Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

Madara seemed to have returned to his former peak, when he was indifferent to life and death and decisive in killing! His eyes were full of madness. He had never liked gambling and only did things he was sure of. But life is a gamble. If he hadn't gambled with his best friend on the Uchiha clan back then, there wouldn't be the ninja world we know today. They won in the process, but he lost to his best friend who had always been unlucky in gambling.

But when it's time to go all in, he never hesitates. Without the courage to go all in, you can't achieve anything great. This was a profound realization he gained after losing to Hashirama Senju. Hashirama Senju, because he dared to go all in every day, although he lost everything, became the "God of Shinobi" in history books after just one win. Meanwhile, he, the loser, only became the "Shura of the Shinobi World," some random Uchiha...

Black Zetsu has been surviving for over a thousand years, lacking the boldness to gamble. However, it has a long lifespan and could survive for another thousand or so years without any problem. Therefore, gambling is not part of its philosophy. If it doesn't work this time, it will do it next time. It has plenty of time. Its mother didn't give it an expiration date when she gave birth to it. As long as it can summon its mother from the moon one day, that's enough. There is no element of gambling involved at all.

180. The Golden Lion is exceptionally eloquent.

"Onoki, you're a small forward, why don't you lead your team and get on the field! The Raikage and Mizukage are both in position, waiting for you to break the deadlock, what the hell are you waiting for? (▼へ▼メ)"

Not far from the entrance of Uzushiogakure (Hidden Village) in the Land of Whirlpools, Shinto unleashed a torrent of abuse at Onoki. This was the third day of their attack on the Land of Whirlpools. The Land of Whirlpools was just a small island nation, how could it withstand the attack of most of the ninja world's nations and ninja villages? Due to the suddenness of the attack and the clear tactics of the allied forces, the allied forces had reached the entrance of Uzushiogakure in just two days. The warriors of the allied forces were quite fierce. After rushing ashore, they were all like warriors possessed, incredibly brave. The main reason was that the people of the Land of Whirlpools were completely unprepared, and the elite troops of the Land of Whirlpools were all in Uzushiogakure and had not come out. They were only killing those weaklings.

When they arrived at the entrance of Uzumaki Village, everyone was in a dilemma. What was the most powerful thing about the Uzumaki clan? Sealing techniques, of course. Sealing techniques had many categories, and barriers were one of them. Two days was more than enough time for the Uzumaki clan to prepare. When they arrived, the clan had gathered almost all its strength to set up an extremely powerful barrier that completely covered the entire village from the sky. Those who were just cannon fodder were too excited and rushed into the barrier without being able to stop, their fate unknown. However, everyone knew that it was probably a bad omen.

Onoki, who had fought bravely on the land of Whirlpools, and his Iwa ninja underlings saw wave after wave of cannon fodder rushing into the barrier without making a splash, and instantly chickened out. Mizuki, whose intelligence was rumored to be as high as 95, quickly pulled Onoki back, who had become addicted to racking up stats and had fired two map-wide attacks at the barrier. At this time, they had to be steady and cautious, and not rush. Being too reckless would easily lead to a fatal defeat.

However, Shinto was not happy. He had set a ten-day timeframe for the attack. Wasting two days outside was one thing, since it would take time for his underlings to gather supplies. But now that they were at the enemy's base, there were so many Uzumaki clan sealing masters inside. Who knew if every member of the Uzumaki clan could summon some kind of weird god? When the battle started, it would definitely be a difficult process, taking several days. But they had already been held up for most of the day at the village entrance. If it dragged on any longer, it would be bad if Konoha received the news. Uzumaki Mito was still alive, and even if Sarutobi Hiruzen was indecisive, he couldn't possibly be unaware of it. Moreover, the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki needed to be chosen from the Uzumaki clan.

The longer it drags on, the less benefit they'll gain!

As Shinto unleashed his fury, the Raikage, the Mizukage, Hanzo of the Salamander, and everyone else glared angrily at Onoki. "We've already bled from sharpening our swords, why don't you just go for it!"

