Even with many worries, Amado could not do anything more at this moment. The only thing he could do was to put all his effort into maintaining the Barrier Project, allowing this system to endure longer in an increasingly extreme environment!
Thinking of this, Amado asked: "How are the members of the elite team doing?"
Shizune said: "Deidara and Ranmaru are on standby inside the shelter, Delta is debugging a new body, and Zabuza is still in a state of lost contact!"
Because they participated in the decoy operation, both Delta and Zabuza encountered a surprise attack from Orochimaru.
Delta had good luck; although her neck was crushed by Orochimaru during the battle and one body was scrapped, it was precisely because she lost her body and lost combat power that the flight craft carrying her consciousness returned directly to the Research Institute.
As for Zabuza, he did not engage in battle but wandered near the battlefield, missing the opportunity to retreat and losing contact with the Research Institute.
Sasori said: "They are of no use now!"
Tsunade nodded: "Mm, currently the outside is covered by the Infinite Tsukuyomi. As long as anyone leaves the shelter, they will fall into genjutsu!"
Amado shook his head: "No, the effect of the Infinite Tsukuyomi will not last forever, and the Hegemon of Terror will not let it last forever!"
Sasori asked: "What do you mean?"
Amado glanced at the few people present and confirmed they were all trustworthy, then said: "The Leader hinted to me that the significance of the Infinite Tsukuyomi's existence is not just to collect chakra from the entire shinobi world, but even more to set up a target!"
"A target?" After a pause, Tsunade said: "You mean using the Infinite Tsukuyomi to attract the attention of the Hegemon of Terror?"
Amado nodded: "While the space barrier protects us, it also protects the Hegemon. If the Hegemon does not invade the shinobi world but chooses to continuously erode the space barrier from the other end of the space barrier, then we would actually only be able to sit and wait for death."
Sasori sneered: "So the Barrier Project is just a feint?"
Amado nodded: "Correct!"
As one of the high-level officials pushing the Barrier Project, Sasori understood immediately: "In other words, the Barrier Project we are pushing with all our strength is actually meant for the Hegemon to see. The so-called strict secrecy was only to make all of this look more real?"
Tsunade also reacted: "This war was actually provoked by us?"
Amado said: "Mm, only by putting on a posture of full defense can we eliminate the wariness of the Hegemon of Terror and lure the opponent into invading the shinobi world with full force. Then, using the shinobi world as the battlefield, we fight to the death with the Hegemon of Terror! Otherwise, the shinobi world would only be dragged to death bit by bit by the Hegemon of Terror!"
Shinji's Barrier Project was indeed meant to reinforce the shinobi world and prevent it from collapsing during the great war, but that was only one of its functions. Its other function was to show weakness to the Hegemon of Terror, luring the Hegemon of Terror into invading the shinobi world at any cost!
To a Hegemon, the reaction of the shinobi world was very normal. Or rather, the worlds the Hegemon had invaded in the past all defended with all their might like this, and then the defense they thought was flawless was easily crushed like a piece of tofu by the Hegemon, finally perishing in despair.
Therefore, upon discovering that the shinobi world was pushing the Barrier Project and creating a large-scale defensive barrier, the Hegemon of Terror not only had no suspicions but instead broke through the space barrier at any cost and poured its power into the shinobi world.
Because this is exactly the reaction an ant should have when facing a god.
And a god is destined to destroy everything!
Shinji, who had dealt with Hegemons many times, understood this point and utilized it. While provoking the Hegemon of Terror, he actively defended, using normal reactions to induce the Hegemon of Terror to enter the field, detonating this war concerning the life and death of the shinobi world.
Amado said: "The longer we hold out, the more power the Hegemon of Terror consumes within the space barrier!"
Sasori asked: "Will it really go as we wish?"
...
Amado's gaze was firm: "It will!"
Sasori was puzzled: "Why?"
In his view, the opponent was a Hegemon, a terrifying life form that surpassed the dimensions they resided in, and the move of the Barrier Project was not difficult to see through. If the opponent found something wrong, it could completely withdraw all its power from the shinobi world and then slowly wear down the space barrier of the shinobi world from the universe with grinding effort.
Amado said indifferently: "Because it is too powerful!"
Tsunade lost her laugh: "True! To a Hegemon, things like strategies are meaningless actions. Before its absolute strength, our so-called traps might only be able to make it laugh—if it can still laugh!"
Sasori spread his hands: "I don't want to know if it can laugh; I only want to know what we should do next!"
Amado said: "According to the Leader's speculation, once it knows the effect of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it will definitely prioritize destroying the Infinite Tsukuyomi, then destroy the nine key nodes to stop the defensive barrier! So we must be prepared on our side to set out at any time to repair the reinforcement nails that may be damaged!"
Tsunade frowned: "How will it destroy the Infinite Tsukuyomi? By pushing down the God Tree?"
Sasori said: "If even the God Tree is pushed down, that means our Leader has already been defeated. Does it still matter if the Infinite Tsukuyomi exists?"
Amado shook his head.
Tsunade asked: "What do you mean?"
Amado said: "Actually, one does not need to push down the God Tree to stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
Tsunade's eyes rolled as she thought of something: "Are you saying..."
Amado pointed upward with his hand: "As long as the moon is destroyed, without a projection object, the Infinite Tsukuyomi will stop!"
Tsunade said: "I heard that an Otsutsuki branch family lives on the moon. With them there, the moon should not be so easily destroyed!"
Amado said: "Toneri Otsutsuki is the last descendant of that Otsutsuki branch family on the moon!"
Sasori said: "Understood, I'll have the Engineering Unit prepare immediately!"
...
Key Node 3.
Just as the high-level officials of the Research Institute were discussing Toneri Otsutsuki, Toneri Otsutsuki, who was guarding Key Node 3, was fighting fiercely with an invading shinobi.
The attacker was no one else but the high-level combat force of the Research Institute who had lost contact, Zabuza.
Because he had been transplanted with the cell tissue of Otsutsuki Shibai, Zabuza's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. Although he failed to awaken Shinjutsu, his combat power was notable among those below the Six Paths level.
Therefore, he had long been noticed by the Hegemon of Terror, which had secretly corrupted his heart. This was also why he had not returned to the Research Institute in time, because at the moment Otsutsuki Shibai was controlled by the Hegemon, he also became a pawn of the Hegemon.
He was already a strong person notable among those below the Six Paths level; now that he had obtained the power of the Hegemon, his strength naturally broke through to the Six Paths level smoothly, becoming the greatest threat to Key Node 3.