"Old man, you're looking pretty spirited."
Although Deidara wanted to check on him out of concern, for some reason, his words came out like that instead.
Ōnoki shot Deidara a fierce glare. "Hmph!"
"I'm not dead yet!"
"Grandpa!" Kurotsuchi's eyes filled with tears as she practically threw herself at Ōnoki, her face full of fear and anxiety.
"Oh, my dear Kurotsuchi!"
Ōnoki's demeanor softened immediately, showing a completely different side when interacting with her.
Deidara casually placed a fruit basket on the table and asked curiously, "What exactly happened to get you into such a state?"
Ōnoki was too embarrassed to recount the details of his defeat, so Akatsuchi stepped in to explain. Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi's father, Kitsuchi, was temporarily acting as Tsuchikage and handling Iwagakure's affairs.
Akatsuchi scratched his head, looking puzzled. "I'm not entirely sure."
"Tsunade, one of Konoha's legendary Sannin, suddenly returned. Initially, with just her and Jiraiya, Master Ōnoki wouldn't have been in such a bad state."
"But then a powerful Wood Release user appeared. With all three of them attacking at once—and Jiraiya and Tsunade's strength having grown strangely stronger—"
"If it weren't for Uncle Kitsuchi and the others risking their lives to save us, Master might not have made it..."
"Shut up, Akatsuchi!"
"I'm not that weak!" Ōnoki snapped, interrupting Akatsuchi with visible irritation.
Deidara fell into deep thought. This was indeed a bizarre turn of events. Was it Tobi? Or perhaps Danzo using Kotoamatsukami?
The sudden appearance of a Wood Release user naturally made people think of Tobi. As for Tsunade's unexpected return, it could be due to Kotoamatsukami, though that wasn't entirely certain.
"Kid, what are you thinking about?"
"You Akatsuki are aiming to unify the ninja world, aren't you? With Konoha this strong now, you probably don't stand a chance," Ōnoki said with a hint of schadenfreude.
"Not necessarily. Akatsuki is very strong too," Deidara retorted.
"What do you know!" Ōnoki scoffed.
"I don't know the full story behind that Wood Release user, but as for Jiraiya and Tsunade now, either one of them is stronger than me."
"If it weren't for my ability to fly, and the fact that we had tens of thousands of Iwagakure troops present, this old man would've died there for sure."
Though Ōnoki's words were harsh, Deidara understood what he really meant: the old man was warning him to be cautious and not to mess up, lest he die young and leave Ōnoki to mourn him.
The current developments in the ninja world were becoming increasingly difficult to understand. If Tsunade had been controlled by Kotoamatsukami and the Wood Release user was Tobi, then how could Jiraiya and Tsunade have grown so much stronger?
"Alright, I get it," Deidara waved dismissively. Even so, he didn't think Konoha could be a match for Akatsuki—or for him.
Come on, Akatsuki had nine members, each at Kage-level or higher, and most were among the strongest Kage-level fighters. Nine against three—how could they lose?
"Old man, I think you'd better have Iwagakure join Amegakure obediently."
"You're getting on in years. What will you do next time you're in danger?" Deidara advised kindly. But he knew that with Ōnoki's stubbornness, there was no way he'd agree.
Unexpectedly, this time, Deidara received a different answer.
"If you want Iwagakure to merge with Amegakure, it's possible."
"But first, I want to see how you handle the matter at hand. If you demonstrate sufficient strength, then why shouldn't I agree?"
"What matter?" Deidara asked, puzzled.
"The Joint Chūnin Exams."
"The Joint Chūnin Exams?" Deidara repeated in surprise. Was this some unavoidable trope in fanfiction?
The plot had already diverged so much, yet here came a Chūnin Exam storyline?
Ōnoki nodded. "That's right!"
"This morning, just before you arrived in Iwagakure, we received a notification from Konoha about the Joint Chūnin Exams."
"Danzo has mandated that all invited villages must participate, and the results will determine future territorial governance."
"If a village refuses to participate, they will face direct military action from Konoha after the exams, losing their status as a ninja village," Ōnoki explained.
"So Danzo wants to become the ruler of the ninja world, using the Chūnin Exams as a pretext to establish a subordinate agreement?"
Deidara understood Danzo's strategy.
After suffering several defeats, Danzo had become slightly less aggressive.
Had Konoha possessed such strength when Danzo first took power, he would've declared war on the entire ninja world outright instead of resorting to such tactics.
Under the guise of the Chūnin Exams, Danzo was inviting representatives from various villages to gather, aiming to form a Konoha-led alliance.
However, this wouldn't be a loose alliance. Based on Danzo's intentions, the territories governed by each member village would be decided by Konoha. Agreeing to such terms would essentially make them subordinate villages to Konoha.
"Would Kumogakure and Kirigakure agree to this?" Deidara asked curiously. Kumogakure's fiery temperament alone made it seem unlikely.
"Konoha didn't invite Kumogakure or Kirigakure, nor any of the smaller villages in that region."
"This time, Danzo's invitation is only directed at the western half of the ninja world."
"So, how does Akatsuki plan to handle this?" Ōnoki asked with a mischievous smile.
In his estimation, while Amegakure was strong, it couldn't match Konoha's current power. The best course of action would be to form an alliance with Iwagakure. With Ōnoki's reputation and Iwagakure's resources, he believed he could take the lead.
This wasn't ignorance on Ōnoki's part. It was simply that the ninja world was currently undergoing rapid changes, with the power ceiling rising dramatically.
Ōnoki himself had once been considered a peak Kage-level fighter. Now, both Jiraiya and Tsunade had surpassed him, giving Konoha two super Kage-level individuals. Add to that the mysterious Wood Release user, Hokage Danzo, and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
Such a luxurious lineup hadn't been seen since the death of Hashirama Senju. Even during the First Shinobi War, when Tobirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki were still around, Konoha barely managed this level of dominance.
"Hmm? Wait a moment."
Deidara suddenly received a message from Nagato.
"Leader, what's the matter?"
"Danzo has sent an invitation to Amegakure for the Joint Chūnin Exams. I'll convene a meeting later to discuss this matter."
"Also, Orochimaru is looking for you. He seems to be in a hurry," Nagato added.
"Orochimaru? We just parted ways. Could he miss me already?"
"Let me meet with Orochimaru first. His urgency is probably related to the Joint Chūnin Exams as well," Deidara said after some thought.
"Understood," Nagato replied.
"Alright then, old man. Since you're fine, I'll take my leave. Our organization needs to discuss how to handle this matter," Deidara said as he stood up. The savior's life was always busy.
"And the matter of the alliance?" Akatsuchi asked.
"As I said before, if Iwagakure is willing to join Amegakure, you're always welcome," Deidara replied.
"Arrogant! Overconfident!"
Ōnoki was visibly displeased with Deidara's blunt rejection.
"Kurotsuchi, are you staying in Iwagakure or coming back to Amegakure with me?" Deidara asked, turning to her.
Kurotsuchi hugged Ōnoki's arm tightly. Seeing this, Ōnoki's face lit up with a smug smile.
"Kid, of course Kurotsuchi is more attached to—"
"Grandpa, since you're fine, I'll leave with Brother Deidara."
"Please take good care of yourself!"
This... was a moment of collective amusement.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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