NABC Chapter 467 The Five Shadows Conference Becomes the Four Shadows Conference
Chapter 467 The Five Shadows Conference Becomes the Four Shadows Conference
Chapter 467 The Five Kage Summit Becomes the Four Kage Summit
The Land of Earth, Hidden Rock Village.
The earthen-yellow buildings built against the mountainside stand tall in the rough winds, forming a stark contrast to the modern prosperity of Star City.
Everything here appears more rugged and profound, as if bearing the resilience and vicissitudes of having endured the baptism of war.
In the center of Iwagakure Village, at the Tsuchikage's office building.
Tall and robust, with a round head and a big face, Akatsuchi, with an honest and simple demeanor, led Deidara, along with Sora and Kirara, into the Tsuchikage's office.
The office is simply and practically furnished, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of Iwagakure Village and the exposed brown rocks in the distance.
The short, goatee-wearing Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, was not sitting in his large Tsuchikage office chair. Instead, he had his hands behind his back and used the "Light-Heavy Rock Technique" to float lightly in mid-air, his back to the door, seemingly deep in thought.
"Lord Tsuchikage." Akatsuchi bowed respectfully, his voice deep and resonant.
"We're back."
"Oh, you're back." Onoki slowly turned around, his wrinkled and serious face revealing little emotion.
His self-glow lingered on Akatsuchi for a moment, then swept over Deidara, who looked nonchalant and even a little lost in thought, and finally landed on Sora and Kirara behind Akatsuchi.
"You've worked hard, Akatsuchi." Onoki slowly began, "Tell me about the Chunin Exams in Konoha, and—the unexpected event that happened afterward."
Although spies had already sent back intelligence about the invasion of Konoha, there was no detailed information. Onoki only knew that Konoha seemed to have suffered two major blows, and that even Hiruzen Sarutobi had died.
Chi Tu took a deep breath and began to give a detailed report.
From his arrival in Konoha, to his observations during the Chunin Exams, the performance of Konoha's new generation, and finally the unexpected "Konoha Collapse Plan" on the last day of the finals.
He described the combined attack by Orochimaru and the Sound and Star ninja, the chaos in Konoha, and the most crucial part.
"Shortly after the collapse plan was launched, we were watching the game from the outside of the venue—" Akatsuchi glanced at Deidara, who was looking away somewhat guiltily, and continued.
Onoki nodded, signaling him to continue.
This was exactly what he had instructed beforehand: to gather as much firsthand information as possible about the strength of the new generation of ninjas in the various villages.
Unexpected situations are also the best way to demonstrate the strength of these new generations.
Akatsuchi's expression turned serious: "After that, we witnessed—an unbelievable battle."
He described in detail Shura's appearance and the great battle with the two suddenly appearing flying enemies.
"Their high-speed attacks and defenses are dazzling; even I can't see them clearly! Not to mention, some of Konoha's Jonin aren't even qualified to intervene in the battlefield!"
"Especially at the end—Shura used some kind of ninjutsu to create a black sphere that seemed capable of devouring everything. And then—" Akatsuchi's voice lowered unconsciously, his eyes still filled with shock.
"An indescribable explosion; light engulfed the entire sky and earth; the shockwave could be clearly felt even from several kilometers away."
"After everything calms down—"
He took a deep breath: "The original competition venue, along with the surrounding dense forest, has been completely erased!"
"Only one massive sinkhole remains at the site—a sinkhole with a diameter definitely exceeding ten kilometers and an unfathomable depth!"
"This isn't over yet. Under Shura's onslaught, those two flying enemies are still able to fight back."
"However, in the end, Shura seemed to have killed the opponent with a golden light sword, and even the earth was cleaved in two by this light sword!"
"Old man, I really can't understand the opponent's ninjutsu—" The more Akatsuchi recalled the terrifying battle he had witnessed that day, the faster his heart raced and the more rapid his breathing became.
The office was silent except for the howling wind outside the window.
Floating in mid-air, Onoki frowned, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen.
Although he had already obtained some fragmented intelligence from other channels, the impact of hearing such a detailed and shocking description from his most trusted subordinate was still enormous.
A sinkhole with a diameter of over ten kilometers —
It's enough to destroy any large city, or even wipe out some small countries.
His Dust Release: Detachment of the Primal World technique could also create a similar combat effect, but its range was far less extensive.
