Iwagakure, Land of Earth.
"...That concludes all the intelligence regarding the capture of the Kumogakure's Jinchuriki this time."
A Shinobi knelt on one knee, reporting to the young woman before him all the information about Yugito that had come from Konoha.
But after he finished speaking, he received no response for a long time.
Curious, he looked up and found the young woman before him had fainted from shock, her eyes rolling back.
Bang!
"How dare she!"
Kurotsuchi angrily punched the desk, but unlike A, she didn't have his strength; the desk didn't budge.
Kurotsuchi's subordinate Shinobi watched this scene with relief.
'Tsuchikage-sama would be pleased to see this, Kurotsuchi-sama is actually worried about the village.'
'It was a pity that the Kumogakure's Jinchuriki didn't die in Konoha this time, but there would be other opportunities.'
Then, he heard...
"I hasn't even slept with my Takumi-husband, yet that nasty woman has done it all!"
Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth, glaring at the air as if that hateful woman was right there, laughing at her arrogantly. "I'll definitely tear you to pieces!"
The negative emotions emanating from her condensed into a visible black substance on her body.
Her subordinate Shinobi felt an incredibly intense killing intent.
But what was even harder for him to accept was what Kurotsuchi had said.
'Sorry, Tsuchikage-sama, Kurotsuchi-sama still hasn't matured.'
"Wait!"
Kurotsuchi suddenly thought of something. The negative emotions on her body vanished, and she returned to her usual lively and cute self.
'If I also go to assassinate him and get captured, would the same thing happen to me?'
'Then, I could also be with Takumi-husband, eating, going to the toilet, sleeping together!'
'Haha!'
'I'm such a genius!'
Kurotsuchi wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, then straightened her expression. "Follow me, I'm going to see Grandpa."
Having said that, ignoring the other person, she rushed out like the wind.
"..."
Her subordinate Shinobi stared blankly at Kurotsuchi's retreating figure. Only when she was out of sight did he register her words, quickly scrambling up from the floor to follow.
But when he reached the corner, Kurotsuchi was nowhere to be seen.
Kurotsuchi had already flown to the Tsuchikage's office using the Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique.
Onoki was in his office handling the week's official business.
He was old and couldn't come to work every day.
So his subordinates would gather all the important matters together for him to review once a week.
As for simpler matters, Onoki trusted his trusted subordinates implicitly.
Especially his son, Kitsuchi.
He was just reviewing documents when a voice came rapidly, approaching from afar.
"Grandpa!"
"Hmm?"
Onoki looked up and saw Kurotsuchi's figure flying swiftly towards him from outside the window.
But the key point was, this was the fifth floor!
Bang!
Kurotsuchi kicked the window, shattering it, and rushed straight in. "Grandpa, I'm going to assassinate Konoha's Takumi!"
"What?"
Onoki was dumbfounded, momentarily forgetting to care about the newly replaced glass. "You? Assassinate Takumi? Can you bear to?"
"I've seen the light, Grandpa!"
Kurotsuchi clenched her fist, her face full of resolve. "I've been so strange lately, it must be because that damn Takumi put me under a Genjutsu! I have to eliminate him to get rid of this awful Genjutsu!"
"So, Grandpa, please allow me to go to Konoha for an assassination mission!"
Her face was full of passion and excitement, but her eyes secretly watched for Onoki's reaction.
Onoki looked at Kurotsuchi, his face full of deep suspicion.
Honestly, Kurotsuchi's change was just too fast.
Too fast for him to believe.
"Forget it. It's too dangerous for you to go to Konoha alone for an assassination."
Onoki casually found a reason to refuse, then buried his head preparing to continue with his work.
"Grandpa!"
Slap!
Kurotsuchi slammed her hand hard on the desk. This time, she used Ninjutsu, causing the sturdy desk to crack, again making Onoki watch worriedly as the cracks spread.
He was afraid the desk would end up like the window, completely useless.
