Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

Chapter 585 The Most Voice-Draining Transformation
"Ugh"

Onoki sighed helplessly. He was only now realizing how difficult it was to manage this makeshift team he had assembled.

"It's so hard for me."

Xi, reckless and muscle-bound,

Gui, who quietly stirs up trouble, is full of cunning and scheming.

This combination of being clueless and unhappy is bound to cause chaos for whoever tries to lead it.

"There's no other way, we have to work together and keep him here today."

Now that things have come to this, all explanations seem so weak. Onoki simply stopped weighing the gains and losses of falling out with Konoha. Even if he let Uchiha Kagami leave now, Konoha would never let it go.
Since that's the case, we might as well strike first, take down Uchiha Kagami, and cripple Konoha's arm.

"You've finally shown your true colors. I knew you guys never had good intentions from the start."

Seeing the serious expressions on Onoki's face and the others, Uchiha Kagami abandoned his underestimation. Besides being ninjas, these guys had another identity.
"on!"

Without any explanation, Onoki waved his large hand with a solemn expression.
"Boom!"

Seeing that he could fight Uchiha Kagami again, Hiiro, who had just suffered a defeat, immediately rallied his spirits. He forcefully swung his fractured hand, and under the effect of centrifugal force, the twisted bones instantly returned to their original positions.
"My hand chop is itching to strike!"

The restored hand transformed into a four-finger chop, and dense plasma erupted from Xi's body as he transformed into a bolt of lightning and rushed towards Uchiha Kagami.
"give it to you."

Seeing that Xi was coming with great force, Uchiha Kagami turned his head and gestured.
The water shadow clone nodded upon receiving the order, its hands quickly forming hand seals, and mirrors made of condensed ice crystals instantly enveloped Xi.
[Secret Technique: Magic Mirror Ice Crystal]

"They can even use this."

Gui, who was struggling to repair the frostbite in his body, froze upon seeing the familiar secret technique. This was his closely guarded secret, a technique etched into his DNA.

"It seems that guy is a clone of you; you can tell how much of your skill he has."

Looking at Nozomi, who was trapped by the magic mirror's ice crystals, Onoki asked in a deep voice,
"completely."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly the same."

Although I hate to admit it, secret arts don't lie.
Whether it was the absolute zero just now, or the Magic Mirror Ice Crystal now, the level of skill that the other side of him was displaying was exactly the same as his.
"Tsk!"

This is difficult to handle.

Dealing with Uchiha Kagami, who possesses the Mangekyou Sharingan, was already difficult enough, but now the Third Mizukage had to be added to the mix. Overwhelmed, Onoki just wanted to sell out his teammates and run away.

"Hush, you hold on for a bit, my injury will be healed soon."

Seeing the troubled look on Onoki's face, Katsura, who was focused on healing his injuries, narrowed his eyes and said in a slightly threatening tone,

"We're all in this together now, so don't even think about trying to protect yourselves."

"Sigh, how did I end up with teammates like you?"

After giving Katsura a long look, whose face was pale, Onoki slowly floated up, glanced at Nozomi who was moving rapidly within the barrier of the magic mirror's ice crystals, and then landed in front of Uchiha Kagami.

"Is that your eye technique?"

The wonders of the Sharingan were no secret to powerhouses of their caliber. Instead of immediately activating it, Onoki inquired about the clone.
"You thought I was going to tell you?"

Uchiha Kagami shook his head. This was a battlefield; there was no reason to explain things to the enemy.

"I could guess even if you didn't say it. You have such an enviable eye."

Ignoring Uchiha Kagami's attitude, Onoki looked at the complex and alluring pattern in the other's eyes with a hint of wistfulness, his face filled with envy.
We're all ninjas, so why are you Uchiha allowed to wear colored contact lenses?

As Onoki spoke, he slowly raised his hands to his chest, and a blinding white light gathered and compressed at a visible speed.

"A bloodline limit beyond bloodline limits, is it?"

Looking at the white light radiating a terrifying aura, Uchiha Kagami suddenly remembered that his uncle had once said that Dust Release was the strongest attack technique that a regular ninja could unleash.
Even the Susanoo, with its astonishing defensive capabilities, had to avoid the Dust Release technique. It was warned not to foolishly use its physical body to block the Dust Release.
But
"It's embarrassing."

[Dust Release: Particle Style - Pillar]

A translucent white light shot out from Onoki's hand, moving so fast that it arrived in front of Uchiha Kagami in the blink of an eye.
"Susanoh!"

Uchiha Kagami stood rooted to the spot, his crimson eyes blazing with fierce fighting spirit.

