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Making money was the primary goal.
The absurd thing was, if Orochimaru had led his forces on a killing spree all the way, it would undoubtedly have turned the citizens of the Land of Earth against Konoha, shifting their hatred onto Konoha.
But now, with only their money stolen and very few people killed, many citizens instead directed their spearhead at Iwagakure.
They believed it was the ninja village's failure to protect them properly that allowed Konoha ninja to invade the Land of Earth and steal their money.
Large numbers of citizens whose money had been stolen demanded that Iwagakure provide a reasonable explanation.
Some even demanded compensation.
Orochimaru led his forces to steal money, and Iwagakure ended up as the target of public resentment.
Encountering this kind of misfortune would make anyone angry.
"The money has all been taken. Now, there's widespread public anger across various regions, all directed at us."
"The money was stolen by Konoha's Orochimaru and his men. Why are they angry at us?"
In the meeting room, a high-ranking official couldn't help but curse.
Konoha people stole your money, so go hate Konoha. Why target Iwagakure?
It's not like we stole it.
Because it was Iwagakure's duty to protect the safety and wealth of the Land of Earth's citizens.
Now that their protection had failed, resulting in the citizens' money being stolen, Iwagakure became the target of hatred.
Wasn't that reason enough?
Biting back his frustration repeatedly, Ōnoki suppressed the urge to curse and took a deep breath.
"We're not here to shift blame, but to find solutions and deal with the problem. Dispatch personnel immediately. We must recover the stolen goods. We need to show Konoha a thing or two."
The Land of Earth's Daimyō was so angry he was nearly losing his mind. It's always been Iwagakure stealing from the Land of Fire. When did it become your turn to steal from the Land of Earth?
You've had your fun—stealing resources, stealing money—leaving a mess behind for me to clean up.
It was fortunate that the Land of Earth's Daimyō and Iwagakure had a good relationship, their interests intertwined. Otherwise, Ōnoki would definitely have some choice words for him.
Only you can steal from others, but others can't steal from you?
What kind of logic is that?
You laugh when you steal from others, but when someone steals from you, you fly into a rage?
"I'm afraid that will be very difficult."
The head of the Intelligence Division smiled bitterly.
"According to intelligence gathered by our scout teams, Konoha's forces are gradually withdrawing toward the border. The village currently has great difficulty mobilizing sufficient forces to intercept them. And... I'm afraid we can't stop them."
"Why?"
The Daimyō asked, puzzled.
"Since we know Konoha's forces want to retreat, we should send people to intercept them immediately. Are we just going to stand by and watch large quantities of the Land of Earth's resources and money be stolen?"
The Intelligence Division head hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
"Because the village's main forces are all on the Land of Waterfalls battlefield. Even if the village tried to mobilize a ninja unit to intercept, we couldn't stop them. Moreover, there's a potentially powerful enemy waiting for us."
"Uchiha Kazuki..."
When news of the border camp's destruction came back, everyone was shocked.
Kazuki, alone, rode his Susanoo straight into the camp, destroying the camp Iwagakure had painstakingly built with immense effort.
He crushed large numbers of ninja like stepping on ants, then calmly walked away.
If Iwagakure mobilized a group of ninja to intercept, and happened to run into Kazuki again... the result...
Damn it!!!
How did Konoha produce such a monstrous individual?
Those two old fools, the Third Hokage and Danzo, spent so many years targeting the Uchiha, yet they didn't manage to wipe them out. Instead, they allowed this Uchiha Kazuki to rise!
Useless! A pair of useless old fools!
The Daimyō couldn't help but curse inwardly at Danzo, who had died several years ago, and the Third Hokage, who was now retired.
"So, are we just going to let this slide? We can only watch as the enemy steals our resources and wealth, unable to do anything?"
"Of course not."
Ōnoki, representing the village, stated:
"Currently, intercepting Konoha's forces is not wise. We need to dispatch a contingent of main forces from the Land of Waterfalls battlefield before we can effectively respond to Konoha's attack."
With the Land of Earth thrown into chaos, regardless of the outcome, as the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Ōnoki needed to provide the Daimyō with a reasonable explanation.
With Ōnoki's words, the Daimyō's anger subsided somewhat. After cursing a few more times, he finally calmed down.
"Now we need to find a way to send reinforcements, to prevent Orochimaru from ravaging more villages and towns. Additionally, the scout teams need to gather more intelligence on Konoha's movements. Everyone, a new war has arrived. Konoha has undoubtedly reached some agreement with Kumogakure. That's why, after Kumogakure fully entered the war, Konoha launched a sneak attack on us. Plundering resources and money is probably just the first step. Next, the village will likely have to face a two-front war—attacks from both Kumogakure and Konoha."
Konoha's forces had already begun to gradually withdraw. Ōnoki didn't believe the war would end so quickly.
Konoha surely had other moves!
Therefore, Iwagakure needed to be prepared for everything.
The meeting concluded. As the others slowly filed out, only Ōnoki remained in the meeting room.
Only then did Ōnoki reveal the exhaustion he had hidden from others.
Calling Konoha's attack a "fatal blow" to Iwagakure was no exaggeration.
Nearly all the ninja at the camp were dead. Various resources were plundered. The money from villages and towns everywhere was stolen. The losses were immense.
Not only were the losses huge, but the entire Land of Earth was thrown into a state of panic.
The most terrifying part was that Kazuki had become a thorn lodged in Ōnoki's throat—impossible to swallow, impossible to remove.
Why did the Uchiha clan always produce such figures?
In the past, there was Uchiha Madara. Now, there's Uchiha Kazuki.
With Kumogakure fully intervening in the war, Iwagakure's situation was already precarious. Now, with Konoha pulling this stunt, it was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.
Though furious, Ōnoki was somewhat relieved that Orochimaru, while stealing money everywhere, had not committed many killings.
If he had killed everyone in his path, the situation within the Land of Earth would be far more than just "panic."
*******
Konoha.
Shikaku, carrying the breakfast he had bought, entered the Hokage's office.
"Lord Advisor, I brought you some breakfast."
Kazuki, who was handling official duties, looked up with a speechless expression. Several black lines appeared on his forehead.
"Shikaku, you don't have to do this. I just went out for a bit. I handled things and came right back to the village."
'...Like I believe that'