The Demigod of the Shinobi World!
At this moment, Mu's proclamation of this title left everyone stunned, followed by a profound sense of shock.
For a long time, Hui had been regarded as the next God of Shinobi. In the eyes of countless people, his future was destined to ascend to that peak.
Every time Hui accomplished something that shook the ninja world, people would sigh in awe, feeling that he was one step closer to that title.
But that future had yet to arrive. That "one step closer" symbolized that he was not yet the God of Shinobi.
Now, however, Mu, the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, one of the Four Great Hidden Villages, directly introduced the concept of "demigod," addressing Mochizuki Hui as the "Demigod of the Shinobi World."
This was both an acknowledgment and an expression of reverence.
Everyone's hearts were shaken, but then, it seemed as though this title was naturally fitting.
Given Hui's current achievements and power, wasn't he already a "demigod" of the ninja world? A demigod, just one step away from becoming a true god among shinobi.
This term perfectly described Mochizuki Hui.
At that moment, all the ninjas instinctively accepted Mu's words.
They also began to feel that Mu and Shamon's proposal for a two-versus-one duel against Hui wasn't as outrageous or unacceptable as it first seemed.
After all, facing Hui, the demigod, their positions had already shifted; they were now the challengers.
Only Hui himself felt an involuntary twitch in his heart.
Demigod… This title was all too familiar to him!
Wasn't this the future title of Hanzo of the Salamander?
The leader of Amegakure, the ninja bold enough to challenge the Great Hidden Villages and the one who gave the title of "Legendary Sannin" to Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
However, the ninja later known as the "Demigod of the Shinobi World" had, in his subsequent appearances, failed to live up to such a lofty title.
And now, this high-and-mighty title was being attributed to Hui.
He was speechless.
This useless title—anyone who wanted it could take it. He certainly had no interest in it.
But... seeing the glowing admiration in the eyes of the Konoha ninjas around him, Hui realized he might have underestimated the value of this title.
Even so, he was not inclined to accept Mu's proposal.
Completely annihilating the Iwa-Suna Allied Forces would bring him the title of God of Shinobi within a few years. A demigod title was meaningless to him now.
Just as Hui was about to refuse, Mu spoke again.
"Even though it seems we are going to lose this war, even if Konoha wins, it will only be a victory won at a cost too much to be worthwhile.
"Because next, Ōnoki and I will launch indiscriminate Dust Release attacks using all our chakra reserves. We will unleash the most powerful Dust Release techniques we can muster.
"If defeat is inevitable, then let us all perish together."
Mu's words were resolute. Ōnoki also ascended into the sky, his gaze determined, ready to execute mutually assured destruction with his Dust Release ninjutsu.
"Indeed, if we're going to lose, let's all die together.
"After all, if this war continues, our two villages will be slaughtered to the last ninja. Iwagakure and Sunagakure will never recover from such losses. Without the strength to resist, we'll eventually be annexed by Konoha.
"So it's better for all of us to fall together, bringing Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure down from the ranks of the Five Great Hidden Villages to become mere minor villages."
Shamon spoke with despair, having reached the point of no return.
And indeed, if the war continued, the Iwa-Suna Allied Forces would undoubtedly be massacred.
Losing 80% of their ninja would lead to the collapse of Iwagakure and Sunagakure as significant powers, leaving them unable to resist Konoha, which could then annex them at will.
Given this, it made more sense to die together.
The Third Kazekage, who had remained silent, now ascended into the sky as well. Iron sand swirled around him, ready to be unleashed with full force.
After Mu and Shamon finished speaking, the battlefield fell silent.
Even the ninjas of the Iwa-Suna Allied Forces were unsure how to react. They stood there, confused, awaiting their fate.
Hui, looking at Mu and Shamon with their determined expressions, felt a headache coming on.
These two were truly backed into a corner, desperate enough to consider such a crazy plan.
And the most frustrating part was... they could actually pull it off!
Looking at the chaotic mixture of ninjas from the three villages below, Hui sighed internally.
If Mu and Ōnoki went completely berserk and launched indiscriminate attacks on the battlefield, the resulting carnage would be horrifying.
Thousands of ninjas would die under their onslaught.
Add in Shamon and the Third Kazekage, and the total death toll among the 15,000 ninjas present could easily reach several thousand.
Among those thousands would be many Konoha ninjas. In fact, Konoha would suffer the highest casualties since they now had the largest contingent on the battlefield.
Despite his strength, Hui couldn't stop all four of them simultaneously. Even with Senju Tobirama's help, their combined suicidal efforts would lead to massive slaughter.
This war had started because of Hui, after all. It had been accelerated by ten years because of him.
From the beginning, Hui didn't want too many Konoha ninjas to die, which was why he always took the lead in battles, ensuring that tasks he could handle alone wouldn't endanger others.
Now, faced with Mu and Shamon's threat, Hui admitted that he was cornered.
"Fine. I agree."
Hui finally opened his mouth, agreeing to Mu's proposal.
But he wasn't about to let them off so easily.
"I can agree to your proposal, but if you lose, the conditions must change.
"If you lose, not only must the Iwa-Suna Allied Forces surrender, but you must also make significant reparations for the war."
Mochizuki Hui's voice was calm yet resolute, as he looked at Mu and Shamon.
"Reparations?"
The two were taken aback, as was everyone else. This concept was entirely foreign to them.
In the Warring States era, wars between clans only ended with annihilation or subjugation. There was no concept of reparations.
Even during the First Shinobi World War, when Konoha emerged victorious, there were no reparations.
After suffering great losses, Konoha had no appetite to demand anything from the other villages, lest they unite against it.
"Yes, reparations. Because you maliciously initiated an attack on Konoha, causing immense loss of life, resources, and supplies, you must compensate.
"The reparations can take the form of money, materials, land, manpower, or even jutsu."
Mochizuki Hui explained, causing the Konoha ninjas to brighten with enthusiasm while the Iwa-Suna ninjas' faces darkened.
"Of course, the reparations will be reasonable and within acceptable limits."
Hui added, his tone nonchalant.
But deep down, he thought: Acceptable or not, you'll have to comply!
"This is my revised condition. If you don't agree, we'll continue as we are.
"Remember, I'm not agreeing to this because I fear your threats of mutual destruction. With me here, you won't succeed!
I'm merely trying to prevent more needless sacrifices."
Hui's powerful declaration left no room for doubt. His confidence radiated, compelling everyone to believe he held the upper hand.
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