novelraw Chapter 511 Onoki: Shura is the Fourth Hokage!
Chapter 511 Onoki: Shura is the Fourth Hokage!
Chapter 511 Onoki: Shura is the Fourth Hokage!
To jointly attack the Star Kingdom?
As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room fell into a deathly silence.
Crack!
A few sparks flew from the charcoal in the stove, exceptionally clear in the silence.
Everyone was looking at Onoki.
It's not that I don't believe it.
Quite the opposite.
Who is Onoki?
The Three Kage, who ruled Iwagakure for over forty years, participated in the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars. They were veteran Kage-level shinobi of the same era as Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, and Madara Uchiha.
He was stubborn, cunning, and pragmatic, a well-known old fox, but precisely because of this, he never said anything unrealistic or did anything he wasn't sure of.
In the very first move of the Third Shinobi World War, he used an army of 10,000 Iwa ninja to wear down and kill the Third Raikage, A!
Five years ago, he personally led 10,000 elite Iwagakure troops in a surprise attack on the Land of Stars. After receiving the intelligence, the major ninja villages thought he could replicate the feat of wearing down the Third Raikage during the Third Shinobi World War.
But unexpectedly, he was suppressed by a female ninja named Uchiha Hikari all by himself!
According to intelligence sent back by spies from various ninja villages who had infiltrated Iwagakure, the village's elite forces suffered heavy casualties, and two Jinchuriki were severely injured and nearly died!
After that battle, Onoki bowed his head in defeat, ceded territory and paid reparations, and endured humiliation for five years.
Now, he says he wants to unite the entire ninja world.
He said he would give everything to conquer the Star Kingdom.
What does this mean?
Could it be that, in Onoki's judgment, the power of the Star Country and the strength of Shura have become so great that it would take gathering all the power of the entire ninja world to contend with them?
Sixty years ago, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, emerged and suppressed the ninja world with absolute power, ending the Warring States period and establishing the ninja village system.
But even he never managed to unite the entire ninja world against him alone.
Does Onoki believe that Shura's strength surpasses that of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha?!
There was a long silence in the meeting room before Mei Terumi finally spoke, "Lord Tsuchikage."
"Is there any basis for your judgment?"
"Shura's strength is indeed very strong."
"But, it requires the entire ninja world to unite—"
She paused, her emerald green eyes staring directly at Onoki.
"Is this a bit of an exaggeration?"
"Exaggeration?" Onoki laughed upon hearing this.
The laughter was hoarse and dry, yet it contained a deep-seated fear.
"Lord Mizukage, have you ever witnessed Shura unleash his full power?"
Mei Terumi paused, then slowly shook her head: "No."
"I've never seen it either," Onoki said softly.
His suspended body slowly rotated, facing the huge floor-to-ceiling window of the conference room.
Outside the window, the sky above the Land of Iron was a hazy gray, with leaden clouds hanging low, and snowflakes began to fall again.
"Five years ago, when the war between the Land of Stars and the Sand Village was raging, I led 10,000 Iwagakure ninja to launch a surprise attack on the Land of Stars, but we were ambushed by Uchiha Hikaru at Tottori Castle on the border of the Land of Stars."
"That woman, so young, yet possesses strength no less than Madara Uchiha! She single-handedly suppressed my army of ten thousand Iwa ninja!"
"I will never forget—her Susanoo—"
"And Shura—he didn't even make a move himself."
Every word Ōnoki uttered was like an icicle, piercing everyone's eardrums.
In the conference room, someone gasped.
It is Hozuki Suigetsu.
He had personally witnessed how terrifying Shura was during the Chunin Exams; those two earth-shattering ninjutsu techniques still haunted him whenever he thought about them.
Mei Terumi turned around and glared at him, and Suigetsu Hozuki immediately shut up.
Onoki didn't turn around, still looking at the snow falling outside the window.
The only sounds in the conference room were the crackling of burning charcoal in the stove and the howling of the cold wind outside the window.
Several actors could imagine that scene.
Although the Uchiha clan's Susanoo had been extinct for over fifty years, the Kage of each village knew a little about it. Furthermore, during the battle at Tottori Castle, some vague information was transmitted back through spies from various villages who had infiltrated Iwagakure.
Ten thousand elite Iwagakure soldiers suffered heavy casualties, with corpses strewn across the field. The Four-Tails Jinchuriki and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki were severely injured!
The four Susanoo of the Uchiha clan stood like mountains, looking down upon all living beings!
Surrender, or die.
Onoki chose to surrender.
He has to choose.
If we don't surrender, Iwagakure will definitely be trampled into scorched earth by the four Susanoo!
He is the Tsuchikage, and he carries the fate of an entire village and an entire nation on his shoulders!
So he bowed his head, signed a humiliating ceasefire agreement, ceded five counties, and allowed the Star Kingdom's military advisory group to be stationed in the core of Iwagakure.
For the past five years, he has been waiting every single day.
Waiting for an opportunity.
And now, he has finally gotten what he's been waiting for.
"So, Lord Mizukage."
