Konoha Village Gates - A Diplomatic Welcome
As the comprehensive testing of Konoha's perception barrier system continued to progress smoothly, Ōnoki, who had recently resigned from his position as Tsuchikage, led a small delegation toward Konohagakure!
Despite the fact that their two villages had engaged in fierce, deadly combat on the battlefield just some time ago, Tsunade still brought an appropriate escort to Konoha's main gate to formally welcome Ōnoki's arrival. After all, regardless of recent conflicts, he remained the former Tsuchikage, and such diplomatic courtesy was still expected and necessary.
Observing Tsunade and her accompanying ninja approaching from the distance, Ōnoki released a weary sigh. "Sarutobi Hiruzen's excellent student," he murmured to himself with a mixture of respect and melancholy.
Reflecting on the last time he had personally met with Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, Ōnoki found he couldn't quite recall the exact date or circumstances of their encounter.
Perhaps he should have relinquished the position of Tsuchikage much earlier and made way for the younger generation, allowing Iwagakure to develop and flourish far better than its current state.
However, it appeared that Konoha wasn't placing quite as much importance on his arrival as he had anticipated. Although Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, was present to greet him, aside from her, the only other notable figure in attendance was Konoha advisor Mitokado Homura. The remaining individuals appeared to be ordinary ninja of various ranks.
Most significantly, Shihouin Naraku, the person Ōnoki had been most eager to encounter, had not appeared at all. Perhaps this was because he was no longer the active Tsuchikage and was therefore being regarded with considerably less respect?
Actually, Tsunade's medical expertise would certainly suffice for his purposes, but he wondered whether she would have the time and energy necessary to help treat his beloved granddaughter.
Ōnoki glanced behind him and saw Kurotsuchi lying motionless and seemingly lifeless on her guard's back, displaying absolutely no desire to continue living.
This tragic situation was precisely why he had traveled to Konoha in the first place!
He wasn't here to cause diplomatic trouble or political complications, but rather to determine if there was any possible way to help his granddaughter Kurotsuchi recover from her devastating condition. At the very least, she couldn't continue existing in this catatonic state.
As the host of this diplomatic meeting, Tsunade didn't remain standing in place waiting for her guest Ōnoki to approach, but instead took several respectful steps forward. "Tsuchikage, welcome to Konoha Village."
Ōnoki looked at Tsunade's youthful and beautiful face, feeling the full weight of his own advanced age in comparison. "Your welcome is appreciated, Hokage. However, I must clarify that I have officially resigned from the position of Tsuchikage. The Fourth Tsuchikage of Iwagakure is now Han!"
"Therefore, please simply call me by my name. Ōnoki is now just an ordinary retired ninja from Iwagakure!"
The meaning behind Ōnoki's carefully chosen words was abundantly clear. He was explaining that he had stepped down from his official position and that Iwagakure now operated under new leadership. Consequently, he wasn't visiting here as an official representative of Iwagakure, but rather as a private individual seeking assistance.
Mitokado Homura, who stood positioned behind Tsunade, frowned slightly in confusion. Why did Ōnoki's words carry such a humble undertone? It almost seemed as though he was attempting to curry favor with Konoha's leadership.
Or perhaps he was specifically trying to ingratiate himself with Tsunade personally?
"Regardless of your current status, it remains a great honor for Konoha Village to receive Lord Ōnoki as our guest," Tsunade responded with diplomatic grace. After completing the formal greetings with everyone present, she gestured for the group to proceed into the village. "Please, Konoha has made all necessary preparations to properly host Lord Ōnoki during his stay."
"Thank you for your gracious hospitality!"
Tsunade and Ōnoki walked into Konoha Village together, maintaining an appropriately dignified pace. Although Ōnoki was notably short in physical stature, he still emanated the unmistakable presence and authority of a top-tier powerful shinobi, ensuring that no one present dared to ignore or underestimate his significance.
This respect remained true even though the recently concluded war had ended with Iwagakure's decisive defeat!
Ōnoki was determined not to allow Konoha Village to look down upon Iwagakure or view his people as weak, so maintaining his dignity was absolutely essential.
Despite the severe pain radiating through his aging back, Ōnoki kept his head held high and matched Tsunade's confident stride, ensuring that his presence and aura were in no way inferior to hers.
Barrier Department - Naraku's Observation
"Ōnoki has already arrived in the village?" Shihouin Naraku asked with obvious curiosity, standing up from his desk and walking toward the window. Unfortunately, the distance was too great for him to observe anything meaningful with normal vision.
Extending his Observation Haki outward, he focused his sensory abilities toward the direction of Konoha Village's main gate.
