Chapter 686: Kicked a Chakra Steel Plate
After the high level meeting approved the proposal, Ōnoki secretly led several skilled Iwagakure jonin toward Six Paths City.
He did not even notify Jonin Hikari, Iwagakure's representative stationed there.
In Ōnoki's view, this matter should not be publicized. The fewer people who knew about it, the better.
The reason was simple.
Ōnoki believed there was a very high chance that he would lose.
He did not think he was weaker than Hiruzen, but neither did he believe he was stronger. If Sōsuke could defeat Hiruzen, then he could very likely defeat Ōnoki as well.
Since there was a high probability of losing, it was only natural to prevent the news from spreading.
A Kage's defeat was not something glorious, and Ōnoki had no intention of passing on his title anytime soon. Iwagakure could not even find a ninja who satisfied him as a successor.
Until he entered Six Paths City, Ōnoki maintained his disguise with the Transformation Technique. The Iwagakure jonin accompanying him did the same.
After entering Six Paths City, Ōnoki did not immediately seek out Sōsuke. Instead, he wandered around the city.
Although he had always paid close attention to Ninshū's affairs, this was his first time personally visiting Six Paths City.
He was the Tsuchikage, after all, and could not leave the Village casually. He needed to remain in Iwagakure to preserve stability and oversee the overall situation.
"These Ninshū ninja aren't panicking at all," Ōnoki observed the Ninshū ninja performing their duties throughout Six Paths City from the corner of his eye.
He was not merely sightseeing.
He was gathering intelligence, assessing the atmosphere within Six Paths City and observing the condition of Ninshū's ninja.
"Kitsuchi, let's go. It's time to find Sōsuke," Ōnoki said, turning toward Kitsuchi, who stood behind him.
To maintain secrecy, he had brought only absolutely trustworthy ninja with him. They were either experienced Iwagakure Anbu or jonin whom Ōnoki knew extremely well.
Kitsuchi nodded. He took several Iwagakure jonin to a secluded area, dispelled their Transformation Techniques, and then headed toward Ninshū's office building to request an audience with Sōsuke.
Ōnoki would not personally negotiate with Sōsuke. Instead, Kitsuchi would convey his intentions.
If Sōsuke agreed, they would choose a secluded location outside Six Paths City for a friendly spar.
If Sōsuke refused, Ōnoki would pretend he had never come and quietly return to Iwagakure with his subordinates.
Kitsuchi frequently acted as Iwagakure's representative in dealings with Ninshū, so the Ninshū ninja were quite familiar with him. He smoothly secured a meeting with Sōsuke and presented the request.
"You want to have a friendly match with me…"
Mugetsu's Shadow Clone revealed a thoughtful expression.
He knew that the friendly spar was merely a pretense. Gathering intelligence was the real objective.
Some of Iwagakure's minor movements outside the Land of Rain might have escaped Ninshū's notice, but Mugetsu was not merely the leader of Ninshū.
He was also Konoha's Hokage.
Based on Iwagakure's recent movements, Mugetsu believed they had most likely become wary of Ninshū and intended to take action against it. Before doing so, they wanted to exhaust the goodwill remaining between the two sides.
"Alright. Let's meet outside the city at three in the afternoon," Mugetsu's Shadow Clone agreed.
In the past, his Shadow Clone would not have been able to accept such a request. Even if he agreed, he could not have fought on the same day.
Now, however, things were different.
Limitless was far superior to the Flying Thunder God Technique when it came to long distance travel. Using Limitless, he could quickly move between two different countries.
Since Ōnoki wanted intelligence, Mugetsu would show him some intelligence.
If Ōnoki became frightened and settled down afterward, then the Ninja World would become a little more peaceful.
If Ōnoki was not frightened and instead became even more determined to eliminate Mugetsu's other identity, then Mugetsu hoped he would gather more allies.
Ideally, Ōnoki would allow him to resolve every problem at once.
"Thank you for your trouble," Kitsuchi said gratefully.
"There's no trouble at all. Iwagakure provided considerable assistance when Six Paths City was first established," Mugetsu replied with a chuckle.
Kitsuchi sighed without saying anything. He bowed slightly to Mugetsu before leaving the office.
He felt somewhat ashamed.
Iwagakure was secretly planning how to deal with Ninshū, while Ninshū still remembered Iwagakure's past kindness.
However, Kitsuchi was ultimately an Iwagakure ninja.
No matter how ashamed he felt, he still had no intention of revealing any of Iwagakure's plans to Sōsuke.
Perhaps from the perspective of ordinary morality, Iwagakure was in the wrong.
But from the standpoint of Iwagakure and the Land of Earth, they were not wrong.
Although they had agreed to meet at three in the afternoon, Ōnoki arrived at the designated location ten minutes early.
Coincidentally, Mugetsu arrived at the same time, accompanied by Nagato, Yahiko, and several other Ninshū ninja.
Because Ōnoki required secrecy, Mugetsu brought very few people and specifically instructed them not to reveal any information beforehand.
"As expected of the legendary Ninja Master. Even from a distance, I can sense the scholarly air surrounding you. Meeting you in person truly surpasses hearing the rumors," Ōnoki said with a chuckle.
Since Iwagakure had initiated this match with Ninshū, they needed to maintain a friendly attitude.
Turning hostile would be a matter for the future.
For now, they still needed to display the demeanor of an ally.
Rōshi stood behind Mugetsu, his jaw nearly dropping when he saw Ōnoki's benevolent, kindly expression.
Could this man actually look so friendly?
Forget compliments. Rōshi had never even seen Ōnoki give him a kind smile.
