"And what exactly do you mean by 'guardian of the Rinnegan'?!"
Onoki stared fixedly at Yahiko, doing his best to keep his emotions steady.
But inside, a storm had already erupted. The shinobi world he had lived in for decades suddenly felt utterly unfamiliar.
Wood Release, at least, he could understand. It was the kekkei genkai the God of Shinobi had used to bring an age of chaos to heel.
The reappearance of that bloodline limit did not necessarily mean a new God of Shinobi would appear.
What Hanzo of the Salamander knew, Onoki naturally knew as well.
To be precise, anyone who had ever seen Senju Hashirama knew that what was truly monstrous was not Wood Release, but the man himself—the God of Shinobi, whose chakra was as vast as the sea.
Wood Release had come to be known as the kekkei genkai that pacified a war-torn age only because it happened to be Senju Hashirama's kekkei genkai.
Even without Wood Release, if Hashirama had only used the five basic elemental releases, he still would have been the God of Shinobi.
And if he had fused those elements into some other bloodline limits, then those bloodline limits would have been hailed as the powers that pacified the age instead.
Besides, Wood Release was still a physical-type bloodline limit. It could be destroyed.
But the space-time bloodline and the Rinnegan were different. One had never been seen before, and the other was a power straight out of myth.
Onoki had never imagined that in this era, he would hear the words space-time bloodline, Rinnegan, and Wood Release all at once.
The worldview he had built up over a lifetime had already shattered completely.
If not for his extraordinary mental discipline, his expression would have slipped out of control long ago.
But he knew he could not show weakness in front of this boy, even if everything the boy said was true.
The moment he lost his nerve, he would lose the advantage in any negotiation.
Onoki had already guessed why Kirigakure and Sunagakure had attacked Konoha at the same time.
Clearly, it was this Wood Release boy's doing—or the doing of the Rinnegan wielder he had mentioned.
For all he knew, this boy might have already visited Kumogakure before coming here.
And now that he had come here, it was very likely to force Iwagakure into sending troops against the Land of Fire as well.
Did this boy and the hidden Rinnegan wielder intend to use the four great nations as chess pieces, scatter Konoha's military strength, and then deal with Gojo Yoru, the wielder of the space-time bloodline?
Yahiko had no idea that Onoki had already guessed both his purpose and his objective.
Looking at the old man floating in the air and watching him with guarded eyes, Yahiko was actually far less calm inside than he looked on the surface.
Over the course of these short two weeks, he had infiltrated Kirigakure and Sunagakure one after the other. Relying on Tobi's Mayfly Technique and overwhelming strength, he had easily brought the Mizukage and Kazekage under control, along with some elders who were not especially strong but held very high status, and the heads of the major shinobi clans. Each of them already had a cursed restraint seal planted inside their bodies.
As long as those people in power agreed to send troops against the Land of Fire, even if the ace fighters under them had doubts, they would still obey orders rather than dig for the truth.
Just like the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who reported directly to the Mizukage—they had not questioned at all why the Mizukage had started a war. They had simply carried out the order.
Ao and the other top combatants had their suspicions, but they too had said nothing.
It had been the same in Sunagakure.
But now, faced directly with Onoki, Yahiko could not use overwhelming force to subdue Iwagakure the same way he had done with the Mist and Sand.
Because from Onoki, he felt a pressure and danger neither the Mizukage nor the Kazekage had possessed.
Though they were all members of the Five Kage, this little old man before him clearly existed on an entirely different level from the others.
With Tobi's power, Yahiko might be able to defeat him, but he absolutely could not crush him outright or kill him instantly. And if they fought, the commotion would be enormous.
So Yahiko changed tactics without hesitation.
Expressionless, he said, "Exactly what you think it means. The foremost of the legendary Three Great Dojutsu—the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths from myth—really do exist."
"It is a miraculous power on the same level as the space-time bloodline. And the two are destined enemies born into the same age."
"And I, as a Wood Release shinobi, am the guardian of the Rinnegan. I assist its wielder in changing this world."
Onoki asked, "The Wood Release incident in Konoha a while ago—was that your doing?"
The corner of Yahiko's mouth lifted slightly. "That was my greeting to them."
"And Sunagakure and Kirigakure joining forces to attack Konoha—that was your handiwork too?"
"That's right."
Onoki narrowed his eyes and finally asked the question bothering him most.
"How did you convince them to join hands?"
