"Don't move!"
Based on status and position, although he was the most mature and experienced, it was not Ao's place to speak in this situation. Yet not only did he speak first, he spoke with a tone of absolute command.
"Whatever you do, do not move."
Then, Ao emphasized it a second time.
The teasing expression on Hagoromo's face hadn't faded. At this moment, it looked as if a pitch-black tree bearing red fruits had sprouted behind him.
When visiting neighbors, it's customary to bring fruit. But fruits that could detonate at any second were clearly not welcomed by the neighbors. When a massive cluster of Reverse Four Symbols Sealing scrolls was revealed, Hagoromo achieved every ounce of deterrence he needed.
"Ao, what is going on?"
Mei Terumi asked.
Aside from Ao, everyone else present couldn't make heads or tails of these scrolls. Yet they instinctively sensed a profound crisis within them. Mei Terumi even felt her heart race for a moment... and it refused to calm down.
"Super-powerful, highly destructive sealing jutsu. S-rank or higher. Moreover, they are already completely filled with chakra and are in a state where they can be detonated at any second." Cold sweat rolled down Ao's face as he gave a very simple explanation of the current situation.
The blood vessels around his Byakugan bulged outward like a spiderweb. Only Ao, who could clearly see what was going on, knew just how terrifying those scrolls truly were.
Pitch-black and gloomy, embodying destruction and annihilation. This kind of high-level sealing jutsu seemed capable of sucking in everything, even one's line of sight. If Ao had a bit of astronomical knowledge and knew what a celestial body called a "black hole" was, he would undoubtedly use it to describe the jutsu before him.
"He... he might really be able to inflict catastrophic damage upon the village..." Ao finally forced the sentence out. From his angle, it looked like Kisame was still getting eager to launch a surprise attack.
That is a reckless death wish. Didn't he know that sealing jutsu were fundamentally different from regular ninjutsu? Unless one could guarantee an absolute instant kill, making any sudden movements was strictly forbidden.
As for instantly killing Hagoromo? Didn't they just hear him say that even Yagura had died by his hands?
Therefore, in this specific scenario, Hagoromo was the one with the absolute loudest voice in the room—if Mei Terumi and her squad didn't want to see consequences worse than death.
In reality, Hagoromo pulling out so many scrolls at once was purely to scare them. First of all, even if he activated so many scrolls simultaneously, the sealing range of the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing didn't stack. It would essentially still just be a spherical sealing space with a 200-meter diameter. Although the misalignment of multiple center points would cause a slight expansion, that expansion was negligible.
But through Ao's Byakugan, it clearly didn't look that way. It was impossible for him to understand the exact formula of the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing. Therefore, seeing so many dense jutsu formulas clustered together, he naturally assumed their destructive power stacked.
To his eyes, the combined power of these jutsu was equivalent to a Tailed Beast's yield.
Secondly, because the method of sealing chakra was rushed, and Hagoromo's chakra clearly didn't possess long-term retention properties, he estimated that the chakra in the first few scrolls he made would probably start to dissipate soon... So, this opportunity for an "all-out nuclear deterrence" would only come once.
Finally, at this moment, the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing could only be used for deterrence. If he actually activated the jutsu in such a confined space, a single misstep would drag Hagoromo himself in. This jutsu did not grant the caster immunity. If he got caught by the black sphere, he would be game over too.
While playing with his feathers, Hagoromo began to speak casually. Although his expression looked like it was begging for a punch, under these circumstances, absolutely no one dared to actually punch him.
To think this man actually dared to stuff unstable sealing jutsu brimming with chakra into the gourd on his back. He might genuinely be a lunatic capable of dragging everyone to hell with him.
"The so-called cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death is an unavoidable process for all humanity. Ninjas, of course, are no exception. The Third Mizukage... due to certain reasons, his power has weakened, perhaps even to the point where he can no longer govern, right?"
This was merely Hagoromo's guess. So after speaking, he stared intently at the expressions of the people before him.
At this moment, the common flaw of young ninjas revealed itself. Sometimes, it was very difficult for them to maintain a completely unreadable expression. The more they told themselves "I need to control myself," the easier it was for others to see through them.
And judging by the shift in their expressions, Hagoromo knew his guess was spot-on.
Whether a ninja is strong or not has no necessary correlation with whether their body will fail them. In fact, some ninjas with extraordinary strength often pass away at a young age due to terminal illnesses for various reasons.
The reality was this: even Kakarot could die from a viral heart disease. A ninja dying of illness was nothing special.
"I imagine you all understand the situation now. Since I was able to come to the Hidden Mist, I naturally have a certain degree of confidence in guaranteeing my own safety." After saying this, Hagoromo retracted the scrolls and the Iron Sand back into his gourd.
The threat was over; now it was time for a proper talk. There was no need to leave the scrolls hanging out—it seemed unfriendly.
Earlier, the "Mizukage" Hagoromo saw was actually Mei Terumi in disguise. Undoubtedly, this was an attempt at cleverness that completely backfired. Although she used some unknown method to perfectly mask her chakra, unfortunately for her, Hagoromo didn't use chakra to identify people.
Whether it was a high-end or low-end method, he relied on minute differences in bioelectrical signals to identify Mei Terumi.
If they had just grabbed a random extra to play the Mizukage, Hagoromo genuinely wouldn't have been able to tell.
But for the Mizukage not to show his face even in such a formal setting—and considering the absolute impossibility of the Mizukage fearing an assassination attempt from a Konoha ninja—Hagoromo began to suspect something was wrong with the Mizukage.
And his guess was extremely close to the mark. The Mizukage truly had a problem, perhaps even to the extent of being incapacitated... To guess a bit more drastically, the Mizukage might have already kicked the bucket.
"Claiming I can destroy the Hidden Mist with these sealing jutsu is an exaggeration, and impossible. But using them to comfortably pave my way straight out of the village is absolutely no problem. Doing so would inevitably cause a certain degree of destruction to your side... So, if possible, I do not wish to do that," Hagoromo said.
Once he retracted the scrolls, the crackling tension in the room instantly dissipated significantly. This at least proved Hagoromo probably didn't intend to launch a suicide terrorist bombing attack at the cost of his own life.
"Just what exactly is it that you want to do?"
Mei Terumi asked.
Letting such a person into the Hidden Mist was undeniably a massive mistake, but it was far too late for regrets now.
"I want to achieve peace between our two Great Ninja Villages, of course... and friendship."
If possible, no one wanted to negotiate peace with a terrorist like him. Moreover, looking at Hagoromo's intent, it seemed he wanted to force the Hidden Mist into a multiple-choice question with only one right answer:
Either true peace. Or get nuked to pieces.
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