"Damn it! Didn't you see the barrier ahead? This barrier was set up by almost the entire clan! If you want to go, go ahead!! (╬◣д◢)"

Onoki was also enraged, especially by the looks he received from the Raikage, Mizukage, and Hanzo of the Salamander. Aside from the cannon fodder villages, his own people had suffered the most casualties. Although the people on the outskirts of Uzushiogakure were relatively weak, they all possessed powerful sealing techniques, and many of his underlings had fallen into their traps without him noticing. These few people were just following him around picking off the losers, and now they were looking at him like that.

"I'll go for it! I'm a point guard, did you never go to school? You don't even know what a point guard is? You're the main core, hurry up and fire a few more shots to blast this barrier apart! Those Iwa ninja who know Onoki's area-of-effect attack, go for it too! (▼he▼メ)"

Masato, acting as if he was just dribbling across half-court, called out to Onoki and the people behind him.

"..."

When Masato shouted, all the Iwa ninja were embarrassed. They all fell silent and looked at each other, as if searching for the next generation of Iwa ninja successors.

Nonsense! Map-wide attacks are the hallmark of Iwagakure. Only their leader knows them. If there were another person who knew map-wide attacks, wouldn't they be the next leader?

"What? Damn it, Onoki, if you're so awesome, how come Iwagakure has no talent? Not even a single underling who can use area-of-effect attacks?"

Shinto looked at Onoki, who was getting carried away again, with disdain and mocked him.

"asshole...."

Onoki was amused by this uncultured jerk, but he didn't want to argue with him. "Do you even know what a map-wide attack is? That's Bloodline Limit! One of the hardest ninjutsu to learn in the ninja world! Do you think you're some kind of precious cabbage you can just toss around like that...?"

"Let's both stop arguing and think about how to break this barrier. We in Kirigakure don't have much research on barriers. Does anyone have any ideas?"

Seeing that the two were heading towards another verbal sparring match, the Mizukage was exhausted. He vowed that he would never participate in a team battle with Shiki and Onoki together again, no matter how high the appearance fee was!

They're spraying rubbish right at the village entrance, with people inside watching! It's utterly shameful! (▼へ▼メ)

"How about... we talk to the people inside and ask them to open the barrier and let us in?"

At this moment, some immature teenager in the crowd spoke up.

The scene fell silent as everyone turned to look at a boy in the crowd from the direction of Kirigakure, dressed in a Minazuki uniform whose gender was indistinguishable. Judging from the direction the voice came from, it must have been this boy from the indistinguishable gender who spoke.

Everyone was wondering what kind of wonderful childhood this boy, whose looks were so striking that it was hard to tell if he was male or female, must have had to say such a thing.

Should we let them open the barrier and go in to kill people?

This world isn't all that wonderful, kid.....ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

"Uh... I just thought that Lord Golden Lion's eloquence is outstanding, so he should be able to persuade the other party..."

The young man, Minazuki, felt a little uneasy being stared at by so many people, but the mental fortitude of a scion of a powerful clan was indeed remarkable; he still managed to express his thoughts despite being watched by so many.

Huh? (⊙_⊙)！！

Like a sage awakening a dreamer, the words of the young Minazuki caused everyone to turn and look at Masato, who was pondering how to distinguish between the male and female members of the Minazuki clan.

That's right! They've already experienced the golden lion's eloquence along the way. He can make sense of ants being called elephants. This boy who can't tell male from female seems to have a point too. What if the golden lion really opens the barrier to welcome them?

It seems like it's not impossible...

181. Onoki fired a dud.

"...Young man, what's your name? I admire you. If you ever find yourself unable to make a living in Kirigakure, come to my Sunagakure and I'll protect you!"

Having no idea how to distinguish between male and female members of the underage Minazuki clan, Masato said to the Minazuki boy, who was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, "It's not easy to find such an innocent boy in the ninja world these days! And he's a ninja too!"

He's an absolute genius!

"Lord Golden Lion, you'd better give it a try quickly..."

Shuiying said speechlessly, "It does feel bad to have someone poach your boss right in front of you, especially since this person is the one who killed my boss. But now is not the time to think about these things. Right now, everyone's hopes are pinned on this bastard's mouth!"