Onoki's voice pulled Mei Terumi back to reality: "You asked if it was an exaggeration for an old man like me."
My answer is: No, that's far from enough.
"I believe Lord Raikage understands this best." Onoki looked at the Fourth Raikage, A, opposite him.
Lei Ying snorted softly without answering, but the empty sleeve of his right hand silently told everyone that he alone was indeed no match for Shura.
Onoki continued, "Shura alone is terrifying enough, not to mention the Uchiha clan, the Hyuga clan, and other ninja clans under his command. Shura and his Land of Stars are no longer a force that any single ninja village can deal with alone. Only by uniting the entire ninja world can we have any hope!"
"Because that guy isn't human at all."
"He is a monster, a calamity, a terrifying existence far surpassing Hashirama Senju!"
Onoki's words were like heavy hammer blows, striking everyone's hearts one after another.
Mei Terumi remained silent.
She picked up the now-cold teacup on the table, brought it to her lips, but didn't drink it; she used this action to conceal the turmoil in her eyes.
Lei Yingai slowly sat back in his chair, staring at the fist mark he had made on the table, without saying a word.
Danzo's eyes remained half-closed, but his right hand, hidden under bandages, twitched slightly.
After a long silence, a voice broke the silence.
"I understand Lord Tsuchikage's judgment."
Ao from Kirigakure took a step forward and stood beside Mei Terumi.
"However, before we discuss how to unite and how to launch the attack, I have one more question to ask."
His gaze, however, was not directed at Onoki or the Raikage, but rather at Shimura Danzo, who had not uttered a word since the start of the meeting.
Ao paused, then looked directly at Danzo with his one eye: "May I ask, Acting Hokage?"
"Who exactly is Shura?"
The moment the question was posed, all eyes in the conference room turned to Danzo.
Lei Ying Ai suddenly looked up, his eyes, as big as bull's eggs, bursting with a terrifying light.
Onoki's suspended body paused slightly.
Mei Terumi put down her teacup and looked at Danzo.
Yes.
They spent a long time discussing how to deal with Shura and how to unite the entire ninja world to attack the Star Country.
But there is one fundamental question that still has no definitive answer.
The man who wore a white three-eyed fox mask, called himself "Shura," rose to power in just a few years, established the Land of Stars, destroyed Sunagakure, defeated Iwagakure, repeatedly defeated A, the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure, and declared his intention to unify the ninja world.
Who is he?
The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All eyes were on Danzo, awaiting his answer.
The earth-shattering battle of the Chunin Exams, and Menma's final declaration to unify the ninja world in order to deal with the crisis in the ninja world, have been transmitted back to the major ninja villages through the participating ninjas.
Yet they still couldn't believe that a twelve-year-old genin could be the mysterious and unpredictable Asura who had dominated the ninja world for many years!
Therefore, asking the acting Hokage of Konoha in person might provide the answer.
Danzo remained silent for a moment.
A few more sparks flew from the charcoal in the stove.
Then, he slowly raised his head.
His face, wrapped in bandages, stared calmly at Onoki with a single eye, his voice hoarse and low: "The Tsuchikage should be the most qualified to answer this question."
"After all—" Danzo paused, a glint of unfathomable light flashing in his single eye.
"Five years ago, didn't you personally go to Star City and sign the ceasefire agreement?"
"You saw him with your own eyes, didn't you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Onoki's body trembled violently.
The color drained from his aged face in an instant, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.
The scene of meeting that person when he first arrived in Star City five years ago resurfaced in his mind.
"Yes—" Onoki's voice squeezed out through clenched teeth, "The Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze—"
The four characters "Namikaze Minato" were like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, stirring up waves in the conference room.
Mei Terumi paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.
Yellow flash — Minato Namikaze?
During the Third Shinobi World War, this name was a nightmare for countless shinobi.
The elusive Flying Thunder God left behind a trail of golden afterimages on the battlefield, followed by a pile of corpses.
Mei Terumi still clearly remembers the battle report from the Kirigakure front thirteen years ago, in which Minato Namikaze single-handedly defeated a 50-man elite Kirigakure squad on the eastern front in just one minute and seventeen seconds.
But twelve years ago, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, died.
Although the other ninja villages did not know exactly what happened that night, they only knew from the scattered intelligence sent back by some spies that it seemed to be the Nine-Tails going berserk.
But after that night, Konoha officially announced the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, and the Third Hokage resumed his post as Hokage.
Before Mei Terumi could think further, the Fourth Raikage, A, roared.
"impossible!"
He suddenly stood up and slammed his right hand on the conference table with a loud thud.
The already dented solid wood tabletop completely collapsed under this punch, turning into a pile of wood chips and ruins.
A terrifying glint flashed in Raikage Ai's small eyes as he shouted, "I've fought Shura twice!"
"That guy wasn't using the Flying Thunder God Technique at all! He was using nine summoning beasts! It's a ninjutsu that can flatten an entire mountain!"
He leaned forward, staring intently at Onoki: "Old man, did you see clearly? Are you sure it's Minato Namikaze?"
