"The shinobi world truly is plagued by one disaster after another!"
A battle between monsters of this caliber was like nuclear weapons being fired at one another.
Although the shinobi world was vast enough that distant places could not see the battle itself, the phenomena it created could certainly be felt.
Especially by the countries nearby.
The impact of this battle in the Land of Grass was already comparable to the experiment that had once taken place in the Southern District and caused the entire world to panic.
That incident had brought myth and legend to the shinobi world.
It had taught the people of the world what it meant for divine grace to be as vast as the sea.
This time, however, they were witnessing the wrath of the Buddha.
The shinobi world was learning what it meant for divine might to be as terrifying as hell itself.
Unfortunately, the misunderstanding created by this battle was somewhat too great.
The leader of Iwagakure, the Third Tsuchikage, ōnoki of the Two Scales, had been leading the Iwagakure forces invading the Land of Fire.
Now, he ordered them to stop.
ōnoki was the Kage who had effectively wielded supreme authority over his nation for the longest period in shinobi history.
He was also the longest-lived Kage, and the man who had ushered Iwagakure into its golden age.
At this moment, he wore his characteristic red-and-green attire, with a separate green flak-jacket-like lower garment that fluttered in the wind as he flew.
Yet even this legendary figure lost control of his flight when he saw the image of a Buddha battling a monster in the distance.
The few shinobi in the world capable of flying were not supposed to simply fall out of the sky.
But ōnoki did exactly that.
"True Several Thousand Hands: Top Transformed Buddha?"
"Has Konoha revived Hashirama?"
The Iwa shinobi caught ōnoki as he fell.
The old man clenched his teeth, forcing down the trembling of his lips as he uttered those words.
The division among the shinobi of the Land of Fire was no secret.
At present, the Land of Fire was controlled by three factions:
Konoha, the daimyō, and the Southern District.
With one country divided among three separate powers, it was impossible for any secret to remain secret.
Every rumor that was detrimental to one faction was spread throughout the world by the others.
Therefore, the information that had emerged from the Twelve Guardian Shinobi serving the daimyō—that the Daimyō’s Court possessed the forbidden technique Earth Release: Ultimate Creation — Soil of the Dead—was no secret either.
The daimyō naturally lacked the ability to develop such a technique himself.
Therefore, the existence of this technique represented Konoha’s research into the dead and its attempts to summon the deceased back into the living world.
The possibility of the dead being resurrected was therefore no secret.
Looking at the distant Buddhist Wrath: Top Transformed Buddha, ōnoki’s heart was filled with fear.
He had grown up under the shadow of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.
From childhood, he had developed a psychological trauma toward gigantic statues, Buddhas, and similar manifestations.
It was like the instinctive fear of a herbivore toward a predator.
Regardless of the difference in strength or size, when a herbivore saw a predator, its first instinct was always the same:
Run.
Fear had already overwhelmed the mind of the man whose wisdom had made him famous throughout the shinobi world.
Even though Konoha’s frontline forces were already on the verge of collapse, the Tsuchikage still chose to order a retreat.
"Run! Hurry!"
With that, ōnoki turned around and flew away like a frightened butterfly.
This campaign had already been a tremendous success.
ōnoki had killed the Raikage of Kumogakure, then joined up with the reinforcements using his remaining forces and beaten Konoha’s frontline troops into complete disarray.
That was enough.
If he became any more arrogant about his victory, and Hashirama and Madara somehow learned of it...
Wouldn’t they tear his old bones apart and scatter the ashes?
Even after being dead for so many years, Hashirama and Madara still possessed reputations capable of overshadowing everyone alive today.
"Now all that’s left is to gather the other shinobi villages and negotiate with Konoha."
"Ah... what the Land of Earth gained must eventually be surrendered at the negotiating table."
"There is no such thing as taking every advantage in life."
What ōnoki meant by "losing" was not bowing his head to Konoha.
Rather, it meant making amends to Kumogakure.
After all, he had killed their Kage.
Only after flying for quite some time did ōnoki finally feel safe enough to descend.
He let out a breath and began teaching his disciples.
