Chapter 338: Ambition Reaches the High Heavens
On the platform, fifty high-backed chairs were occupied by dignitaries from various countries.
The Third Raikage had just spoken a single sentence into the microphone.
The smile on Dana's face hadn't even faded when he saw several black dots in the extreme distance.
Since the sun had just risen, visibility wasn't perfect, so Dana paused for a moment.
But in those two or three seconds of hesitation, his expression changed drastically!
Those were several Tailed Beast Bombs!
Dana's face paled. Ignoring the astonishment of tens of thousands of people, he flew into the air amidst their confusion.
However, it was all too sudden. By the time Dana flew up to intercept, the Tailed Beast Bombs were already above the capital.
They were gigantic, full-power Tailed Beast Bombs!
"HOLY CRAP!!!!!"
Dana shouted, instantly entering Sage Mode. Before he could even cloak himself in the Sage Lightning Armor, he threw himself at the Tailed Beast Bombs.
Massive Lightning Chakra surged around him, acting as a buffer to prevent direct detonation. Veins bulged on his arms as he pushed against them.
If this were the wild, he could have kicked them away or simply dodged with his speed.
But what time was this?! What was the situation?!
At such a critical moment, if even one of the hundreds of spiral pillars below broke, or a single brick fell from the suspended platform, the Cloud-Thunder Federation would lose face.
Soon, others reacted. The Cloud Village didn't lack strong individuals, but most could only watch helplessly.
"GET LOST!"
Dana twisted his body violently, hurling the destabilized Tailed Beast Bomb toward the horizon with all his might. The moment it left the Cloud Village's range, it exploded massively.
BOOM!
But this was just the appetizer. Several more Tailed Beast Bombs were following!
With the sound of the explosion, the tens of thousands of people below finally panicked.
Most people couldn't recognize a Tailed Beast Bomb. Even ninja, without enough experience, wouldn't recognize those pitch-black spheres, let alone ordinary people. But hearing the explosion, they instinctively felt fear.
"What is that?!"
"Is it an attack?"
"What do we do?! Should we run?"
"Where is the shelter? Where is the Cloud's shelter?"
Soon, more Tailed Beast Bombs arrived—two of them!
Dana didn't hesitate. Cloaked in Sage Lightning Armor, he charged forward to meet them.
Can't take them head-on, or they'll explode! Must use chakra recoil to slow them down, then throw them away!!
Massive amounts of Lightning Chakra poured out, pushing against one. But when he tried to stop the other, he missed.
In the next instant, a kunai appeared in mid-air. Then Tobirama Senju appeared, reaching out to touch the Tailed Beast Bomb.
The moment he made contact, both the Tailed Beast Bomb and Tobirama vanished, teleported to who-knows-where.
On the platform, watching the panicked crowd below, the Third Raikage's face was iron-blue. Even some people on the fifty high chairs were fidgeting.
But the Third Raikage remained immovable as a mountain.
"SILENCE!!!"
The Third Raikage's voice echoed through the entire Cloud Village via the speakers.
Everyone subconsciously looked at the strong man standing firmly on the platform.
"No need to flee! Because you are in Kumogakure! No need to panic! Because you are in the Cloud-Thunder Federation!"
Among the tens of thousands below, the first to calm down were the Cloud villagers.
They believed in the Third Raikage, and they believed in Kumogakure.
This calmness spread to those around them.
Especially those who didn't know the terror of Tailed Beast Bombs, thinking it was just someone trying to disrupt the ceremony.
"Damn it! It must be those barbarians from the Land of Earth and Land of Wind!"
"Exactly! The ninja world is always in chaos because of people like them!"
The Third Raikage shouted:
"The Ceremony continues!"
With that, the Third Raikage truly continued his speech, pushing forward with the long-prepared Cloud-Thunder Federation establishment ceremony, not even looking at the sky.
Mid-air, Yotsuki Dana threw the Tailed Beast Bomb far away. Looking down, he saw Tobirama had teleported back. His right hand was destroyed and slowly regenerating—damage from touching the Tailed Beast Bomb earlier.
The immature Edo Tensei body had greatly reduced combat power, but in this situation, it was convenient—no fear of injury, no lack of chakra.