"It was simple."
Yahiko spoke one word at a time.
"With absolute force."
A brilliant sphere of white light formed between Onoki's hands as he said coldly, "Are you threatening me?"
"No," Yahiko replied flatly. "I'm offering you a chance—a chance to contribute your strength to the new world."
"The Rinnegan and the space-time bloodline—these two miraculous powers are destined enemies. In the future, only one of them will become the master of this shinobi world."
"Even if you maintain the current balance now, once Konoha's space-time shinobi finishes growing, changing the present order—or ruling the entire shinobi world—will be no more than a passing thought to him."
"The fate of your great nations could be decided with a single sentence from him."
Onoki remained unmoved and sneered, "And what you're doing now—isn't that just what Konoha might do in the future? If we help you defeat Konoha, even kill its space-time shinobi, then all we're doing is replacing one ruler and one dominant power with another."
"That's true," Yahiko nodded. "But at least you still get to choose which side you stand on."
"After two Shinobi World Wars, your four nations already have deep blood feuds with Konoha. That hatred has lasted for generations. It won't disappear. If the Land of Fire and Konoha really do decide to rule the shinobi world, then once they succeed, you and your families will almost certainly become targets for that hatred."
"Your entire hidden village might even cease to exist."
"Remember this: the Five Great Hidden Villages may be military bases for the Five Great Nations, but in the end, they're still just villages with a measure of autonomy. Counting ninja and civilians together, each village only has a population of a few tens of thousands. For a great nation, that number is insignificant."
"Here's a brutal truth: the total number of ninja and villagers in all four of your great villages combined may not even equal the population of a single small country."
"Wiping you out might actually bring more benefits than drawbacks."
Looking at Onoki's shifting expression, Yahiko added, "And while I'm at it, let me tell you one more thing. Konoha very likely also has a shinobi hidden in the shadows who has mastered the Impure World Reincarnation Technique. There's a high probability that person is the very same space-time shinobi. My teacher, Hanzo of the Salamander, was killed when they settled old scores by sending the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, after him."
"And this jutsu is not like the rumors say—not some weak imitation where the dead only retain ten or twenty percent of their original power. No. The revived are infinitely close to their living strength."
"That jutsu has already been perfected."
Hearing that, Onoki's expression finally changed dramatically.
He stared at Yahiko and asked in a deep voice, "Everything you're saying… is true?"
"I have no reason to lie to you," Yahiko said. "I now rule Amegakure, and Amegakure will also be one of the main forces fighting Konoha."
"I became the guardian of the Rinnegan both to change the balance of the shinobi world and to avenge my teacher."
"If Iwagakure is willing to join the war and fight Konoha alongside us, then after we win, we'll redraw the map—and with the power of Wood Release and the Rinnegan, we'll even reshape the terrain and environment for your great nations."
"You know exactly what Wood Release is capable of."
"Believe me, the power of the Rinnegan surpasses even Wood Release. It is a rule-based power, just like space-time itself."
When he finished, Yahiko's eyes finally turned cold. A terrifying surge of chakra burst from his body as he said icily, "Make your choice, Onoki. Refuse to join forces with us, and let Wood Release and Dust Release collide here on your home ground, with all of Iwagakure caught in the aftermath—or take the gamble, attack Konoha with us, destroy the enemy nation that could one day invade you at will, divide the resources of the strongest country among yourselves, and become followers of the new God of Shinobi."
The pressure from his chakra swept through the room, shaking the floor, the walls, and the ceiling until crack after crack spread across them.
The windows shattered with a bang.
Onoki kept the Dust Release sphere formed between his hands, his face expressionless.
But inside, he was struggling violently.
What lay before him was almost a dead-end.
Whether the Rinnegan wielder was real or not could be left aside for the moment.
The boy before him was undeniably the second Wood Release shinobi in the world, and the chakra erupting from him at this moment was as vast as a jinchuriki's.
He truly had the power to destroy Iwagakure.
If Onoki refused, then he would have to fire the Dust Release. That was perhaps his best chance to kill the boy.
But if he did that, his son would die—and the boy in front of him was very likely one of the legendary Wood Clones.
Wood Clones were实体, just like Shadow Clones, but without the flaw of distributing chakra evenly and dispersing once damage exceeded a limit. Even the sharpest sensory abilities could not distinguish them from the original, and they could possess immense chakra.
