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Ōnoki had already anticipated that the daimyō of Earth Country would propose such an idea. In fact, Ōnoki himself had entertained similar thoughts before ultimately rejecting them after careful consideration.
Thus, without hesitation or regard for the daimyō's dignity, Ōnoki flatly shot down the suggestion:
"The idea is nice, but it's completely impractical!"
"Why!?"
"Because we're currently in a state of war, and the entire shinobi world is embroiled in the chaos of the Great Ninja Wars. During such conflicts, betrayal and bloodshed happen constantly—today you kill me, tomorrow I ambush you, today I take revenge, tomorrow I'm counterattacked. The five great nations and their hidden villages cannot trust each other, let alone cooperate wholeheartedly!"
Upon hearing this, the daimyō of Earth Country turned pale, though he still seemed somewhat unconvinced. Seeing this, Ōnoki decided to drive the point home further.
He bluntly asked the daimyō: Earth Country and Lightning Country have long-standing enmity. If the two countries were to join forces and launch a joint campaign, wouldn't the daimyō worry that Lightning Country might suddenly betray the alliance and turn against Earth Country?
This was a compelling hypothetical scenario. After putting himself in that position, the daimyō's face turned ashen with dread.
Suddenly, he thought of something else and directly asked Ōnoki: What if the five great nations could unite to pressure the daimyō of Rain Country into renegotiating the reparations outlined in the agreement?
At this, Ōnoki looked at the Earth Country daimyō as though he were an idiot.
"Please! Do you really think Uchiha Madara and the daimyō of Rain Country share the same subordinate relationship as we do? That's not how it works at all! Uchiha Madara is the greatest demon of the shinobi world—he's taken over Amegakure. I doubt the daimyō of Rain Country would even dare to utter a word of protest. Even if the daimyō agreed under pressure from the five great nations, do you think Uchiha Madara would comply!?"
After explaining this to the daimyō, the latter's face turned a deep shade of purple-red.
But he still refused to give up, continuing to ask: What about pressuring Uchiha Madara directly through a united front of the five great nations?
At this point, Ōnoki stared at the daimyō with the full force of someone looking at a fool.
"Please! Uchiha Madara is a man who has dominated the entire shinobi world. He wouldn't be afraid even if the five great nations attacked him together. Do you honestly believe that pressuring him like this would work!?"
The daimyō of Earth Country was utterly deflated, slumping in his seat, dejected and silent.
Ōnoki felt no better internally. How can Earth Country and Iwagakure possibly fare well in the future with such a dimwitted daimyō at the helm?
Fed up, Ōnoki directly told the daimyō: "Are you going to pay the reparations or not? If you are, hurry up and hand over the money and resources. We'll transport them to Amegakure, and that'll be the end of it. If not, when Uchiha Madara arrives, we'll all perish together. Either way, I'm not afraid to die—you decide."
This scare tactic proved effective, as the daimyō of Earth Country was visibly shaken.
Though greedy and stingy, this cowardly daimyō valued his life far more than his wealth. After much agonizing deliberation, he reluctantly agreed to pay the reparations.
With that settled, the next steps were straightforward. Ōnoki returned to Iwagakure, casually assigned one of the village elders—a marginalized figure within Iwagakure—to lead a team of shinobi to the daimyō's castle. They loaded the silver, grain, copper, and iron onto carriages and set off to deliver them to Amegakure.
It's worth noting that this elder, tasked with delivering the reparations, was a rather pitiable figure within Iwagakure, ostracized and given undesirable assignments. Thus, he begrudgingly accepted the mission.
After several days of travel, the elder and his team arrived at Amegakure with the supplies in tow.
The entire village of Amegakure erupted in celebration!
For a major country like Earth Country to actually follow through with the reparations—and such generous reparations at that—was cause for immense joy.
Not only were the civilians of Amegakure ecstatic, but the shinobi were equally thrilled.
Under Uchiha Madara's orders, however, the shinobi of Amegakure did not allow the elder and his team from Iwagakure to enter the village. Outside the gates, they meticulously counted the delivered goods. Once everything was confirmed, the supplies were brought inside, the gates closed, and the elder and his shinobi escort were left standing outside, not even allowed to step foot into the village, let alone receive any hospitality like tea or lodging for the night.
From start to finish, the elder from Iwagakure could only catch a fleeting glimpse of the interior of Amegakure through the gates. This blatant display of disdain thoroughly humiliated the elder and his shinobi, but there was nothing they could do about it.
In the end, the elder and his team had no choice but to leave in disgrace.
As for what happened after the elder returned to Iwagakure—how he seethed with hatred toward Uchiha Madara and blamed Ōnoki—it was of no concern to anyone.
With this, the grand spectacle of Uchiha Madara defeating Iwagakure, forcing Ōnoki and Earth Country to pay reparations, finally came to a close.
Though the matter was resolved, its impact was profound and far-reaching.
First, it solidified the absolute loyalty of both the shinobi and civilians of Amegakure toward Uchiha Madara. Seeing the tangible wealth of silver, grain, copper, and iron delivered to their village, they became staunch supporters of Madara, the architect of it all. Through this single event, Madara fully secured the hearts and minds of Amegakure.
Second, it worsened the internal situation of both Iwagakure and Earth Country.
No matter how much Ōnoki tried to deflect responsibility, he could not escape the blame for the catastrophic defeat, the massive reparations, and the humiliation of the village. His authority within Iwagakure diminished significantly, with many elders and clan heads beginning to undermine his power, leading to severe internal strife.
Meanwhile, the daimyō of Earth Country harbored growing resentment toward Ōnoki and Iwagakure due to his own losses. He began cutting military funding to Iwagakure, worsening the village's already dire situation and further deteriorating Ōnoki's position.
Finally, the entire shinobi world was left with an unmistakable message: Uchiha Madara has returned, and he resides in Amegakure. Do not provoke him—his wrath will reduce you to the same fate as Iwagakure and Earth Country.
Uchiha Madara's act of single-handedly coercing and extorting a great nation sent shockwaves throughout the shinobi world!