Mastermind of the Akatsuki

Provoked by Byakuya's taunts, Ōnoki initiated an attack. 

He first descended to the ground, forming hand seals before slamming his palms onto the earth. Instantly, he lifted a massive boulder weighing several tons and hurled it violently toward Byakuya's position. 

With a swift movement, Byakuya vanished and easily evaded the falling rock. He reappeared atop another boulder, his face brimming with mockery. 

Ōnoki's expression darkened. Without hesitation, he performed the Rock Fist Technique, encasing his arms in a dense layer of stone armor. With enhanced strength, he lunged at Byakuya. 

A loud boom echoed as Ōnoki's punch struck Byakuya, sending him hurtling back dozens of meters. 

Ōnoki's lips curled into a satisfied smile. Mastery of the Lightened Boulder Technique allowed him to decrease the weight of the rock for swift movement and then amplify gravity upon impact, multiplying the destructive force of his punches. 

Ōnoki thought to himself, After taking a hit like this, even if he isn't dead, he should be incapacitated. Not many shinobi can withstand my strikes. 

However, Byakuya, who had been knocked back, slowly stood up, dusting himself off. With a calm yet playful tone, he said, "Lord Tsuchikage, your punch is indeed powerful. But if this is all you've got, I'm afraid it won't be enough to take me down." 

Ōnoki's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Byakuya more seriously. 

He was well aware of his own strength. If Byakuya had evaded the Rock Fist Technique, it would have been understandable—after all, the move wasn't known for its accuracy. But Byakuya had taken the hit head-on and shrugged it off. That was a completely different story. 

In Iwagakure, few could endure his Rock Fist Technique. Besides the jinchūriki Rōshi and Han, the only other person capable was his own son, Kitsuchi. 

Yet Kitsuchi, despite being a pinnacle-level jōnin, hadn't been entrusted with the role of Fourth Tsuchikage. This was partly because he hadn't mastered Dust Release, which failed to win unanimous support from the other jōnin. Another reason was his reserved and overly cautious personality, making him unfit for leadership. 

Instead, Ōnoki had pinned his hopes on Deidara, a young genius, as a potential successor. 

Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Ōnoki turned back to Byakuya, feigning composure. 

"Don't misunderstand. I was merely intrigued by your talent. Why would I use my full strength against a young man?" 

Byakuya's face twitched slightly. Those words sounded uncomfortably familiar—he had used the same reasoning to describe Deidara earlier. 

Ōnoki pressed on. "I'll give you a chance to admit your mistake. Surrender now, and I promise not to harm you." 

He wasn't lying. Killing Byakuya, the disciple of Hanzō, would irreparably sour relations between Iwagakure and Amegakure, possibly pushing Amegakure into Konoha's camp. That would block Iwagakure's expansion and make Konoha an even greater threat. 

It would be far more advantageous to capture Byakuya and use him to secure benefits from Hanzō, perhaps even an alliance against Konoha or Kumogakure. 

Byakuya, however, chuckled dismissively. "I'll have to decline your generous offer." 

He had no intention of complying. Meeting Ōnoki was one of the key objectives of his trip to Iwagakure, and there was no way he'd let this opportunity slip. 

In a flash, Byakuya vanished and reappeared before Ōnoki, his blade drawn. The sharp edge sliced through Ōnoki's robes, but the figure crumbled into chunks of stone, revealing it to be a rock clone. 

Ōnoki's face darkened. Though the clone had absorbed the strike, Byakuya's attack proved he possessed the ability to threaten Ōnoki directly. There was no longer a need to hold back. 

Floating several dozen meters into the air using the Lightened Boulder Technique, Ōnoki brought his hands together, focusing his chakra. 

Within moments, a dazzling light appeared between his hands, forming into a cuboid-shaped barrier. The barrier, moving at an imperceptible speed, shot toward Byakuya. 

Recognizing the danger of the Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, Byakuya dodged using the Body Flicker Technique. He turned to observe the aftermath. 

The ground where the Dust Release struck was perfectly smooth, leaving a seamless pit that silently demonstrated its destructive power. 

Although the destructive power of Dust Release was terrifying, it wasn't without counters. The Rinnegan's ability to seal chakra was a perfect counter to Dust Release, and Byakuya just so happened to possess such an ability.

With a decisive thought, Byakuya initiated his counterattack.

First, forming hand seals, he summoned a torrent of rushing water, masking his movements. Using the water as a cover, he vanished from Ōnoki's sight. 

In the next moment, the ground trembled violently, and thick vines burst forth from the earth. In an instant, the barren, desolate red plateau transformed into a lush forest brimming with life. 

Ōnoki's eyes widened in shock, his expression filled with disbelief. 

"Wood Release? That technique was lost decades ago! How is it possible for someone to use it now? And not a Konoha shinobi, but someone from Amegakure?" 

There was no time for further contemplation. Ōnoki began to move swiftly through the forest, keeping a constant guard against the attacking vines. 

However, he soon realized the futility of his efforts. While his Dust Release could easily obliterate the vines, destroying one led to the rapid regrowth of others. They relentlessly sought his position, encroaching faster than he could eliminate them. 

Ōnoki grimaced. Unless he could completely eradicate the entire forest in one attack, victory seemed unattainable.

Determined, he ascended higher into the sky, his hands clasped together as he gathered chakra. A massive cubic barrier, spanning several dozen meters, materialized in the air. 

Ōnoki hurled the barrier toward the ground, where it descended with devastating speed. 

As the cube struck, a light brighter than the sun erupted, accompanied by a deafening silence. When the brilliance faded, it revealed a massive pit, tens of meters deep. 

The pit was devoid of any trace of life. Soil, rock, and minerals had been utterly annihilated, reduced to their atomic forms. 

Yet even after such destruction, Byakuya's presence lingered, undeterred by the catastrophic attack.