Then he wouldn't have a desk to work on.
"What happened?"
Bang!
The door burst open and Kitsuchi rushed in, only to see the floor covered in glass shards and the Tsuchikage's desk on the verge of collapse.
"Kurotsuchi, what are you up to now?"
Kitsuchi said with a wry smile. "Today is your grandfather's workday, don't bother him."
"I am doing something serious!"
Kurotsuchi said with a serious face. "I've decided, for the future of the village, Konoha's Takumi absolutely cannot be allowed to live!"
These words struck a chord with Onoki.
All the evidence gathered from various sources indicated that if Takumi continued to grow, he would become a figure like the First Hokage, someone who could suppress an entire era.
Onoki didn't want his hard-built Iwagakure to remain forever subservient to Konoha.
So, he dreamed of eliminating Takumi.
But his health was poor, preventing him from going on long expeditions. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind going to Konoha himself for a splendid assassination, making Takumi disappear without a trace under his Dust Release.
Unfortunately,
His physical limitations meant he didn't dare stray too far from Iwagakure.
Now, suddenly hearing Kurotsuchi's words, his pent-up frustration was stirred, and he couldn't help but consider it.
'With Kurotsuchi's strength, even if she couldn't assassinate him, escaping should be no major problem. Once airborne, enemies would find it hard to pursue.'
This was an advantage of their lineage.
Among the few in the entire Shinobi World who could fly.
Others who wanted to fly through the air needed external help.
"Nonsense!"
While Onoki was thinking, Kitsuchi firmly refused. "After the Kumogakure's Jinchuriki's sneak attack, Konoha is now on high alert. How can you possibly succeed in a sneak attack?"
"Precisely because it's a special time, more loopholes will appear!"
Kurotsuchi argued loudly. "With Konoha's frequent patrols, they'll definitely expose more information to our spies there. Then they can more easily grasp the loopholes in Konoha's patrols."
"Then, infiltrating will be a piece of cake for me."
Her words sounded like specious reasoning.
But upon closer thought, they weren't entirely unreasonable.
As the saying goes, even the most thorough plan has its overlooked aspects.
In the most rigorous operations, the hardest-to-detect flaws are most likely to appear.
"Let her give it a try."
Onoki raised his hand to stop Kitsuchi from speaking further. "Even if the mission fails, escaping and returning should be no problem."
"Besides, this might just be a good opportunity."
"If she succeeds, we eliminate a major thorn in our side."
"If she fails, Kurotsuchi flies into the sky. It'll be hard for the enemy to pursue. She can advance or retreat freely."
Onoki analyzed carefully, his eyes growing brighter. "However, this time the assassination is just you alone. If others go, they might expose your trail. Besides you, no one else can use the Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique."
"Leave it to me!"
Seeing the matter about to be settled, Kurotsuchi immediately pounded her chest confidently. "I'll complete the mission!"
With that, she flew directly out the window.
"Is this really alright?"
Kitsuchi watched Kurotsuchi's departing figure worriedly. "Based on what we know of Takumi's strength, can Kurotsuchi really assassinate him?"
"We have to try."
Onoki's expression was serious. "And even if she fails, Kurotsuchi will only be captured. Her life won't be in danger."
"Why?"
Kitsuchi was puzzled.
"Looks like you haven't observed carefully enough."
Onoki glanced at his son. "From the intelligence gathered so far, Takumi has never actively killed a woman."
"I don't know if it's because he's too kind, or if it's a peculiar quirk of his. For now, this might become one of his weaknesses."
"Of course, it's also possible that there are records of him killing women in intelligence we haven't collected."
He finally refrained from making a definitive statement, just to be safe.
"I see."
Kitsuchi understood, and the worry on his face lessened slightly. "That makes me feel a bit more relieved."
"Yeah. We just need to patiently wait for news from Kurotsuchi."
Onoki nodded. "If she succeeds, great. If she fails, we just need to pay some price to ransom her back."