Normal Communication

"This is merely proof."

Ning Qi waved the remote control in his hand at the surrounding Konoha ninja, a faint smile on his face.

There were three red buttons on the remote.

Just moments ago, when Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with Konoha's reinforcements, Ning Qi had pressed the first button in front of everyone.

Even from so far away, they could all see the towering flames suddenly erupting from Konoha Village behind them, followed by rumbling explosions.

"It proves that I really do have something in my grasp, while all you can do is obediently listen."

As Ning Qi's words fell, the surroundings immediately erupted into noise. Including the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, everyone's expressions were extremely grim.

"Ning Qi! Do you know what you're doing?!"

"Put it down! Put that thing down right now!!"

"Do you even deserve to be called a ninja? Why hurt so many innocent Konoha civilians?"

Some cursed at him, some tried to persuade him, some attempted to divert Ning Qi's attention, some secretly planned to give him a surprise, and others worried that their family and friends had been hurt and wanted to return first to evacuate the civilians. It was a chaotic scene, yet no one dared make a move.

"Don't send warnings. Don't do anything unnecessary. Don't make this unpleasant for everyone." Ning Qi glanced at them sideways and gave a calm warning.

When he placed his finger over the second button, all the noise and movement immediately stopped, as though they feared making too large a motion would provoke Ning Qi, this madman.

Thus, in the forest where more than thirty people had gathered around Ning Qi, only starlight and wind passed between them.

"Put down that remote and return to Konoha to accept judgment, Ning Qi!" Sarutobi urged, his voice suppressing disappointment and anger.

"Is that your attitude for negotiations?" Ning Qi's face turned somewhat cold. What nonsense was this old man talking about? Did he really understand the situation?

There should not have been many people in the Hokage Tower tonight aside from the ANBU on duty. The ordinary civilians killed by the explosions certainly could not compare to the casualties from today's Uchiha Rebellion. Besides the close-range blasts and the building collapses caused by the explosions, Explosive Tags buried in walls or underground generally had limited lethality against ninja. The greatest losses caused by the explosions would only be the documents and archives inside the building.

But just as Ning Qi had said, the first explosion itself had only been proof—proof that Ning Qi had indeed made preparations within Konoha Village.

There were still two buttons left unpressed on the remote. This time, it had been the Hokage Tower. What would the second time be?

Would it be the Ninja Hospital, currently the busiest place with the most people, or the Ninja Academy being used as a temporary shelter?

No matter what, the Konoha civilians who had only just calmed down after spending a day in fear following the Uchiha Rebellion and the Nine-Tails Rebellion would have to start trembling in fear again.

"Could Ning Qi be bluffing?" Sarutobi stared at the remote in Ning Qi's hand and quietly asked Shikaku.

"It's quite likely..." With insufficient intelligence, Shikaku could only make such a judgment.

They did not know how the Explosive Tags in the Hokage Tower had been planted, but Shikaku guessed that Ning Qi had most likely arranged them before the rebellion as a backup plan for escape.

Judging roughly from Ning Qi's age and income, the number of Explosive Tags buried throughout Konoha should not have been too large. The cost of triggering and producing them was there for all to see. Unless he possessed the financial resources of an entire ninja village, several tens of thousands of Explosive Tags should have been the limit Ning Qi, someone with strength comparable to a Jonin, could gather.

The roar produced by more than ten thousand Explosive Tags exploding simultaneously in the Hokage Tower earlier had very likely exhausted Ning Qi's entire stockpile. The two remaining buttons on that remote were more likely just for show.

But... did Konoha dare gamble?

Could they gamble that the two buttons were merely a bluff?

Noticing the hesitation on the Hokage's face, Shikaku silently shook his head.

Compared to the lives of so many civilians in Konoha Village and the losses to so much property and infrastructure that might result if the buttons were pressed, their hatred for Ning Qi and the need to capture him were hardly worth mentioning.

