Boom! Boom!
Two jet-black Tailed Beast Bombs, trailing rings of turbulent air, flew towards the assembled Iwagakure ninja.
Onoki's expression darkened slightly. That little bastard actually dared to unleash Tailed Beast Bombs.
Facing the Tailed Beast Bombs that made most ninja pale with fear, his aged face showed not a trace of terror. His hands quickly formed seals: Rat—Boar—Serpent.
A semi-transparent barrier began to form between his hands.
Aiming his palms at the incoming Tailed Beast Bomb, Onoki focused his will. The transparent barrier in his palms transformed into a dazzling laser, instantly colliding with the approaching Tailed Beast Bomb.
A Tailed Beast Bomb, condensed from Yin and Yang chakra in a 2:8 ratio, was inherently unstable. The collision of the two was like a needle piercing a balloon.
The jet-black Tailed Beast Bomb instantly ruptured, transforming into a blinding sphere of light.
The aftershock of the explosion kicked up a massive cloud of dust and sand. But facing the sweeping dust, the Iwagakure ninja dared not close their eyes to shield themselves.
Because the Tailed Beast Bomb unleashed by the One-Tail Shukaku was about to fall upon them.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"
Even when facing a Tailed Beast Bomb that threatened their very lives, the Iwagakure ninja did not descend into chaos. They knew very well that against such a terrifying attack, only by pooling their collective strength could they grasp that slim chance of survival.
Countless stone walls erupted from the ground, forming a tiered defense in front of the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Boom!
The first stone wall instantly shattered into countless fragments under the Tailed Beast Bomb's impact. But no matter how fragile it was, it slightly altered the Tailed Beast Bomb's trajectory.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Then came the second stone wall, the third…
When the number of defenses reached a certain critical mass, a qualitative change seemed almost inevitable.
The Tailed Beast Bomb destroyed one stone wall after another, reducing them to rubble, but simultaneously, its own trajectory was altered by each successive wall.
Boom!
The second Tailed Beast Bomb exploded.
But like the first, it did not detonate in its intended location.
The excessive distance meant that the rubble and dust kicked up by the explosion could not inflict any harm on the Iwagakure ninja sheltering beneath the stone walls.
Onoki retracted his gaze, looking towards the two behemoths not far away, and declared proudly, "See that? This is the strength of Iwagakure! The power that keeps you Tailed Beasts imprisoned within Jinchuriki!"
"Is that so…" Naruto Clone Three slowly formed a hand seal. "Then please, let me witness more of Iwagakure's strength."
"Summoning Technique—Release!"
Watching the two Tailed Beasts vanish from their spot, and recalling Monga's earlier description of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's abilities, Onoki's face contorted in alarm. He roared, "Have the Barrier Team activate all barriers!!"
It really is the Flying Thunder God Technique!
How dare those bastards in Konoha let a Jinchuriki learn such a forbidden jutsu!
Has Shimura Danzo's brain been kicked by a donkey?!
Just as the Iwagakure ninja were trying to understand what was happening…
On the eastern side of Iwagakure, in a direction completely opposite to their current location, the two Tailed Beasts reappeared.
A few breaths later…
Under the despairing gazes of all the Iwagakure ninja, a Tailed Beast Bomb flew straight towards Iwagakure village.
At that moment, the Iwagakure Barrier Team had only just managed to deploy the fourth defensive barrier.
Crack! Crack!
Against a highly compressed chakra entity like a Tailed Beast Bomb, the four defensive barriers merely held out a few seconds longer than the stone walls the Iwa ninja had just erected.
Gazing at the jet-black chakra sphere above…
Just as the villagers of Iwagakure closed their eyes in despair, preparing to meet their deaths…
Boom!
The Tailed Beast Bomb abruptly exploded high in the sky above them.
A fireworks festival of unprecedented scale bloomed over Iwagakure.
Great shock was followed by immense joy. Even the Iwagakure ninja, who often walked the line between life and death, felt a momentary daze.
"Lord Tsuchikage."
A calm voice sounded.
The hearts of the Iwagakure ninja, which had just settled, instantly leaped back into their throats. Staring intently, they saw the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki not far away, strolling calmly towards them as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard.
"Fireworks, though beautiful, also hide great dangers," Naruto Clone Three began. "Because no one can guarantee that dazzling fireworks won't become the source of the next conflagration."
Onoki slowly descended to the front of his troops. The two locked eyes. Onoki remained silent, his face grim.
"Third, two more Tailed Beast Bombs are starting to form!" an Iwa ninja couldn't help but exclaim.
"Nine-Tails brat, what is your purpose in doing all this?" Onoki asked, his peripheral vision fixed on the two Tailed Beast Bombs taking shape.
"Peace," Naruto Clone Three replied.
"Peace…" Onoki laughed. "Such a familiar, yet alien word."
"Your First Hokage—no, Konoha's First Hokage, Lord Hashirama Senju, once distributed the Tailed Beasts among the Five Great Hidden Villages for the sake of peace."
"My master, Iwagakure's Second Tsuchikage, and I went to Konoha to sign a peace treaty for the sake of peace, only to be driven out by Uchiha Madara…"
"And now, someone else is doing this for that same illusory thing…"
"Nine-Tails brat, is this what you consider peace?" Onoki pointed at the two Tailed Beast Bombs. "Peace built on the suffering of others?!"
"You can continue to mock me," Naruto Clone Three said, noncommittal. "But I must remind you of one thing: if the fuse of a firework is fully lit, no one can stop its explosion."
"Third!" Even his son, Kitsuchi, couldn't help but try to warn him.
"The peace you pursue is a false peace." Onoki raised a hand, stopping his son from speaking further. "Iwagakure will issue a statement."
"When?"
"Tomorrow!"
The moment his words fell, the Tailed Beast Bombs that had already formed in the distance slowly dissipated.
"The current peace among the Five Great Ninja Villages—is it not also false?" Naruto Clone Three said, sensing a Flying Thunder God formula, preparing to depart.
"You have no idea what price Iwagakure has paid, how much suffering it has endured, for this hard-won peace!" Onoki roared.
"Peace built on the suffering of civilians? Utterly laughable!" At that moment, Naruto Clone Three's tone was colder than ever before.
"Your so-called suffering is disgusting."
"If I don't see Iwagakure's statement tomorrow, I believe you know the consequences, Lord Tsuchikage, you who 'endures such great suffering'."
Land of Grass.
Within a cave, a Flying Thunder God kunai was stuck in an obscure corner.
Naruto Clone Three and Gaara's figures suddenly appeared.
"Let's rest for a bit first," Naruto Clone Three said. "Shukaku's chakra should be mostly depleted."
Condensing two Tailed Beast Bombs in quick succession was no small burden for Shukaku.
"I understand." Gaara nodded slightly. "When do we depart for Kumogakure?"
"The original will handle Kumogakure. I'll send you back to Sunagakure later," Naruto Clone Three said, shaking his head. "The Feigning Sleep Technique has too many vulnerabilities."
"Will that be alright?" Gaara naturally understood the weaknesses of the Feigning Sleep Technique. After a moment's thought, he nodded slightly.
"Did you forget what we just did?" Naruto Clone Three chuckled.
"With the Flying Thunder God Technique, those Kumogakure shinobi won't be able to catch me at all."
"Instead of worrying about me, you should focus on how to explain things to those elders in your village."
"I'll be fine," Gaara shook his head. "For the current Sunagakure, wearing the Dragon Heritage's 'tiger skin' presents more advantages than disadvantages."
"Not bad. More and more like a Kazekage." Hearing this, Naruto Clone Three patted his shoulder with a hint of approval.