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From the moment Danzo led his forces toward Moon Lake, a trap targeting Jinghang had already begun to take shape. From the initial aggressive assault to the ambushes on supply lines, and even to the point where the legendary Sannin personally guarded the grain route — every move was designed to corner Jinghang into this trap. And then, to eliminate him.
"Your Danzo is truly ruthless. To get rid of me, he doesn't even hesitate to sacrifice so many lives. But let me tell you, even without me, you're still destined to lose this war," Jinghang said coldly, addressing the crowd.
As a commander, disregarding logistics, ignoring the flanks, and pushing forward over 2,200 kilometers of long-distance raids while launching continuous attacks for three days without regard for casualties — this was undoubtedly an act of madness. According to incomplete statistics, Konoha had lost over 2,000 shinobi in this operation. All of this, just to kill one person! Truly, the saying "one general's success is built on the bones of thousands" fits perfectly here. Only an obsessive maniac could have orchestrated such a move.
"No, you underestimate yourself. You're far more formidable than you think," Danzo suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"As a leader, you are qualified—no, excellent. I've studied your records and your actions since you took office. Your overall style is deeply strategic, your vision precise, and your decisions resolute. During your time as a bodyguard for Shamon, you gained the recognition of various clans and factions in Sunagakure. Among frontline shinobi, your prestige is exceptionally high. Before this war began, you tried your utmost to prevent it because you knew that the great nations would inevitably get involved.
As Kazekage, you defeated Sakumo Hatake single-handedly on the western front and made the bold decision to retreat from the Night-Singing Sand Sea on the northern front. Only someone with a broad perspective could make such a judgment. You have cohesion, prestige, vision, and capability. Your strength is unfathomable. You're a Kazekage far more challenging to deal with than Shamon ever was, and you're someone who can change the course of a war. So, I'm sorry. Though I admire you as a shinobi, for the sake of Konoha's future generations having one less formidable adversary, you must die here today. As for sacrifices, heh, what shinobi doesn't sacrifice?"
Danzo's last sentence caused even the Sannin to glance at him sideways.
"How about I represent Sunagakure and form an alliance with Konoha?" Jinghang proposed.
Danzo paused for a moment, then smirked. "You've just given me one more reason to kill you."
"What's that?" Jinghang asked.
"You're shameless. A man like you, alive, could accomplish great things."
"And what if you can't hold me here?" Jinghang rubbed his nearly blood-drained shoulders, bound tightly.
"Move now!" Shikachō Nara's face turned pale.
Before the words had finished, the iron sand adhered to the curved towers began to shift. They transformed into floating black rings, stacking vertically around Jinghang in a rhythmic pattern. Part of the iron sand morphed into strange symbols as the air filled with crackling sounds, reminiscent of static electricity when removing a sweater in winter.
Looking at Jinghang, his hair stood completely on end, resembling a hedgehog. His eyes sparkled with brilliance, giving him the aura of a deity. The iron rings moved even faster, and a massive black sphere ascended to the top of the iron tower.
"Zzzap!" A lightning bolt as thick as a water barrel shot out from the black sphere, striking Shikachō Nara dead center. In an instant, he was charred to a crisp.
"Danzo, thank you for fulfilling my long-time dream. I've always wanted to play with this. It's just that I never had the funds. Behold and experience the might of the Soviet Tesla Coil!" Jinghang roared, and countless arcs of electricity erupted from the black sphere like the roar of a wild beast.
As an 80s-born transmigrator, Red Alert was an eternal childhood memory. As a Soviet fanboy with a "neck-turning-right" tendency, Tesla Coils — that iconic defensive structure — had always been etched in his mind. In a certain knockoff Chinese game called Red Dragon's Roar, this kind of electromagnetic defensive tower had been redesigned into a bizarre shape. Building just two or three of them could effectively block enemy ground forces. Coincidentally, their design bore a striking resemblance to the five curved magnetic towers trapping Jinghang now.
