Faced with Shukaku's complaints, Rasa was filled with despair.
"Yes, there's no way to block this thing..."
As the third meteor was about to fall, One-Tail Shukaku had no choice but to brace itself and charge forward. It roared, "Rasa! If we fail this time, I'll never forgive you!"
Amid Shukaku's furious roar, countless Sand Hands surged from the ground once more. Under its control, the sand seemed to come alive, instantly blotting out the sky as it crashed toward the suddenly appearing third meteor.
Boom—
The moment Shukaku's Sand Hands made contact with the meteor, the terrifying impact instantly shattered them into dust, raining down like a downpour.
"Damn it! Rasa, what are you just standing there for?"
"Hurry up and lend me your strength!"
Seeing that Shukaku's Sand Hands couldn't hold up, Rasa immediately channeled his own Gold Dust into them. Gold Dust was far denser than ordinary sand, and with Rasa and Shukaku joining forces, they once again activated their abilities, trying to stop the third meteor.
Yet, even with their combined efforts, the sand layer they controlled remained utterly useless against the third meteor. The meteor's descent showed no signs of slowing.
Gah!
The pressure from the meteor's continued descent instantly forced Rasa to spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Damn it!"
"Shukaku, what are you doing?"
"Give it everything you've got!" Rasa roared.
"I'm already giving it my all! You're the one spitting blood and getting injured. I'm just One-Tail, not that damn fox Nine-Tails. His Chakra reserves are what you'd call monstrous. There's a world of difference between the Tailed Beasts and the Nine-Tails, understand?"
Shukaku was filled with resentment, its face drooping as it added, "I'm already going all out! Figure it out yourself!"
Left with no support, Rasa could only push himself to the limit. But the meteor couldn't be completely stopped. The third meteor crashed into the second with a deafening impact, the overwhelming force shattering Rasa's control. The two meteors began plummeting toward the ground once more.
Gah!
The sudden shockwave inflicted another severe injury on Rasa. He could only watch helplessly as the three meteors hurtled toward the Sand Hidden Village, powerless to stop them.
"It's over, it's over! Completely over! Lord Rasa can't hold on! We're doomed!"
The sight before them plunged all the Sand Hidden ninja into utter despair. Rasa, who had once brought a glimmer of hope, now seemed like a giant hand dragging the Sand Hidden Village into the abyss. If there had been no hope from the start, the Sand Hidden ninja might not have broken down like this. But now, everyone's pupils contracted, staring numbly at the falling meteors in the sky, their eyes filled with nothing but deathly stillness.
Chiyo knew all too well that if the three meteors struck, the Sand Hidden Village would be completely erased from the Ninja World. Without hesitation, she turned toward Aoki and screamed hysterically:
"Fourth Hokage! Please stop!"
"The Sand Hidden Village surrenders!"
"Please, stop the falling meteors! I beg you!"
As Chiyo's cries echoed, the ninja of the Sand Hidden Village on the battlefield snapped back to their senses. They turned their hopeful gazes toward the Hokage who had led the invasion—now, he had become their only lifeline.
Aoki had never intended to annihilate the Sand Hidden Village. Seeing Chiyo's compromise, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. This series of shocks had completely shattered the Sand's fighting spirit; they now saw him as their final hope.
Naturally, Aoki had no reason to refuse Chiyo's request, but before taking action, there was one small matter he needed to attend to. His gaze abruptly locked onto One-Tail Shukaku.
Shukaku had also gotten a clear look at Aoki's appearance. When its eyes met Aoki's, its expression instantly changed drastically. All its previous arrogance vanished, replaced by sheer terror.
"Dammit! Are all you Sand ninja blind?"
"Th-These eyes—how is this possible?"
Seeing the Rinnegan in Aoki's eyes, Shukaku was utterly panicked. The Tenseigan in his other eye also gave it an inexplicable sense of familiarity. But Shukaku had no time to dwell on that now—it inwardly cursed Rasa and the entire Sand Hidden Village. That fool Rasa had provoked an enemy who possessed the Six Paths Sage's Rinnegan!
Trapped under Aoki's unwavering gaze, Shukaku couldn't fathom his intentions. It could only roar at Rasa, "Dammit! Rasa, you idiot! If I get the chance, I'll tear you apart!"