"...Ahem! Listen up, you inside! You are surrounded! I urge you to release the barrier and surrender within three minutes! I guarantee, with twenty years of Onoki's lifespan, that you will not be killed upon surrendering your weapons, and that we will respect the League of Nations' prisoner-of-war regulations, treating every prisoner humanely and never indiscriminately killing innocent people!!"

Shindou stared speechlessly at this group of idiots. He was good at talking, but not to the point of lowering their intelligence. They were clearly here to raid and exterminate the family, and now they wanted to persuade the family to open the door. It was unbelievable that these guys could come up with such a thing.

However, being expected to be so highly of him made him a little excited. His naturally strong heart wouldn't allow him to refuse. He took out a megaphone from Sasori's father's ninja tool bag, put it to his mouth, and shouted to the Uzumaki clan inside the barrier.

Don't ask why Sasori's dad has a megaphone in his ninja tool bag. Isn't it normal for a man with a son to carry around some baby toys?

His words made everyone realize something! So this is how promises can be made.

Onoki, who was being held tightly by the Raikage, was simmering with rage...

"Hmph! You bastards! For years, our Uzumaki clan has lived in seclusion, ignoring the conflicts of the ninja world. Why do you heartless bastards want to drive us away? You want us to open the barrier? Dream on! If you have the guts, come and break in!! ╬?д?╬?"

Inside the barrier, a rare old man in the ninja world, nearing seventy, with only a few stray white hairs on his head, slowly emerged with an aged gait, leaning on a dragon-headed cane. He pointed at Masato and the others and launched into a tirade. It was clear this old man had been incredibly hot-tempered in his youth; even now, at least a hundred years old, he remained extremely irritable, gesticulating wildly as he ranted. If it weren't for the two middle-aged men supporting him, he might have actually dared to come out and fight them three hundred rounds...

"Ahem! Old man, if anyone else had insulted me like that, I would have stabbed them! But I, Miyamoto Masato, am a man who respects the elderly and cares for the young. Judging from your appearance, you must be at least ninety years old, if not a hundred. I suppose you've long seen through the true nature of this world. What kind of true peace does this world have? Where there are people, there is war. The ninja world is inherently a world where the strong prey on the weak. Old man, for the sake of your clansmen, please heed my advice and don't give up the fight, right? You've seen this angry little dwarf behind me. He is the Great Tsuchikage of Iwagakure. Don't underestimate him because of his small size; the cosmos he unleashes is quite immense. I can still persuade you to give up the fight now, but if he gets really angry, I really won't be able to stop him!"

Shinto politely shifted the blame to Onoki, who was being held tightly by the Raikage, essentially telling the old man inside that this short guy was the real leader and that when the team started fighting, he should summon the Grim Reaper to him.

Just kidding. People say that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. The Uzumaki clan is known for its strong vitality. Living ten or twenty years longer than ordinary people is nothing to them. And this old man is already this old, so you can imagine how old he must be. He's probably the same age as Mito Uzumaki. That old-fashioned mentality of "better to die than live in dishonor" is deeply ingrained in him. He might act tough and act like a big shot at times like this, but when it really comes down to it, he'll definitely be the one summoned by the Grim Reaper. The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques are unreasonable hard control. If he's really hit by the Grim Reaper, no matter how tough he is, it's useless. The Grim Reaper targets the soul. And who knows how many gods the Uzumaki clan, a powerful family that has been passed down for so many years, can summon? Even outsiders like Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze can summon the Grim Reaper.

It's estimated that this Grim Reaper is the least prestigious of all the gods that can be summoned. It wouldn't be surprising if someone from the Uzumaki clan, a family member, summoned Guan Yu to kill someone. It would be more appropriate for Onoki to take the hit for him.

"Onoki! We, the Uzumaki clan, have no grudge against Iwagakure! Why did you do this?!" (-"-Rage)

Sure enough, no sooner had Masato finished speaking than the fiery old man filled his mouth with cannonballs and unleashed a barrage of fire at Onoki, who was still being tightly embraced by the Raikage. Masato could practically see the shadow of a Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his eyes...