"He has indeed arrived, and he's only brought two subordinates with him. Wait... why is one of those people carrying another person on their back? More importantly, that carried person's life force seems remarkably weak."
"Ah, so that's the situation..."
Naraku immediately understood that Ōnoki had traveled to Konoha seeking medical treatment in a completely private capacity.
This development made perfect sense. The reputation of Konoha's medical institutions had long been well-established throughout the entire ninja world. Nobles and daimyo from all five major countries frequently journeyed to Konoha for specialized treatment and recuperation services.
Even the permanent residents of Konoha had grown accustomed to this constant stream of wealthy patients and felt deep pride in their village's exceptional medical ninja capabilities.
Because these medical institutions generated such substantial profits, the entire village of Konoha benefited significantly from their success. The most obvious advantage was that the cost of medical care for Konoha residents remained extremely low, with all expenses subsidized by the fees paid by outside patients.
Therefore, the local population didn't reject outsiders seeking medical treatment. In fact, the more patients who came, the better it was for everyone. The more revenue Konoha earned from medical services, the more money flowed into the village economy, allowing all residents to benefit from this prosperity.
The positive impact of these medical cases extended far beyond simple economics.
Naraku never treated those who worked under his supervision unfairly, and the substantial profits earned by the medical institutions were consistently reinvested back into supporting all medical ninja personnel.
To put it simply, the compensation earned by regular ninja for completing standard missions couldn't even come close to matching the remuneration received by medical ninja.
With such generous compensation packages, the residents of Konoha genuinely hoped their children could pursue careers as medical ninja. Not only did medical ninja avoid the dangerous risks that ordinary ninja faced during combat missions, but their pay was significantly superior as well. Who wouldn't feel envious of such an arrangement?
The current Konoha Village still experienced some shortage of elite-level medical ninja, but the supply of mid-level and entry-level medical ninja was more than adequate to meet demand.
As time progressed, top-tier medical ninja with exceptional natural talents would undoubtedly emerge from among these lower and middle-level practitioners.
It represented a remarkably virtuous and self-sustaining cycle!
Even though the other four major ninja villages harbored feelings of envy and jealousy toward this system, replicating it remained extremely difficult!
Just as Naraku was contemplating these developments, an ANBU operative knocked respectfully on the barrier division's door.
"Naraku-sama, the Fifth Hokage requests your immediate presence at the Konoha Sanatorium Hospital!"
"Understood. I'll head there right away."
How remarkably fast!
Ōnoki had only just arrived in Konoha, yet he was already urgently seeking medical treatment for his patient.
It seemed absolutely certain that the seriously injured person in question was Kurotsuchi!
After releasing that massive Spiral Wheel technique, Naraku had briefly admired the devastating power of the resulting explosion before turning and flying away without carefully examining the specific casualties suffered by the Iwagakure forces.
According to the intelligence information that Konoha Village had received afterward, Naraku learned that Iwagakure's losses had been extraordinarily severe and devastating.
Stroking his chin thoughtfully, Naraku considered the situation more carefully.
His Observation Haki had detected that Kurotsuchi's life force appeared very weak, but the specific extent and nature of her injuries remained unclear. However, judging from Ōnoki's obviously anxious attitude and urgent behavior, the medical situation was probably far from optimistic.
"Continue the barrier testing procedures. If you discover any unexpected situations or anomalies, notify me immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
The test results over the past several days had been consistently excellent. The new perception barrier was operating smoothly and efficiently, and the barrier team had not identified any significant problems or malfunctions.
His subordinates were handling the specific technical work with competence, and the primary reason Naraku remained present was to prevent potential accidents. As the only person in the barrier team who knew the precise locations where the barrier talismans had been buried, he could make necessary adjustments immediately if any emergency situation occurred.
However, the probability of such complications arising was extremely small!
Naraku began walking toward the Konoha Sanatorium Hospital while contemplating what his next assignment might involve.
"Now that my mission with the barrier division is essentially complete, I'll be resigning from this position. It will be interesting to see which organization or department Tsunade-sensei assigns me to work in next."
In fact, this could be considered a form of comprehensive leadership training and preparation.
If Naraku gained experience and held positions in all the major institutions and departments throughout Konoha, he would inevitably become qualified to serve as Hokage when the time came.
While thinking about his upcoming job transition, Naraku soon arrived at the newly constructed Konoha Sanatorium!
This specialized hospital had been designed specifically to serve nobles, daimyo, and village leaders from various countries, with its service offerings targeted directly at wealthy individuals who had no shortage of financial resources.
The potential profits this hospital could generate were obviously substantial and impressive.
Therefore, Naraku had deliberately arranged for a trusted ninja from the Shihouin clan to serve as the facility's director!
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