"No use? Then let my disciples take care of it," Ōnoki sneered thoughtfully.

"You five, go and finish the Third Raikage."

These were the talents Ōnoki had trained over the years. If all went as expected, the next Tsuchikage would likely be chosen from among them.

He was deliberately letting them fight now, hoping they'd earn recognition among the Kumogakure forces—an early step toward succession.

"Yes! Ōnoki-sama!" the five answered in unison.

Just as they prepared to act, a sensory ninja suddenly raised his voice.

"Ōnoki-sama! A figure is approaching quickly!"

"A figure?" Ōnoki narrowed his eyes. "Is it some last-minute reinforcement from those Cloud idiots?"

He glanced downward at his disciples. "Wait a moment. Let's see who dares to show up in a battlefield like this."

"Yes, Ōnoki-sama," the five said with slight reluctance.

They were young and overconfident, thinking the old Tsuchikage was overreacting. It was just one enemy. Five of them couldn't handle one reinforcement?

. . .

Crackle! Crackle!

Kaito's body surged forward in a flash of white lightning. As he neared the battlefield, the scent of blood hit him—thick and suffocating.

He frowned. "This smell… it's from too many deaths."

Scanning the battlefield, he quickly noticed the Cloud-nin standing in the center of the chaos.

"That's… the Third Raikage? Then those must be Iwa shinobi," Kaito muttered.

High above the battlefield, an old man floated in the air.

"That must be Ōnoki…"

Memories surfaced instantly—this was the Third Great Ninja War. Kaito remembered how the Third Raikage had faced ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi alone to cover his comrades' retreat.

He'd been thrown back in time by the Dragon Vein.

"Damn… that's a bigger time shift than I expected," Kaito muttered. "I wasn't aiming for a historical battlefield…"

His chakra flickered around him.

A few Kumogakure shinobi spotted him and muttered among themselves.

"Is that a Konoha ninja?"

"He looks like a kid."

"What's Konoha doing here? Weren't they fighting Suna?"

"Don't tell me they've allied with Kumo…"

. . .

Kaito didn't bother hiding his presence. The sudden appearance caused confusion among the Iwagakure ranks. Their coordination faltered, and even their ninjutsu execution began to slow.

"Ōnoki-sama," the sensory ninja called out again, "I only detect that one boy. No other chakra signatures from Konoha."

"Hmph… he must've gotten lost," Ōnoki muttered. Then, raising his voice, he barked, "Everyone calm down! Konoha hasn't allied with Kumo, and they haven't sent support! That boy is alone—just a lost brat!"

His voice, charged with chakra, echoed like thunder across the battlefield. The effect was immediate—his words stabilized the Iwa ranks like a steel anchor.

The Iwagakure shinobi now looked at Kaito not with confusion, but with hostility. Their eyes sharpened like blades.

Whoosh!

The Third Raikage suddenly appeared next to Kaito in a blur of movement. He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving.

"You've got guts, kid," he said, coughing slightly. "Bringing food to that old fossil Ōnoki?"

Kaito ignored the surrounding stares and spoke calmly, "Didn't expect the Rock shinobi to be this shameless… Ten thousand against one."

"The war's already started," the Raikage grunted. "And you, standing calm like that in the middle of all this…But unfortunately, this place is your grave."

"If I were still in my prime, I might've helped you out of gratitude to Tobirama-sensei," the Raikage added. "But now, we're both heading to the same place."

Kaito quietly analyzed him with electromagnetic sense. The Raikage's life force—his magnetic field—was weak, flickering like a dying flame. Even if the Iwagakure shinobi didn't strike, he wouldn't last much longer.

They were already surrounded by Iwa troops, a dense sea of shinobi waiting for a signal.

Ōnoki hovered overhead, sneering. "So this is how the great Third Raikage dies," he said.

He'd completely dismissed Kaito—as just a Konoha genin, not worth acknowledging.

The Raikage gritted his teeth. "You snake… I'll see you on the other side."

In his prime, he would've launched himself into the sky with a punch aimed at Ōnoki's smug face. But now… he could only stand still, drained of strength.

Ōnoki laughed. "Shou! It's your turn. You five—take them down!"

"Don't destroy the Raikage's body," he ordered coldly. "We can trade it for resources later. As for the boy… kill him."

"Yes, Ōnoki-sama!" the five shouted with excitement.

The other Iwagakure shinobi watched with envy as the five moved forward. Everyone understood—this was an opportunity, a public test granted by the Tsuchikage himself.

They advanced quickly, each unleashing their strongest killing techniques.

All five aimed straight for the Raikage. Kaito, to them, was an afterthought—just a Genin to mop up later.

The Third Raikage stood his ground, unable to move. He could only watch as the five closing attacks neared.

Boom!

The five attacks landed—but they barely pushed the Raikage's massive frame back. Not a single wound appeared.

Even now, at death's door, his body remained a fortress.

But his strength had run out.

The Third Raikage slowly closed his eyes, exhausted, and let go.

He didn't die from the attacks—he simply collapsed from pushing his limits for too long.

As his body fell, cheers erupted among the Iwagakure ranks.

The five elite shinobi, however, wore sour expressions.

They hadn't landed the final blow.

They walked toward Ōnoki in silence, their faces dark and filled with frustration.

---

Y'all probably thought he'd help him...

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