A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Aoba wasn't someone who could be easily eliminated.

By now, Aoba had successfully fused the chakra of the One-Tail and Eight-Tails, and the fusion of the Two-Tails' chakra was nearing completion.

Even without a Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō Sharingan, Aoba's combat strength had far surpassed what most could imagine.

He had even begun experimenting with creating small-scale Tailed Beast Bombs. However, the chakra consumption was immense.

Although he had fused the tailed beasts' essence into himself, it couldn't compare to the power of the ancient tailed beasts that had existed for millennia. For him, Tailed Beast Bombs were flashy but impractical.

That said, they weren't entirely useless. Aoba had an idea: if he could trap Black Zetsu and hit it with a Tailed Beast Bomb, could he destroy the creation of Yin-Yang Release?

Meanwhile, Black Zetsu, oblivious to the fact that Aoba had already planned a Truth-Seeking Ball-based "special treatment" for him, was meeting with Ōnoki under the guise of being Madara's assistant.

The destruction of Kusagakure by Yumi wasn't without consequences, it had shaken Iwagakure.

Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure had essentially become a subordinate to Konoha, willingly playing the role of a junior partner.

Kirigakure, under Madara's control, had absorbed Kumogakure and was rapidly re-emerging as a dominant force.

In reality, only two of the original Five Great Ninja Villages remained as significant powers: Konoha and Kirigakure.

Iwagakure was barely holding on, nominally still one of the Five Greats but teetering on the edge of irrelevance.

For years, Ōnoki had been worrying about his successor. But with the rapid changes in the ninja world, his concerns had escalated.

Yesterday, he was fretting over the future leadership of Iwagakure. Today, he was worried about whether the village could even survive.

Konoha's policies seemed relatively lenient, offering Iwagakure some breathing room to maneuver.

But Kirigakure was an entirely different beast. Under Madara's rule, it was in a state of aggressive expansion.

The resources gained from annexing Kumogakure were quickly consumed in various reconstruction projects. Madara had no patience or time to develop an economy gradually.

Instead, he preferred direct methods, plundering.

So far, Kirigakure hadn't targeted Iwagakure directly, focusing on raiding smaller villages and exploiting the aristocracy of the Land of Water and Land of Lightning.

But Ōnoki knew Madara wouldn't hold back for long. Once Kirigakure needed more resources, Iwagakure would be next.

At the moment, Iwagakure was the largest unclaimed prize in the ninja world, and Madara had no reason not to seize it.

Now, Madara had already brazenly sent an envoy to borrow money.

Yes, Black Zetsu was now in Iwagakure, asking for "loans" on behalf of Kirigakure.

After realizing it couldn't keep up with Aoba's pace, Black Zetsu had adopted Madara's approach: to develop, it needed people and money. It had the people, but it lacked money.

What was the solution? Rob... No, borrow.

While Madara focused on squeezing old aristocrats for funds, Black Zetsu turned its sights on Ōnoki, requesting financial aid for Kirigakure.

Ōnoki wanted nothing more than to obliterate Black Zetsu with a Dust Release technique. But after much internal conflict, he couldn't bring himself to act.

The psychological shadow Madara had cast over him was simply too immense.

After parting with a significant sum of money, Ōnoki finally managed to send off the envoy from Kirigakure. Exhausted, he slumped into his chair, feeling utterly drained.

As he rested, his eyes fell on a document on his desk. It was Konoha's proposal to trade for tailed beast chakra.

Konoha had offered Deidara in exchange for tailed beast essence chakra. Without hesitation, Ōnoki had initially rejected the offer.

Deep down, however, he had been tempted. While Deidara was an exiled ninja in Kirigakure, Ōnoki had always hoped to capture and rehabilitate him in secret.

But publicly trading tailed beast resources for an exile would be a massive scandal.

Now, the suppressed temptation resurfaced in his mind.

"Someone, summon Kurotsuchi to my office."

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Currently on Chapter 314: An Interesting Proposal...