"How could I be considered a legendary ninja before a senior like you? When the name of Ōnoki of Both Scales resounded throughout the Ninja World, I was still an unknown nobody," Mugetsu replied with courteous flattery.
Although he knew the old fox Ōnoki harbored ill intentions, Mugetsu did not mind.
Ōnoki would soon receive the consequences of his actions.
"Haha, no wonder the ninja who attended the Ninja Master's lectures found them so unforgettable. You're so eloquent that even I want to attend one of your lectures," Ōnoki said with a chuckle.
This was actually the truth.
Although Sōsuke's words were not especially flowery, coming from Sōsuke himself, Ōnoki found them remarkably pleasing to hear.
Rōshi was speechless.
So Ōnoki was capable of speaking politely after all.
Ōnoki noticed a Ninshū ninja looking at him rather strangely, but he did not pay much attention.
If he remembered correctly, this ninja was named Shirakawa and was mainly responsible for Ninshū's branch in the Land of Birds.
He might possess a certain status within Ninshū, but he had not displayed much strength and was merely an ordinary middle or high ranking Ninshū member.
Ōnoki did not take most of Ninshū's middle and high ranking members seriously.
He believed these people were merely benefiting from Sōsuke's protection, while their true abilities were inferior even to middle and high ranking members of small Ninja Villages like Kusagakure.
"Then, the next time Ninshū holds a lecture, I will personally invite you in Ninshū's name, Senior," Mugetsu said.
"Mm. Next time, certainly," Ōnoki replied.
Since Ninshū's establishment, Sōsuke had held only two public lectures, with a considerable gap between them.
If Ōnoki's plan proceeded smoothly, Ninshū would never have the opportunity to hold another one.
At that point, the polite flattery temporarily ended, and both sides began preparing for battle.
"Kitsuchi, all of you move back. Be careful not to get caught within the range of the battle," Ōnoki reminded the accompanying Iwagakure ninja, his eyes fixed firmly on Sōsuke.
If he used Dust Release at full strength, the range of its destructive power would be incredibly wide, making it easy to accidentally injure the spectators.
Kitsuchi and the other Iwagakure jonin understood the terror of Ōnoki's Dust Release and quickly retreated.
"Father, do your best!"
Kitsuchi took a deep breath and secretly gathered chakra, focusing intently on the battlefield.
He was prepared to use Ninjutsu to protect Ōnoki at any moment.
In fact, before coming to Ninshū, Kitsuchi had volunteered to replace Ōnoki in testing Sōsuke's strength.
Ōnoki had refused, citing Kitsuchi's insufficient strength.
Kitsuchi was no minor figure in the Ninja World, but he was not qualified to face Sōsuke, who had defeated Hiruzen.
The other Iwagakure jonin did not dare relax either.
Although the relationship between Ninshū and Iwagakure was currently friendly, accidents could still happen during a battle.
It was always better to be safe than sorry.
If nothing happened, then everything would be fine. If an accident did occur, they would be able to support Ōnoki immediately.
If given a choice, the Iwagakure jonin would actually prefer to support Sōsuke.
Because that would mean Ōnoki was winning.
On the other side, Nagato and the others also retreated.
Mugetsu had brought only four people.
Among them, Nagato and Rōshi had personally witnessed Mugetsu's battle with Hiruzen and understood how terrifying his strength was.
Although Yahiko and Konan had not witnessed it themselves, they had heard detailed accounts from those who had and did not dare act carelessly.
"Sparring with Sōsuke? You've really kicked a chakra steel plate this time," Rōshi thought as he looked at Ōnoki, a gloating smile appearing on his face.
Rōshi did not exactly hate Ōnoki, but he found the old man extremely irritating.
Ōnoki had not been the sole reason Rōshi left Iwagakure, but he had certainly been far more than merely the last straw.
Now that he had the chance to watch Ōnoki get thoroughly beaten, Rōshi was naturally in an excellent mood.
If Sōsuke had not ordered them to keep the matter secret, Rōshi would have wanted to find a camera and take several photographs of Ōnoki being beaten.
Having personally witnessed how Hiruzen was crushed by Sōsuke, Rōshi could already imagine how miserably Ōnoki would lose.
The opponent Ōnoki was about to face was not merely strong.
He was strong in a way ordinary ninja could barely comprehend, possessing power close to that of a God of Shinobi.
Yahiko's eyes remained fixed on the battlefield, his gaze continuously shifting between the two figures standing opposite each other.
He was also a ninja.
After hearing the Ninshū ninja's excited and enthusiastic descriptions of how Sōsuke used powerful and mysterious techniques to defeat Hiruzen, he had naturally become curious.
Konan crossed her fingers over her chest and silently prayed for Sōsuke, hoping that he would win the battle without suffering any injuries.
She had heard that the Tsuchikage possessed a Kekkei Tōta called Dust Release, a powerful ability that surpassed ordinary Kekkei Genkai and possessed extremely terrifying destructive power.
Nagato's expression remained calm as he watched the battlefield.
Among everyone in Ninshū, he understood Mugetsu's strength best.
He knew there was no possibility of Mugetsu losing to Ōnoki.
In fact, Nagato felt that Mugetsu did not even need to personally handle this battle.
Nagato himself might already be capable of defeating Ōnoki.
Under Mugetsu's guidance, his Yang Release Breathing had progressed greatly.
In Mugetsu's words, if Nagato continued training for a while longer, he would have a chance of mastering Yang Release Breathing Chakra Mode.
Furthermore, Nagato was becoming increasingly proficient with the Rinnegan.
He could now use all of the Rinnegan's basic abilities.
....
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