"Children, the most important thing about being a leader is this: never try to seize the very last bit of advantage."
"And after gaining a major advantage, you must know how to share it with others!"
ōnoki’s ability to educate his disciples was no worse than Hiruzen Sarutobi’s.
Kitsuchi, Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, Mahi, Kakō, ōishi, Sumashi, Tōjūrō, Bunga, Ippen, Kariya, Roshi, Han...
All of them were excellent shinobi capable of standing on their own.
Although they might not possess the strength of the Sannin, they were still strong enough to hold off the Sannin.
In other words, ōnoki’s educational achievements were inferior to Hiruzen’s in quality, but far superior in quantity.
Hearing his teacher say this, Roshi, one of the jinchūriki, was somewhat confused.
"Why?"
ōnoki, his short frame hovering in the air, paused before answering.
"Politics is the art of compromise."
"What you obtain through military force will eventually be surrendered at the negotiating table."
"And what you lose through military force will eventually be regained at the negotiating table."
ōnoki’s granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, understood even less.
"Grandfather, how is that possible?"
Young people always believed the world belonged to the strong.
What they failed to understand was what it truly meant to be strong.
Nor did they understand that there was no such thing as an absolutely invincible force.
ōnoki reached over and patted his granddaughter on the head.
"The shinobi world will never allow a single power to dominate."
"If one hidden village becomes too powerful, everyone else will automatically form an alliance against it."
After saying this, ōnoki glanced toward the Buddha that was still fighting.
This Buddha was even larger than the one he had seen before.
But something seemed strange.
Why wasn’t it made entirely of Wood Release anymore?
The thought made ōnoki even more frightened.
Could it be...
Complete Body Susanoo: Top Transformed Buddha?
Had Konoha even revived Madara?
Had Konoha and Madara resolved their differences?
Oh, right.
Konoha was now ruled by the Uchiha.
A powerful Konoha dominated by the Uchiha would naturally be acceptable to both Hashirama and Madara.
Thinking about the two men fighting side by side again, it no longer seemed impossible.
Just imagining the scene of those two legends rampaging across the shinobi world made ōnoki’s legs tremble.
The shinobi world truly was plagued by one disaster after another!
Unfortunately, the younger generation could not understand the emotions of the previous generation.
Seeing the terrified expression on ōnoki’s face, Kurotsuchi remained unconvinced.
"Is Konoha really that powerful?"
"Our frontline forces already beat them into complete disarray!"
ōnoki shook his head.
Confidence was a good thing.
Blind confidence, however, was arrogance.
"Konoha and the Senju and Uchiha Clans are two different things."
"Konoha with the Senju and Uchiha is completely different from Konoha without them."
Kurotsuchi, Roshi, and the others still did not understand.
"What do you mean?"
ōnoki let out a long sigh.
"I mean that without the Senju and Uchiha, Konoha is merely a wealthy village. Anyone can bully it a little."
"But Konoha possessing both the Senju and the Uchiha becomes the common enemy of the entire shinobi world."
"All the other hidden villages will automatically become allies, regardless of whatever conflicts they may have had with one another in the past."
ōnoki paused.
His confidence returned as his sharp mind regained its clarity.
"There is no hidden village that can tolerate the emergence of another village capable of unifying the entire shinobi world."
"Everyone will put aside their grudges and unite against the common enemy!"
ōnoki’s firm tone left all of his disciples stunned.
"Even if that village has just killed their Kage?"
ōnoki nodded.
"Even if it has just killed their Kage."
Everyone sucked in a breath.
They had already prepared themselves for an all-out war with Kumogakure.
Yet their teacher was saying that Kumogakure would soon become their ally.
No one believed him.
"Is it really that serious?"
ōnoki smiled.
"Youngsters, it’s far more serious than you can imagine."
"Only after you have witnessed the men standing at the pinnacle of the shinobi world will you truly be qualified to call yourselves shinobi."
With that, ōnoki stopped explaining.
Instead, speaking with the authority of the Tsuchikage, he issued his command.
"Go and notify every hidden village."
"Konoha has revived Hashirama Senju."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ Chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789