But more than anger, what consumed him was depression. A crushing sense of the fundamental unfairness of existence.
Elric was telling the truth, and the Raikage knew it all too well. Before coming to Uzushiogakure, they had gathered all the intelligence on the Uzumaki clan they could find, and Elric had been included in those reports.
The boy was described as the only son of the current clan head—a child who hadn't even known how to use chakra properly until recently.
The world felt deeply unfair. The Third Raikage had trained his entire life, lost sweat and blood to reach his current level of power, but it had all been rendered meaningless in front of a twelve-year-old child who had simply awakened a bloodline limit.
He should have anticipated that something like this might happen. The Uzumaki clan appeared to be related to both the Uchiha and Senju clans, and when monsters like Madara Uchiha and Senju Hashirama had existed in the world, perhaps they should have been more cautious. Maybe it was precisely because they had considered this possibility that the three villages had been so eager to destroy the Uzumaki completely.
But he didn't think he had done anything fundamentally wrong. He might never have initiated this attack if he had known the final outcome, but his decision hadn't been incorrect given the information available at the time. He had chosen the most optimal course of action for the Land of Lightning.
This was how the world worked—the strong always preyed upon the weak. Now he was the prey, so he couldn't complain if he was killed. It wouldn't be wrong or unjustifiable by the harsh laws that governed the shinobi world.
A sudden word from Elric interrupted his philosophical contemplation. "I'm a generous person, you know, so I've decided to spare you and the three thousand men you brought with you."
Doubt rose in the Third Raikage's heart, but along with that skepticism came a slim thread of hope. Even if this brat's tongue was razor-sharp, in the end he was just a child who hadn't experienced the full complexity of the world.
If his personality turned out to be similar to Senju Hashirama's—magnanimous and merciful—then perhaps there was still a chance for survival.
Yes, why shouldn't he be like Senju Hashirama? Strong people should be generous and compassionate. How could they bully the weak simply because they possessed greater power?
For a moment, he almost forgot exactly how he had ended up in this desperate situation.
Elric's next sentence turned all his hope into pure despair.
"I have one rule when dealing with enemies: only a dead enemy is a good enemy."
The Third Raikage was about to protest when Elric stopped him with a raised hand and continued speaking.
"But my father taught me something even better. Even better than a dead enemy is a friend. So how about we become friends?"
The boy's smile widened, taking on an almost predatory quality. "And as a friendship gift, you just have to give us one of your tailed beasts and one billion ryo as compensation for this incident. Plus two hundred million ryo every year afterward—you know, because of your attack, the sea in front of our island became very dirty with blood and debris. Environmental destruction is a very serious issue."
Elric's tone remained conversational, as if he were discussing a simple business transaction. "But since you're our friend, we couldn't possibly make you clean it up personally. So you just have to provide the money until the job is done. And as a friendship gift from our side, we'll provide you with some sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan to help control your remaining tailed beasts more effectively."
"DREAM ON!" The shout erupted from the Third Raikage with all the fury and indignation he could muster.
Elric, who had been talking endlessly with casual enthusiasm, suddenly stopped. He looked at the Third Raikage, whose eyes had turned almost red with rage and desperation.
"Do you think you could just extort me using only my life as leverage? Just dream on!"
A look of genuine surprise flashed across Elric's young face. "Oh, it seems it was my fault for overestimating your intelligence. You're far more brain-dead than I initially thought."
His expression shifted to something colder and more calculating. "I'm not threatening you with just your life—I'm threatening the entire Land of Lightning."
"You monster!" The Third Raikage's voice became almost desperate. "Are you planning to kill everyone in the Land of Lightning?"
"How could that be?" Elric's face filled with an exaggerated expression of surprise, as if he couldn't believe what the Third Raikage had suggested. "How could you think of something so cruel and unreasonable?"
"You bastard, just state your real purpose!" The Raikage's voice rose even louder, echoing off the sterile white walls.
All the exaggerated emotion vanished from Elric's face in an instant. He became completely calm, his expression turning flat and businesslike.
"I already stated my purpose clearly, Third Raikage. Didn't I make myself clear enough?"
His voice took on a more serious tone. "But it seems you didn't understand the consequences of your refusal. Let me make myself even clearer then."
"If you won't accept our deal, I think you understand perfectly well that you won't be walking out of here alive—nor will the three thousand ninja you brought with you."
Elric's young voice carried the weight of absolute certainty. "And you're the first person I'm making this offer to, but you won't be the last. I'm going to propose the exact same deal to the other two villages."
He leaned forward slightly, his innocent face somehow managing to convey tremendous menace. "If they don't agree, then good for you—you'll have company in death. But if they accept my terms..."
A cold smile played across his lips. "I don't care where they acquire their tailed beasts and money to pay me. I only care that they provide what I've demanded. Now, if you're smart enough—who am I kidding, you're not—but if you were, you'd realize that they'll most likely take everything from the Land of Lightning and use it as their personal cash cow for all future compensation payments."
His voice became almost conversational again, as if he were explaining something obvious to a particularly slow student. "I'm going to get what I want either way. If you won't give it to me directly, then someone else will provide it on your behalf. Not everyone is as eager to die as you apparently are."
"Blah, blah..." Most of Elric's latter words didn't register in the Third Raikage's consciousness, because a gloomy vision of the future had already materialized before his eyes with crystal clarity.
He could see it all—Kumogakure stripped of its resources, the Land of Lightning reduced to a tributary state, his people suffering under the weight of tribute payments that would continue for decades. All because of his pride, his refusal to bend the knee to a child who had already proven himself capable of impossible things.
The white room seemed to close in around him as the full implications of his situation became undeniably clear.