He has Uchiha blood flowing through his veins; his warlike instincts are an indelible part of his genes.
A dark green giant clad in heavy armor instantly rose into the air, its exquisitely crafted giant shield held horizontally before it.
"呲呲呲"

With a sickening sizzling sound, Onoki, who had used Dust Release, changed his expression.
"Nani?!"

It actually blocked it?
The invincible Dust Release technique struck the shield held by Uchiha Kagami Susanoo, but failed to annihilate it immediately. This was his first major setback since mastering Dust Release and making his debut.

"Sizzle."

Incredulous, he immediately increased the output of his Dust Release. With the Four-Tails by his side, Onoki didn't need to worry about chakra depletion and desperately poured chakra into the white pillar of light in his hand.

"Buzz!"

Under the impact of the beam of light, which had grown several times thicker, even the unshakeable Susanoo began to move slowly. Uchiha Kagami, standing within it, couldn't help but cover his forehead; the stinging in his eyes made him feel somewhat strained.

"Well"

Uchiha Kagami's Susanoo wields a spear and shield with unique abilities; the spiral sword in his right hand can spin at high speed, delivering a fatal blow to the enemy.
The shield he holds in his left hand is similar to the ability of Uchiha Tajima Susanoo, capable of absorbing attacks to the maximum extent.
The difference is that Mirror Susanoo's shield cannot return damage, making it slightly less effective than Old Man's, but it is still a top-tier ability.

"It's too big."

Hearing the mournful cry emanating from the giant shield, Uchiha Kagami frowned.
Uncle Yin was right; the power of this Dust Escape technique is truly terrifying.

Onoki stared intently at the towering half-giant before him, his eyes bloodshot, imagining it as the blue tengu that had haunted his childhood.

"I refuse to believe it, break it!"

With the enhancement of his idealistic power, the pillar of light, as thick as half a person, expanded once more, emanating an even stronger aura of destruction.

This attack was not only meant to shatter Uchiha Kagami's Susanoo, but also the nightmare that had haunted him for years, the psychological shackles he had carried.
"Tsk!"

Seeing the shield in his hand cracking at a visible speed, Mirror, having already proven the lessons taught by Uchiha Gin, chose not to continue stubbornly enduring the situation.

The red light in his eyes dimmed, and the dark green giant began to collapse. He then leaped away to create distance.

"boom!"

Without the power of his eye to sustain it, Susanoo was instantly annihilated by Dust Release, dissipating into a pale green light.

"Whew. Finally, finally it's broken!"

Panting heavily, Onoki lowered his hands, his eyes showing no joy of victory, only the relief of escaping a nightmare.

"As expected of a forbidden technique that transcends bloodline limits, its power is even more terrifying than the legends suggest."

The mirror, lying not far away, spared no praise.

Only by acknowledging the strength of the enemy can we overcome our past selves; constantly belittling the opponent will only prevent us from making any progress.

With his confidence soaring to unprecedented heights, Onoki immediately radiated intense fighting spirit upon hearing Uchiha Kagami's sincere praise.
At this moment, he was no longer the Third Tsuchikage, forced into battle by his teammates, but Onoki following his own heart.

"Tata!"

Mirror, his own blood boiling, naturally wouldn't do anything to spoil the fun. He drew a longsword with blood-red patterns from his waist and leaped to meet Onoki charging towards him. In mid-air, Onoki clenched his fists, the escaping chakra transforming into thick rocks that enveloped his fists.

"Bah!"

The Rock Fist and the Blood-Drinking Sword collided, creating a visible ripple. Neither side was willing to give way, and after a brief struggle, they began a passionate clash.

"Bah!"

"boom!"

"Snapped!"

The two figures swiftly crossed paths in mid-air. Surprisingly, Onoki's short stature did not hinder his mastery of hand-to-hand combat.
His rock fists moved with incredible speed and power, and for a time he was evenly matched with Uchiha Kagami.

"boom!!!"

Just as the two were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle, a bolt of black lightning suddenly struck down from the clear sky, accompanied by a deafening explosion. The two simultaneously stopped fighting, each landing on one side, and looked towards the spot where the lightning had exploded.

"That is."

Uchiha Kagami's bewitching pupils contracted sharply; he had received feedback from the clone of his eye technique.

The clone of the Third Mizukage, on whom he had placed high hopes, was defeated.

crunch~
crunch~
A burly figure, bathed in black lightning, slowly emerged from the misty area, stepping across shattered ice mirrors.

"Bah!"

With a flick of his wrist, a dark figure was tossed in front of Uchiha Kagami.

"You've broken the rules."

