Ōnoki faced the hardest moment of his life. He could sense the killing intent buried within the man before him. If his answer failed to satisfy him, the chill of that blade would strike the next instant.
As far back as the Third Shinobi World War, this man's swordsmanship had already terrified him. After so many years, his blade could only have grown sharper. With the other Four Countries already in agreement, he needed only to say those two words, and all the pressure would disappear.
Yet Ōnoki could not bring himself to utter those two simple words. At that moment, the Will of Stone within him awakened. Iwagakure must never end in my hands, even if I die.
Having made up his mind, Ōnoki's gaze grew firm, and he said resolutely, "I..."
"Wait."
Minato turned into a streak of golden lightning and positioned himself between Ōnoki and Anyo.
Minato raised a hand to halt the situation on the verge of erupting and said to Anyo, "Let me speak with Lord Tsuchikage first."
Anyo sighed, loosened his grip on his sword, and nodded.
Minato walked up to Ōnoki without any precautions and said, "Before I came here, Konoha had already been destroyed beyond recognition. The one who destroyed it was Pain, the apparent leader of the Akatsuki. Now, he's dead."
Ōnoki frowned. "Why are you telling me this? Do you think Iwagakure will be destroyed just like Konoha? And you intend to use that to threaten me into agreeing to your unification? Dream on."
"No." Minato shook his head sadly. "In my heart, Konoha always mattered more than anything else. But after all of Konoha was destroyed, I suddenly understood many things. As long as the ninja system exists in this world, there can be no peaceful order. While I