Just as Ōnoki was deep in thought, Huang Tu—who could no longer tolerate the perceived humiliation—spoke up in a low voice:
"Father, Uchiha Feng, Uchiha Shisui, and the others amount to just a handful of people right now!"
"If we wipe them out in one fell swoop, both the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire will kneel beneath the feet of our Land of Earth!"
As he spoke, a hint of madness flashed through Huang Tu's eyes.
"Besides, we have the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchūriki present. What do we have to fear from them?"
However, the moment Huang Tu finished speaking, Ōnoki shot him a fierce glare—an expression that practically said you may be foolish, but I am not.
"Uchiha Feng," Ōnoki said slowly, "I must admit—among all ninja, you are the only one who has ever dared to barge straight into the Tsuchikage Residence."
As he spoke, the icy look on his face eased slightly.
"Well then… someone, bring tea! The Fourth Hokage of Konoha and the Third Rain Shadow are both here, and you're all just standing around doing nothing!?"
The Iwagakure ninja—who had already slipped their hands into their pockets, ready to fight at any moment—froze in place upon hearing this.
Afterward, they could only sigh helplessly and hurry off to prepare the finest tea.
Seeing this, Huang Tu was about to speak again, but Ōnoki raised a hand to stop him.
Though Ōnoki was a superlative Dust Release ninja with three chakra natures, known as a wielder of Kekkei Tōta, and had survived countless life-and-death battles, he was also keenly self-aware.
Especially to this day, he still vividly remembered the first time he encountered Uchiha Madara before the First Great Ninja War—the terror of those crimson Mangekyō Sharingan.
For reasons he couldn't explain, Ōnoki saw the shadow of Uchiha Madara in Uchiha Feng.
Not to mention that this time, three members of the Uchiha clan had arrived together—all with Mangekyō Sharingan activated. The destructive power they represented was something only Ōnoki truly understood.
Moreover, no matter how powerful his Dust Release was, when facing Namikaze Minato—the Fourth Hokage—it was still far from certain who would emerge victorious.
Without absolute confidence, rashly making a move was never Ōnoki's style.
Soon, several Iwagakure Anbu selected premium tea, brewed it on the spot before Minato and Uchiha Feng, and carefully placed it to the side.
"Alright, you may leave."
Worthy of being a formidable overlord of his era, even after being cornered by Uchiha Feng, Ōnoki merely waved his hand lightly, signaling for his subordinates to withdraw.
The Five-Tails Jinchūriki Han and Huang Tu still wanted to speak, but a single look from Ōnoki silenced them.
Left with no choice, Huang Tu and the others slowly retreated.
Before long, only Ōnoki and the few people present remained in the Tsuchikage Residence.
"Tsuchikage-sama, I have to say—your choice just now was the optimal one. Otherwise, our four pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan might have caused quite a bit of destruction in Iwagakure."
Uchiha Feng understood the essence of negotiation perfectly—he opened by throwing out a king card.
Sure enough, the moment he heard four pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan, Ōnoki—who had just lifted his teacup to hide his inner unease—jerked in shock, nearly spilling the tea.
"Oh? Four pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan?" Ōnoki said, feigning composure.
"Could it be that Konoha's Anbu squad captain—the Copy Ninja Kakashi—is also in Iwagakure?"
"Why not invite him out as well?"
Though he put on a magnanimous front, his heart was pounding uncontrollably.
Just how many people had Uchiha Feng brought this time?
And how had Iwagakure detected absolutely nothing!?
"It's not Kakashi," Uchiha Feng said with a smile.
"It's my father—Uchiha Fugaku."
That smile, however, made Ōnoki feel increasingly chilled the more he looked at it, a cold shiver creeping up his spine.
Good thing I didn't let the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchūriki take the field…
After all, before the Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, tailed beasts could very well become nothing more than summoned pets.
Such a loss was something Iwagakure simply could not bear.
To this day, Ōnoki still remembered the shocking sight of Uchiha Madara controlling the Nine-Tails with his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Four pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan…
Even if none of them were on Madara's level, temporarily controlling two tailed beasts would likely not be a problem.
Thinking of this, Ōnoki held his teacup for a long while, unable to utter a single word.
He had never imagined that such a young Uchiha Feng could wield power on this scale.
Not only had the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, personally come, but even the entire Uchiha clan was standing behind him—willing to risk their lives for his sake.
And yet just moments ago, he had been contemplating starting a war with such a person!?
How that would have ended… was anyone's guess.
The more he thought about it, the more cold sweat poured down Ōnoki's back.
"Cough, cough… Tsuchikage-sama?"
Uchiha Feng spoke up to remind him.
Only then did the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki recover from his shock. He let out an awkward laugh.
"Hahaha… old age really does catch up with you. I nearly dozed off just now."
"Seems it's time to give the younger generation a bit more opportunity, don't you think?"
Only a fool would believe such words.
Yet Uchiha Feng remained patient, his expression unchanged.
"Lord Ōnoki, I won't waste words. I trust you know that your ace general, Akatsuchi, is still in my custody."
"If Lord Ōnoki is willing to have Iwagakure provide some resources to our Amegakure, then I believe your General Akatsuchi will return safe and sound."
"Moreover, our Amegakure will guarantee that for several decades, we will absolutely not initiate war against Iwagakure."
If the people present hadn't all been powerful ninja, Ōnoki would have exploded in fury on the spot.
Ning Feng's words were nothing short of a provocation to Iwagakure's dignity.
Especially that line about Amegakure guaranteeing it would not start a war against Iwagakure—it felt like a slap to the face delivered right in front of him.
Yet even so, Ōnoki could only endure it.
After all, his trusted right-hand man, Akatsuchi, was still in Uchiha Feng's hands.
"Just say it directly," Ōnoki said after taking a deep breath.
"How much money… how many resources do you want?"
He didn't want to waste more words with Uchiha Feng.
Because he knew very well—Uchiha Feng hadn't come here with so many people merely to discuss things.
From the side, Namikaze Minato silently nodded.
He couldn't help but think that his student was simply too much of a genius.
Even when negotiating with the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, he handled it with effortless mastery.
From start to finish, the rhythm and initiative of the discussion had remained firmly in Uchiha Feng's hands.
Even Konoha's top diplomats would likely find it hard to reach this level.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
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