After so much time, he had begun to think the opponent wouldn't fall for it; now, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Takuno's free left hand rose as fast as a lightning strike.
Within his palm, a deep, dark mark—appearing as if it connected to an endless void—suddenly emerged.
"Dark Release: Inhaling Hole!"
At the very instant that streak of destructive white light was about to touch his body, the mark pressed precisely onto the Dust Release beam!
In the original work, when Hiruko's Dark Release absorbed Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, it was already reaching its limit and eventually backfired on him.
If he were to face this even more powerful Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, the consequences would have been even more severe.
But Takuno was by no means comparable to Hiruko!
Even though this strike from Onoki was infused with all of his chakra, Takuno was fully capable of perfectly mastering it by relying on his own unfathomable mental energy and his terrifying chakra control.
Furthermore, Onoki simply did not have the ability to extract and erupt all of his chakra in a single instant!
Thus, in Onoki's pupils—which dilated from extreme shock—his life's greatest ultimate technique, a full-force strike into which he had poured all his hope, was swallowed whole by the eerie mark in that palm like a drop of water into the sea, vanishing without a trace!
"That... what kind of forbidden jutsu is that?! A Kekkei Genkai?"
Onoki's thoughts instantly fell into a total blank; a massive fear gripped his heart.
Takuno slowly turned around, his eyes carrying unconcealed mockery. Looking at the despondent and incredulous Onoki, he let out a sneer.
"Heh, Lord Tsuchikage. It is only polite to return a favor."
Before his voice had even faded, a surge of chakra fluctuations even more violent than the previous Dust Release suddenly erupted from Takuno's left hand!
Natural energy gathered frantically, frictioning, rotating, and compressing violently with Wind-natured chakra, emitting a piercing hum.
A giant, high-speed rotating chakra shuriken with edges shining with blinding light took shape instantly; the aura of destruction even made the surrounding air let out a wail.
"Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
Feeling that terrifying power which was enough to tear through space, Onoki's blood seemed to freeze instantly, and a look of despair gradually revealed itself in his eyes.
Takuno's left arm swung out seemingly casually. That Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, wrapped in destructive energy and letting out a piercing shriek, transformed into a precise streak of deathly light and flew straight toward Onoki!
Its speed was so great it tore the air, causing the battle-hardened Onoki's pupils to contract sharply as a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
At this critical juncture, a thought flashed through his mind like a spark: if he were alone, he might barely be able to dodge, but lying beside him was the heavily injured and unconscious Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi!
The moment he dodged, this terrifying ninjutsu would without question swallow Roshi whole.
Roshi's injuries were already precarious; Onoki had no doubt that under this strike, even with the vitality of a Tailed Beast, Roshi would surely die!
In the split second Onoki's figure hesitated because of this moment of doubt, an anomaly suddenly occurred!
The trajectory of that destructive spiral, which was originally locked onto him, actually underwent an eerie deviation!
It whistled past the edges of Onoki and Roshi's bodies; the air current it whipped up was nearly enough to flip a person over, and the generated wind blades stung the skin painfully.
"It missed?"
Having survived the disaster, Onoki's body remained somewhat stiff. As the cold sweat on his forehead slid down, this lucky thought instinctively flashed through his mind.
"Relax, it was intentional." Takuno's cold and teasing voice, like a nightmare, sounded clearly in Onoki's ear again, instantly shattering that bit of luck.
Onoki's heart sank to the bottom. He jerked his head up to look at the masked Collector.
Even through the mask, he felt as if he could clearly perceive the thick, silent mockery and contempt in the opponent's eyes.
This was not a miss, but a deliberate warning and deterrent!
At this moment, Takuno's hand was slowly withdrawing from the fallen Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han.
Following his movement, a Five-Tails chakra sphere—compressed to the extreme and emitting an ominous black light—hovered quietly before his palm like a physical essence stripped from Han's body.
With a light flip of his wrist, Takuno incorporated this sphere of immense power into his body, sealing it away temporarily.
"He actually subdued the Five-Tails that easily..." Onoki's pupils shrank again upon seeing this; the power displayed by the opponent was increasingly exceeding his understanding.
