The ninja who reported the outcome of the attack on the Leaf base camp to Onoki was the Kamizuru clan’s patriarch. The bee swarms were orchestrated by his people. His clan could be said to have done a good job but they lost significantly as well. After all this, he wanted to ensure he was given credit for military achievements at the very least.
Therefore, he did not just report the disappointing news but reminded Onoki of their success as well. He solemnly said, “The bird-type ninja beasts appeared quite late. Leaf ninjas have suffered heavy casualties tonight. According to the last message sent back by the bees, there wouldn’t be more than a hundred ninjas that survived the attack. The rest of their comrades are all dead.”
Onoki finally relaxed a little and nodded. He said, “Your achievements have been recorded and you will get your due reward.”
“Thank you, Tsuchikage-sama.” Having achieved his goal, for now, the overjoyed Kamizuru clan patriarch used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.
Even though this tactic did indeed kill a large number of Leaf ninjas, significantly dwindling their numbers, it didn’t achieve the effect Onoki had expected. According to his calculation, a battle-type powerhouse like Uchiha Tonan too should have had a difficult time facing the bee swarms.
Even if Tonan couldn’t be killed by the attack, he would still need to use the Susanoo to resist it. In that case, as long as his energy was consumed continuously, he would suffer from a backlash. This would be the perfect situation for them to further attack Tonan when his strength was depleted.
Before that though, the bird-type ninja beasts appeared out of nowhere and wiped out all the bees in one fell swoop. And there was still no sign of Tonan. This put a dent in his plans and made Onoki fall into a dilemma.
The Suna and Iwa ninjas were already here. If he didn’t lead them to charge, then it would be too anticlimactic and would once again hamper their morale. But if they rushed up blindly, they would have to sacrifice many human lives to force Tonan to suffer a backlash. Wouldn’t the loss outweigh the gains in that case?
Pondering about this, Onoki turned his head and asked Ebizo instead. “Ebizo, what do you think? Should we try it tonight or not?”
Ebizo glanced at Onoki and leisurely asked, “Tsuchikage-sama, are you afraid?”
Onoki was startled and angrily replied, “How can I be afraid? I’m just weighing the gains and the losses.”
Ebizo squinted his eyes and looked in the direction of Kikyo Mountain. In his heart, regardless of how strong Tonan was, he still had a mortal body and his energy was limited. “This is such a good opportunity, I think we should attack. As long as we don’t rush over in a group, we don’t need to be afraid of large-scale ninjutsu.”
Onoki’s eyes lit up. He slapped his forehead and said, “Yes, it’s absolutely possible to rush forward, one squad at a time. If he used large-scale ninjutsu too many times, he would soon run out of chakra. And if he only relies on taijutsu to fight, he must rest. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Onoki immediately used Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique. His figure rose slowly in the air. He coughed lightly and loudly said, “Everyone, listen to my command…”
However, right at this moment, he looked around and was startled. He saw a black figure standing on a cliff between their side and Kikyo Mountain. Behind the black shadow, there was a sky full of stars and a cold crescent moon.
Although the specific appearance of the shadow couldn’t be seen clearly because of the backlight, Onoki could never forget the devilish scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan. Instantly, in his mind, Tonan’s image overlapped with that of Uchiha Madara. A figure whom he had seen many years ago but was powerful enough to cast a shadow on his childhood.
If anyone asked who Onoki was most afraid of, the answer would definitely be Madara. Onoki’s face twitched and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He shouted, “Re… Retreat!” As soon as he issued the command, without waiting, he turned around and fled into the distance. At the same time, after hearing his order, all Iwa ninjas turned around and dispersed quickly as well.
Ebizo was left dumbfounded. This was the last thing he expected from Onoki. A Sand ninja beside him hastily asked, “Ebizo-sama, what about us?”
Ebizo was trembling with anger. He still wanted to order the Sand ninjas to charge. But although Suna and Iwa were allies now, the five great villages had always maintained a competitive relationship. They couldn’t let their ninjas charge forward and let others enjoy the benefits.
With no other way out, Ebizo sighed heavily and said, “That old man is a coward. Retreat.” Ebizo turned around after speaking. But before leaving, he intentionally turned his head and took a deep look at the black shadow on the cliff.
His eyes were filled with hatred and provocation. After a long time, just like that, all ninjas of the two villages fled desperately. The Mangekyo in Tonan’s eyes slowly disappeared. He looked in the direction where the Sand ninjas retreated and touched his chin with his hand as if in contemplation.
Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something funny. He smiled a little and shook his head. “Reckless old man.”
