Multiverse Skill System

Page 177

"The reason I've come is to invite you to take on this ministerial position."

"No, you're not going. Find someone else to do it yourselves!"

A clean and decisive refusal, leaving no room for negotiation.

The fourth generation gave a wry smile, feeling quite troubled, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue, "Brother Yi, please help me out! Even if it's just a nominal appointment, it would be fine."

"Just a nominal position?" he asked with some doubt.

"Yes, just being listed as a co-author is fine."

He nodded quickly in agreement, and a hint of joy finally appeared on the Fourth Generation's face. As long as he didn't refuse immediately, it meant there was hope!

"That won't do! I've always been extremely concerned about my reputation. Even if it's just a nominal position, if something goes wrong, people will gossip and say that I'm just a figurehead. Let's forget about this nominal position."

Yi Shuihan presented himself as a man of high moral character and unwavering integrity, leaving the two shadows, who had initially thought there was a chance for things to turn around, completely dumbfounded.

It sounds plausible, but there's always a strange feeling about it.

"Is there anything else? If not, I won't bother you two any longer. Minato, as Hokage, your time must be very tight! Don't waste your time here. Go and deal with other matters. Every second you stay here, Konoha will lose an unknown amount. And the Third Hokage, you're so old, yet you still come out and show your face. It's too tiring. You should go home and rest, and think about how to take care of your grandson."

"..."

Before they could react, Yi Shuihan continued speaking, putting on an act as if he was doing it entirely for their own good, completely blocking their escape route.

Minato Namikaze was completely at a loss. As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, his expression changed several times before he finally spoke with considerable helplessness:

"What exactly do you want in order to agree to this? You must be aware of the current situation in the ninja world. Recently, many ninjas have been attacked by people who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. These people are specifically targeting ninjas, which is clearly premeditated. If this continues, the safety of the ninjas will not be guaranteed, which will trigger unpredictable conflicts and may even lead to war! You are now deciding whether or not war will break out in the entire ninja world!"

The Third Hokage's words were sincere, but he didn't exaggerate the facts too much. If things continued like this, the conflict between ninjas and martial arts practitioners would inevitably erupt, and war would be the only solution.

Of course, it's impossible for things to develop to that point in a short time. It would take at least several years, or until those martial arts practitioners who were hiding their identities stopped hiding and openly confronted the ninjas, which would accelerate the arrival of war.

Yi Shuihan naturally understood all of this, but he still had no intention of getting involved in the so-called United Front Work Department's sanctions. If he wanted to get involved, he could do so anytime, and it had nothing to do with the United Front Work Department's sanctions.

"Instead of this, I think you'd better take care of another matter first."

Yi Shuihan immediately changed the subject.

"And another thing, are you referring to the Akatsuki organization?"

"That's right, it's the Akatsuki organization that captures Jinchuriki."

Do you know what his purpose is in capturing Jinchuriki?

Minato Namikaze also took this matter very seriously. After all, besides being a deterrent force for a village, the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails was someone he had an extraordinary relationship with, and he had to take it seriously both personally and professionally.

The third generation also fell silent at this point, wanting to hear what Yi Shuihan actually knew.

Do you know how tailed beasts are born?

Before the two could answer, Yi Shuihan continued, "In the very beginning, before the nine tailed beasts appeared, there was actually only one tailed beast in the world, and its name was Ten-Tails. The nine tailed beasts that we know now are actually just individuals born from the Ten-Tails being divided into nine parts."

"If someone can gather all nine tailed beasts and find the body of the Ten-Tails, then that person could become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, possessing world-destroying power, and it would be very easy for them to fight against all the ninjas on their own."

"You mean, the Akatsuki's goal is to gather all the tailed beasts, awaken the Ten-Tails, and then use the Ten-Tails' power to dominate the world?"

Chapter 449, The Great War That Is About to Begin

Although Yi Shuihan's words seemed absurd, and even if an ordinary person believed them, it would take a long time to accept them, Minato Namikaze subconsciously considered them to be true immediately after Yi Shuihan finished speaking.

Minato Namikaze never doubted that Yi Shuihan would lie about such a thing. This trust, or rather, his innate intuition, allowed him to judge the truth of the matter immediately.

"There's actually a Ten-Tails! The combined power of all nine tailed beasts must be incredibly strong!"

The Third Hokage muttered to himself. Having witnessed the power of the Tailed Beasts more than once, he knew even more how terrifying they were. A single Nine-Tails could easily destroy a town, and if they were to be stopped, a country could be destroyed. The Ten-Tails, which had gathered the power of nine Tailed Beasts, was terrifying just to think about.

The Third Hokage had no doubt about the Ten-Tails' power; it was truly enough to shake the very foundations of the world.

"Dominate the world? You're wrong to say that. Others' goal is actually world peace. Obtaining the power of the Ten-Tails is only to eliminate war and guide the world toward peace. Of course, in the process, some pain is inevitable."