"Raikage! Let me go! You bastard, why waste so much breath on them! Get out of the way! Map... ptooey! Dust Release: Particle Style!! (▼皿▼#)"

Onoki, who was already on the verge of exploding, finally broke free from the Raikage's embrace and unleashed a flurry of powerful attacks with both hands, unleashing a map-wide barrage. What's the point of saying so much now that things have come to this? And that bastard Shiki completely ignited his rage, and the power he unleashed at full rage was so great that even a super-powered version of James like the Raikage couldn't hold him back.

With the added power of Onoki's rage, this area-of-effect attack shone even brighter, clearly demonstrating that its power was several times greater than the previous attacks. The white light shot from Onoki's hand and hurtled towards the barrier!

call out......

And that was it!

There was no massive explosion as rumored, nor any clash of titans. Onoki's powerful map-wide attack, unleashed with rage, vanished without a trace the moment it touched the barrier.

Quack quack quack...!

After a brief pause, a flock of crows flew over the group's heads, looking at Onoki with curiosity.

Is this map-wide attack fake?

But Onoki's aura and that dazzling white light didn't seem fake! But... why can't I believe it!

"Hey Onoki, did you get the hand seals wrong and fire a fake cannon? Think about it again... (⊙_⊙)?"

Shindou also looked puzzled and said, "Even if this area-of-effect attack can't break through the barrier's defenses, at least give it some kind of reaction!"

But now there's absolutely no reaction, it's like a stone sinking into the sea. But even a stone sinking into the sea will at least make a ripple, but this map-wide attack hasn't made a ripple at all.

Onoki stared intently at the barrier before him, too lazy to bother with this illiterate man. You're the fake one!

Your whole family is fake! (▼へ▼メ).

182. Move aside! We're about to have a major conflict!

He began learning from his grandfather, the First Tsuchikage, at the age of three, became a disciple of the Second Tsuchikage at the age of six, and mastered Dust Release at the age of nine. Having been immersed in Dust Release for decades, how could he possibly forget the hand seal sequence? In the battles of the past few decades, Dust Release has been invincible, shining brightly in the ninja world for many years. There is nothing that cannot be solved with one shot. If one shot is not enough, then two shots will do, at most two shots.

However, the Uzumaki clan's barrier today has stumped him. Barriers are very common in the ninja world. Anyone who scores 80 on a ninjutsu exam will have at least one or two types of barriers in their ninjutsu knowledge base. However, those are all commonplace. Only major ninja villages like theirs have some truly powerful barriers. For example, Iwagakure's barrier can even lock down the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails. But the barrier he encountered today is completely different from any barrier he has ever encountered before. No matter how powerful a barrier is, all barriers in the ninja world will have a layer of rock wall to isolate the target from the outside world. Generally speaking, as long as this rock wall is broken or the person who set up the barrier is killed, the barrier will automatically disappear. This is the common way to break barriers in the ninja world, and it has been proven to be feasible.

With Dust Release in hand, Onoki dared to say that there was no barrier he couldn't break.

But today, the barrier of the Vortex Clan is completely different from all other barriers. Although it also has this layer of rock wall, it feels like it is invisible and intangible. To be honest, even he was shocked by his map-wide attack just now. It gave him the feeling that he could kill that bastard Golden Lion with one shot.

But strangely enough, this area-of-effect attack, which even alarmed them, disappeared when it hit the barrier, without any sense of contact whatsoever. This feeling was indescribably strange.

The attack has already reached this point, and stopping it is impossible. However, if they want to sweep through the Uzumaki clan, the primary issue is to break this barrier. But he doesn't even understand the principle behind this barrier. How the hell is he supposed to break it?

Onoki frowned. He had to admit that this ancient family had so many amazing things to offer, and they had managed to make the most of just a simple barrier.

"Hmph! Our Uzumaki clan's barrier isn't so easily broken. This barrier combines our Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques, creating countless unfamiliar spaces within the outer rock wall. Those bastards of yours and Onoki's Dust Release have already been transferred to some unknown space within the rock wall. If they were unlucky, those who went in earlier would probably have been killed by Onoki's Dust Release by now!"

