Chapter 42


    "This is just proof."


    Neiki waved the remote control in his hand toward the surrounding Konoha ninjas, a slight smile on his face.


    The remote had three red buttons.


    Just now, as the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with Konoha reinforcements, Neiki had pressed the first button in front of everyone.


    Even from this distance, they could all see the massive mes and hear the booming explosion from the vige.


    "This proves that I indeed have something in my grasp, and you have to obey."


    As Neiki''s words fell, the atmosphere grew chaotic. Everyone, including the Third Hokage, disyed extreme grimness.


    "Neiki! Do you know what you''re doing?!"


    "Put that thing down, put it down now!!""Do you even deserve to be a ninja? Why hurt so many innocent Konoha civilians?"


    Some cursed, some pleaded, some tried to distract Neiki, some tried to surprise him, while others, worried about family and friends, wanted to return to evacuate the vigers. The scene was noisy, but no one dared to act rashly.


    "Don''t send messages, don''t do anything unnecessary, don''t make this unpleasant for everyone," Neiki warned, ncing around at everyone.


    Themotion immediately ceased when he touched the second button, as if everyone feared provoking the madman.


    So, with Neiki at the center, over thirty people gathered in the forest, and only the starlight and the wind moved between them.


    "Put down the remote and return to Konoha to face judgment, Neiki!" Hiruzen Sarutobi urged, his voiceced with disappointment and anger.


    "Is that your negotiating attitude?" Neiki''s face turned cold. Did this old man understand the situation?


    There shouldn''t be many people in the Hokage building apart from the guarding Anbu. The number of civilian casualties from the explosion wouldn''tpare to the Uchiha rebellion earlier today. Apart from the direct st and the copse of the building, the explosive tags hidden in the walls or ground wouldn''t pose much threat to the ninjas. The biggest loss would be the documents and archives in the building.


    But as Neiki said, the first explosion proved that he had arrangements in Konoha.


    Two buttons remained unpressed on the remote. The first was the Hokage building, so what would the second be?


    The busiest ninja hospital or the ninja academy serving as a temporary shelter?


    After the Uchiha rebellion and the Nine-Tails incident, the people of Konoha, who had just calmed down, would start panicking again.


    "Could Neiki be bluffing?" Hiruzen asked Shikaku in a low voice, staring at the remote.


    "It''s likely…" Shikaku could only make this judgment with limited information.


    They didn''t know how Neiki had nted those explosive tags in the Hokage building, but Shikaku guessed it was likely a pre-nned escape measure before the rebellion.


    Judging by Neiki''s age and ie, he couldn''t have nted too many explosive tags. The cost and manufacturing of explosive tags were high, and without the resources of an entire ninja vige, tens of thousands of explosive tags would be the limit for someone of Neiki''s strength.


    The thunderous explosion in the Hokage building likely used up all of Neiki''s stockpile. The remaining two buttons on the remote seemed more like a bluff.


    But could Konoha afford to bet on that?


    Bet that the remaining buttons were just a bluff?


    Seeing the hesitation on Hiruzen''s face, Shikaku shook his head.


    Compared to the potential loss of lives and property in Konoha if the buttons were pressed, the hatred towards Neiki and the necessity to capture him paled inparison.


    This was something that everyone present, including Shikaku, could easily weigh.


    "Is there really… no way?" Kakashi''s voice was unsteady.


    He hadn''t expected Neiki to have such a trump card. He thought Neiki would be taken down once Konoha''s reinforcements arrived. But who would have thought that while they were waiting for reinforcements, Neiki was waiting too?


    Neiki didn''t bring out the remote when he met Kakashi because he didn''t see Kakashi as having the authority to negotiate with him. He waited for the Hokage, who had the authority and capability to meet his demands.


    There was still a way… Shikaku''s eyes flickered.


    Both possible solutions were directly controlling Neiki or destroying the remote before he could press the button.


    In the shadows, something seemed to be moving.


    Neiki noticed it, ncing at the bushes, then smirked.


    "The shadow of the Nara n…"


    Shikaku''s heart sank.


    Byakugan…


    Neiki shook his head and casually pressed the second button in front of everyone.


    Boom—


    Another explosion echoed from the vige.


    "Didn''t I say not to do anything unnecessary?"


    Neiki''s casual tone was like changing the channel on TV.


    For a moment, everyone fell silent, staring in shock at the direction of the rising mes.


    This explosion was even louder than the previous one, making it impossible to tell how many might have died.


    "It''s the Inuzuka npound!" someone identified the explosion site.


    "—Bastard!!"


    A ninja from the Inuzuka n drew his sword, roaring and charging at Neiki, but hisrades held him back.


    "Remember, me the Nara n for this mess," Neiki pointed at the Nara ninja who had stepped out of the shadows, reminding the Inuzuka ninja.


    "You… die!" The Inuzuka ninja showed signs of going berserk.


    The explosion in the Inuzukapound caught everyone off guard. The skill required to nt explosive tags in such a sensory-focused n was terrifying.


    Realizing theirpounds might also be rigged, and many ninjas looked grim.


    "Hokage-sama, there''s only one button left on that remote…" Kakashi reminded.


    The ninjas around him started to regain their senses.


    To them, thisst button was almost certainly a bluff. The previous explosions likely used up all of Neiki''s stockpile. How could he have more?


    Yes… Neiki had only one thing left to threaten them, and it was likely a bluff…


    Licking their lips, some began to show fierce expressions.


    Sensing their rising aggression, Neiki raised an eyebrow and said, "Ah?" and then pressed thest button on the remote without hesitation.


    Another explosion rocked the vige.


    There was no time to mourn the victims; almost every Konoha ninja drew swords, ready to tear Neiki apart.


    But in the next second, they saw Neiki toss the remote aside and calmly pull out an identical one from behind him.


    Everyone, including Shikaku, froze.


    …There''s another one?


    Neiki fiddled with the remote, seemingly pleased with the expressions around him. He smiled and said:


    "I''ll repeat this onest time."


    "Don''t send messages."


    "Don''t do anything unnecessary."


    "Don''t make this unpleasant for everyone."


    Seeing no one respond, he nodded:


    "Good, now we can finallymunicate normally."