Meanwhile, in a small village in the Land of Earth.
In a secluded corner, a man with purplish-red hair was drinking alone.
It was none other than Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki of the Stone Village.
After leaving the Stone Village, not having to see that old man Ōnoki made him feel incredibly at ease.
Their personalities simply clashed too much.
Out here, he could also train and improve his strength.
Just as he was drinking, a group of people slowly entered the village.
Leading them was the floating old man Ōnoki, the burly Kitsuchi, and a young girl, Kurotsuchi.
Behind the three of them followed several Stone Village ninjas.
Seeing this group, Rōshi cast a brief glance before turning his head away in disgust.
He simply continued drinking from his wine gourd.
He had absolutely no desire to pay them any attention.
Seeing Rōshi's attitude from up in the air, Ōnoki figured the man was still angry.
Ever since their massive argument last time, Rōshi had left in a fit of pique.
Truth be told, if Ōnoki wasn't older and a generation senior to him, he really wouldn't have been able to keep his composure.
But now was not the time to pick a fight.
He flew over to Rōshi's side.
"Rōshi, I am here to ask you to return to the village."
"You must have heard that Uchiha Madara has resurfaced. It is simply too dangerous for you to stay outside the village."
Hearing Ōnoki's words from behind, Rōshi immediately stopped drinking and turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"I'm out in this small village, I haven't heard any such news."
"Still, to think you would actually believe such a ridiculous rumor."
"Has your old age finally made you senile?"
He had no desire to return to the village and face a stubborn old mule like Ōnoki. It was much more relaxing out here.
Hearing Rōshi's words, Ōnoki felt his temper flaring up.
His expression darkened. This bastard was actually showing such disrespect to his senior.
He lacked even basic manners, but for the sake of the village and the safety of the Tailed Beast, Ōnoki decided to swallow his pride for now.
"Rōshi, this is no false rumor. Uchiha Madara has begun collecting the Tailed Beasts. Even the Eight-Tails of the Cloud Village has already been taken. You are his next target."
To get this guy back to the village, he had no choice but to lay it out like this.
Rōshi was a bit surprised to hear this. To think Uchiha Madara was actually collecting the Tailed Beasts.
Of course, what shocked him even more was that the man was actually still alive.
Although he didn't know what the other party's goal in collecting the Tailed Beasts was, it didn't necessarily mean Madara would definitely come looking for him like Ōnoki claimed.
"Even if Uchiha Madara is still alive, how would he ever find such a remote place?"
"You're overthinking things, Ōnoki. The chances of that happening are slim to none."
Ōnoki felt somewhat speechless.
This guy truly had zero sense of danger.
"A small chance doesn't mean no chance."
"A Tailed Beast Jinchūriki is a precious weapon of war for the village. I expect you to return with me."
Rōshi had a smile on his face, but upon hearing Ōnoki call him a weapon of war, his expression instantly froze.
"Ōnoki, I am not going back to the village, and I am certainly no weapon of war."
Ōnoki knew he had misspoken. Rōshi absolutely despised being called that, but he blamed the man for getting on his nerves.
"Fine, a Tailed Beast Jinchūriki is not a weapon of war. What will it take for you to return to the village?"
Rōshi was still annoyed, but he suddenly had an idea.
"Since you want me back so badly, why don't you let me borrow the Tsuchikage seat for a while?"
Ōnoki's face darkened.
"You're going a bit too far. Is the position of Tsuchikage something that can just be borrowed?"
"I can, however, allow you to join the upper echelons, granting you decision-making authority. How about that?"
Rōshi glanced at Ōnoki. Was this guy actually going to let him into the upper echelons?
What he said earlier was obviously just a joke; he didn't actually think Ōnoki would give up his position.
Although he didn't get along with the man, Ōnoki had still led the village to a position of great strength.
As a Tailed Beast Jinchūriki, he certainly wasn't just a weapon for the village. He possessed true strength and naturally deserved a place among the higher-ups.
"Alright, Ōnoki. Since you're begging me so sincerely, I suppose I'll return to the village."
"Though I still don't think Uchiha Madara will find his way here."
Ōnoki forced a smile onto his face. This guy was really pushing his luck, but he endured it.
"Then get ready, and come back to the village with us."
"The sooner we return, the sooner we can have peace of mind."
Rōshi, however, waved his hand and laughed.
"Sure, but you'll have to wait until I finish this jug of wine."
Knowing the man's temperament, Ōnoki naturally wasn't going to start an argument over a little bit of time.
Otherwise, he might upset him and cause him to change his mind again.
Over ten minutes later, Ōnoki looked at Rōshi, whose face was flushed and who was now visibly tipsy.
"Satisfied? It's time to go."
Rōshi felt delighted. It was rare to make this guy wait around for so long.
Feeling incredibly pleased, he stood up.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
But right at that moment, the ground began to tremble slightly.
The villagers panicked a little, unsure of what was happening.
One by one, they stepped out of their houses, expressions full of alarm.
"What's going on?"
"What happened?"
Ōnoki, however, remained calm. He could feel that the tremors weren't coming from deep underground, nor were they particularly strong.
"Relax, it's not an earthquake."
The accompanying Stone Village ninjas and the villagers breathed a sigh of relief, but they were still deeply confused.
"But what's causing this shaking?"
Suddenly, the tremors grew stronger. A villager looked toward the road leading out of the village in the distance, where the massive silhouette of a beast had appeared.
"There's a monster!"
"Run!"
The villagers followed his gaze and were all struck with terror. They immediately began shouting for their families and fleeing toward the other side of the village.