Swish! Minato Namikaze also appeared beside Tobirama.
Dana nodded to Tobirama and Minato. "I leave this to you. Ensure the ceremony isn't disrupted. I'm going to check the direction the Tailed Beast Bombs came from!"
With that, he flew away.
Defending inside the village was too passive; he had to find the Jinchuriki.
Behind Dana, the Third Raikage's steady voice continued. The ceremony really was proceeding normally.
Flying rapidly in the direction the bombs came from, Dana encountered several more incoming Tailed Beast Bombs halfway.
Unlike in the village, the furious Dana kicked one directly, detonating it mid-air, and sniped another with a laser beam.
BOOM!
The intense shockwaves uprooted surrounding trees and sent rocks flying.
Dana flipped in the air and continued forward.
He was all too familiar with this tactic. It was what Blue Bee used during the Second Great Ninja War. actually, it was a tactic Dana personally devised, considered the true way to use a Jinchuriki.
At that time, besides Blue Bee, there were no other stable Jinchuriki. Later, his miraculous record of suppressing a village alone made other villages jealous, leading them to invest heavily in Jinchuriki development.
The enemy must be launching Tailed Beast Bombs from an extreme distance—as far as possible, far beyond the range of "Pulse" Vision. And once fired, they would naturally change location, just like Blue Bee did back then.
"Nine out of ten, it's an Iwa Jinchuriki. So there's also the possibility of being carried by Onoki and flying in the sky... Iwa is good at digging tunnels too. Sky or underground... so troublesome."
"I just don't know if their goal is to fire a few shots and run, or..."
Kumogakure.
With the Third Raikage's calm speech, the ceremony continued.
"Everyone! Since the Warring States Period, the ninja world has been in ceaseless conflict. Wars between clans, wars between nations—never stopping. 46 years ago, some believed the ninja village system would bring peace. However, facts have proven that the ninja world did not obtain peace."
"To this day, our generation has grown old searching for the path to peace, yet we still haven't found the answer."
Behind the podium, Satomi looked at the white hairs growing on the Third Raikage's head, tears welling in her eyes.
Below, tens of thousands of people looked at the majestic figure on stage, even forgetting the inexplicable explosions earlier. Even Madara Uchiha was listening intently to what this man had to say.
Everyone in the ninja world cared about how the Cloud-Thunder Federation would interpret "peace."
"In any era! There are always those pursuing peace! In any era! There are always those destroying peace! Gentlemen, over these decades, I have understood one thing."
The Third Raikage looked down, tossing aside his speech manuscript. He no longer needed it.
The cold wind blew his wild long hair. Everyone held their breath and listened...
"That is: Permanent peace does not exist!"
"...Does not exist!"
"...Not exist!"
The Third Raikage's voice echoed through the Cloud Village.
"What?!"
"Did I hear that right?"
"This..."
Many people couldn't believe their ears.
Why would the Third Raikage say such a thing at such a moment?
In this ninja world, whether commoner or noble, Kage or Daimyo, everyone labeled themselves as bringers of peace, self-proclaimed pursuers of peace.
The Third Raikage announced loudly:
"Peace cannot be achieved by naivety alone! There is no method in this world to maintain peace forever! Most importantly, pursuing peace is not humanity's only theme!"
Tens of thousands fell silent.
Tobirama Senju, Minato Namikaze, Madara Uchiha—all looked over involuntarily.
"Humanity's true theme! Is PROGRESS!"
"Progress is the eternal pursuit humanity should have! The Cloud-Thunder Federation! Chooses to pursue human progress and development forever!!"
"If peace favors progress, we embrace peace!"
"If struggle favors progress, we embrace struggle!"
"Peace cannot bind our steps, and war cannot stop our advance! From this moment on, the Cloud-Thunder Federation will dedicate itself to progress and development, leading the ninja world into a new era."
"Ambition Reaches the High Heavens—This is the Will of the Cloud! Gentlemen! Please join me in embracing the future!"
With a wave of the Third Raikage's hand, a gigantic tower reaching the sky rose from the ground in the Old Cloud Village behind him.
Pure white, like white jade, made of unknown material.
The key was its height—it reached over two hundred meters!!!