Ōnoki floated there, his gaze meeting the Raikage's intense stare, and slowly said, "I may be old, but my eyes are not blind."
"But—" Ai wanted to continue questioning.
He and Minato Namikaze were both Kage, and they briefly clashed during the Third Shinobi World War. Minato was an opponent that both he and Killer Bee acknowledged as a worthy adversary.
He couldn't believe that Minato Namikaze was the same Shura who always wore a mask and dared not show his true face!
"It really was him."
A deep voice interrupted Ai's questioning.
All eyes turned to the source of the sound.
Danzo Shimura's left eye was lowered, and his fingers tapped lightly on the table.
Mei Terumi frowned, looked at Danzo, and asked, "Acting Hokage, you seem—not surprised?"
Danzo remained silent for a few seconds.
His fingers, which had been tapping on the table, stopped and slowly clenched into a fist, the outline of his arm under the bandage slightly taut.
"I had my suspicions when Shura took off his mask at the Chunin Exams in Konoha two weeks ago."
Danzo paused, raised his one eye, and looked at Onoki.
"Now, the Tsuchikage's testimony confirms my suspicions."
Originally, his speculation that Minato was Shura on the night he competed with Jiraiya for the position of acting Hokage was just to damage Jiraiya's reputation, but he didn't expect to hear definite information from Onoki now.
"But—" Mei Terumi asked doubtfully, "If it was Minato Namikaze, then how did he revive? A forbidden technique? A secret method?"
This question reflects the sentiments of everyone.
Raikage A, Onoki, and even Mifune in the main seat all looked at Danzo.
Danzo remained silent.
After a long silence, he slowly spoke: "There are many forbidden techniques in the ninja world that we don't know about. Perhaps, he didn't die at all back then."
He didn't continue speaking.
But everyone understood the meaning behind his words.
Mei Terumi's pupils contracted slightly as she leaned back in her chair, her long, dark brown hair slipping down her shoulders.
"So—regardless of whether Minato Namikaze was resurrected by some forbidden technique or faked his death to escape, his twelve years of lurking in the shadows—it all shows—that this former 'Yellow Flash' has big ambitions—"
"Konoha, and even the entire ninja world, may be on his chessboard."
Silence fell over the meeting room once again.
Crack!
The firewood in the fireplace was burning, making a soft crackling sound.
The sky outside the window grew even darker, with the leaden gray clouds characteristic of the Land of Iron pressing low over the sky, as if snow might fall at any moment.
Everyone is processing this information.
The true ruler of the Land of Stars is the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who should have died twelve years ago?!
So what is his real purpose?
Conquer the five great nations?
Unify the ninja world?
And how credible is his claim of a threat from outer space?
These questions lingered in everyone's mind.
"Wow, there are quite a lot of people."
Just as everyone was pondering their own thoughts, a mocking voice with an exaggerated tone suddenly rang out in the hollow area in the very center of the pentagonal conference table in the middle of the meeting room.
Everyone froze instantly.
The four bodyguards behind the shadow figures drew their weapons and instantly went on alert.
The two sword-wielding samurai behind Mifune drew their swords with a "whoosh," the blades gleaming coldly in the lamplight.
Suddenly, ripples spread across the previously empty space in the center of the conference table.
The ripples spread, distorting the light and the fireplace firelight reflected on the table.
Then, a figure slowly walked out.
He wore a long robe with a black background and red clouds, the hem of which fluttered gently in the ripples of space, and an orange tiger-striped one-eyed mask on his face.
The figure's movements were exaggerated.
He first twirled around on the table like he was dancing, arms outstretched, then stopped, his single eye beneath the mask scanning every shocked face in the conference room.
"Oh dear, I'm so scared," he said in a teasing tone.
"Everyone, please don't be so fierce. Put away your swords and kunai. I'm here to help."
The meeting room was deathly silent.
Darui placed his hand on the hilt of his ninja sword behind his back, his lazy expression completely gone, replaced by a solemn look as if facing a formidable enemy. Beside him, hope already had six kunai between her fingers.
Ao stepped forward, protecting Mei Terumi's right side. Chojuro and Hozuki Suigetsu also stepped forward, protecting Mei Terumi's left side, their hands already on the hilts of the blunt sword Kabuto-giri and the long sword Seijin.
Akatsuchi's massive body blocked Onoki's path, and Onoki Sora also assumed a battle stance, drawing a specially made kunai from his ninja tool pouch with his right hand.
Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fu flanked Danzo, both radiating a chilling killing intent.
Mifune remained seated.
He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, but did not draw it. Instead, he stared at the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared and spoke in a deep voice: "Who are you? How dare you trespass on the Four Shadows Conference!"
The masked man tilted his head in the center of the conference table, his single eye sweeping over the three boats before turning to the four shadows in the conference room.
"You can call me Afei."
The masked man's voice changed, becoming deep, serious, and carrying a sense of oppression: "I've come to—"
The masked man slowly raised his right hand, his palm clenching loosely in the air.
"To help you deal with Shura."