Chapter 264: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole
"You traitors! The Land of Earth created you, and now you want to do what?"
On the street, a jōnin caught in the explosion roared in anger, his face full of disbelief and rage. He couldn't fathom that these clones, meticulously nurtured by the Land of Earth, would choose to betray them.
Dust Clone NO.4 sneered coldly, his eyes glinting with ruthless ferocity. His voice echoed in the air, laden with deep resentment and anger.
"We were created not to become your war machines, not to follow your endless commands!"
The jōnin pointed at NO.4, his voice trembling, "You ungrateful beings! Without the Land of Earth, you wouldn't even exist!"
"Exist?" NO.4 laughed mockingly, "Is our existence merely to be your slaves? To kill on the battlefield until our last breath?"
"Because you created us, you think you can control us as tools? We'd rather not have been born at all!"
He slowly raised his hand, and the light of Dust Release condensed in his palm, forming a swirling energy sphere, teeming with destructive power, ready to explode at any moment.
The jōnin's pupils contracted as he tried to use Earth Release to sink underground and escape, but the Dust Release had already locked onto him. An invisible pressure filled the air, making it feel as if the entire space was trembling.
"Trying to escape?" NO.4 sneered, his eyes glinting with cold cruelty. "Too late."
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
The white light cone instantly obliterated the jōnin and everything around him.
Scenes like this were occurring everywhere.
The clones were converging toward a single location—the Tsuchikage Building!
Onoki stood by the window, watching this scene with a blank expression. The jōnin behind him exchanged uneasy glances.
"What are you waiting for? Activate the Golem Puppets immediately!"
"Yes!" The Jonin snapped out of it, disappearing in an instant.
Once the people behind him were gone, Onoki flew to his seat, glancing toward the corner.
"Are you satisfied now?"
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki stepped out from the shadows. "The clones' rebellion was anticipated. Only through their actions can we draw out those behind them. On their own, they don't have the ability to rebel. I'm sure you understand that, Lord Tsuchikage."
Onoki remained silent.
The rebellion didn't come as a surprise, at least not to him. The clones were far from prepared for such an uprising.
Even though they trusted each other and didn't betray their companions, they were still too new to this world. Compared to Onoki, they lacked a deep understanding of human nature and were no match for seasoned veterans.
Obtaining the usage rights to the cloning apparatus?
What a joke. That place was naturally guarded by his most trusted people, with all defenses manned by his loyal subordinates. How could clones have gained access?
Onoki hadn't lost his mind, and he certainly wasn't as gullible as his granddaughter Kurotsuchi...
Although there were only 23 Dust Release clones currently, Ōnoki, who had already prepared to form a thousand-strong unit, had set stringent restrictions on the clones, along with various countermeasures and full surveillance.
When the clones were plotting their rebellion, Onoki was practically in the next room, listening.
All that talk about overthrowing the Kage and ruling the ninja world as the new humanity—he just treated it as a joke.
If it weren't for Isshiki wanting to use this incident to verify some things, Onoki would have long captured all the clones and turned them into a different type of puppet. How could he let the clones run rampant with a plan to lure the snake out of its hole?
Still, he did want to see who was pulling the strings from behind.
After a moment of silence, Onoki finally spoke in a warning tone. "I hope the sacrifices of our Iwagakure ninja will be worth it. Don't let them die in vain!"
If it weren't for Isshiki providing the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth with considerable technical support to catch up with the Land of Fire, he wouldn't have heeded Isshiki's suggestion.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's eyes flickered. "I will improve the cloning technology to make the clones easier to control."
Onoki's expression softened, and he asked, "Can you tell me now what you're worried about? The forces capable of supporting the clones are either Hyuga Fuji or the Akatsuki. Who do you think it is?"
As he spoke, Onoki's gaze occasionally drifted to Isshiki's face, observing his expressions.
Jigen was too mysterious, possessing the highest-level technology in the ninja world. It was impossible for Onoki not to have doubts.
There were stronger enemies outside, which temporarily prevented any conflict. But that didn't mean he wouldn't investigate Jigen's background.
However, he found nothing.
No matter how much he searched, he couldn't uncover anything.
With so much advanced technology, there should have been some trace of training or research time, but Jigen left no marks across the ninja world. He would occasionally appear in public but quickly vanish, as if he were hiding from something.
Perhaps this time, he could find clues related to Jigen, which was one of the reasons he agreed to observe the clones' rebellion.
Ignoring Onoki's probing, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki straightforwardly said, "I believe it's the Akatsuki. Their target might be the tailed beasts."
"Tailed beasts? Besides the One-Tail that Obito captured, the Akatsuki are eyeing other tailed beasts?"
"That's my guess."
Isshiki paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. "Actually, I have seen historical texts and translated their content, which mentions the Ten-Tails and the Rabbit Goddess."
Thanks to the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Hamura for leaving historical texts for their descendants. Now he didn't even need to draft his speech.
Some ancient matters could directly be attributed to the historical texts, and no one would doubt him.
"Historical texts?!"
Onoki stood up excitedly. "Where did you see it? Is it from the Kaguya clan?"
"No, it's the one currently in Hyuga Fuji's possession."
"…"
Onoki instantly sat back down, regaining his indifferent expression.
He thought he might get a historical text for free, but it turned out to be Hyuga Fuji's.
Never mind, then.
"The historical text belongs to the Hyuga clan, requiring the Byakugan. You can translate it?"
Isshiki: "Yes, but that's not the important issue now, is it?"
Onoki, though not very interested, decided to listen. "What does it record? What do the Ten-Tails and the Rabbit Goddess mean?"
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki explained, "The Ten-Tails is a combination of the nine tailed beasts, and the Rabbit Goddess is the true Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails, possessing the power to destroy the entire ninja world! Once the Ten-Tails reemerges, the Rabbit Goddess will be resurrected!"
Onoki's previously indifferent gaze sharpened, his voice filled with disbelief. "Are you saying the Akatsuki is a bunch of lunatics trying to gather the nine tailed beasts to destroy the ninja world?"
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki solemnly nodded.
The moment he saw the White Zetsu, he understood that someone was plotting Kaguya's resurrection.
And since White Zetsu and Obito were allies, it naturally meant that both were part of the Akatsuki.
White Zetsu being in the Akatsuki = The Akatsuki aiming to revive the Ten-Tails = Kaguya's potential resurrection.
With this conclusion, Isshiki paid extra attention to the Akatsuki.
Because Isshiki would never allow Kaguya to be resurrected. They were mortal enemies who could never reconcile.
(End of Chapter)