"They say the Third Raikage possesses the strongest spear and the strongest shield. Now it seems his spear is the more powerful one."
"The Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite, which boasts the strongest attack, pierced through his proudest, strongest shield—neither the Lightning Release Armor nor his physical body could stop it!"
Tsunade stood on a distant hillside, sighing repeatedly as she witnessed the Third Raikage's fate.
Once Yagyu seized an opening and forced the Third Raikage to pierce himself with his own One-Finger Nukite, destroying his Lightning Release Armor, his life had begun its countdown.
The powerful attack of the Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite not only destroyed his Lightning Release Armor and physical defense, but also damaged his internal organs.
Although the Third Raikage being left-handed prevented him from using his right hand to pierce the heart in his left chest, the left side of the chest, which his right hand did pierce, also contained considerably important internal organs.
Even if the damage to these organs wasn't fatal, it would definitely cause his condition to deteriorate and his combat power to rapidly decrease.
It would have been fine in any other situation, but Yagyu, the enemy, was lurking nearby like a tiger eyeing its prey.
Yagyu made no extra movements. He simply condensed the golden light-sword and thrust it out, intending to send the Third Raikage on his way.
The Third Raikage knew he couldn't escape. He gave a hearty laugh and attacked desperately, his index finger, condensed with Lightning Release Chakra, stabbing towards Yagyu.
"This is my final Hell Stab..."
The Third Raikage roared.
"Go stab in hell!"
Yagyu spoke coldly. The tip of the golden light-sword collided with the tip of the Third Raikage's finger, directly crushing this final One-Finger Nukite.
"Are you going to run away too?"
After killing the Third Raikage, Yagyu cast his gaze into the distance. There was no one visible there.
This was because the people in that direction had used Earth Release – Hidden Stone Technique (Doton – Iwayado no Jutsu); they fled by burrowing underground.
Unfortunately, under Yagyu's Observation Haki (Kenbunshoku Haki), hiding underground was completely useless.
Yagyu's body turned into a golden light, instantly soaring into the sky, followed by countless light projectiles crashing down.
Yasakani Magatama!
Dense light projectiles bombarded the earth, emitting a deafening roar.
The golden light projectiles pierced through the mud, killing many Iwagakure ninja and burying them forever underground.
Yagyu spared more Iwagakure ninja, however. He only used the golden light projectiles to pressure the ground, forcing these ninja to escape back to the surface.
A moment later.
Õnoki, who had lost an arm, appeared before Yagyu with a group of Iwagakure remnants.
"Why insist on running? I never intended to kill you all."
Yagyu stood in front of Õnoki and the others, shaking his head regretfully.
Õnoki looked at Yagyu coldly, clearly not believing him.
Yagyu shrugged and said helplessly: "You have too strong a bias against me. Do I have a reason why I must kill you?"
"No! Even if you attacked me, trying to take advantage of the chaos to kill me, I have no reason why I must take you out."
"After all, you are so weak that no matter how much you want to kill me, you can't cause me the slightest harm."
Yagyu sighed. His words made Õnoki's face flush, nearly causing him to spit up old blood.
"So, you are saved."
"I've decided to spare your lives. You can leave now."
Yagyu said with a smile, waving his hand to dismiss Õnoki and the others.
Õnoki and the other Iwagakure ninja exchanged glances, somewhat unable to figure out Yagyu's intentions.
"Yagyu, what exactly do you want? Just say it!"
After a moment of hesitation, Õnoki spoke to Yagyu with a cold expression.
"Actually, it's nothing."
"As you saw, great figures like Chiyo and the Third Raikage were killed by me."
"Wouldn't it be a great pity if such glorious deeds weren't publicized by anyone?"
"So... you were lucky enough to be chosen by me as the storytellers, which is why I decided to let you go."
Yagyu explained lazily, darkening the faces of Õnoki and the others.
To be spared because of this kind of reason...
Although they felt an indescribable sense of humiliation, Õnoki and the others were wise enough not to court death.
"Can't they serve as storytellers?"
Õnoki glanced at Tsunade and the others in the distance, and said to Yagyu with a cold sneer.
He didn't believe Yagyu hadn't noticed Tsunade and her group.
"I did notice them!"
"However, relying only on them as witnesses is still not quite enough!"
"After all, humans are very shortsighted creatures; they might not believe I have this kind of strength."
"It's possible your villages might blame your deaths on Konoha."
"So..."
Yagyu looked at Õnoki and the others casually, explaining his reasoning to them lazily.
"I understand!"
Õnoki stared deeply at Yagyu, then turned his head to look at Tsunade and the others, a flash of hatred passing deep in his eyes.
One worries not about scarcity, but about unequal distribution! (A saying about resentment stemming from perceived unfairness/bias).
"Everyone came together, and everyone came here with the same goal."
"Why is it that we are either dead or wounded, and only you from Konoha remain safe and sound?"
Noticing Õnoki's resentful gaze, Yagyu's mouth curved slightly, and his body moved, appearing in front of Tsunade.
"What do you want?"
Tsunade sighed softly, speaking to Yagyu as calmly as possible.
"Nothing!"
"I just want to tell you that you can recount everything that happened today exactly as it occurred."
"I truly want to know what the major Hidden Villages' reactions will be when they learn of this news."
Yagyu smiled slightly, speaking with a casual air.
"What you did back in Konoha must have had an ulterior motive, didn't it?"
"Don't try to deny it. I've finally figured it out now."
Tsunade stared intently at Yagyu, her tone heavy.
"Tsunade, do you remember the question I asked you before?"
"Now, I can give you the answer."
"The reason the major Hidden Villages attack Konoha is because they are competitors."
"If you liken the major Hidden Villages to shopping malls, then Konoha is the one with the best decor."
"Going to Konoha gives you status, and the vast majority of customers are drawn away by Konoha."
"If they continued to compete in a gentle manner, Konoha would eventually crush all other villages, causing them to perish one by one."
"So, the other villages simply resorted to starting wars, dragging everyone down to the same rotten level, using this method to prolong their own existence."
"Therefore, the essence of the Ninja World War is the high-level officials of the villages, acting as 'mall owners,' initiating wars to protect their 'malls.'"
"The fact that you wanted to kill me just now was not to maintain the peace of the Ninja World, but to protect your own assets."
"To achieve true peace, these selfish guys must be sidelined!"
Yagyu's eyes narrowed, and his tone was firm.