At this point, a scene involuntarily appeared in Yi Shuihan's mind: Nagato controlling Pain's Deva Path, one of the Six Paths of Pain, raising his hands above Konoha, saying "Let the world feel pain," and then launching the Almighty Push.

I have to say, Tiandao does look pretty cool in that picture!

"For world peace?"

Minato Namikaze was astonished. If he hadn't sensed the seriousness in Yi Shuihan's words, he would have thought Yi Shuihan was joking! Such blatant ambition, supposedly motivated by world peace, was utterly laughable.

"That's right, isn't it incredible? But that's really what they think: to create a beautiful world without pain or war. It's a great ideal, don't you think? Even though it's destined to fail."

From the very beginning, this was a conspiracy! Under the guise of peace, it was essentially a conspiracy to resurrect Mother.

"I never expected it to turn out like this. No matter what, we absolutely cannot let the Ten-Tails appear. We must take the Akatsuki seriously. We can't just passively wait for them to make a move; we must take the initiative and wipe them out."

As Hokage, both the Third and Fourth Hokage generally prioritized balance and avoided instigating wars. They typically adopted a more conciliatory policy towards external forces. Since the Akatsuki hadn't provoked Konoha, they hadn't taken any initiative to deal with them. However, after Yi Shuihan's words, they began to consider taking the initiative.

"You guys continue discussing how to deal with the Akatsuki, I'm leaving now."

Ignoring the obvious seriousness of the two, Yi Shuihan stood up and ran away, giving them no time to react.

As for the matter that was clearly proposed by Yi Shuihan, is it really okay to just ignore it?

Yi Shuihan said that this was enough for me. If you still want me to solve it, then what are you all for?

In the dense jungle, two groups of people were engaged in a bloody battle. Many people had already fallen around them, and the smell of blood filled the air, burning away the last vestiges of their reason.

Neither group were ninjas; to be precise, one group consisted of mountain bandits, while the other was a merchant caravan.

The reason why the caravan was able to fight so fiercely with the bandits was simply because the caravan had five martial artists with the Ming Jin (明劲) skill and one martial artist with the An Jin (暗劲) skill.

The bandits were mostly ordinary people, but there were a few leaders who knew a thing or two about ninjutsu, and the bandit leader was even a rogue ninja from a certain village.

The reason for the fighting was simple: one side wanted to rob, and the other side refused. That was all.

"Lord Orochimaru, shall we make a move?"

Not far away, Orochimaru and Kabuto silently watched the battle between the two sides, without being greatly disturbed by it.

"Let's make our move! Isn't today precisely to test our new product?"

The new product Orochimaru mentioned was none other than a firearm developed based on Yi Shuihan's information. It wasn't a finished product provided by Yi Shuihan, but a prototype that was made bit by bit from the most basic raw materials.

As for its power, Orochimaru has tested it before; this time he's just putting it to practical use.

"So, which side is the target?"

"Of course, they are all targets."

"Understood!"

The gunshot rang out so abruptly that it jolted both the caravan members and the bandits back to their senses.

"What happened? How did he die?!"

A bullet hole is clearly visible on a person's head, which looks quite eerie.

However, before they could figure out what was going on, gunshots rang out one after another.

Each time it rings out, it takes a life, as terrifying as the sound of death.

A moment later, there was no one left standing at the scene.

At this moment, Orochimaru and Kabuto slowly came out and carefully examined the wounds of these people.

"An ordinary person would be killed in one blow; a Ming Jin expert would be unable to defend against it; an An Jin martial artist might be able to dodge it if prepared; a low-level ninja..."

"It seems this test went quite well, but I need more data. Let's go to the next test location."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Yi Shuihan, far away in Konoha, was unaware that the technology he brought had already begun to sprout in Orochimaru's hands and would soon bear fruit.

Orochimaru's research capabilities are indeed very strong. He not only developed firearms but also improved them significantly, greatly increasing their power. In fact, he even invented a gun that could use chakra to replace bullets, which in a sense could be considered as having unlimited ammunition.

While Orochimaru's side was making good progress, the Akatsuki organization was also being taken seriously. The five great nations reached a consensus to treat dealing with the Akatsuki as a cooperative exercise, which also contained an implicit competition. Whoever performed better in this operation would have more say in future cooperation.

A battle that will attract worldwide attention is about to begin. It remains to be seen what Black Zetsu will think. Will he directly start the Fourth Shinobi World War?

Chapter 450, Akatsuki Surrounded

"Listen up, Akatsuki members! You're surrounded. Don't harbor any illusions. There are nearly 500 of us here, each a seasoned ninja. You have no chance of winning. Lay down your weapons and come out obediently. If you surrender, we'll leave you with a whole corpse."

Outside Akatsuki's base, a ninja wearing a Kumogakure headband was shouting loudly through a megaphone, creating a scene that was inexplicably comical.

