"Tsuchikage-sama, what should we do now?"
Kitsuchi fought back his fear and tension as he spoke to his father in a trembling voice.
Although he was a strong-willed jonin, after witnessing the gruesome massacre of ten thousand of his comrades, his heart also began to waver.
Every time he closed his eyes, images flew into his mind: that giant version of Chibi Tobirama, the explosive bombs, the deadly blue-black gas cloud bombs called Tobirama, and the terrifying black fog plagued by poisonous nano insects.
But what really made him shudder to the core was...
Uchiha Kazuki and his ever-present gentle smile.
It seemed that as long as Kazuki kept smiling, his enemies would be trapped in his rhythm, doomed to the destruction that lay behind that gentle smile.
Two decades of Iwagakure's efforts to strengthen its military had crumbled in a single battle. Even the two Jinchuriki in whom they had placed all their hopes had fallen in combat.
The screams of agony of his companions continued to echo in his ears, the charred and blackened bodies appeared before his eyes, tormenting him endlessly.
Onoki's expression was also grim. Throughout his journey back, the Tsuchikage had replayed the catastrophic battle over and over again.
However bitter the lesson, a leader like him had to analyze every detail, however painful.
Even now, Ōnoki could not understand how an Uchiha could wield the Second Mizukage's secret techniques with such mastery.
And to top it off, the Steam Imp had the appearance of Senju Tobirama!
The more Ōnoki thought about the battle, the more his brows furrowed. His mind returned to the beginning of the war.
From Konoha's loud accusations against the Five Great Villages to the glaring weakness during the Chūnin Exams, the friction within the Uchiha clan, the chaos of the Nine-Tails revolt, the lack of transparency about the true quality of their shinobi...
Everything was falling into place now.
It had been a plan all along!
Onoki ignored Kitsuchi and analyzed Kazuki solemnly: "He has the eyes of an Uchiha but follows the style of Senju Tobirama. He has inherited his malice and his talent for developing ninjutsu... It is a lethal combination."
"Even Madara was more compassionate than him. At least he gave the chance to surrender before exterminating his enemies. But Kazuki... No. He seems to incite others to attack him just to have an excuse to start a war and unleash a slaughter."
"Kitsuchi..." Ōnoki said after a long silence, his voice low but firm. "When we return to camp, take out the liaison officers from the other shinobi villages first."
"Konoha's bombs cannot be endless. We cannot allow only ourselves to suffer while the other villages remain intact."
Kitsuchi shuddered and looked up uncertainly. "Are we really going to start an internal conflict now?"
"Uchiha Kazuki is troublesome, but he is not unstoppable in a direct confrontation. With the number of shinobi Konoha has, it is impossible for him to completely exterminate the five great shinobi villages…"
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes and continued coldly, "If we reach a truce and only Iwagakure is severely weakened, we will become the prey of the others. Those bastards will not see us as allies; they will tear us apart to strengthen themselves."
He paused before continuing, "If the Third Kazekage, that savage from Kumogakure, and I join forces to form an army, and our shinobi adapt to Konoha's aerial bombardments, we will be able to hold our own."
"As for Kirigakure… considering that Uchiha Kazuki has obtained the Second Mizukage's secret techniques, we cannot expect anything from them. That village was already on the verge of collapse, and after being defeated, it is estimated that they will fall into a civil war."
Ōnoki took a deep breath.
"Konoha's weapons are advanced, but once we have enough information, we can develop countermeasures."
"If Kazuki thinks he can lead Konoha to dominate the entire shinobi world, he is wrong… at least for now."
Kitsuchi nodded silently.
He had perfectly understood his father's intentions: to make the entire shinobi world suffer the pain that Konoha had inflicted on them.
There was no other choice.
If Iwagakure was the only village to suffer such devastating losses, the other villages would inevitably begin to have dangerous thoughts.
When they returned to the Iwagakure base, Kitsuchi and several jonin unhesitatingly eliminated the liaison officers from the other villages. They then relayed the news to their comrades…
The bad news: they had lost ten thousand men. The good news: they still had ten thousand more left. Iwagakure was still a force to be reckoned with… at least for now.
But amidst the general gloom that hung over the Iwagakure camp, one golden-haired boy had his eyes alight with excitement. His name was Deidara, and Ōnoki saw him as the village's future successor.
