Iwagakure.
Bang!
The door of the meeting room was violently pushed open as a burly man with red hair tied into a ponytail barged in.
"Onoki! Why did you lock up Gari?" The bearded Roshi pointed at Onoki and demanded an explanation in front of the many high-ranking Iwagakure's Ninja.
Being called out like this, Onoki's expression darkened. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted: "Roshi! Know your place! This is not where you throw a tantrum!"
"Me? Throwing a tantrum?!" Roshi let out an angry laugh and jumped onto the meeting table, crossing his arms as he glared down at Onoki.
Seeing this, the other high-ranking Ninja in the meeting room wisely chose to leave.
Once everyone was gone, Onoki's son, Kitsuchi, quickly shut the door and tried to mediate, "Roshi-senpai, Gari's situation is a bit… special."
"What's so special about it?!" Roshi wasn't having any of it and continued shouting, "Gari has dedicated himself to the village, even enduring inhuman torture after being captured by the enemy! Now that he's finally managed to escape, you lock him up for interrogation?"
"It's standard procedure." Kitsuchi sighed, attempting to pull Roshi down from the table.
But Roshi was as stubborn as a mule. He plopped down cross-legged on the table and declared, "If you don't give me a proper explanation today, I'm not leaving!"
Onoki's beard bristled in fury as he slammed the table again: "If you have the guts, you can sit there for the rest of your life!"
Stuck between the two, Kitsuchi desperately tried to mediate. One was his father, while the other was the village's Jinchuriki… both were hot-headed and clashed on nearly everything.
With Gari's situation adding fuel to the fire, tensions would only harm the village.
So Kitsuchi quickly explained, "Roshi-senpai, Gari's team disappeared for months during their mission in the Land of Bears. Now that he's suddenly returned, an investigation is standard protocol."
"Bullshit protocol!" Roshi snarled at Kitsuchi, "Gari barely escaped with his life! The border patrol even fought those Hoshigakure's Ninja, killing one of their Jonin and several Chunin and Genin! They even took injuries in the fight!"
"Are you seriously suggesting Gari is a spy planted by the enemy? That they sacrificed a Jonin and multiple Chunin and Genin just to sell the act?"
It had been a month since Gari, the Explosion Release user, had returned to Iwagakure.
Of the team sent by the Iwagakure to investigate the sudden changes in the Land of Bears and Hoshigakure, only Gari escaped back, while the whereabouts of the other two were still unknown. This made Onoki suspicious of Gari and placed him under investigation.
Since his return, Gari had been confined under the guise of 'medical recovery', and Roshi had had enough.
After gathering information from the border patrol who had fought the pursuing Star ninja, Roshi learned that one of the enemy Ninja was exceptionally strong, at least Jonin-level, and had injured several Iwagakure's Ninjas before being killed in battle. Their bodies had even been recovered.
Roshi had never seen eye-to-eye with Onoki on many matters, and Gari was his close friend. Watching his friend being treated like this, the hot-tempered Roshi couldn't stay silent.
That's why he had stormed into the meeting room today, directly confronting the Third Tsuchikage himself… without a shred of regard for Onoki's authority.
Meanwhile, Onoki, who is seated at the head of the table, was equally furious at Roshi, the Jinchuriki who constantly opposed him.
"I told you, it's standard procedure! Have I thrown Gari in a prison cell?" The short-statured Onoki stood on his chair, hands planted on the table as he glared at Roshi.
"Then release him already! It's been a month!" Roshi shot back, refusing to back down.
Under normal circumstances, Onoki would have agreed. After all, a month of investigation had turned up nothing. The pursuing Hoshigakure's Ninja had indeed lost a Jonin and several Chunin and Genin, making it unlikely that they'd sacrifice so many just to plant a spy.
Moreover, Gari had brought back valuable intel about Hoshigakure.
According to his account, he had been defeated by a mysterious woman of immense strength, and his entire team had been wiped out and imprisoned in Hoshigakure.
During his imprisonment, Gari had endured brutal torture and interrogation but had revealed nothing about Iwagakure. Instead, he had overheard the guards discussing how Hoshigakure had undergone a coup, and a group of powerful Rogue Ninja had taken control of the village.
He even met Pakura, a Ninja from Sunagakure, who was also imprisoned.
"It's not the time yet." Originally, Onoki had been ready to release Gari, but Roshi's defiance only hardened his resolve.
"You stubborn old bastard!" Roshi's breathing grew heavy.
His right hand ignited with Lava Release as he suddenly lashed out at Onoki.
Onoki reacted instantly, encasing his own fist in rock with Earth Release: Rock Fist and clashing head-on with Roshi's Lava Release.
Boom!
The collision of stone and lava sent a wave of scorching heat through the room. Even as a Jinchuriki, Roshi was forced back several steps.
However, The collision of stone and lava sent a wave of scorching heat through the room. Even as a Jinchūriki, Roshi was forced back several steps. His sleeve was burned away, and the rock encasing his arm shattered from the impact.
