He couldn't understand how the esteemed Tsuchikage could issue such an order. Or had Iwagakure truly fallen so far?
Rōshi couldn't comprehend it—but he didn't need to.
In a moment of distraction, a sharp, bone-shattering pain surged through his arm. His kunai clattered to the ground as the limb holding it snapped violently.
Naturally, it was Kawaki Aoba who had taken advantage of his unguarded state.
With Rōshi unable to resist or end his life, Kawaki Aoba quickly subdued him. Without a glance at the others present, he vanished using a high-speed teleportation technique.
Outside, the moment the room emptied, Ōnoki collapsed to his knees with a heavy thud.
Rōshi was bewildered—but was the Fourth Tsuchikage even more so?
Ōnoki himself couldn't explain how or why he had given such an order.
He didn't bother brushing the dust from his Tsuchikage robes; he merely sat there, dazed.
His eyes settled on a small stone at his feet, and his vision blurred.
Nothing had changed. Absolutely nothing.
Decades ago, he had stood helpless before Madara Uchiha's overwhelming power—and now, he found himself facing the same helplessness against Kawaki Aoba.
Once more, Iwagakure was crushed beneath the weight of a Super-Kage-level threat.
Meanwhile, Kawaki Aoba transported Rōshi to Kusagakure.
Extracting a tailed beast was no simple task. Though he could handle it alone, the risk of complications was high—having trusted allies made the process easier.
Inside a remote hot spring inn, Kawaki Aoba appeared with Rōshi in tow, startling the Third Raikage, Jūzō Biwa, and others who had been relaxing in the water.
If not for recognizing Kawaki Aoba in time, the Third Raikage would have instinctively activated his Lightning Release Armor.
"The jinchūriki of the Four-Tails, from Iwagakure, huh? Leader, are you adding another member to our ranks?" Jūzō Biwa asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kawaki Aoba shook his head. "Adding members is out of the question. I only want the Four-Tails sealed within him. More importantly, I came to entrust you all with something crucial."
The extraction of the Four-Tails wasn't overly difficult—it just took precision.
After selecting a secluded valley and teaching his subordinates some essential sealing techniques, Kawaki Aoba began the extraction.
Once freed, the Four-Tails—Son Gokū—attempted to escape.
But resisting Kawaki Aoba was futile.
Son Gokū wasn't foolish. It had observed Kawaki Aoba from inside Rōshi's subconscious and had already equated his power with that of Hashirama Senju, who once subdued it.
Its attempt to flee was just that—an attempt. It didn't expect success.
Reality struck hard. Against Kawaki Aoba's combined might—his Susanoo augmented by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and enhanced with White Smoke techniques—the tailed beast was immediately overpowered and pinned down, utterly defenseless.
"As expected of our Leader. A tailed beast—something the Five Great Nations treat like a living calamity—was dealt with so easily." That flattery came from Kisame Hoshigaki, casually observing from the side.
Kawaki Aoba waved him off. "Enough chatter. Help me extract the tailed beast's chakra."
"The chakra of the Four-Tails... So that's your aim in capturing it? What about the other tailed beasts?" asked the Third Raikage, stepping closer.
Kawaki Aoba narrowed his eyes but eventually replied, "I only need to control one. The others? Madara Uchiha's after them."
"He's gathering tailed beasts too? What's your end goal?"
"You'll have to ask him. That man intends to plunge the entire world into chaos using their power. I intend to stop him."
The Third Raikage opened his mouth to respond—but Kawaki Aoba cut him off.
"That's enough, Ei. You're speaking more than usual."
His sharp tone silenced the Raikage.
Kawaki Aoba had shared the intel deliberately. He knew Ei maintained secret ties with Kumogakure, but he didn't care—in fact, he welcomed it.
Whether the Five Great Nations acted on the warning or not didn't matter. If they believed it, Madara might face resistance. If not—no loss.
Either way, the complete Four-Tails was now in Kawaki Aoba's possession. If Madara wanted to become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, he couldn't bypass this roadblock.
As for trying to recreate the Ten-Tails using alternate methods, like Black Zetsu once orchestrated?
Heh. Kawaki Aoba wasn't about to let such a sloppy mistake occur.
Looking down at Rōshi's body, lifeless and drained, Kawaki Aoba fired a storm of energy blasts.
Not a single trace was left—not even a hair or cell.
"I, Kawaki Aoba, do not take chances."
Attempt to recover the tailed beast chakra via Impure World Reincarnation? Sorry. Unless the Sage of Six Paths himself descended from the Pure Land, it wasn't happening.
With the corpse vaporized, Kawaki Aoba turned to the mass of raw chakra extracted from the Four-Tails.
Its only destiny now—sacrifice.
And the result?
He laughed.