Next, Takuno tossed the unconscious Han toward Onoki as if throwing away a useless object.
Onoki instinctively caught his subordinate's heavy body, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions; it sank heavily, yet a weird, indescribable sense of "relief" emerged.
Since the opponent was willing to return the Jinchuriki, it meant at least... there was still room for maneuver.
However, this "relief" was instantly replaced by massive pressure. He knew in his heart that the opponent would surely demand an unbearable price, and he currently had no leverage to refuse.
"What do you want?" Onoki took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his churning emotions, and asked in a low, direct voice.
"Don't be in such a hurry." Takuno's voice remained flat, yet it carried an unquestionable sense of control.
"Hmm?" Just as Onoki was puzzled by the meaning, a terrifying explosive wave, as if to destroy heaven and earth, suddenly swept in from the extremely far distance!
That violent energy impact made him turn around abruptly.
He saw that the Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken which had been deliberately "aimed away" had finally reached a distant, towering mountain peak!
The moment it made contact with the mountain, it wasn't a simple collision or cut; a blinding white light exploded, followed by an ear-splitting roar that seemed as if it would tear the world apart!
Light and dust shot into the sky, forming a giant sphere of destruction that completely swallowed the mountain range Onoki was so familiar with!
As the light and dust gradually dissipated, the scene before him caused even the Tsuchikage's eyes to widen in shock.
In the distance, where a majestic mountain should have stood, there was now only a giant, barren crater!
The entire mountain peak, along with its foundations, had been rawly erased and annihilated from the earth by the terrifying power of that ninjutsu, as if it had never existed!
"This... just what kind of... terrifying destructive power is this!" Onoki's voice carried a hint of undetectable trembling.
He also possessed a destructive power that could achieve this: Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu.
But at this moment, he also knew that over such a long distance, his Dust Release was limited by its form and chakra control range.
He could not manifest a large-scale cubic barrier; he could only use a penetrating conical beam. He could achieve a clean cut through that great mountain, but it was absolutely impossible to "erase" a mountain so thoroughly!
Takuno stood quietly in the sky; his gaze behind the mask seemed to be appreciating the scene of destruction caused by his Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken with satisfaction.
This display of absolute power was more oppressive than any words.
The ear-splitting roar still seemed to echo faintly.
Takuno stood tall on the spot. He actually had another choice just now: utilizing the power of Dark Release to instantly release the Dust Release energy he had just absorbed from Onoki, returning the favor in kind by unleashing that same Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu.
However, he didn't do so. That wisp of ninjutsu absorbed by Dark Release contained Dust Release chakra; to him, it was worth a fortune, far more than a one-time attack.
At this moment, this violent ninjutsu had been carefully decomposed by the Dark Release within him, transforming into the most original and refined sample of Dust Release chakra.
An imperceptible sealing formula flashed and vanished in his palm, firmly imprisoning and sealing this priceless treasure within his body.
A glint of determination flashed in Takuno's eyes.
With this sample of Dust Release chakra originating from the Third Tsuchikage himself, supplemented by those dusty research scrolls in Iwagakure, cracking and mastering this Kekkei Tota—which stood above Kekkei Genkai—would become even simpler for him!
This Dust Release power would surely become a key piece in the puzzle of his path toward Kekkei Mora!
At this time, Takuno's gaze fell on the small yet heavy-looking figure in front of him: the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
The man was staring despondently at the ruins of the mountain that had been completely flattened in the distance, his eyes hollow, as if the entire future of Iwagakure had turned to dust along with that thunderous roar.
"Now," Takuno's voice broke the silence, sounding with a calm smile of total control, "we can properly discuss what happens next."
Onoki turned around stiffly and extremely slowly.
On that weather-beaten face, there was now only a bitterness and despair so thick it wouldn't dissipate.
All anger, unwillingness, and pride as a Kage had melted away like snow under the sun before the crushing weight of absolute power.
Only one thought remained in his mind: satisfy the demands of this killing god before him and have him take his terrifying power and leave Iwagakure immediately and forever!