Onoki couldn't help but recall an important piece of intelligence that had been sent back by a spy who had infiltrated Kumogakure nine years ago.
The Cloud Village's central building was completely destroyed by an unknown explosion, killing and injuring countless Cloud Ninja. It seems that even the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki were injured.
Looking back now, it turns out it was the power of Asura.
One ninjutsu technique can destroy a nation!
What terrifying power this is!
It has probably already approached, or even surpassed, the legendary ninja gods Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha!
Moreover, the other side has now issued a declaration of war against the entire ninja world, calling for "unification of the ninja world"!
"Art! That's art, old man!" Deidara, who had been silent all along, suddenly interrupted excitedly, gesturing wildly, his single eye flashing with fanatical light.
"That black sphere! And that explosion! Perfect annihilation! Instant sublimation! That's the ultimate art!"
Um!"
"Shut up, Deidara!" Onoki's cheek muscles twitched, and he waved his hand impatiently, interrupting Deidara's artistic declaration.
"Chitu, take him down to rest. Without my orders, he is not to leave the village!"
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage." Akatsuchi accepted the order, ignoring Deidara's incessant protests, and half-dragged, half-brooked him out of the office, closing the door behind him.
In the office, only the floating Onoki remained, along with the quietly standing Onoki Sora and Mica.
Onoki landed slowly, walked behind the desk, but did not sit down.
He placed his hands on the table, leaned slightly forward, and stared intently at his two special subordinates with eyes that, though weathered by time, were now filled with solemnity and worry.
"How is it?" he asked in a deep voice.
Kong stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully, "Master, if we rely solely on the artificial human forces that we have already produced, the success rate of launching a full-scale attack on the Land of Stars and ensuring victory over the Star Ninja Army is extremely low."
"Even if we adopt a war of attrition, the Star Ninja Army's troop recovery capabilities, technological level, and possible unknown trump cards will make the casualty ratio reach an unacceptable level."
"Moreover, and most importantly, the Land of Stars possesses a vast number of high-level combatants. Not only do they have the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, but also other bloodline limit ninja clans. Their high-level Jonin combat power is so great that perhaps only the combined might of the four great ninja villages could rival them!"
Onoki listened in silence, his face growing increasingly grim.
Of course he knew about the gap.
Although Iwagakure has a rich history, it has suffered losses in the Third Shinobi World War, a talent gap in recent years, and a heavy reliance on him as its high-end combat force after the last war with the Land of Stars.
Deidara was highly talented but unstable, while Kurotsuchi was sent to the Land of Stars as a hostage because she was his granddaughter, the Tsuchikage.
These young people all need to grow, but time is running out.
This is why Onoki accepted the invitation from Mount Myōboku, cooperated with the toads, and invested huge resources to secretly carry out the "Artificial Human Project"!
The purpose is to have an absolutely loyal, fearless, and mass-producible mid-level fighting force in the future war with the Star Kingdom, so as to make up for the lack of top-level fighting force with quantity and quality.
Even if they know that Mount Myōboku's purpose is unclear and that it might take the opportunity to interfere in the ninja world's power structure.
However, he had no better options.
Spies sent out to secretly contact other ninja villages either disappeared without a trace or were explicitly rejected by the Kage of each village.
Ultimately, Onoki accepted the sponsorship from Mount Myōboku and agreed to help them eliminate the Shura that threatened the ninja world!
After years of research into the secret techniques of artificial humans hidden in Iwagakure, and by using the natural energy extraction methods provided by the toads of Mount Myōboku, Ōnoki was able to create five artificial humans with independent thought and strength reaching the level of Jonin: Sora, Kirara, Quartz, Granite, and Obsidian.
As for the other artificial humans, although their numbers have reached nearly a thousand, they are all just mindless tools.
Now, the information gleaned from the Chunin Exams in Konoha, along with the analysis from Sora and Kirara, felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.
The speed of the rise of the Star Kingdom, the growth rate of the new generation, and the quality and quantity of its high-end combat power all exceeded his and his collaborators' expectations.
"Well then—" Onoki slowly drifted to the window, gazing at the solid yet oppressive village scene outside.
"What suggestions do you have? And what new theories do you have about those toads?"
Sora raised his head and calmly said, "Master, recent messages from Mount Myōboku indicate that they are also actively contacting other forces that are uneasy about the expansion of the Star Kingdom."