Apart from the Raikage, who still acted as if it were perfectly normal, everyone else, including the one who shouted the order, seemed quite helpless.

"This is the so-called battle where the Allied Forces besieged Akatsuki, and this is the so-called elite force of the Allied Forces. To me, they're just a bunch of idiots!"

Yi Shuihan came to watch the show, but when he heard the Yun Ren shouting, he almost spat out his drink, barely managing to hold it in.

How should I put it? This shout gave Yi Shuihan the feeling of a modern police and gangster movie. Shouting? Shouldn't they have fired their guns quietly, making as little noise as possible?

And why don't you consider the hostages? Have you already assumed that all the captured Jinchūriki are dead?

Most importantly, surrendering only leaves you with a complete corpse; what fool would surrender?

"Is it because they think the disparity in strength between the two sides is too great that they don't need to be too cautious, which is why they are so arrogant?"

Regardless of other factors, the combined forces of the five nations today are indeed exceptionally powerful. Although they don't have many ninjas, the total number of them is only around 494, averaging about 100 people per ninja village.

Most importantly, the weakest among them are elite Chunin, most are Jonin, and there are dozens of Kage-level shinobi. The highest leaders of the five great villages are all present, and their mere presence is incredibly intimidating.

"With so many powerful individuals, I deserve a lot of credit!"

Yi Shuihan was somewhat surprised when he saw these dozens of Kage-level figures, but after thinking about the hot spring resort, he immediately understood. After all, nearly half of these Kage-level figures came from Konoha.

Although the Akatsuki organization is powerful, and every member of the organization is a vicious rogue ninja whose strength is not weak among Kage-level ninjas, they are ultimately too few in number. Facing several times more powerful opponents of the same level, it is hard to believe that they will win. Besides, the five Kage-level ninjas are not just for show!

"In this situation, even the Earth Explosion Star might not be able to control the situation! So what will you do?"

The Rinnegan is indeed powerful; one Rinnegan can be equivalent to six Kage-level opponents. Adding him, that makes seven. Even at the highest estimate, Nagato alone could handle ten Kage-level opponents, and the others would each have to fight at least several Kage-level opponents.

It seems unlikely that the Akatsuki will be the winner this time!

Even if the Ten-Tails appeared, it wouldn't have made a difference this time, since the chakra of all nine tailed beasts hadn't been collected.

"No, there should be another way, which is to use Jue's clones. Even if there aren't 100,000, there should be tens of thousands! Releasing them all could help block the attack."

Thinking of Zetsu, Yi Shuihan had to admit that this White Zetsu was truly heaven-defying, having so many clones. If given some time, he could gather millions of clones and perhaps even dominate the ninja world by risking his life.

Inside the base, all the Akatsuki members were present. Normally, they wouldn't all be here. The reason they were all here today was simply to extract the Tailed Beasts, since more people meant a faster extraction process.

"Chief, what do we do? It seems we're surrounded!"

Kakuzu's tone was calm, and he did not panic despite being surrounded. He was someone who had fought against the First Hokage and survived, so his mental fortitude was already frighteningly high.

"Since we're surrounded, let's fight our way out."

Pain, too, showed no fear.

"As expected of the boss, my art will definitely shine brightly this time, and the entire ninja world will know that so-called art is an explosion."

"Art is eternal; art that is only for a moment is not true art."

"A bunch of cultists, let me sacrifice them all to the evil god!"

"Then let's go all out."

Those who can join Akatsuki are not afraid of death; in fact, most of them are mentally paranoid lunatics. Even now, facing this unfavorable situation, they are not afraid, nor do they think of running away. Their first thought is to fight head-on.

Of course, this doesn't mean they were stupid; rather, they made the best choice under the current circumstances. It would be truly foolish to panic at this point.

"Could it be that Orochimaru tipped them off that they were able to find this place?"

Kisame Hoshigaki suddenly spoke up.

"I knew that guy was unreliable! I should have blown up his research institute."

"Shut up, everyone. Now is not the time to deal with Orochimaru. Our friends outside are probably getting impatient."

"Now let's start assigning tasks, first..."

Without keeping our allied forces waiting, the Akatsuki members, led by Pain, arrived outside the base. The reason they weren't waited for inside was to prevent the Akatsuki from destroying the base with a large-scale ninjutsu.

"Are they from Akatsuki? They don't look very impressive!"

"Don't underestimate them. Each of them is no ordinary person. They were all elites from their respective ninja villages and are incredibly strong. Even as rogue ninjas, they have lived a carefree life for so long. If it weren't for the alliance of the ninja villages, they might have continued to live so freely."

"That was Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the former Seven Ninja Hidden Mist Villages. He had a nickname: the Human-shaped Tailed Beast."

"That's Sasori from the Sand Village, hailed as the most talented puppeteer."

"that is……"

A murmur of discussion arose among the ninjas, and the scene became somewhat noisy for a moment.

"Yahiko, are you Yahiko?"