Both his father and his teachers had told him the same thing: one of the most terrifying things about the First Hokage was that even a single Wood Clone of his could defeat people like the Five Kage with ease.
Onoki could not tell whether this boy was the original or merely a clone.
And if he chose not to fire the Dust Release, then the moment they truly fell out, his son would still die.
Those vine-like branches were infused with Wood Release chakra. At any instant, they could turn into wooden spikes and pierce straight through Kitsuchi's body from the outside in.
After that, all of Iwagakure would face the same disaster Konoha had faced a short while ago.
And unlike Konoha, Iwagakure had no way to stop a sea of trees from spreading.
Even if they somehow managed to limit it, the casualties would be many times worse than Konoha's.
Yet if he chose to ally with them and attack Konoha, the losses would still be severe. And if they lost, Konoha might wipe them out later.
Even if they won, there was no guarantee the Rinnegan wielder and this ruler of Amegakure would spare the remnants of the Five Great Hidden Villages.
After all, during the Second Shinobi World War, Iwagakure had attacked Amegakure. True, they had shown restraint and had not targeted children.
But judging by his age, the boy in front of him had likely been alive during that time.
If he had been an orphan, then there was a very good chance his parents had died in the Second Shinobi World War.
Perhaps that hatred was simply buried deep inside him.
Refusing meant Iwagakure might be destroyed—or erased entirely.
Agreeing to the alliance might only delay that destruction.
The despair in Onoki's heart at this moment was something no one else could possibly understand.
As one of the strongest shinobi in the world, a man at the peak of the Five Kage, this was the first time Onoki had ever felt so powerless.
Looking at Onoki's bluffing posture, Yahiko seemed to see through the struggle in his heart. He continued releasing waves of chakra, intensifying the pressure he gave off.
His face had not yet fully lost its youthful softness, yet his eyes were sharper than those of Onoki himself, a man who had stood at the peak of the Five Kage and ruled one of the five strongest hidden villages for years.
Seeing that Yahiko showed not the slightest fear that he might choose mutual destruction, Onoki finally let the Dust Release sphere in his hands slowly dissipate.
That moment meant he had made his choice.
In a hoarse voice, Onoki asked, "How do you want me to cooperate?"
"You made the wise choice, Onoki."
Yahiko praised him first, then added, "Relax. We won't make villages like yours serve as cannon fodder."
"All you need to do is send troops to attack the Land of Fire and tie down a portion of Konoha's forces and high-end combat power. Keep them occupied at the northern border base."
"We'll handle the space-time shinobi and the Nine-Tails jinchuriki ourselves."
"If we fail, then you can keep the current order in place and wait for the space-time shinobi to decide the fate of your great villages."
"But if we win, then resources will be divided according to what each of you contributes on the battlefield. If we discover that you've tried to play both sides, then don't blame us for settling accounts afterward."
Yahiko looked deeply at Onoki.
"I hope you've truly made up your mind."
As soon as he finished speaking, his body sank into the ground and disappeared.
And as Yahiko vanished beneath the earth, Onoki's expression only grew darker.
It wasn't Yahiko's threats that disturbed him most.
It was the fact that he could no longer sense Yahiko's presence at all.
No wonder he had been able to infiltrate this place through the barriers without anyone noticing him. So that was it—he possessed a stealth ability even greater than Transparency Release or the Dustless Bewildering Veil. He could merge with the ground itself. It was like an extension of Konoha's space-time shinobi's invisibility and instant movement techniques.
That meant the enemy could infiltrate any of the Five Great Hidden Villages at will and unleash large-scale Wood Release.
That kind of strategic deterrence was even more terrifying than a space-time shinobi who lacked ultra-wide-area destructive power.
That was the real reason Onoki had chosen to side with Yahiko.
He didn't know how strong the Rinnegan wielder was.
But this Wood Release shinobi alone was already enough to destroy Iwagakure.
Compared to watching Iwagakure be destroyed right now because of a choice he made, Onoki would rather gamble on the possibility of being conquered and judged by Konoha in the future.
At least then, perhaps the daimyo might still be able to restrain the ambitions of the Land of Fire and Konoha.
So although Onoki had chosen to join Yahiko's side, what he truly hoped for in his heart was Konoha's victory.
Compared to a mysterious Rinnegan wielder and a Wood Release shinobi, he would rather die at the hands of the Five Great Hidden Villages that had ruled the shinobi world for decades.