Ryun turned around to face the Four Kage, his face serious as he stated his demands.
"Starting today, all nations must immediately withdraw their troops. For the next ten years, you are not to invade the Land of Fire. Anyone who violates this, I will personally bring the Four Tailed Beasts to the battlefield."
This statement wasn't really a demand; strictly speaking, it was a threat.
And it wasn't just this threat; there were more threats to follow.
"You want to force Konoha to hand over Kushina through war? You should take a good look at your own capabilities... You Four Kage dare to provoke my wrath, but can the ninjas and citizens beneath you withstand it? If you continue to recklessly provoke me, Pingyang Port and Kirigakure will not be the only examples!"
His words made his stance clear.
Mentioning Pingyang Port meant he was willing to use Tailed Beast Bombs to strike any military stronghold or important town in any nation. Mentioning Kirigakure represented his ability and courage to destroy any major ninja village, and he could do so while escaping unscathed.
"My words are clear here. If any of you are stubborn, or cannot swallow this anger, then go ahead and cross the 'red line' I have set. If you do not withdraw your troops within 24 hours, I will appear on the battlefield within 48 hours."
Ryun's voice echoed in everyone's minds. The faces of the Four Kage were extremely grim, yet they dared not voice their anger.
"Considering the Third Tsuchikage's unfriendly remarks earlier, after tomorrow, I will prioritize going to the Fire-Earth battlefield."
"Do not say you weren't pre-warned!"
After issuing this warning, Ryun left without waiting for the Five Kage to respond.
'No invasion of the Land of Fire for ten years...'
To be honest, Sarutobi Hiruzen was very dissatisfied with this result. He had sought out Uchiha Ryun to eliminate the vast majority of war threats, not just secure ten years of peace...
If Uchiha Ryun was willing to act, with the assistance of four Tailed Beasts, their Konoha was fully confident in fighting one against four, with even an 80% or higher chance of victory.
It was just that Uchiha Ryun suddenly pulled this move, catching Sarutobi Hiruzen completely off guard... He couldn't even voice opposition to this plan... because he held no speaking rights in this meeting.
This bloodthirsty guy actually wanted to reconcile with the four nations? He even proactively promised not to target the other nations' Tailed Beasts in the future...
Was this still Uchiha Ryun???
Many of Sarutobi Hiruzen's plans had fallen through. This ambiguous result left him extremely frustrated. Consequently, he stood up with a dark expression and decisively ended this video conference.
"Wait..."
The Third Tsuchikage spoke up trying to stop the Hokage, but the next moment, the communication from Konoha was completely cut off.
"Damn Hokage!!!"
The Four Kage almost all cursed out loud, clearly very dissatisfied with the Hokage's attitude.
The four people in front of the screens did not cut the communication, but the atmosphere was particularly heavy. No one spoke, and everyone remained silent for a long time.
"Let's talk... how should we handle this matter next? That guy Uchiha Ryun suddenly says he doesn't want to play anymore. Do you find that credible?" The Third Kazekage was the first to break the silence.
"You're tempted, aren't you?" The Third Tsuchikage asked with a dark face.
They were all old foxes. The Third Tsuchikage keenly sensed that this Kazekage's resolve was wavering.
"What temptation am I feeling... I just think if he truly keeps his promise and stops targeting our villages' Tailed Beasts, it should still be a good thing, no matter how you look at it..."
"Tsuchikage, Raikage, what do you think..."
The Third Kazekage's words were tactful, but his final question almost made the Third Tsuchikage's red, bulbous nose twist in anger.
So because the Land of Earth currently has no Tailed Beast, his opinion isn't even worth asking for anymore???
Weren't they supposed to be allies? Now it seemed like he was being excluded... And during the meeting just now, he was the one who stood up and confronted Uchiha Ryun, yet these people didn't even dare to make a peep when faced with threats...
And why wasn't the Fourth Raikage, that reckless brute, being reckless today? Did breaking a few bones mean he could no longer 'stand up'? He didn't even dare to speak loudly???
The Third Tsuchikage grew angrier the more he thought about it.
Hearing the Kazekage's question, the Mizukage and Raikage both chose silence. Because their villages still possessed Tailed Beasts, they subconsciously accepted the Kazekage's point.
But the Land of Earth had no Tailed Beast left, so the Third Tsuchikage absolutely could not let Uchiha Ryun off easily, nor could he let Konoha, or the people before him, off easily!
"What kind of person is Uchiha Ryun? Don't you understand yet? Abandon your naive and cowardly thoughts. The moment we chose to oppose Uchiha Ryun and take action, there was already no turning back. Furthermore, between us and him, there is irreconcilable enmity...
The revenge for our Land of Earth's destroyed Pingyang Port, the revenge for the Land of Lightning's deceased Third Raikage, the revenge for the Land of Water's fallen Third Mizukage and destroyed Kirigakure, and the revenge for so many elite ninjas from each village who died at the hands of Uchiha Ryun...
With so much blood debt from our compatriots still unpaid, does Uchiha Ryun's single statement of 'not wanting to play anymore' mean it's all cleared???"
The Third Tsuchikage's words were like a loud bell, instantly awakening the Raikage and Mizukage.
"The Tsuchikage is right. The grievances between us and Uchiha Ryun simply have no room for reconciliation..." The Fourth Raikage said with a serious expression.
"I disagree with the Tsuchikage..."
Before the Fourth Mizukage could speak, the Third Kazekage suddenly voiced a different opinion.
"Tsuchikage, you just said that as long as Uchiha Ryun hands over two Tailed Beasts, the enmity between your Land of Earth and him can be cleared. Now you're inciting hate-filled speech. Isn't that a bit inappropriate..."
"Bastard! Couldn't you tell that was a strategy? What's wrong with demanding Tailed Beasts? Saying we'd let bygones be bygones was just to stabilize him first, understand? How could our Land of Earth possibly reconcile with him? Don't you deliberately distort the truth!"
The Third Tsuchikage's face turned red with anger. In his view, this Kazekage either had no brains, or was deliberately muddying the waters.
"Tsuchikage, don't get excited..."
"Am I excited?" Ōnoki's tone noticeably raised a few levels.
"There's nothing wrong with me raising this question... Just explain it clearly, why get excited... Besides, the reason we are so passive today is precisely because we truly have no way to deal with Uchiha Ryun, right? If we could eliminate him, would we Four Kage really let him threaten us like this?"
The Third Kazekage didn't bother arguing with the Tsuchikage on his level. Instead, he raised some practical issues.
"I'm not afraid to tell you, I actually don't agree with fighting him to the death. After all, we have large families and great enterprises. Uchiha Ryun is alone and unattached. If we really fight, it's truly not cost-effective. The price is too high..."
"Personally, I am willing to reconcile with him. After all, our Land of Wind holds no grudge against him. You can call me selfish, you can say I'm short-sighted..."
BANG!!!
Before the Third Kazekage could finish speaking, the Raikage over there had already flipped the table.
"Does the Kazekage intend to betray the alliance?"
The Fourth Raikage's fierce bull-like eyes stared directly at the Third Kazekage.
He had just stated that the hatred with Uchiha Ryun left no room for reconciliation. The Kazekage saying this now was clearly admitting defeat and wanting to withdraw!
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