Looking down at the charred hole in the clone's chest, Uchiha Kagami frowned and spoke.
"The power of a knight must never be used in war; this is an ironclad rule!"

"Xi! What are you doing? Didn't we agree not to transform?"

Onoki, on the other side, had a slight change in his expression. He lowered his hands and dispersed his two rock fists, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

"Crench!"

The burly figure stopped, the black lightning enveloping his body slowly dissipating, revealing thick purple armor beneath, with a pair of ferocious bull horns particularly eye-catching.

"Gentlemen, do you really believe this is a war?"

Hi, hidden beneath the mask, grinned widely. Since he dared to transform, he must have had his reasons.

"Isn't it?"

A glint of light flickered in the mirror's eyes. "You've already fought your way to the doorstep of the Fire Nation, and you're telling me this isn't war?"

"No, this is a legitimate defense of our rights!"

Holding up the massive, buzzing chainsaw, Xi abruptly changed the subject, uttering an answer that left everyone speechless.
"what?"

Not only Kagami, but also Onoki and Katsura standing to the side were completely bewildered.
"Can this still happen?"

Onoki blinked, thought for a moment, and his expression became very complicated.

That's right, they are in the right in this matter. As long as the allied forces of the three countries within the Land of Fields do not openly set foot in the Land of Fire, it does not count as starting a war.
As for their current conflict, it can at most be attributed to friction arising from unsuccessful attempts to protect their rights, and cannot be escalated to the level of war.

Are you trying to exploit a bug here?

Looking at the smug-looking Xi, Uchiha Kagami sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

While Xi's reasoning was somewhat far-fetched, as the other party stated, their battle did indeed stem from a disagreement regarding the after-sales service of the tailed beasts.
"Just tell me if it counts or not?"

"Sigh, I really can't do anything with you three."

Jing, somewhat helpless at Xi's twisted logic, sighed softly. The issue ultimately circled back to the initial tailed beast after-sales service incident.

Unfortunately, he couldn't make the decision on this matter alone; Konoha wasn't a place where he could call the shots.

"I'll go back and contact the village right away and give you a solution as soon as possible."

After saying that, he turned to leave, pondering how to deal with this historical issue. Could it really be that he had to pay compensation?
"Wait a minute!"

"What else do you want?"

Turning back to see Hii calling out to him, Uchiha Kagami, who was filled with confusion, suddenly felt a sudden alarm bell ring in his mind.

"henshin!"

"Three-tails! Three-tailed Isotsu! The steady giant turtle!"

"Four-Tails! Four-Tails Son Goku! The enraged Monkey God!"

Seeing the figure emerge from two soaring beams of furious chakra, Uchiha Kagami's eyes narrowed, his vigilance heightening.

"What do you want to do?"

"Who knows when Konoha will give me a satisfactory answer after you leave?"

Katsura, transformed into the Blue Turtle Knight, carrying a long spear, blocked Uchiha Kagami's path.

"Please understand our urgent desire to protect our rights."

Onoki, transformed into a small red potato, slowly landed behind Uchiha Kagami.

"I can only ask that you stay here as a guest for a while, Secretary. I will send the message back to Konoha truthfully."

"What if I say no?"

Kagami, sandwiched between three Tailed Beast Riders, wore a slightly angry expression, but lacked the tension and fear that few had imagined.

"There's an old saying that goes, 'Those who understand the times are heroes.' I hope that the Party Secretary can see the situation clearly and not make a decision that will harm himself."

After exchanging glances with his two teammates, Onoki began to use words to try and get Uchiha Kagami to comply.

"That's right~"

Xi, standing to the side, also chimed in, confident of victory. He was already fantasizing about returning to the village with a huge sum of compensation from Konoha, and his senior brother voluntarily stepping down to take over.

"Even if we argue until the end, you're not leaving today."

Gui's idea was even simpler: he wanted to get the money, as it would help solve the village's predicament.

It doesn't matter if they don't give it to us; Konoha broke the contract first, so even if they go to war, they'll be the righteous side.
If war really breaks out, he can use the war as a pretext to legitimately eliminate other voices within the village and pull Kirigakure back from the brink of collapse.

"Ugh"

Looking at the three aggressive individuals, Uchiha Kagami sighed softly. He didn't know what price others had to pay for transforming, but his transformation was definitely exhausting for his voice.

His crimson eyes swept over the three pairs of newly designed, strikingly different compound eyes opposite him. Uchiha Kagami reached behind him and, amidst the puzzled gazes of Onoki and the others, slowly pulled out a strange item inlaid with a blue gemstone.
"Hold on tight, an earthquake is coming."

(End of this chapter)