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Although there's essentially no difference between an invitation letter and a direct notice, sending the former at least allows Ōnoki to save some face.
A blunt notification would come off as overly domineering.
Tsunade figured Ōnoki was already fuming upon hearing the news, so there was no need to rub salt in the wound.
After all, the old man wasn't having an easy time, having shouldered the burden of supporting the Rock Village for decades. It was only right to show some consideration for his hardships.
Thus, an invitation letter was prepared.
"An invitation letter from Konoha?" Ōnoki said, puzzled, as he took the letter from his secretary.
Isn't Konoha busy dealing with the Grass Ninja Village right now?
Why would they send an invitation letter at a time like this? What kind of scheme are they cooking up?
Though skeptical, Ōnoki opened the letter and quickly scanned its contents.
To the astonishment of the Tsuchikage's secretary, Ōnoki's hand tightened around the letter, as if he were about to tear it to shreds. His already dark face grew even darker, nearly rivaling the bottom of a pot. Even his short, flat nose seemed to flare slightly.
Those familiar with Ōnoki would know—this old man was angry. Very angry.
"Damn it! What are those two brats thinking? Challenging Uchiha Kazuki? Are they out of their minds? I'm furious!" Ōnoki roared.
While his temper wasn't as explosive as the Raikage's, it wasn't far off.
In his rage, Ōnoki slammed his palm onto the desk, which shattered into pieces with a loud crash, scattering debris across the floor.
No way!
In the entire Rock Village, only Deidara and Kurotsuchi could garner such attention from Ōnoki, and only they would be called "brats" by him.
Those two went to challenge Kazuki?
What kind of international joke was this?
The Tsuchikage's secretary was utterly baffled.
Wait—this wasn't a joke!
It was real!
They'd probably already been captured and taken to Konoha. Otherwise, why would Konoha bother sending an invitation letter?
This wasn't an invitation—it was a notification.
"Your two brats recklessly provoked our Hokage's Advisor. They're now in Konoha's custody. Do you want them back or not? If you do, better prepare and come to Konoha to negotiate."
"…"
This was going to be a mess.
The secretary knew Ōnoki was about to lose a lot of face.
Just days ago, Ōnoki had been in a heated argument with Kazuki, exchanging threats and even shouting about war. Then Kazuki left, and Ōnoki stopped bothering with the Grass Ninja Village.
But at that exact moment, Deidara and Kurotsuchi decided to go pick a fight with Kazuki. If that wasn't serving themselves up on a platter, what was it?
The Rock Village couldn't even accuse Konoha of anything.
The two weren't kidnapped from the Rock Village—they went looking for trouble themselves.
Kazuki was Konoha's Hokage Advisor, second only to the Hokage. Was someone like him supposed to be challenged so casually?
The fact that Konoha bothered to notify the Rock Village was already a courtesy.
If Konoha had stayed silent and interrogated Deidara and Kurotsuchi for intelligence, the Rock Village would have been powerless to do anything.
Even if they later found out Konoha had taken them, they'd have to swallow their pride and accept it.
Ōnoki was livid—beyond livid, practically hysterical.
The secretary gave a wry smile. "Lord Tsuchikage, the priority now is to bring Deidara and Lady Kurotsuchi back. I really hope Konoha doesn't interrogate them to extract village secrets."
"If Konoha intended to do that, they wouldn't have notified us," Ōnoki said. "Kazuki is clearly waiting for me to drag myself to Konoha and beg him. Otherwise, they won't release them easily. If we don't cooperate, Konoha might actually interrogate Deidara and Kurotsuchi for intelligence. They have the capability."
"Damn it! Can't they just behave and stay put?" Ōnoki ranted incoherently. "That Deidara kid—is something wrong with his brain?"
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Deidara must have run off first, with Kurotsuchi secretly following.
Ōnoki knew his disciple and granddaughter's personalities all too well.
Two troublemakers.
And now, they'd gotten themselves captured by Konoha.
How embarrassing. Utterly humiliating.
In that moment, Ōnoki regretted using Kazuki as an example to lecture Deidara. Wasn't that just asking for trouble?
Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret. No matter how angry Ōnoki was, he had to focus on getting them back.
The thought of Kazuki wearing that sunny, charming smile while spouting infuriating, heart-stabbing remarks made Ōnoki's blood pressure spike.
That kid was a master at this. On the surface, he seemed like a harmless, cheerful young man. But in reality? Total nonsense!
He was capable of anything that could hit you where it hurt, and every word from his mouth was designed to infuriate.
He'd drive you half to death with anger, and you'd be powerless against him.
"Prepare everything. I'll head to Konoha myself tomorrow," Ōnoki said.
No matter what, he had to get them back—and quickly.
If Konoha grew impatient and decided to control Deidara and Kurotsuchi… the consequences would be severe.
If it was just the Uchiha using genjutsu to extract information, that'd be one thing. What Ōnoki feared was Konoha deploying the Yamanaka clan to invade their minds and access their memories.
Not only would that extract intelligence, but it could cause irreversible damage to their brains.
Deidara was his prized disciple with exceptional talent, and Kurotsuchi was his granddaughter—the only family he had left after his son's death. Ōnoki couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to them or any harm coming to them.
So, he had to make this trip, even if it meant enduring some humiliation in Konoha. And he had to do it fast.
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. I'll notify the escort team immediately to prepare for the trip to Konoha," the secretary replied, exiting the Tsuchikage's office.
Left alone, Ōnoki muttered to himself, occasionally letting out a loud curse.
To prevent Konoha from acting recklessly, Ōnoki also sent a message via ninja hawk to Konoha first.
I, Ōnoki, am coming to Konoha soon. Please treat my disciple and granddaughter well and don't do anything rash.
The ninja hawk could reach Konoha that same day. Ōnoki believed Kazuki and Tsunade would treat Deidara and Kurotsuchi decently.
Unless, of course, they truly wanted to start a war with the Rock Village.
"It seems Ōnoki cares about those two more than we thought," Tsunade said, chuckling as she read the message Ōnoki sent.
Weren't you the stubborn old man, Ōnoki?
And now here you are, brought to your knees.
How satisfying.
"So, what do we do with those two brats?" she asked.