This was a matter of priorities that many people present, including Shikaku, could easily weigh.

"Is there really... no way?" Kakashi's voice was far from calm.

He had never imagined Ning Qi had held such a card in reserve. He had thought that once Konoha's reinforcements arrived, Ning Qi would naturally be captured. Yet who could have expected that while they had been waiting for Konoha's reinforcements, Ning Qi had also been waiting for them!

The only reason Ning Qi had not taken out that remote when he met Kakashi was because he disdained Kakashi for lacking the authority to negotiate with him as Konoha's equal. That was why he had deliberately waited for the Hokage, who possessed the authority to negotiate and could accept and fulfill Ning Qi's demands, to arrive!

Of course there was still a way... Shikaku's eyes flickered.

Directly controlling Ning Qi or destroying the remote before Ning Qi could press the button both counted as ways to solve the problem.

Something seemed to be crawling through the shadows.

The next moment, Ning Qi seemed to notice something. He turned his head to look into the nearby woods, then grinned.

"The Nara Clan's shadow..."

Shikaku's heart sank.

Byakugan...

Ning Qi swayed his head from side to side, then lightly pressed the second button in front of everyone.

Boom—

Another rumble came from Konoha Village.

"Didn't I say not to make unnecessary moves?"

Ning Qi spoke as casually as though he had merely pressed a button to change channels while watching television.

In an instant, everyone fell silent. They stared dumbfoundedly toward the direction where blazing flames rose.

This explosion was even louder than the previous one. For the moment, it was impossible to determine how many people would die because of it.

"It's the Inuzuka Clan compound!!" Someone soon identified where the explosion had occurred.

"—Bastard!!"

Clang!

The Inuzuka Clan ninja had never expected disaster to descend from the sky. He immediately drew his long blade and roared as he charged toward Ning Qi, only to be desperately held back by his companions.

"Remember, put this disaster on the Nara Clan's head." Ning Qi pointed at the guilt-ridden Nara Clan ninja emerging from the darkness and reminded the Inuzuka Clan ninja.

"You... die!" A crazed look appeared on the Inuzuka Clan ninja's face.

The explosion occurring inside the Inuzuka Clan compound had exceeded everyone's expectations. What kind of concealed and terrifying trap-setting technique was required to plant Explosive Tags inside the territory of the Inuzuka Clan, who specialized in sensing?

Thinking that their own clan compounds might also contain large numbers of Explosive Tags, many of the ninja present changed expressions.

"Hokage-sama, only one button remains unpressed on his remote..." Kakashi reminded him.

The surrounding ninja gradually came back to their senses as well.

In their view, that final button was almost certainly a bluff. The power of the first two explosions had already likely consumed the equivalent of one hundred thousand Explosive Tags. No matter what, Ning Qi could not possibly have more Explosive Tags, could he?

Yes... Ning Qi only had one final thing left to threaten them with, and that last thing was very likely meant to scare them...

Licking their lips, some people's expressions gradually turned fierce.

Sensing the restless group, Ning Qi raised an eyebrow and let out an "Ah?" Then, before everyone's eyes, he decisively pressed the final button on the remote.

Another explosive boom rang out from Konoha.

There was no time to mourn the victims in the village. Nearly every Konoha ninja drew a long blade, ready to rush forward and tear Ning Qi apart.

Yet the very next second, they saw Ning Qi toss away the remote in his hand, then unhurriedly pull out another identical remote from behind him.

Everyone, Shikaku included, froze in place.

...There was another one?

Ning Qi fiddled with the remote in his hand. Seemingly very satisfied with the expressions on the surrounding Konoha ninja's faces, he smiled and said:

"I'll repeat this one last time."

"Don't send warnings."

"Don't do anything unnecessary."

"Don't make this unpleasant for everyone."

Seeing that no one replied, he nodded.

"Good. Now it looks like we can finally communicate normally."