He had once come across a short video discussing how Soviet scientists during the Brezhnev era actually researched similar weapons. Their electrical testing grounds could purportedly generate electromagnetic pulses with a voltage as high as 700,000 volts. However, due to limited attack range and the risk of indiscriminate damage, its practical effectiveness was far inferior to conventional weapons like the T-72 main battle tank and the Su-27 fighter jet. The project was eventually shelved. Yet, Jinghang had casually glanced at the design blueprint and found its intricate circuit diagram strangely appealing. He even downloaded it as his laptop wallpaper.
After transmigrating, Jinghang, who had mastered Magnet Release, attempted to recreate it from memory. However, the same old problems persisted: indiscriminate damage, limited range, and exorbitant costs (mainly this). Naturally, the plan was abandoned. But today, with Danzo generously footing the bill and providing the setup, how could he not go all out?
"You think a few lousy magnets can drain all my iron sand? What a joke! Every grain of my iron sand is a magnet. Playing with magnetism? You haven't even graduated elementary school! Do you know Oersted's Law? Faraday's Law? Have you mastered the left-hand and right-hand rules? Overestimating yourself!"
Just as the electromagnetic coil charged to full capacity and was about to unleash its next attack, Tsunade charged forward, her face marked with the Strength of a Hundred Seal. Ignoring the searing burns from the lightning, she pushed through. Several bolts struck her, charring her fair skin black, only for it to regenerate instantly. With a powerful punch, she toppled one of the magnetic towers, extinguishing all the electric light in an instant.
"You're an impressive man. You could be Hokage," Jinghang said, giving Tsunade a thumbs-up.
Surrounded by a blue Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Jinghang left behind a faint afterimage as he vanished from sight...
"He even knows Lightning Release... Isn't that the Lightning Release Chakra Mode from Kumogakure?" Danzo muttered to himself.
Back in the camp, Jinghang faced a storm of reprimands from the elder council, led by Chiyo. After repeatedly apologizing, promising to never attempt such dangerous stunts again, and humbling himself, he was finally let off the hook. But before anyone could sip their tea, Jinghang dropped another bombshell.
"What?! You want to form an alliance with Konoha?!"
"Yes, why not?" Jinghang smiled.
The room erupted into chaos. Some argued that the late Second Kazekage Shamon's body had barely gone cold, and such a move would dishonor his memory. Others protested that too much blood had been spilled for the conflict to end so easily. Still, others demanded to press on and capitalize on their momentum to strike at Konoha's heart. The crowd was so worked up that it seemed they might flip tables and smash chairs.
Only Chiyo, who had been forewarned, slammed the table and shouted, "The Kazekage hasn't even finished speaking, and you're all squawking like chickens. What kind of behavior is this?" The room instantly fell silent.
Jinghang remained calm, smiling as he spoke. "In this world, there are no eternal enemies, nor absolute friends. Only eternal interests." His words left the crowd as quiet as schoolchildren. Chiyo secretly gave him a thumbs-up. Jinghang was truly born to be Kazekage; even casual remarks carried such gravitas.
"This war is already won. But what benefits can we gain? Killing a few more Konoha shinobi? Such actions hold no real value for Sunagakure. They would only deepen the hatred between us, creating a situation of mutual destruction. And such a situation would not be in Sunagakure's favor." Jinghang scanned the room. Good, everyone was listening attentively. He continued.
"Konoha's foundation is deep. Their shinobi outnumber ours by nearly threefold, and their resources are incomparable to ours. Winning this war is already a significant advantage for us. If Konoha loses, they can fight another war. But for us? Heh, let me tell you privately: the Daimyo of the Land of Wind has already cut off our war funding. We don't have the money to fight another war."
The crowd erupted in astonishment, followed by a cacophony of voices.
"Furthermore, according to intelligence, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure are all preparing for war. A new Shinobi World War is inevitable."
The noise grew louder. Jinghang clapped his hands on the table, signaling for silence.
"Sunagakure is impoverished and weak, with limited strength. I believe that before the full-scale war unfolds, we must proactively withdraw from the conflict, recuperate, and use the war to develop our strength!"