Everyone stared in horror at the colossal light pillar. Terrifying chakra scattered, and the surrounding trees and rocks were instantly annihilated. "Boom!!!" Smoke and dust billowed, and the powerful energy completely cracked the ground all around, slowly turning it into particles.
"Lin!!! Deidara!!!!" Lantian Gan in the distance watched this scene with extreme anxiety. The Sakura Ninjas' faces were also full of worry. Although they knew Lin and Deidara's strength, the Third Tsuchikage's jutsu was too terrifying. It could atomize matter, and he didn't know if Lin and Deidara could block it.
"Hmph, it's over, but it's a pity, Deidara. The feeling of personally killing one's own disciple is truly unpleasant," Onoki said somewhat sadly.
"Deidara... Brother!" Kurotsuchi stared blankly at the spot attacked by Dust Release, unable to speak.
The Tsuchikage was about to leave, but just then, he seemed to sense something. He abruptly turned his head, his eyes fixed intently on the massive cloud of smoke. "What's going on? I sensed a colossal chakra!!!!"
The smoke gradually dispersed, revealing a mass of chakra, like black flames, burning fiercely on the ground. Within the black flames, a gigantic humanoid skeleton stood majestically, and Lin and Deidara were enveloped within it.
"This is... Susanoo, a visual jutsu like Uchiha Madara's? This is trouble. That useless brat Raikage was actually defeated and fled so quickly, leaving me with such a huge problem!!!" Onoki's face changed, and he cursed inwardly.
"Such strong Dust Release, worthy of being a Bloodline Limit created by combining three types of chakra. Only a perfected Susanoo can barely block it, and I must continuously output chakra to counteract Dust Release's atomization ability." Lin slowly stood up, looking solemnly at the Tsuchikage in the air.
"That was close. That old man's jutsu is still so terrifying, I almost bit the dust," Deidara said with a slight twitch of his mouth, though the cold sweat continuously beading on his forehead and cheeks proved his inner turmoil.
At this moment, Onoki slowly descended, looking down at Lin and Deidara. He chuckled faintly, "Heh heh, the Uchiha clan truly produces a lot of talent. Besides Uchiha Madara, another genius like you, who also awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, has appeared."
"Heh heh, don't compare the Uchiha clan to me. They are merely a decaying clan steeped in past glory. If they had power like mine, they wouldn't have been utterly annihilated by a mere ninja village, leading to their clan's demise." Lin laughed coldly, his tone filled with mockery for the Uchiha clan.
"Hahahaha, that's true," Onoki was startled by Lin's words, then burst into laughter, his eyes darting around. Then, looking down at Lin, he said, "I didn't know you were the Sakura Kage of Sakura Ninja Village before.
In my opinion, how about we end this battle here? I admit I can't do anything to you. Now the Cloud Ninjas have retreated, and the Stone Ninjas here are not confident enough to fight both Sakura Ninjas and Mist Ninjas simultaneously. So, there's no point in fighting any further, isn't that right?"
At this moment, Kitsuchi, Kurotsuchi, and many other Stone Ninjas also disengaged from their opponents and came over to Onoki's side. The Sakura Ninjas, led by Lantian Gan, coldly stared at the Stone Ninjas, while Ao and the Mist Ninjas stood quietly observing from a distance. Now that the Cloud Ninjas had retreated from this battle, there was no need for the Mist Ninjas to interfere further.
"Heh heh, come and go as you please? You killed so many of our people and still want to act as if nothing happened? You're not just shameless, Tsuchikage," Lin said coldly.
"If you require it, I apologize for my previous actions. However, as the leader of Sakura Ninja Village, you should understand this principle better: this world is one where the strong prey on the weak. The so-called peace between nations is built upon a balance of power. I admit your strength is indeed very great, and Sakura Ninja Village has several exceptionally powerful ninjas.
But ultimately, Sakura Ninja Village is just a newly established ninja village, and there's still a vast gap between it and the Five Great Ninja Villages. If it weren't for the help of Hidden Mist Village today, do you think your Sakura Ninjas could have retreated unscathed today? And don't forget that Sakura Ninja Village is currently a thorn in the eyes of Konoha and Hidden Sand.
If Sakura Ninja Village suffers heavy losses and becomes weakened, then those two ninja villages with a great grudge against you will absolutely not give up this opportunity. Moreover, our Hidden Stone Village has suffered no fewer casualties than you, haven't we?" Onoki said with a laugh, seemingly having Lin's measure.
Lin watched Onoki coldly, without speaking, his face expressionless. It was unclear what he was thinking. "Heh heh, how about it? As long as you agree to a ceasefire, we will retreat immediately and absolutely will not cause any more trouble for the Land of Sakura." Onoki said with a smile.
"Sakura Kage-sama!!!" The surrounding Sakura Ninjas all turned their gazes to Lin, waiting for his answer. "How are Gan, Heiyan, and Bailinna?" Lin asked Lantian Gan.
"Don't worry, their lives aren't in danger. Heiyan's body is very strong; he'll recover soon. Bailinna's injuries are a bit more serious," Lantian Gan said.
"What's the casualty situation?" Lin asked. Hearing Lin's words, Lantian Gan fell silent for a moment, a low voice echoing, "The number of deaths is conservatively estimated to be over fifteen hundred, and for the injured, roughly eight hundred." As he spoke, the air around them seemed to grow heavier.
"That damned old geezer!!!" Deidara glared fiercely at Onoki not far away. Lin was silent for a moment, then also showed a smile to Onoki, but the smile had no warmth whatsoever. "A ceasefire is possible, but I have a few demands," Lin said coldly.
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