not look back, his aged voice cutting through the air: "If I do not return... you are the Fourth Tsuchikage."
Before the words had finished, he had already turned into a streak of rock-gray light and crashed through the window, leaving shattered glass flying like ice crystals.
Kitsuchi's outstretched hand froze in mid-air; all words of dissuasion were choked in his throat by his father's resolute back.
Not until that figure was about to disappear into the clouds did a roar burst from his chest: "Come back alive!!"
Countless horrified gazes in Iwagakure focused on the sky.
When Onoki finally hovered in front of Takuno, the sight of Roshi—bloody and with a thread-thin aura—instantly stung his nerves. The Four-Tails Jinchuriki was entwined by golden chains like a broken doll, and every tightening brought a convulsive twitch.
The eerie patterns on the mask pierced into his eyes, and Onoki's breathing suddenly stopped; he recognized that mask!
"The Collector...! What have you come to Iwagakure for?"
"Since you know my name, why bother asking my intent?" Takuno's voice carried a lazy smile, his fingertips casually toying with one of the chains formed by the Adamantine Attacking Chains.
Onoki's clenched teeth almost drew blood: "What have you done to Roshi?!"
"Relax, I have no interest in torturing prisoners." Takuno yawned nonchalantly, but the chains suddenly tightened at the sound of a finger snap!
Roshi's battered body let out an inhuman wail in the extreme pain.
"It's just that this body... couldn't withstand the price of 'God Speed'."
A playful gaze fell on the Tsuchikage's face through the mask.
"So, Onoki, let's make a deal. Trade a portion of the Five-Tails' chakra for a complete Four-Tails Jinchuriki. In this deal, Iwagakure makes a steady profit."
Onoki's face turned as dark as iron in the shadows of the clouds.
Stormy waves surged in his chest; a few years ago on the battlefield between Konohagakure and Kumogakure, although this person was very powerful, he was still within the realm of understanding!
Just what kind of forbidden power allowed him to undergo such a transformation in just a few short years?
"My patience is limited." The golden light on Takuno's fingertips flared. The chains, like living pythons, bit into the flesh again, and Roshi's screams tore through the sky.
"Enough!!" Onoki's roar, carrying mountain-like chakra, exploded, shaking the drifting clouds into dissipation.
His withered fists clenched until they were white inside his sleeves, nails digging deep into his palms.
Takuno's mask tilted slightly, as if appreciating the prey's final struggle: "So... your answer?"
High in the sky, the wind sobbed. Tsuchikage Onoki's hunched back stood straight, as if he were carrying the weight of the entire earth.
That moment of silence was as long as the frozen ground of Iwagakure that never melted in a hundred years.
"I... agree."
These three words seemed to exhaust the last bit of strength in Onoki's body, squeezed out from the depths of his parched throat with an undetectable tremor.
The moment the words fell, his already aged figure seemed to shrink a bit more, the marks of time and the weight of humiliation never more clearly engraved in every wrinkle.
Before Takuno's overwhelming and hopeless strength, any scheme or struggle appeared pale and laughable. He knew well he had no choice but to submit.
"A wise choice." Takuno's voice remained flat and without ripples, without the slightest triumph or pity, only a matter-of-fact confirmation.
He nodded slightly, as if the Tsuchikage's submission were merely a trivial matter.