"In a few days, the one-month period will be over and Gari's confinement will be lifted." Onoki said coldly.
"Hmph!" Roshi snorted heavily.
He knew he couldn't defeat Onoki, otherwise, he would have fought this stubborn old man long ago.
But the equally stubborn Roshi would never bow to Onoki.
So, having gotten his answer, Roshi dispersed his Lava Release and stormed out of the meeting room.
"That damn fool is going to be the death of me!" Onoki panted as he glared at Roshi's retreating back.
"Dad, don't let Roshi get to you. Think about your health." Kitsuchi stepped forward to steady Onoki.
The mention of health made Onoki's back ache even more. He rubbed his sore spine and sighed at his son in frustration, "Honestly, if you were just a bit stronger, at least strong enough to keep Roshi and Han in check, I'd have handed the Tsuchikage's position to you ages ago! Then I wouldn't have to work myself to the bone every day!"
Kitsuchi could only chuckle awkwardly under his father's scolding.
Onoki let out a deep sigh as he looked at his honest, simple-minded son.
Kitsuchi reminded him too much of his younger self, except in terms of strength.
Not that Kitsuchi was weak. After all, before even hitting thirty, Kitsuchi had already become a Jonin and had even commanded entire battlefronts during the Third Great Ninja War.
But his strength wasn't enough to suppress the Four-Tails' Jinchuriki, Roshi, and the Five-Tails' Jinchuriki, Han.
That was why Onoki hesitated to pass the title down. If he died and those two Jinchuriki decided to rebel, Iwagakure would have no one capable of stopping them.
This was Iwagakure's greatest weakness, which is a lack of elite-level fighters.
The ninja education system adopted by Iwagakure draws on the Ninja Academy system of Konoha, but had its own unique aspects.
Iwagakure had no shortage of Ninjas. During the Third Great Ninja War, they had mustered ten thousand fighters to besiege the Third Raikage, wearing him down over three days and nights until he finally fell from exhaustion.
But at the same time, Iwagakure had also lost countless talented Ninja in the process, and even now, they hadn't fully recovered.
With Kitsuchi's help, Onoki slowly lowered himself back into his seat, rubbing his aching back. His aged eyes, filled with wisdom, studied his son's clueless expression before he spoke again, "The Daimyo has no interest in escalating conflict with the Land of Bears, or rather, Hoshigakure, and risking another war."
"Therefore, the Daimyo of the Land of Birds will step forward to issue a diplomatic note to the Land of Bears, demanding an explanation of the situation, and then, depending on the circumstances, they will recognize the new Daimyō of the Land of Bears."
"What?" Although Kitsuchi wasn't well-versed in politics, his rugged face froze in shock when he heard that the Daimyō of the Land of Earth was preparing to compromise.
'Hadn't they always said that the dignity of a Daimyō was inviolable?'
'Not to mention, the Daimyō's entire family had been slaughtered, and the nobles of the Land of Bears had been purged from top to bottom. Many nobles in the Land of Earth had intermarried with those of the Land of Bears… how could they just accept this?'
As Kitsuchi stood there dumbfounded, Onoki punched him square in the head.
The blow made Kitsuchi yelp in pain.
"That's why I say, when will that thick skull of yours ever get it?!" Onoki had completely lost hope in his dim-witted son.
However, his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, had shown remarkable talent and intelligence from a young age, giving him a glimmer of hope for the future.
"Huh? Dad, what's going on?" Kitsuchi rubbed the spot where his father had just hit him, grimacing in pain.
Onoki glared at him irritably before slowly explaining, "After the last siege on the Third Raikage, our Iwagakure also lost over two thousand Ninja. War-weariness in the village is high. If we rush into another conflict now, we'd only be handing an advantage to the Land of Wind."
"So, the Daimyō's plan is to have a smaller nation step in, recognize the new Daimyō of the Land of Bears, and use this opportunity to uncover the mastermind behind the upheaval in the Land of Bears. Then, we'll stir up tensions between the Land of Bears and the Land of Wind, letting Sunagakure's Ninjas test the waters with Hoshigakure first. Once they've weakened each other, we'll find the right moment to intervene militarily."
Even though Onoki had explained it in such detail, Kitsuchi still looked utterly lost, his eyes brimming with pure confusion.
Nation-level political maneuvering was something many battle-focused Ninjas simply couldn't grasp.
Seeing his son's confused eyes, Onoki sighed and turned toward the window: "Continue increasing patrols along the borders. The Land of Bears... may soon need a new name."
…
At the same time-
In the shrine of the Land of Demons, the thin silk curtains swayed without wind.
Priestess Miroku jolted awake from her bed, her white underrobe clinging to her back, soaked in cold sweat.
Her trembling fingers pressed against her heaving chest… the nightmare still clung to her mind.
An endless darkness had swallowed the entire Ninja World, and within a single piercing beam of light, a vague silhouette flickered-
"This prophecy..." Miroku shuddered with unease.