Thr Calm before the Storm 15

As Kage stumbled back, blood still dripping from his severed arm, his survival instincts kicked in. The pain was excruciating, but he knew he had no time to waste. He needed to buy himself more time, and for that, he would use the jutsu he had mastered during his training.

With his remaining arm, Kage formed a series of hand seals, the pain intensifying with every movement. He pushed through it, focusing on his chakra. His fingers twitched, and the shadows beneath him began to ripple.

"Shadow Manipulation Jutsu!" Kage called out with determination, his voice strained.

The shadows stretched and morphed, extending outward like living creatures, wrapping around Onoki's legs and wrists before he could react. Onoki grunted in surprise, trying to move, but the shadows held him in place, tightening with each passing second. Kage grinned weakly, his body shaking from exhaustion, but his resolve was unwavering.

"I can still fight," Kage muttered to himself, though the pain in his body begged to differ.

Onoki, caught by the shadow tendrils, glared at Kage, his brow furrowing with frustration. "You think this will stop me? Pathetic," he growled.

But Kage didn't give him the chance to break free immediately. He tugged on the shadows, pulling them tighter, trying to hold Onoki in place long enough to give Silver a head start.

Onoki began to evade the shadows, but Kage was relentless, pouring what little chakra he had left into his technique. Onoki's feet lifted off the ground slightly as the shadows bound him, the tendrils coiling around his limbs like iron chains.

"You're holding me back with shadows?" Onoki scoffed, his expression turning dark. "How quaint."

With a brutal flex of his muscles, Onoki used his chakra to break the hold on his legs, one shadow at a time. But Kage refused to let up, using his remaining strength to pull the shadows tighter around Onoki's arms.

"You're not getting away that easy!" Kage grunted, sweat dripping down his face.

He knew he couldn't hold Onoki for long—his chakra was running out, and his body was exhausted—but it was enough. Enough to keep the Tsuchikage's disciple occupied for a few moments longer.

Kage's breath came in shallow gasps, each inhale a struggle as the world spun around him. He had done what he needed to do. Now, he just had to hope that Silver had made it far enough.

Onoki's movements slowed, his attempts to break free weakening as he grew frustrated.

"You're a nuisance," Onoki muttered, but Kage could hear the irritation in his voice. The Tsuchikage's disciple wasn't used to being delayed, especially by someone like Kage.

But Kage wasn't done yet.

With a final surge of chakra, Kage released a burst of energy into the shadows, extending them to their maximum length, trying to trap Onoki completely. The darkness wrapped around Onoki's torso, forcing him to halt his movements, if only for a brief moment.

"Time to go," Kage muttered to himself, but the toll it had taken on his body was overwhelming.

His vision blurred as the world around him seemed to tilt. But he couldn't stop now. He had one last trick to play.

Kage staggered backward, using the remaining strength in his legs to put distance between himself and Onoki. He summoned the last of his chakra to create a distraction—smoke bombs, quickly thrown at Onoki's feet to further disorient him.

The smoke erupted in a blinding cloud, and in that moment, Kage vanished into the trees, his heart pounding in his chest. His shadows dissipated, and Onoki's roar echoed in the distance as he realized what had happened.

Kage had bought Silver enough time. But for how long, neither of them knew.