"What do you want?" Onoki's voice was dry and raspy; every word felt as if it were being squeezed out with difficulty from deep within his throat.
Takuno did not waste time, stating his goals clearly and directly: "The complete method and core principles of Dust Release, as well as the secret scrolls for the Light-Weight Rock Technique and the Added-Weight Rock Technique."
"Impossible!" Onoki refused sharply, almost as a reflex.
The Light-Weight Rock and Added-Weight Rock techniques were secret treasures passed down through generations in Iwagakure, never to be leaked; they were one of the cornerstones of Iwagakure's strength.
And Dust Release? That was the true lifeblood and highest deterrent for the existence of Iwagakure! Its value was immeasurable!
Even if a Tailed Beast were used as a bargaining chip, Onoki would never—absolutely would not dare to—relent!
This was a heritage more important than his own life!
"Oh?" Takuno's eyebrows rose slightly; no anger could be heard in his tone, only a hint of cold playfulness. "Is it really... impossible?"
The moment his voice fell, the air seemed to solidify.
"HUMM—SHOO!!!"
That ear-piercing hum—making one's scalp tingle and the soul tremble—once again tore through the silence that had just briefly returned!
This time, the sound did not come from the distance, but was right at hand!
What made Onoki's pupils contract and his heart nearly stop was that this terrifying sound was not just one, but... four!
Behind Takuno, four Adamantine Sealing Chains—shining with a golden luster and condensed from pure chakra—snaked out.
At the end of each chain was no longer just a link; instead, each was condensed with a high-speed rotating storm of energy emitting violent chakra fluctuations—it was four complete Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasenshurikens!
They hovered in mid-air like four stars of destruction about to fall into the mortal realm; the violent energy distorted and tore the surrounding air, emitting sharp shrieks.
Emitting a suffocating aura of death, they were pointed directly at the village of Iwagakure below—built against the mountain and currently appearing incredibly fragile!
"How about now?" Takuno's voice sounded calmly, as if he were merely asking an insignificant question.
There was absolutely no need for any redundant threatening language!
Onoki's mind had already clearly previewed that hellish scene; as long as another "no" escaped his mouth, the landing point of these four ultimate ninjutsus containing Senjutsu energy would no longer be a barren mountain, but the very center of Iwagakure!
He had just witnessed the power of one with his own eyes; the sight of it easily flattening a giant mountain was like the cruelest prophecy.
Launching four at once... Onoki had no doubt that the entirety of Iwagakure, along with its history and heritage, would be transformed into a wisp of dust in the long river of history in an instant!
This price was so heavy he simply couldn't breathe—so heavy that Iwagakure... and even the entire Land of Earth, could absolutely not bear it!
"D... Dust Release..." Onoki's lips trembled violently, his throat felt as if it were blocked by scalding sand; that forbidden name which related to the village's very foundation was now so heavy he could not speak it in full.
Takuno's voice was like an ice pick, precisely and coldly piercing through his crumbling final line of defense, completely shattering all of his luck and persistence.
"You wouldn't want Iwagakure... to completely turn into history at the hands of you, the Third Tsuchikage, would you? Onoki."
These words were like a heavy hammer smashing into Onoki's heart.
He felt as if he had already seen the phantom of Iwagakure being annihilated in the light of destruction, and the cruel reality of the Five Great Shinobi Villages becoming four.
He knew that this man before him, who was like a demon god, absolutely possessed the power to turn all of this into reality!
Heritage was certainly important, but if the vessel of that heritage—the village itself—no longer existed, then what would be the point of holding on?
Compared to the existence of Iwagakure, all ninjutsu and all secret techniques appeared so pale and powerless, so...
At this moment, all struggle, all pride, and all persistence collapsed with a bang.
"...I... I promise you."
Onoki's voice was barely audible, filled with endless exhaustion and a deep-seated humiliation, as if he had aged decades in an instant.
He with difficulty bowed the head that once represented the supreme authority of the Tsuchikage.
For that land, for the villagers who trusted him, and for Iwagakure to continue existing in the ninja world, he had no choice.