The Land of Earth.
Iwagakure.
This was a place surrounded by high mountains on all sides, boasting a fortress known as the sturdiest in the entire shinobi world. It was a valley relatively isolated from the outside world. Whether those inside wanted to leave or those outside wanted to enter, the journey was exceptionally difficult.
Under the leadership of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, the village was in a state of unprecedented prosperity and stability. During wartime, it could mobilize tens of thousands of shinobi. If one set aside the gap in top-tier powerhouses, Iwa could be said to have the largest number of shinobi among the Five Great Nations.
Because of this, Onoki had always been ambitious, seeking to expand the influence of the Land of Earth. Unfortunately, several foreign wars had ended in stalemates or outright failures.
Feeling his body grow older by the day, and frustrated that the village had yet to find a talent capable of inheriting Dust Release, he was in a constant state of anxiety. He feared that if he died one day, Iwa would have no successor, leading them to be ground into the dirt by their arch-rivals, the brutes of Kumogakure, just like Sunagakure next to Konoha.
While Onoki was busy considering who to groom as the next Tsuchikage heir, an opportunity suddenly presented itself: the sudden collapse of Kusagakure.
Although intelligence suggested that the individual or organization responsible might possess highly advanced Earth Release Forbidden Jutsu, resembling Iwa's own style, Onoki knew perfectly well that he hadn't ordered it.
However, following the principle that "only a fool passes up a free lunch," he immediately dispatched personnel to attempt a de facto occupation of the Land of Grass before Konoha could react.
As fate would have it, Konoha also sent forces to stabilize the region. Consequently, both sides occupied half of the Land of Grass and were currently engaged in a covert war for control over several strategic locations.
To achieve his long-held ambition, the Third Tsuchikage not only sent his biological son, Kitsuchi, but also several squads composed of Jonin and Special Jonin. They aimed to squeeze Konoha's grip on the Land of Grass by hunting their patrol teams, ensuring Iwa would hold more initiative and advantage in the upcoming negotiations.
What he never expected was that these efforts would yield no victory, but rather the news of his son's death in battle.
"Who killed Kitsuchi?"
Looking at the corpse, rushed back via a sealing scroll and Reverse Summoning, Onoki suppressed his rage and grief, questioning in a bone-chilling tone.
"It was a Konoha Genin named Allen," the Anbu responsible for the report answered cautiously, head bowed.
"A Genin?!"
The Tsuchikage's voice jumped an octave, and the fire of fury in his eyes blazed even brighter. As a living fossil who had witnessed three Great Ninja Wars and even spoken with the "Shinobi Ghost" Madara Uchiha, he found it impossible to believe that someone of Kitsuchi's strength could be killed by a mere Genin.
While Konoha had produced many geniuses and monsters, those were usually forged in the blood and gore of wartime.
"Tsuchikage-sama, this is intelligence gathered by our spies embedded in Konoha regarding that Genin. Please have a look."
The Anbu was clearly prepared, presenting a sealed scroll that had been sent back with the body. Onoki snatched it and began reading immediately.
When he saw that Allen wasn't born in Konoha but was an orphan picked up while severely injured, and that he possessed some strange Kekkei Genkai, he frowned and sneered. "Well played, Konoha! Hiruzen Sarutobi is quite lucky to stumble upon a genius just by picking up an orphan. But the problem is, Konoha has produced so many geniuses. How many of them actually came to a good end?"
"Then your meaning is..."
The Anbu seemed to realize what the Tsuchikage intended, his eyes flashing with naked, undisguised hatred.
"Simple! Reply to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Say that negotiations are fine, and we'll even withdraw from the Land of Grass, but the condition is that the Genin named Allen must be handed over to me," Onoki decided without a second thought.
In his eyes, eliminating a massive potential threat was far more important than annexing the Land of Grass. The shinobi world was a place where strength reigned supreme! A single powerful shinobi could play a role far exceeding hundreds of ordinary ones.
In the past, Konoha's White Fang, the Sannin, and the Yellow Flash were all powerhouses capable of changing the course of a war single-handedly. Fortunately, the White Fang died early due to internal power struggles, the Sannin either defected or left, and even the Yellow Flash, who had caused Iwa immense losses, had fallen.
Combined with the recent Uchiha massacre, Konoha was arguably at its weakest since its founding, unable to field many decent masters. Thus, Onoki would never allow Konoha to produce a second person like Minato Namikaze.
Stifling the geniuses of other villages was a consensus among the high-ranking officials of all Five Great Nations! Otherwise, once they grew up, they would become your nightmare.
"Understood! Your words will be conveyed to the Third Hokage exactly as spoken. I believe that 'Shinobi Ace,' who has become incredibly soft lately, won't dare refuse."
The Anbu sneered and nodded, then vanished instantly.
Once his subordinate was gone, Onoki dropped his facade as Tsuchikage and slumped to the floor. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he reached out to stroke his son's cold body. "Kitsuchi, rest easy. I will avenge you. That killer will pay the price, no matter what."
Just as he was about to take the body to the cemetery for burial, he suddenly discovered that the corpse had vanished into thin air. If he hadn't touched it just now, he would have thought he was under a Genjutsu.
Undoubtedly, it had been exactly twenty-four hours since Allen duplicated Kitsuchi's body.
What is going on?!
Onoki stared intently at the spot where the body had been, his aged face filled with disbelief. Clearly, this eerie situation exceeded his understanding.
To uncover the truth, he ordered his personal guards to investigate the entire matter from beginning to end. The results showed no suspicious points. Even those responsible for examining the body confirmed it was 100% Kitsuchi and hadn't been tampered with.
For a moment, the deeply suspicious Tsuchikage fell into a state of confusion. However, he soon pushed the matter to the back of his mind and began preparing to head to the Land of Grass for negotiations with the Hokage, and to see for himself what the Genin who killed his son looked like.
...
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage received Iwa's reply. He took a deep breath and spoke to his lifelong comrade. "You predicted correctly! Onoki has indeed proposed using that child as the condition for his withdrawal."
"Then are you going to give him up?" Koharu Utatane questioned sternly.
"No, of course not. The village has been weak for years precisely because we lack masters. How could I bear to destroy the village's future? But if we don't give the other side an opportunity, Onoki likely won't let this go. So, I've decided to give him one chance. If he can't pull it off, then we'll act as if this never happened."
"One chance?"
Danzo, who had remained silent, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Yes. I will give the Iwa ninja an opportunity to ambush Allen, but whether they succeed or not is none of our business," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a crafty smile.
"Do you need my people to cooperate?" Danzo offered.
The Third Hokage nodded slightly. "Of course. This matter is best handled by you in the shadows. But remember, that child is the future of the village. You'd better not have any bad intentions."
"Hmph. Don't worry. He's just a rootless orphan who has shown a willingness to integrate into the village, not like those ambitious Uchiha. I'd welcome and protect such a member of the new generation. Besides, if it were me, I wouldn't even give the Tsuchikage this chance. As you get older, your character gets softer and softer."
With that, Danzo stood up abruptly and walked out of the Hokage's office without looking back.