Chapter 149: Sowing Discord with Deceit—Looks Like You Need a Good Beating
Faced with Uchiha Dali's question, Rōshi remained silent.
At this moment, speaking was the least of his concerns.
Even maintaining coherent thought was a struggle.
Just then, the voice of the Four-Tails echoed once more in his mind: "Rōshi, this brat seems to be just an idealist—wielding such immense power, yet clinging to a fantasy of uniting the Shinobi World."
"I still have some chakra left. If you need it, I can give it all to you. Or, you can just wait a while. Once I recover a bit, we can break out of here together."
"Use that move and finish him!"
Rōshi didn't respond yet.
Though he had been rejecting Uchiha Dali's ideals, at this moment, he couldn't help but reflect deeply on the man's vision.
Uniting the Shinobi World would mean putting an end to the years of conflict between nations, creating a truly peaceful world.
Wasn't that his own dream as well?
Unfortunately, he had always been alone, with neither the strength nor the influence to make a difference in the grand scheme of the Shinobi World.
Precisely because every faction fought for its own interests, conflict had never ceased.
Uchiha Dali said he had already subdued the Land of Water and the Land of Wind.
That, at the very least, was the first step.
And a crucial one at that.
Those two nations were major powers—both militarily and economically far beyond the trivial small countries.
If even they had chosen to bow to Konoha, it clearly wasn't just due to brute force; there had to be valid reasons.
As Rōshi labored through his thoughts, the Four-Tails' voice rang out again, egging him on: "I've lived for over a thousand years—what haven't I seen? The essence of humanity is evil. Haven't you always believed that too, Rōshi?"
"They'll turn on each other for the smallest gain. Schemes and betrayals are endless. Humans always call us Tailed Beasts the embodiment of evil, but the truth is, you hurt each other far more ruthlessly than we ever have…"
"When it comes to evil, we Tailed Beasts have merely lent part of our power to humans over countless ages."
"Which just proves that this brat Uchiha Dali's dream can never come true."
The words shook the fragile conviction Rōshi had only just begun to rebuild.
After a long silence, Rōshi finally responded, "You're right."
"Lend me your power again—this time, I want all of it!"
"Hahaha! Look at you—turns out you're just as eager to use my power to conquer the world, aren't you?"
"In that case, release me. Let's wreak havoc together!"
As he spoke, the Four-Tails began flooding Rōshi's body with an endless surge of chakra.
In an instant, Rōshi's completely depleted stamina and chakra were restored, and he felt nearly invincible.
And at that moment, he finally understood: the Four-Tails' chakra had never actually run out—it just hadn't trusted him enough to give it all.
If it had handed over its full power from the start, there's no way he would've been defeated so easily.
"So even Tailed Beasts are full of lies. Humans need no mention."
But Rōshi had no time to argue with the Four-Tails now.
His target was Uchiha Dali.
As his strength returned and the Four-Tails' chakra cloak enveloped him, pushing him into full Tailed Beast Mode, Uchiha Dali finally spoke.
"You really do know how to poison minds with your words…"
"Looks like I've got no choice but to beat some sense into you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he moved.
In a flash, he seized Rōshi—now in full Tailed Beast form—by the collar and drove a Haki-covered right fist straight into his face.
That punch deformed Rōshi's face on impact.
But the scorching red chakra that burned with searing intensity instantly began to corrode Uchiha Dali's fist.
Fortunately, he pulled back in time, avoiding more serious damage.
He glanced at his fist in surprise.
"Even Armament Haki can't defend against that level of corrosion?"
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a notification sounded in his head:
[You are dissatisfied with your current Armament Haki and yearn for greater strength. You have awakened Advanced Armament Haki!]
[Advanced Armament Haki: A power-up built upon the basic version. Both the quantity and intensity of Haki are significantly enhanced. This state includes the abilities of coating, wrapping, projection, and internal destruction. Effects can be freely switched or used simultaneously.]
Hearing the voice in his mind, Uchiha Dali grinned.
"Let's see how you handle this punch!"
He yanked Rōshi—who had been blasted away by the force of the first strike—right back in, and once again slammed his right fist into the man's face.
This time, the Advanced Armament Haki pierced through his defense and exploded inside, causing devastating internal damage.
"Crap… did I overdo it?"
Only after throwing the punch did Uchiha Dali realize he might have gone too far.
He quickly pulled his fist back and looked over at Rōshi.
The man's body spun like a high-speed windmill, flying toward the horizon.
Uchiha Dali immediately used Advanced Flying Thunder God to chase him.
By the time he reached Rōshi—who had crashed to the ground after soaring several kilometers—the cloak of Tailed Beast Chakra had already vanished.
The physical damage from the Tailed Beast transformation was rapidly healing before his eyes.
But this time, Uchiha Dali didn't stop.
His gaze locked onto Rōshi, and their eyes met.
In that instant, his mind forcibly invaded Rōshi's consciousness and entered the sealed space, where he came face-to-face with the Four-Tails itself.
"Those ominous eyes…"
"Looks like I underestimated you, brat."
"Brat, huh? Then what does that make you—an old fart?" Uchiha Dali said, arms crossed with an amused smirk.
"Your dream is impossible. It's nothing but a delusion. World peace is a false proposition," the Four-Tails muttered to itself.
A massive cage held it prisoner.
The seemingly indestructible prison, inscribed with complex sealing formulas, appeared to be the greatest barrier standing in Uchiha Dali's path.
"I didn't come here to reason with you," Uchiha Dali said with a grin.
With that, he walked straight toward the cage.