"What did you say? Twenty Tailed Beast?!"
Bang!
Ōnoki crushed the brush in his hand into powder. He stood up abruptly, his wrinkled old face filled with shock and disbelief.
The air in the entire office seemed to freeze for a moment.
Kitsuchi and the other senior advisors of Iwagakure stood frozen in place, their minds blank.
A single Tailed Beast is enough to constitute a major power's military deterrence. What would it mean if twenty Tailed Beast simultaneously released their Tailed Beast Bomb?
That would be enough to wipe the Land of Earth off the map in an instant!
"Is the intelligence confirmed?" Ōnoki's voice was extremely dry.
"It's absolutely true!" The sensory ninja was almost in tears. "The three reconnaissance teams we sent out were blocked by an invisible energy barrier as soon as they got within three hundred miles of that area. One team tried to force their way through, but they vanished instantly, unable to even send out a distress signal!"
hiss!
A collective gasp filled the office once again.
Fear. A chilling, bone-deep fear began to spread wildly through the bodies of these high-ranking members of Iwagakure.
Once upon a time, they thought that by clinging to the Uchiha, they could rest easy. But now they are horrified to discover that what they have been holding onto is clearly a Greater Yang that could explode at any moment and destroy the world!
"Father, what should we do?" Kitsuchi asked with difficulty. He felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his throat.
what to do?
Ōnoki's brain was working at lightning speed.
To question him? That would be suicide. To pretend not to know? That's even more impossible. Such a massive energy source is right in their own territory; if he doesn't utter a sound, he can forget about sitting in the position of Tsuchikage.
For a time, the Third Tsuchikage, who had dominated the Shinobi World for decades, found himself in a desperate situation, caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Prepare gifts!" Ōnoki gritted his teeth. " Kitsuchi! Go and pack up the ten most precious ninja ores in our reserves, and half the gold in the national treasury! No! All of it! Take everything of value we can offer!"
"Ah? Father, what's wrong...?"
"Let's pay a visit to Lord Gen'yō." A complex light flashed in Ōnoki's eyes, a mixture of fear and a gambler's resolute determination. "We're not going to question him, we're going to congratulate him! To congratulate him on mastering his divine skill, Uchiha Clan on gaining even Kamui!"
"We must adopt a humbler stance than ever before! We must make it clear to him that our Iwagakure will always be his most loyal and least threatening servants!"
Ōnoki's words deeply humiliated all the high-ranking officials present. But they all knew this was the only way. In the face of absolute power, any dignity and schemes seemed pale and laughable.
Half a day later.
When Ōnoki arrived at the outskirts of the Uchiha Sacred Land with an unprecedentedly large convoy of gifts that nearly emptied the national treasury, he was once again shocked by the sight before him.
The original 300-mile-long restricted area is now shrouded by a huge crystal dome shimmering with mysterious runes. The Chakra on the dome rises and falls like the tide, and the pressure it exudes makes even Kage Level powerhouses feel their hearts tremble.
" Lord Tsuchikage, please wait here. Lord Gen'yō is currently entertaining guests and is unable to see you at this time."
A Uchiha ninja wearing Shadow Guard mask appeared silently. His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
Receiving guests? Ōnoki was taken aback. At this hour, who would dare come to the Uchiha Sacred Land?
As he was wondering, a beam of light slowly descended from the crystal dome. When the beam of light dissipated, a burly man dressed in the robes of the Raikage of Kumogakure Earth Flow out, looking utterly dejected.
It was the Fourth Raikage, A!
At this moment, the Raikage was no longer the violent and domineering man he usually was. His face was pale, his eyes were empty, as if his soul had been ripped out, and he didn't even glance at Ōnoki's convoy.
Behind him followed Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer B. Killer B saw Ōnoki, shook his head bitterly, and silently followed his brother.
"What's going on now?" Kitsuchi stared in disbelief.
Ōnoki's heart sank to the bottom. He was certain that the Raikage had also been attracted by the terrifying Chakra fluctuations. Judging from his current appearance, he had clearly seen something at Gen'yō's place that had completely shattered him.
Just then, the Shadow Guard spoke again, " Lord Tsuchikage, Lord Gen'yō requests your presence."
Ōnoki took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and walked alone into the pillar of light.
The light flickered, and the scenery changed. When Ōnoki opened his eyes again, he was already in the central control room of Amaterasu First Military Factory.
He saw the miraculous automated production line, hundreds and thousands of Susanoo Divine Armor being produced, and seven or eight-year-old boys wearing the armor in Anbu opponents.
He also saw on the energy monitoring screen that the value representing the Dragon Vein's output was less than 10%. In other words, what he was seeing was just the tip of the iceberg of this war behemoth.
Ōnoki began to tremble uncontrollably. He finally understood why the Fourth Raikage had been so distraught.
Because their proud ninja village and the ninja system upon which they depend for survival are as fragile as a joke in the face of this massive military factory.
" Ōnoki, you've come."
Gen'yō's voice came from behind him. Ōnoki snapped back to reality. Looking at the calm and collected man, he could no longer hold on.
With a thud.
This Third Tsuchikage, a powerful and arrogant figure in the Shinobi World, actually prostrated himself before Uchiha Gen'yō. He buried his forehead deep in the cold metal floor, and said in a trembling voice filled with fanaticism and awe:
"I've been Ōnoki of Both Scales now, and today I've witnessed a miracle!"
"I humbly request Lord Gen'yō to allow my Iwagakure to be incorporated into the Divine Kingdom's territory!"
"From this day forward, our Iwagakure will serve as your sharpest Dust Release!"