Chapter 141: Did He Come All This Way Just to Issue a Warning?
At this moment, Ōnoki was utterly stunned.
He had already received intel earlier—he knew Uchiha Dali was incredibly powerful.
Otherwise, there was no way he could have conquered both Kirigakure and Sunagakure in succession.
But in Ōnoki's eyes, those two shinobi villages weren't much to begin with.
Take Kirigakure of the Land of Water, for example—due to natural limitations, they were never particularly strong.
After the Fourth Mizukage took power and initiated a series of reforms, Iwagakure had long since gotten wind of it.
Still, in terms of overall strength, Kirigakure was no match for Iwagakure.
On top of that, Earth Release naturally countered Water Release, so Ōnoki didn't consider them particularly formidable.
Though it was surprising that they were conquered by Konohagakure of the Land of Fire, it wasn't entirely inexplicable.
As for Sunagakure of the Land of Wind, they were even less worth mentioning—
The perennial bottom of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.
Their defeat was, to Ōnoki, almost expected.
Because of this, he didn't rate Uchiha Dali's strength that highly.
At most, he had assumed the young man was on par with himself.
Could Uchiha Dali really be stronger than all the past Kage?
However, from the moment they clashed—just a single move—Ōnoki already regretted his ignorance.
This man could no longer be described with something as simple as "powerful."
"He lifted such a massive mountain, and not only that, it had been several times heavier than normal—yet he sent it flying into the sky effortlessly, without even breaking a sweat or gasping for air."
"It's like he's a god…"
Deep in his heart, Ōnoki reevaluated Uchiha Dali entirely.
He stared intently at the young man, unsure for a moment of what to even say.
Finally snapping out of his shock, he heard Uchiha Dali chuckle and say, "Iwagakure's Earth Release techniques are indeed the most comprehensive. This trip wasn't a waste."
The statement was baffling and left Ōnoki puzzled.
Frowning, he asked in a deep voice, "Uchiha Dali, have you invaded Iwagakure to start a new war?"
"We've already signed a peace treaty with Konoha!"
His tone was forceful, but a hint of nervousness slipped through.
After all, that single move had made it clear—this young man's power rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, his own.
If a monster like that started a fight inside the village, Iwagakure could be obliterated in an instant.
"That wasn't my intention."
"But since you brought it up, I'll give you an answer."
Uchiha Dali gave him a faint, amused smile.
"And also, could you come down here to talk? My neck's getting sore."
His request went ignored.
Ōnoki remained floating in the air.
"What a stubborn old man… Looks like I'll have to speak in a language you understand."
As he spoke, Uchiha Dali raised his hand.
A violent gravitational force erupted in an instant. Ōnoki, suspended in the sky, had no time to react before he was yanked down by an overwhelming gravitational pull.
His small stature only made the impact more pronounced—as he stood before Uchiha Dali, he suddenly looked like a dwarf.
Now it was his turn to look up at Uchiha Dali.
"You…"
Ōnoki's pupils trembled with shock.
He wasn't some run-of-the-mill shinobi—he was Iwagakure's most powerful Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki!
Yet with just a single gesture, Uchiha Dali had forcibly dragged him from midair to the ground.
From beginning to end, he hadn't been able to resist at all.
He had been completely and utterly overpowered.
It was only thanks to Uchiha Dali's lack of hostility that he wasn't already dead.
If the young man had chosen to strike during that moment, he would have been—
Ōnoki's entire body went numb.
He finally understood why Sunagakure of the Land of Wind and Kirigakure of the Land of Water had so readily surrendered to Uchiha Dali.
And why they obediently accepted his control without resistance.
"So… this kid's strength… has already far surpassed what we ever imagined!"
Ōnoki was reeling from the realization.
At that moment, he even recalled a distant memory—when he and his teacher, the Second Tsuchikage Mu, had once traveled to the Land of Fire.
There, they had encountered Uchiha Madara.
A fight broke out with barely a word exchanged.
He and his teacher had been completely overwhelmed by that man from the Uchiha clan.
They hadn't even been able to lift a finger.
And now—this moment mirrored that one.
A bitter sense of despair welled up in Ōnoki's heart.
"I didn't come here to make trouble with you. I was just passing by," Uchiha Dali finally said.
Hearing that, Ōnoki was skeptical.
Sweating profusely, he asked hesitantly, "Then why are you doing all this?"
"You mean conquering the other shinobi villages?"
"What you're doing is called invasion! What 'conquest' are you even talking about?!"
At this point, only his mouth was still putting up a fight.
Though he knew he probably couldn't defeat this young man, he wasn't about to back down verbally.
"Call it whatever you want. I have no obligation to explain my goals to you. But if I had to say something, maybe it's in pursuit of so-called peace."
"If the entire ninja world is united, wouldn't that end all wars?"
Uchiha Dali's words momentarily stunned the furious Ōnoki.
He furrowed his brows and stared hard at the young man.
For a moment, he wasn't sure whether Dali was being serious or just mocking him.
"Unify the ninja world?"
"Force all the shinobi villages to kneel before Konoha—kneel before you—and that's what you call peace?"
Ōnoki snapped back, immediately challenging him.
But Uchiha Dali remained calm and composed as he responded, "That's why I said—you can see it however you like. Doesn't matter to me."
"I heard those little nations are looking to ally with you, to resist us together."
"Ōnoki—or rather, Lord Third Tsuchikage—I suggest you think carefully about the consequences of such a decision."
"Put simply—don't do it."
With that, Uchiha Dali chuckled and turned to walk out of the village.
Ōnoki was stunned by his bizarre behavior.
But inside, he was seething with rage.
Because this kid had very clearly come to Iwagakure just to issue a blatant warning.
"Stop right there!"
Ōnoki didn't even know where the courage came from, but he suddenly shouted at Uchiha Dali, "You came all this way—do you really think you can just walk out like that?!"
"Oh, right—that thing's about to fall. So… are you going to come at me again, or stop it from crashing down?"
Uchiha Dali casually pointed toward the sky.