"As for our own strategy, perhaps we could leverage Shura's highly aggressive slogan of 'unifying the ninja world' to proactively unite with other ninja villages that also feel threatened."
"Join forces with other ninja villages?" Onoki stroked his beard, lost in thought.
This is indeed the direction he has been striving for.
After all, he had a deep understanding of the oppression and despair that the ninja gods Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha brought to the ninjas of their time.
Now another person has emerged who may surpass Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Only by uniting can the major ninja villages have a chance to fight!
Especially after the Land of Stars annexed the Land of Wind and Sunagakure, demonstrating its powerful military strength and ambition for "unification".
Konoha has just suffered a major blow and is internally unstable, but even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse, and external wars are also an important way to divert attention from internal conflicts.
The Hidden Cloud Village is powerful, and the Raikage has a fierce personality and a deep-seated blood feud with Shura. He would never sit idly by and allow a threat to arise.
Although Kirigakure is isolated, it has a grudge against Shura for stealing his sword, and the Land of Stars has long been competing with the Land of Water for ocean resources, so it's not impossible that they have their own ambitions.
If a union could be formed—
"Yes," Kong continued.
"Under the banner of countering the threat from the Land of Stars, maintaining the existing order of the ninja world, and protecting the independence of all nations, we will convene the Five-Four Kage Summit to discuss countermeasures. Even if a military alliance cannot be formed immediately, we can still communicate, coordinate our positions, and cooperate on intelligence, technology, and even limited material support."
"This can at least create some strategic constraints on the Star Kingdom, buying us more time and space."
Onoki nodded slowly.
This is indeed a viable strategy at present.
Iwagakure wants to break free from the Land of Stars' vassalage, but fighting the Land of Stars alone is like throwing an egg against a rock. However, if the other three great ninja villages can be brought on board, the situation will be very different.
No matter how strong the Land of Stars is, can it possibly fight against the entire ninja world at the same time?
As for those collaborators at Mount Myōboku—
Onoki's eyes deepened.
He knew those toads must have their own ulterior motives, but for now, their interests were aligned, at least in dealing with the Asura.
It can be exploited, but we must be vigilant.
Just as he was deep in thought, there was a knock on the office door.
"Come in," Onoki said in a deep voice, gathering his thoughts.
The door was pushed open, and a tall, burly, and kind-faced middle-aged ninja walked in.
It was Onoki's son, Hiroto.
His face was solemn, and he held a scroll in his hand.
"Father." Huang Tu bowed and presented the scroll with both hands: "The urgent intelligence we just received is a formal diplomatic document from the Hidden Cloud Village."
Onoki took the scroll and quickly unrolled it to browse.
As he read, his usually shrewd eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, an expression that was hard to discern as either a laugh or something else.
The content on the scroll is concise, but the meaning is clear:
A, the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure, formally proposed an emergency meeting of the leaders of the four major ninja villages, citing the need to "address the upheaval in the ninja world and discuss the future."
Four-Movie Conference!
They initially proposed that the meeting be held in the capital of the neutral Iron Country, and the meeting would take place in half a month.
"Heh—" Onoki placed the scroll on the table and let out a soft laugh.
"Unexpectedly, the one who lost his temper first and jumped out to lead the alliance was actually that hot-tempered Fourth Raikage."
He originally thought that Konoha, which had suffered heavy losses and urgently needed to divert attention from its internal conflicts, would be the first to propose this idea.
Unexpectedly, it was Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village).
However, this does fit the personality of the Fourth Raikage, A.
The Raikage lineage has always been powerful, believing in strength, and is most sensitive and vigilant to any force that may threaten their status and safety.
The rise of the Star Kingdom, especially Shura's terrifying personal strength and his declaration to unify the ninja world, has probably enraged the Raikage.
"Reply." Onoki turned to look at the earth, his tone resolute: "In the name of myself, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, I agree to Kumogakure's proposal. Iwagakure will attend the 'Four Kage Summit' on time!"
Of course, before setting off, he would try to confuse the spies that the Star Kingdom had planted in Iwagakure.
"Yes!" Huang Tu replied in a deep voice, then turned and walked away quickly.
Inside the office, only Onoki, Sora, and Kirara remained.
Onoki floated to the window, looked out at the hazy sky of the Land of Earth, and gazed towards the distant southwest, the direction of the Land of Stars.
"The Four Shadows Conference—Shura—Let me see if your so-called new order can withstand the backlash from the entire old era!"