Deidara's talent was extraordinary, and after the battle against Konoha, Ōnoki was even more convinced of his potential.
Is Konoha's bombing force very strong?
If Deidara grows up, he can surpass the entire Konoha bombing force alone!
As Ōnoki pondered the future of his successor, Deidara's thoughts were completely different from what his mentor expected.
"That explosion…" Deidara whispered, his face flushed with excitement. "That colossal puppet exploding… It was an absolute work of art!"
His fists clenched tightly as he muttered, "The explosion… the explosion is art!"
He listened intently to the shinobi around him, catching a name in whispers.
"Uchiha Kazuki…"
Deidara's eyes lit up with determination as he looked in the direction of Konoha. "I'll challenge you... the strongest artist in the shinobi world!"
"When I create my perfect masterpiece, I'll come find you."
Ōnoki had a keen eye for talent, and Deidara certainly did.
But Ōnoki had made a mistake…
He had correctly judged Deidara's ability, but not his heart.
Because Deidara wasn't just a ninja. He was an artist.
And in his young heart, nothing was more beautiful than the explosion caused by Tobirama's Chibi puppet.
Neither Kurotsuchi's long legs, nor Tsuchikage's iconic hat...
Nothing could match the sheer beauty of destruction.
It was at that instant that the wheels of Deidara's destiny began to turn... deviating completely from their original course.
...
[Deidara's intense admiration towards the host has been detected. He has been linked as a target.]
[From the target Deidara, you get a special talent - Art is Explosion!]
[Art is Explosion]: By researching ninjutsu with explosive effects, your inspiration and learning speed increase. All explosive-type ninjutsu have greater power and consume less chakra.
[From the target Onoki, you get a special talent - Tsuchikage's fear!]
[Multiple targets with similar power levels have been detected that can be linked to the host...]
[Host binds a special line target: Iwagakure!]
[From the target Iwagakure: You gain a special talent: Iwagakure's Fear!]
[Similar or complementary skills can be merged…]
[Available skills for fusion: Tsuchikage's Fear + Iwagakure's Fear.]
[Synthesize?]
[Synthesizing…]
[You get a special talent - Stone Destruction!]
[Stone Destruction]: When the shinobi of the Iwagakure faction feel fear, terror, or despair before you, your mastery of Earth Release ninjutsu grows stronger. The degree of improvement is directly proportional to the level of fear the Iwagakure shinobi feel for you. This skill can unlock the final questline. Upon completion, you will receive a special reward: the Earth Pact.
In Kazuki's mind, an electronic sound resonated for a long time, conveying to him the true spoils of war from this battle.
After receiving all the rewards Kazuki began to think about his next course of action.
"It's time to head to the Kumogakure Battlefield to take a look..."
Kazuki devised a plan to momentarily divert Black Zetsu's attention, giving him a false sense of security while he himself prepared for his next move against Uchiha Obito.
What Black Zetsu didn't know was that whoever dedicated himself to spying on others would one day end up being the one spied on.
At that moment, in a Konoha base, Black Zetsu was engrossed in writing a diary to leave to Uchiha Obito as his last memory.
However, just below the ground where he was, several clones of Kazuki were hiding using the mayfly technique, watching him with an amused smile.
"So Iwagakure has also been linked as a target... I can even unlock the final mission against them..."
Kazuki's eyes sparkled with interest.
"Earth Pact? Interesting… It seems I must completely crush their Stone Will."
"Then let's take it step by step. For now, I'll slow down and give Black Zetsu some space."
Just as Kazuki was deep in thought, Jiraiya and Minato entered the tent. There was something strange about their expressions. Their eyes reflected a mixture of respect, suspicion and… fear?
"Kazuki, I want to talk to you." Jiraiya said in a deep voice, after directing a glance at the two corpses of the Iwagakure Jinchūriki lying near Kazuki.
"It's about the prophecy of the Great Sage Toad… and about the future of world peace."
"Please believe me. I am not your enemy, I just need to confirm some things and, if possible, I need your help."
Beside him, Minato nodded seriously. "Kazuki-kun, if you can, give Jiraiya-sensei a moment."
Kazuki, looking at these two who had just 'donated' their knowledge of Sage Mode to him, smiled kindly and nodded. "Of course…"
"We are all Konoha shinobi, comrades who have grown up under the Will of Fire. There is no need to beat around the bush."
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