"The people from Konoha should be arriving soon. Send someone to the back mountain path to have them take Kushina away directly."

The fiery old man standing in the center of the room looked at Onoki's expression with immense smugness, and as he finished speaking, he whispered to his son beside him.

He wasn't some uncle of Mito Uzumaki; he was Mito Uzumaki's older brother. However, because he was male, the Yin Seal was only suitable for females, and he was indeed older than Mito Uzumaki, so he couldn't maintain his appearance and aged naturally.

As a living fossil of the ninja world who led his clan through the chaos of war, established the Land of Whirlpools, and founded the Hidden Village of Whirlpools, he may have a fiery temper, but he's not stupid. When the Land of Whirlpools was in trouble, he knew what these people's purpose was. It's not just him bragging; the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan are indeed powerful, and it's normal for these people to be wary of them because of their relationship with Konoha. So when he learned that the Land of Whirlpools was in trouble, he asked his son Konoha to notify Mito, but not to ask Mito for help. He was already certain that the Uzumaki clan was doomed this time.

Even if Konoha were stronger, without Hashirama Senju, it wouldn't be able to fight against most of the ninja world. Moreover, the one in charge of Konoha now is Hiruzen Sarutobi, not his brother-in-law and his brother-in-law's brother. Konoha wouldn't fight the entire ninja world for the sake of the Uzumaki clan. So, he only informed Mito in the hope of leaving a bloodline for the Uzumaki clan. The Uzumaki clan cannot be truly wiped out. In addition, when Mito wrote to him two years ago, she also asked him to help choose a child to go to Konoha to be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He had already chosen a candidate, but he hadn't had time to send him over yet. Now that the annihilation of the clan is imminent, the third son's granddaughter must be sent out no matter what, as a way to leave a bloodline for the clan.

Although he boasted about the barrier's power, no ninjutsu is perfect, and sealing techniques and barriers are no exception. Their barrier also has weaknesses. It consumes a massive amount of chakra; only someone from the Uzumaki clan could set it up. Furthermore, the intensity of the attacks received is high, requiring even more chakra to maintain it. This constant outflow and inflow will eventually break down. Like the Dust Release attacks of Onoki's caliber just now, another ten or twenty would probably be enough to destroy it...

"Is it really true? That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it? Is this barrier really that powerful?"

Shinto stroked his chin, looking at the barrier in front of him, and asked the academic genius beside him, Sasori's father, "I don't know much about sealing techniques and barriers, but I do know the fate of the Uzumaki clan. If the truth about this barrier is as domineering as this old man says, then why the hell did they have to wipe out the clan? They could just wait for Konoha to come to their rescue and move there together."

"This kind of barrier isn't mentioned in any books. Generally, barriers are supported by a person's chakra, and the larger the barrier, the more chakra it consumes. However, this kind of barrier is incredibly stable and sturdy. Unless an attack exceeds the barrier's capacity or the person supporting it runs out of chakra, the chakra consumption of a barrier of this magnitude is unimaginable. But since the opponent is currently supporting the barrier with members of the Uzumaki clan, it's hard to say how long they can maintain it..."

The brilliant but illiterate Sasori's father tossed aside his injured book and explained the basic principles of the barrier to his illiterate older brother. He then pursed his lips, his meaning clear: for ordinary humans, even the entire Sand Village's ninja might not be able to withstand such a barrier for ten minutes. But with the Uzumaki clan, it was a different story. The Uzumaki clan was renowned for its vast chakra reserves; even a young child possessed n+1 times the chakra of an ordinary person. Just thinking about it made Sasori's father think the Uzumaki clan was incredibly powerful; even the Senju clan wasn't as impressive...

"So that means as long as the attack exceeds the barrier's tolerance, it's okay, right? Everyone, retreat five hundred miles..."

This can't go on forever. The map attack that Onoki had been pinning his hopes on was not working. Masato rolled up his sleeves, took out his greatsword, stretched his wrists, and shouted to the people around him.

Everyone move aside! We're about to unleash a massive attack!

183. This is the real Golden Lion.

"Holy crap! Get out of here! (?｀?д?′)!!"