Perhaps deep down he felt a little guilty—Ōnoki dared not even make eye contact with Rōshi at this moment.
He shifted his gaze elsewhere, his heavy voice echoing through the conference hall.
"You've all read the letter."
"Any thoughts? Share them."
Ōnoki put on an official facade, openly seeking everyone's opinions.
But everyone knew full well that Ōnoki had never been a democratic leader.
Even if Iwagakure wasn't entirely his one-man rule, it functioned much the same way.
"Tsuchikage-sama."
"Fugaku Uchiha and Rōshi have personal grievances."
"What he says holds no credibility at all."
"Just having a chance to talk with the Hokage—no one can be certain whether Konoha would withdraw their forces."
"Don't you think such a demand is absurd?"
Kitsuchi rose to his feet when nobody else dared to speak first.
Though he didn't even address him as "father," he still firmly sided with Rōshi.
Watching Kitsuchi step forward, warmth stirred within Rōshi's heart. His right fist, which had crushed the letter tightly, also loosened slightly.
"I understand your view."
"Does anyone else wish to speak?"
Ōnoki's expression remained unreadable as he lightly waved his hand, signaling Kitsuchi to sit.
His eyes swept across several faces, heavy with unspoken understanding.
"What Kitsuchi said makes sense."
"We don't need to pay any heed to Fugaku Uchiha's ridiculous demands."
Seeing there was no escape, several people could only take turns voicing their opinions.
"But once war breaks out, can we truly stand against Konoha?"
"At least having a chance is better than having none, right?"
Of course, there were always those who held opposing views. Upon hearing this, Rōshi glanced over, only to find the speaker already bowing his head low.
"Withdrawing Konoha's forces is our best choice."
"I think it's worth giving a try."
After speaking, the man quickly bowed his head again, too afraid to even glance at Rōshi.
"Hmph~Talk is easy."
"It's not your own necks on the line."
"If it ever came to your own heads, I'd like to see whether you'd keep talking like that."
Someone finally snapped in sarcasm.
"I'm simply stating my opinion objectively."
"If the village needs it, what if I volunteer myself?"
One person stubbornly rebutted, appearing ready to sacrifice himself heroically.
"You're just putting on airs—it disgusts me."
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
As the two seemed about to argue right there inside the conference hall, Ōnoki timely intervened.
"Enough!"
"Will arguing solve anything?"
As soon as Ōnoki spoke, the room fell silent.
Yet at this point, Rōshi was already sitting on pins and needles; each passing second felt like an eternity of torment.
"We must always prepare for the worst-case scenario."
"Even if handing over Rōshi gives us a chance to communicate with the Hokage…"
"But if the Hokage refuses to withdraw, we lose Rōshi—an important combat asset."
"How then should we handle subsequent battles?"
"These are the issues we need to consider thoroughly."
After a while, someone finally offered an impartial breakdown of the matter.
"That's true."
"Rōshi is undoubtedly one of our strongest assets in battle. There's no doubt about that."
ōnoki gave a slow nod. Indeed, he had considered this point; otherwise, he wouldn't have felt so conflicted.
"A strong asset?"
"Hmph~"
Rōshi's soft chuckle was drowned out by louder voices. So in their eyes, he was nothing more than a weapon—nothing more.
"My opinion remains unchanged."
"The Daimyō has agreed to supply us with everything we need."
"We just need a little more time."
"But if Konoha insists on starting a war, then everything we do will be pointless."
Kitsuchi had achieved decent results with the Daimyō, but unfortunately, time was not on their side. Before they knew it, Konoha's forces were already at their doorstep.
"Konoha clearly isn't leaving us any room to breathe."
"In my opinion, this war cannot be avoided."
"Tsuchikage-sama, it's time to stop hesitating."
"If it comes to war, we'll fight until neither side remains."
There were certainly clever people present, but most of them valued their lives more than anything else.
"And how exactly do you plan to fight Konoha until neither side remains?"
"You and I both know how much strength they still haven't revealed."
They knew full well they were outmatched—fear was only natural.
"So what?"
"Even if I fall, I'll make sure to carve a piece of Konoha down with me."
Without comparison, there would be no sense of loss. Compared to this man's resolve, many of Iwagakure's leaders now seemed like fools.
"Enough. Let's end this discussion for today."
Seeing no progress could be made through further argument, ōnoki saw no reason to continue the meeting.
"I'll consider everyone's opinions carefully."
"However, since this matter involves Fugaku Uchiha targeting Rōshi directly, I will fully honor Rōshi's choice."
"No matter what the final decision is, I hope none of you will voice complaints afterward."
"Do you understand?"
ōnoki spoke eloquently—yet again placing Rōshi under pressure.
"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama."
All answered together—except Rōshi, who stayed silent.
Honor my choice?
What choice do I have to make?
Am I supposed to hand myself over without resistance?
"Hahaha~"
Bitterly laughing at the absurdity of it all, Rōshi's voice rang out through the hall.
Ignoring the gazes of everyone present, Rōshi stood up and quickly walked away, leaving torn pieces of paper drifting silently through the air.
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ōnoki's expression darkened, visibly displeased by Rōshi's blatant disrespect.
Only Kitsuchi gave chase—but by then, Rōshi had already disappeared without a trace.
In a lonely corner, Rōshi sat slumped on the ground, his face shadowed with loneliness, his spirit visibly broken.
Reflecting on his years in Iwagakure, he laughed once more.
His laugh was rasping, devoid of any joy.
Since childhood, he had been chosen as a jinchūriki, quietly enduring unbearable pain and pressure.
As he grew older, despite excellent strength and a long-standing disagreement with ōnoki, he had never done anything harmful to the village.
Whether it was his performance on missions or during the Second Shinobi World War, he had undeniably earned the title of Iwagakure's hero.
As for killing the former clan leader of the Uchiha, he saw no mistake in it whatsoever.
That was clearly his achievement, a contribution he'd made for Iwagakure.
Why was choosing for himself considered so ridiculous?
Was he really just going to be treated as a discarded piece?
Was there even anything left in this place worth clinging to?
At that thought, Rōshi's mind cleared completely.
Yes, this place no longer deserved for him to stay any longer.
Shoving all negative emotions aside, Rōshi stood up with a smile. Deep down, he already had his answer.
Returning to the camp, he gathered Kitsuchi and several others who had spoken up for him earlier, bringing along several jugs of top-quality sake.
"Thank you all today."
"I'm not one for speeches, so I'll start by drinking—to show my gratitude."
Rōshi lifted a full cup of sake, stood up, and finished it in one go.
"You don't need to thank us."
"We only did what we believed was right."
"The Leaf's actions have been obvious enough. I really don't understand why there's still debate."
"Don't go handing yourself over like a fool."
Kitsuchi spoke last, sincerely patting Rōshi's shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'm not that foolish."
Rōshi laughed heartily, and everyone could see his demeanor was completely different from what it had been inside the conference hall.
Everyone assumed it was him adjusting his mindset so quickly, never suspecting that he had already made other plans.
"That's good to hear."
After getting an affirmative response from Rōshi, Kitsuchi finally felt relieved.
They passed around sake cups enthusiastically, enjoying themselves thoroughly.
When the food was gone and the alcohol finished, this small thank-you banquet finally concluded.
After parting ways with Kitsuchi and the others, Rōshi slightly stumbled back to his tent.
He lay fully clothed across the bed as if genuinely drunk.
But deep into the night, he silently slipped out of his tent, clearly showing not a trace of intoxication.
Under the moonlight, expertly avoiding the sentry posts, Rōshi leapt away and vanished from within the Iwa ninja camp.
...
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