Wildly, uproariously.
To the others, it looked as if Kawaki Aoba had taken the chakra and left. What was so funny?
None of them understood.
How could they?
In that fleeting instant, Kawaki Aoba had confirmed something astounding—the possibility of perfecting his Saiyan bloodline.
Using the chakra of the Four-Tails as a catalyst to repeatedly refine even a low-level version of the Saiyan gene was viable.
The progress would be slow—agonizingly so.
But Kawaki Aoba had time.
One year, two years, ten years.
He would wait.
As long as he completes the Saiyan bloodline, he will truly become invincible in the ninja world. Forget about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki or the long-dead Sage of Six Paths. Even if the entire Ōtsutsuki clan descended from the stars in full force, he could annihilate them with a single Ki Blast.
Therefore, from this moment forward, nothing is more important than securing the Four-Tails.
Although Kawaki Aoba's main body couldn't guard the Four-Tails at all times, his most formidable weapon—Susanoo, an Imperial Arm forged through chakra-soul fusion—would remain at the Tailed Beast's side at every moment.
Moreover, their previously designated location was no longer suitable.
"Kurotsuchi Raiga, you should know where the largest noble residence nearby is, right?"
Kurotsuchi Raiga was momentarily stunned. He stepped forward and respectfully replied, "I do, Leader. But… why do you ask?"
"Simple," Kawaki Aoba said calmly. "I need a place to house the Four-Tails and establish a long-term headquarters for our operations."
"What?! You plan to attack the nobles?" The Third Raikage, A, exclaimed in disbelief. His eyes widened as if he had just witnessed a ghost.
Kawaki Aoba raised an eyebrow in interest. Even when facing Uchiha Madara, the Third Raikage hadn't shown such alarm. But now, he was shaken merely at the mention of targeting a noble.
"What's wrong, A? Do you object?"
"Object? This isn't about objection!" the Raikage growled. "Do you even realize what you're saying? Those are nobles! Since when do shinobi affairs involve attacking them?"
Aoba turned his gaze toward the Auspicious Three Treasures. They remained silent. His eyes shifted to Might Duy, who stood quietly in the corner.
Suddenly, Aoba chuckled. "Funny, isn't it? When it came to slaughtering commoner merchants, you all moved with such conviction. But now that I mention nobles, you're paralyzed. Why? What makes them any different?
Don't give me that nonsense about 'divine bloodlines.' Even the daimyōs of the Five Great Nations are just men—flesh and blood. Nobility is a lie crafted to control fools… like you."
It was common knowledge that noble bloodlines descended from the gods. The belief that the daimyōs carried divine lineage was ingrained in the minds of people throughout the ninja world.
But no one had ever questioned it.
The doctrine that nobles were sacred and untouchable—that they could only be judged by their peers—was a principle upheld for over a millennium.
Kawaki Aoba found it laughable.
And though others found his actions outrageous, he didn't care. Even his closest followers—the Auspicious Three Treasures—remained silent, unsure whether to endorse or oppose his stance.
But Aoba had already decided. No one could stop him.
Upon arriving at the noble estate in the Land of Hot Water, Kawaki Aoba swiftly purged it. He left only a handful of servants alive to maintain the grounds.
He did everything personally. No one stopped him. Not even Might Duy, though unease was written all over his face. The rest, including the Third Raikage, watched in stunned silence.
After it was over, Aoba stood before the corpse of the noble, surveying his work. A remained frozen in place, unsure what to think.
Then, the ground trembled.
"An earthquake…? Here?" A muttered in confusion.
But within seconds, it became clear: the entire estate—land, buildings, and foundation—was rising into the air.
A dashed back into the manor and found Kawaki Aoba, his hands just lifting from the ground as he floated upward.
Super Lightweight Boulder Jutsu? Impossible. Not even Iwagakure's Onoki at his peak could lift such a massive piece of earth—not rock, not a mountain, but pure land.
The area covered at least ten acres.
Floating in the sky, Kawaki Aoba stood above them like a god.
"This… this is his new base…" A whispered. "Even the Five Great Villages can't do this…"
Jūzō Biwa finally broke the silence. "The leader's power… it's divine. Compared to this, what does nobility mean?"
"Jūzō Biwa, your words are dangerous," Kurotsuchi Raiga said, drawing glances. But then he smirked. "But we're already dead. Do the rules of the living still apply to us?"
"Exactly," Suikazan Fuguki agreed. "That noble is dead. We're not. Simple as that."
Even the hesitant Three Treasures now saw the light. Faced with such overwhelming power, they knew where their loyalties belonged.
The Raikage, A, remained conflicted. Might Duy even more so—after all, he was the newest among them.
But Kawaki Aoba had seen their reactions. And as the saying goes—he didn't care.
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