Chapter 188: Only One Left
Uchiha Dali turned his head to look at the other party and saw anticipation in his eyes—tinged with a trace of unease.
As his gaze swept the area, he noticed the same glint in the eyes of the other small-nation leaders.
"What is it that you all want to do?"
He asked with interest.
But instead of answering right away, those people turned their eyes toward the Iwagakure shinobi present.
The answer was clear without words.
Just moments ago, Uchiha Dali had ordered the Iwagakure shinobi to handle the internal affairs of the Land of Earth themselves—demanding they dismantle the existing feudal lord power structure. As long as they could complete the task he'd assigned, they would be granted administrative control over the Land of Earth's future—they would become the new rulers.
Clearly, the leaders of the small nations were tempted.
Compared to the nearly decimated Iwagakure, these small nations, though usually militarily weaker, now stood on more equal footing. The power gap had narrowed.
Given the opportunity, they too wanted a piece of the pie.
Someone decisively stepped forward and voiced their desire to Uchiha Dali: "We'd also like to take part in the operations within the Land of Earth, Lord Fourth Hokage."
"Alright. What's your name?"
Uchiha Dali looked at him.
"I am Oniyumaru from the Land of Demons—serving as both the feudal lord and the Shadow of Oniyin Village."
"Oniyumaru… Not bad. I permit you to take part in this operation."
"If you can accomplish what I've instructed, then the City of Earth will be yours."
After speaking, Uchiha Dali turned his gaze to the others.
Sure enough, their eyes immediately lit up with burning eagerness.
Though some of the Iwagakure shinobi looked surprised and slightly disgruntled, not one of them dared oppose Uchiha Dali's decision.
In the next moment, the leaders from other small nations were eager to prove themselves.
"Lord Hokage, I'd like to test my abilities as well!"
"Willing to serve at your command, Lord Fourth!"
"As long as overthrowing the feudal lord's rule and unifying the Land of Earth is the goal, then I'm in too!"
"..."
In every world, those who accomplish great things possess a fearless spirit.
Fortune favors the bold, while the timid starve.
Faced with such a rare opportunity, the small-nation leaders stepped forward one by one, each hoping to be that lucky chosen one.
"Very well. I permit you all to participate in the operation."
"As I said before—I don't care about your background, origin, or affiliations. I care only about the results. Whoever brings me a satisfactory result will be the one to take over."
Uchiha Dali straightforwardly granted everyone's request.
Upon hearing this, the small-nation leaders immediately showed their joy and expressed their thanks.
"But Lord Dali…"
A shinobi from Iwagakure hesitated to speak, but one glance from Uchiha Dali made him fall silent and retreat obediently.
"Well then, that's that. What are you all still standing around for?"
With those words, all the shinobi took the hint and promptly left.
The Four Red Yang Formation barrier that had surrounded them collapsed with a loud crash, vanishing into nothing.
In the next instant, Uchiha Dali was already back atop a distant mountain peak.
Seeing his return, Minato Namikaze and the others immediately came to greet him.
"Lord Fourth, you let them go?"
Uchiha Fugaku looked surprised.
He had thought Uchiha Dali would annihilate the invaders without mercy—leave no survivors.
But now, he saw tens of thousands of shinobi retreating.
The others also watched Uchiha Dali intently.
He merely smiled faintly without offering an explanation. Instead, he said meaningfully, "Now there's only the Land of Lightning and a few other small nations left."
"Once we deal with them, the Shinobi World will be unified. At that point, we'll be halfway to our goal."
"Halfway?" Minato asked curiously.
Uchiha Dali gave him a long look. "I suspect there's still a hidden hand behind the Akatsuki."
"I don't think Uchiha Obito is capable of orchestrating everything alone."
That struck a chord deep in Minato's heart.
From the very beginning, he had doubted Obito was the true mastermind. But given how sensitive the matter was, he'd kept his thoughts to himself.
Kakashi also showed a contemplative expression, his feelings mixed. "If Obito really is the mastermind… I won't forgive him."
Uchiha Dali chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Don't be so quick to swear vengeance, Kakashi. Let's wait and see."
With that, he turned and began walking down the mountain.
"Aren't we heading directly to deal with the Land of Lightning?" Shisui couldn't help asking.
After all, only the Land of Lightning and a few surrounding small countries had yet to submit. Defeating them would bring peace to the shinobi world.
He felt it was time to press the advantage and finish the job in one go.
Minato reminded him, "The Land of Iron still hasn't made any statement."
"The Land of Iron?" Uchiha Dali turned to look at him.
Fugaku offered an explanation, "It's a nation primarily made up of samurai. Their leader is General Mifune. Though not to be underestimated in terms of strength, they've long maintained strict neutrality and never involved themselves in any conflicts."
"There was only one war long ago—against the Hidden Rain Village…"
Uchiha Dali already knew most of this.
After hearing the explanation, he nodded casually. "It doesn't matter. As long as we secure most of the nations on this continent, the remaining few will eventually come crawling to us."
"Return to base."
Suddenly, Uchiha Dali addressed everyone.
His words left them briefly stunned.
"Lord Fourth… you mean to…?" Minato immediately grasped his intention.
Uchiha Dali nodded, "The Land of Lightning isn't worthy of our full deployment. I'll go alone."
"Meanwhile, prepare for the final showdown with the Akatsuki."
With that, he activated his advanced Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished without a trace.
...
Land of Lightning — Hidden Cloud Village
The Akatsuki had launched a full-scale invasion, plunging the village into intense combat.
After a fierce battle, the six summons brought by the Animal Path were finally sealed by the shinobi of the Hidden Cloud Village.
But it hadn't been easy—many had fallen, and much of their combat strength had been tied up.
Fortunately, the Fourth Raikage stood out with his extraordinary prowess. Using Lightning Release Chakra Mode to enhance his speed and defense, he handily defeated the Animal Path and several other versions of Pain.
Now, he stood facing off against the Deva Path.
Gritting his teeth as he looked around at the ravaged ruins that had once been the Hidden Cloud Village, the Fourth Raikage was seething with rage.
"Who exactly are you people?!"
He locked his eyes on the cold and indifferent Deva Path and growled his question.
In response, the Deva Path slowly raised his hand and aimed it straight at him.
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