440. The Changed Rules of the Game

The Tailed Beast Bomb, condensed by the Seven-Tails, collided with the earthen mountain at an unimaginable speed.

In an instant, the explosion produced a light so blinding that it was impossible to look directly at it.

The intense glare spread like a tidal wave, illuminating the entire world in a pale, ghostly light.

Following this, a deafening roar erupted, the shockwave sweeping outward like a tangible storm.

Wherever it passed, rocks were pulverized into dust, and the ground was torn apart by deep, bottomless fissures that spread like spiderwebs into the distance.

At the center of the explosion, energy raged uncontrollably.

This furious energy, carrying with it clouds of dust and flames, surged upward like a black dragon, piercing the heavens before spreading out in all directions.

Eventually, it formed an enormous mushroom cloud, a sight both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

"This... is the power of a tailed beast..."

Everyone in the capital, including the daimyo of the Land of Earth, couldn't help but marvel at the scene.


As residents of the capital, they rarely had direct contact with the shinobi world.

Naturally, they had no way of imagining what a battle between true top-tier fighters would look like. But now, they had seen it with their own eyes—a scene akin to a natural disaster!

"Did we take him out?"

In the mental space, Aburame Ryoma, using the Seven-Tails' vision, focused intently on the center of the battlefield.

He was facing the Tsuchikage, one of the strongest shinobi in the world. Even with a Tailed Beast Bomb, there was no guarantee of success...

As it turned out, the caution Ryūma had developed over years in the Root organization proved to be a lifesaver.

Just as everyone began to assume that Ōnoki had met his end, a blinding white light sliced through the smoke and dust like a sword, shooting straight toward the Seven-Tails in the sky.

Fortunately, Ryoma was prepared.

At his warning, the Seven-Tails dodged just in time.

Even so, the sudden beam of light still managed to slice off a small portion of the tailed beast's horn. It was clear that if they hadn't reacted quickly, the beam might have taken off half of its head!

"He's still alive."

Ryoma's expression turned grim.

He immediately canceled the full tailed beast transformation, reverting to the more agile half-tailed beast form.

This was a necessary choice when facing a high-damage opponent like Ōnoki.

However, what Ryoma didn't expect was that Ōnoki didn't launch the furious counterattack he had anticipated.

After using a Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu to force the Seven-Tails back, Ōnoki didn't press the attack.

Instead, he used an Earth Style technique to burrow into the ground and disappeared.

This left Ryoma, who had just canceled the tailed beast transformation, completely caught off guard.

"The Tsuchikage... ran away?"

He scratched his nose, completely baffled by Ōnoki's decision.

Regardless of the reason, Ōnoki's retreat was seen by others as a major victory for the daimyo's side.

"Ōnoki ran away!"

"Ōnoki fled in disgrace!"

"Ōnoki was beaten to a pulp!"

In just a few minutes, the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was being disparaged to the level of a genin.

Of course, the daimyo of the Land of Earth was also pleased with Ryoma's performance.

"Thank goodness I took Danzō's advice. That ten million ryo was well spent!"

There was a hint of relief in the daimyo's voice.

He couldn't even imagine how bad things would have been if he hadn't hired this Konoha shinobi.

Without Ryoma, the capital would have had no way to counter Ōnoki's attacks, aside from the cannons.

Fortunately, while Konoha's services were expensive, their quality was undeniable.

Naturally, the daimyo wouldn't publicly admit that this victory was achieved with Konoha's support.

If asked, he would claim that it was his own foresight and brilliance that had anticipated Ōnoki's actions and found a way to counter him!

With his safety secured, the daimyo immediately ordered an offensive.

He dispatched guerrilla units of shinobi armed with cannons to intercept the Iwa forces. The civil war in the Land of Earth had officially begun!

Meanwhile, Ōnoki finally managed to reunite with his Anbu guard.

When they saw the Tsuchikage, the Anbu members nearly broke down in tears.

After all, they had witnessed the terrifying explosion firsthand.

If Ōnoki had died at such a critical moment, Iwagakure would have descended into chaos.

Rōshi alone wouldn't have been able to handle the combined pressure from the daimyo and Konoha.

Fortunately, the Tsuchikage had returned, though he didn't look to be in great shape...

"Come help me up," Ōnoki said, waving a hand and grimacing in pain. His other hand was tightly gripping his lower back.

The Anbu members rushed to support him, and the medical ninja among them immediately began emergency treatment.

"Lord Tsuchikage, what happened?"

Seeing Ōnoki in this state, the Anbu members couldn't help but ask with concern.

"The daimyo somehow got his hands on the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki. With him in the way, I couldn't destroy the capital directly. It looks like we're in for a real war now."

Ōnoki's face was dark, almost dripping with frustration.

A prolonged war was the last thing he wanted.

Even if they eventually won, the Land of Earth would fall behind in development due to the extended conflict.

But now, the blitzkrieg strategy had failed. The only path to unifying the Land of Earth was through a full-scale war.

"Tell everyone to prepare for battle. If they won't surrender willingly, we'll conquer them with overwhelming force!"

Under Ōnoki's orders, the Iwa forces launched several attacks over the next few days, quickly capturing key military towns.

However, as they drew closer to the capital, the resistance they faced grew fiercer.

The new cannons, combined with some kind of advanced reconnaissance, allowed the enemy to detect their positions early and bombard them with artillery.

Under such large-scale bombardment, even the most agile shinobi couldn't escape unscathed.

It was clear that the emergence of these new weapons was gradually dismantling the rules of warfare that had existed for centuries.

In the past, wars might have involved scattering large numbers of shinobi across the battlefield for one-on-one combat. But now, things were different.

Large-scale troop movements, reconnaissance, and firepower coverage—military tactics based on emerging technology were becoming the new norm.