Before Rasa could even process what was happening, Shukaku spat out those words, turned, and fled without looking back. Its round, bulky body didn't hinder its escape speed in the slightest, leaving Rasa utterly dumbfounded.
"Am I seeing things?"
"Lord Shukaku... ran away?"
"I saw it too! It really ran!"
At that moment, not just Rasa, but every Sand ninja was stunned. One-Tail Shukaku, the Sand's Tailed Beast, had always been notoriously temperamental. Every time it was sealed, it wreaked havoc, causing countless casualties. Yet now, with just a single glance from Aoki, Shukaku had been scared into fleeing. Only then did the Sand ninja realize just how terrifying the Fourth Hokage's power truly was.
But would Aoki let Shukaku escape so easily? Watching the beast flee like a rolling ball, he suddenly raised his hand, aiming at the fleeing figure, and solemnly declared, "Planetary Devastation!"
The power of the Rinnegan was instantly unleashed. Shukaku, still in mid-escape, lost control and began floating into the air. In that instant, it recalled the terror of being dominated by the Rinnegan. Its massive body thrashed desperately in the air as it screamed hysterically:
"Dammit! Dammit!"
"Rasa, I'm not finished with you!"
"Just you wait!"
Amid Shukaku's curses, the three meteors about to crash down instantly disintegrated, transforming into countless fragments that hurtled toward Shukaku. One piece of debris first adhered to its body, and soon, more meteor fragments gathered, layer upon layer, encasing its form.
The massive body was swiftly engulfed by countless meteor fragments. Shukaku's furious roars grew fainter and fainter until they vanished completely, leaving only a giant black sphere suspended in the air.
The entire battlefield fell into dead silence. Everyone stared blankly at the scene before them, even Chiyo standing frozen in place, completely stunned. Before anyone could recover from the shock, Aoki raised his hand once more, activating Planetary Devastation on the black sphere in the sky.
The massive sphere rapidly contracted, ultimately transforming into a palm-sized black crystal. Aoki stored it away and strode toward the Sand Hidden Village.
At this moment, the Sand ninja were still in a daze. Three giant meteors capable of annihilating the Sand Hidden Village, and a colossal Tailed Beast, had all been effortlessly manipulated by Aoki as if they were mere playthings. Had they not witnessed it themselves, they would have sworn it was an illusion.
"Hey... what happened to Shukaku?"
"What happened to the One-Tail?"
"Did it... just disappear like that?"
"Is this the power that surpasses even the God of the Shinobi World, Senju Hashirama?"
For a moment, all the Sand ninja were deeply shaken by Aoki's power, their hearts roiling with shock and awe. As they watched Aoki approach, not a single Sand ninja dared to make a move. They could only stare as he walked up to Chiyo.
Chiyo gazed at Aoki before her, her emotions in turmoil. On one hand, she was astonished by his strength and youth. To possess such terrifying power at such a young age and ascend to the position of Konoha's Hokage, reaching the pinnacle of both status and power. On the other hand, her heart was filled with envy. The Sand Hidden Village had never produced such a prodigious genius. That one who had the potential to surpass the Third Kazekage had long since been defeated by Konoha.
Thinking of this, Chiyo sighed helplessly. "Alas, our Sand Hidden Village has lost."
"Next, please, Fourth Hokage, enter the village to discuss the reparations and conditions our Sand Hidden Village must pay."
"Konoha truly produces outstanding talents generation after generation, each era boasting its own prodigies."
Hearing Chiyo's words brimming with envy, Aoki looked at the Sand Hidden Village before him. After a moment of silence, he smiled and shook his head, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority:
"This time, Konoha does not want any reparations from you."
"What I want is for your Sand Hidden Village to be completely integrated into Konoha."
"The Land of Fire and the Land of Wind shall become one!"
Aoki slowly stated his objective. The expressions of Chiyo, Rasa, and the others instantly changed drastically. No one had anticipated that Aoki's ultimate goal was the complete annexation of the Land of Wind. At this moment, even Chiyo, who had first announced the surrender, joined the others in exclaiming in unison:
"That is absolutely impossible!"
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