With a flicker, the scenery in Ōnoki's eyes blurred. When he opened them again, he had arrived in a village surrounded by countless stone peaks, with roads carved through the mountains.
Inside the Iwagakure office, Ōnoki and the Iwagakure Ninja, all trapped in an illusion they couldn't escape, had returned to Iwagakure.
"What a desolate place. Setting chakra markers here was more troublesome than I expected. Now, can we talk, Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales?"
At opposite ends of the rectangular conference table, Ōnoki sat at the head, while Uchiha Hanazuki sat across from him, leaning back in his chair with a smile and saying nothing.
"Of all the times to negotiate, you had to choose when my hands are tied. In the end, you're not like Uchiha Madara, kid. He never negotiated with anyone. He demanded submission."
"I just don't want to make things too troublesome. But there's something you've misunderstood. This isn't a negotiation. It's a unilateral declaration."
Ōnoki's mouth twitched. His wrinkled old face darkened.
"I take back what I said earlier. You and Uchiha Madara are exactly alike, kid. Neither of you is willing to listen to anyone else."
"It's a very simple agreement. You are not to take part in the fighting on the front lines."
"If you break it, you'll see serious consequences. I'm already tired of this war dragging on. Let's bring the Third Shinobi World War to an end soon."
At these words, Ōnoki sneered and mocked him.
"You're still just a kid. Even written agreements can be torn up whenever the great nations please. What good is a mere verbal promise?"
Hanazuki slowly rose to his feet and turned his back on the Iwagakure Ninja. His quiet murmur filled Ōnoki with an ominous premonition.
"Once I leave Iwagakure, the agreement takes effect. If you dare take part in the Third Shinobi World War again... a parting gift will appear in your village."
"This is my parting gift. We're done."
He vanished from the spot. The premonition in Ōnoki's heart grew stronger, as though some deeply hidden threat beside him was slowly baring its fangs.
"Sage Art: Great Spiral Ring."
In an instant, all fell silent.
A pure white light that devoured everything flashed outside Iwagakure. Its terrifying brilliance replaced the sun in the sky, as if the celestial body that had long hung overhead had fallen to earth.
A terrifying quake shook the heavens and earth. An unprecedented earthquake left all of Iwagakure trembling on the brink of collapse. Only after a long while did the village finally settle.
At that moment, Ōnoki, free once more, burst out of the conference room. His pupils quivered, and his once-unshakable fighting spirit faltered, as if he had returned to his youth, once again facing that invincible figure.
"Father, outside the village, the roads leading out are blocked by mounds of earth taller than the rocky mountains. What exactly is that crater?"
Ōnoki's son, Kitsuchi, asked in a panic. The enormous crater had appeared outside Iwagakure at some point, spanning over a thousand square kilometers. Not a trace of life remained within it.
"What is this... Uchiha Madara? Uchiha Hanazuki? The God of Shinobi?"
Ōnoki had thought the fear that vanished with Uchiha Madara's death would never return. Now, it once again took hold of his aged heart.
"Father, didn't you personally go to the front lines?"
Faced with Kitsuchi's confusion, Ōnoki was silent for a long while before slowly shaking his head.
"Starting today, and until the Third Shinobi World War is over, I won't set foot outside the village. My son, Kitsuchi, remember this well."
"If you ever encounter a Uchiha Ninja wearing a three-eyed fox mask, run without hesitation. Whatever you do, don't fight him head-on."
"That is a realm beyond the reach of ordinary people. I wonder how much of a headache this will give Sarutobi Hiruzen when he learns of his existence. The Uchiha and Konoha... heh heh heh..."
The smile on his aged face calmed the panicked Iwagakure Ninja. They all rushed out to help the wounded.
Among the Iwagakure Ninja, two figures held in deep fear stood atop a peak, staring at the enormous crater. It looked strangely familiar.
"Is this... a Tailed Beast Bomb? What do you think, Han?"
The burly man, wearing a crimson conical hat and a full suit of armor that concealed his face, gave a slight nod in agreement.
"Did another ninja village deploy a Jinchuriki? I can't sense any other Tailed Beasts nearby. What on earth happened? Was that old geezer Ōnoki behind this?"
The purple-clad ninja, with his red hair tied into bunches and even his full beard red, watched the figure floating in midair, deep in thought.
"Why not go ask him yourself?"
"Give it a rest. You know Ōnoki and I don't get along. If you expect that old man to tell you anything, you're better off asking him yourself. That way, you might find out how you're going to die, Han."
Roshi turned and left. Han's expression shifted, but in the end he decided not to ask. Ōnoki was the Third Tsuchikage. How to handle this was for him to worry about. Still...
"Even if that was a Tailed Beast Bomb, one of that size would have to come from a Tailed Beast on the level of the Eight-Tails or Nine-Tails. Cloud Hidden and Konoha? Which side was it?"
As the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, and with Roshi being the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, he knew far more about Tailed Beast Bombs than anyone else.
"Why? Why not throw it straight at the village? A technique with that kind of range could easily have leveled all of Iwagakure. Who was it?"
The wind howled and dust rose in wisps. At a glance, the terrifying sight sent a deep chill through anyone who saw it.
At the border of the Land of Earth, a black cloak fluttered in the wind. Beneath the Three-Eyed Demon Fox mask, a thoughtful glint passed through his eyes.
Within his inner world, above the pale blue water, a delicate, intricate Red Eye stared wide-eyed at the sinister crimson eye opposite it.
"Are you going to talk or not? What exactly are you hiding in your belly?"
"Quit nagging. Even if you're a Uchiha brat, don't expect to pry a single word out of me! You can use an illusion on me all you want; I still won't talk!"
The Black Nine-Tails was full of fighting spirit. It stuck to the principle that confessing meant a lifetime behind bars, while resisting meant going home for the New Year, and held out for ten full minutes without giving up a single word.
Fifteen minutes later, under the kind persuasion of the Sage Art: Great Spiral Ring, the Black Nine-Tails finally spoke.
"Damn it, you've gotten stronger again, brat. Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll be generous and tell you."
"Cut the nonsense and hurry up, or I'll show you my Ultimate Interrogation Technique."
Hanazuki's face was full of impatience. Only then did the Black Nine-Tails reluctantly spit out a roll of bamboo scrolls, looking heartbroken.
"This is the treasure I brought with me into this world, from another world..."