Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
This fortress Village, built atop a massive rocky mountain, was currently shrouded in a tense atmosphere, like a storm was about to break.
Ōnoki was in his office.
Spread out before him were several reports that had just been urgently delivered by the Intelligence Division.
Ōnoki read through the reports once more, filled with information that was as inconceivable as it was undeniable. His wrinkled face was set in a deep frown, the furrowed lines around his mouth deepening with tension, betraying his extreme inner turmoil.
What did they mean, the First, Second, and Fourth Hokage had been resurrected?
Each of those names represented a peak in the history of the Ninja World, existences formidable enough to make any Kage-level powerhouse feel troubled or even despairing.
And what did they mean, the Sixth Hokage Uzumaki Naruto was a perfect Jinchuriki?
A perfect Jinchuriki meant that the world-destroying power of the Nine-Tailed could be completely controlled; its threat level would increase exponentially.
A person runs up to your Village gates, transforms directly into a Tailed Beast to attack at will, and then turns back into a human and slips away...
What Village wouldn't find that agonizing to deal with?
It might be manageable if a Kage-level powerhouse were alone, but the Village is full of people!
How on earth did Konoha pull this off?
How old is that brat anyway?
Furthermore, what did they mean by conquering the Land of Grass in a single day?
Though the Land of Grass was a small nation, it still possessed a certain level of strength.
One day?
This was no longer a war; it was an overwhelming, unstoppable crushing force.
The military power and operational efficiency Konoha displayed were terrifyingly suffocating!
And the final piece of news—the one that made his heart go cold—was this:
The border defenses had been Breakthrough, and the Sixth Hokage had already entered the Land of Earth, heading straight for Iwagakure!
The defensive lines were like wet paper!
The opponent's goal was clear and direct: to strike straight at the heart!
Ōnoki felt a deep sense of helplessness intertwined with fury.
From the moment he received the first abnormal report, he had immediately taken countermeasures.
He had sent people to urgently contact the 'Akatsuki' organization, which had a decent reputation in the mercenary market, attempting to pay a high price to hire them to assist in the defense or even intercept the coming enemy.
But... Ōnoki knew in his heart that no matter how strong the Akatsuki were or how mysterious the rumors, asking them to 'clash' with three resurrected Hokage—especially that god of shinobi, Senju Hashirama...
That was asking too much of them.
Ōnoki even felt this was a bit like a desperate man clutching at straws.
But he had no choice. Iwagakure had suffered too heavily in the last Great Ninja War. Although they had recovered somewhat over the years, their top-tier combat power was still lacking a new generation.
Facing such an absurd combination of enemies, the only external help he could think of was 'Akatsuki'.
Simultaneously, he immediately issued the highest level of mobilization, ordering all Iwagakure Ninja abroad to return to the Village at top speed. He aimed to gather all their strength, relying on Iwagakure's easily defensible terrain and years of fortified defenses, to see if they could... withstand Konoha's thunderous assault.
"To see if they could."
Even as he spoke those words, he felt a pang of bitterness.
In addition, Ōnoki did not forget diplomatic efforts.
He had dispatched his most elite and reliable messengers, carrying detailed intelligence on Konoha's abnormal movements, to the Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning, the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water, and the Hidden Sand Village in the Land of Wind.
On one hand, it was a warning that Konoha's threat had exceeded conventional bounds; on the other, it was an attempt to persuade them to temporarily set aside past grudges and consider uniting to resist Konoha's table-turning 'Unification War'.
Having done all this, Ōnoki's heart remained as heavy as iron.
His gaze fell once more on the line in the report: 'A Unification War launched to end the chaos and bring about a more lasting peace.'
"What 'Unification War for the sake of peace'!"
Just as he had during previous readings, the fire in his chest was ignited again. He slammed the report onto his desk with a heavy 'thud'.
"Hmph! It's nothing more than dressing up naked aggression and ambition in high-sounding words!"
"This Uzumaki Naruto, this Sixth Hokage... it seems he's no easy mark! He's even more unreasonable than those brutes from the Hidden Cloud Village!"
Amidst his anger, a sliver of worry quietly crept into his mind.
That fellow Roshi... he's been out wandering for so long,
He couldn't have run into that Sixth Hokage, could he?
With Roshi's straightforward and fiery temper, if they met, he likely wouldn't just stand by... What would the result be?
Ōnoki didn't dare think too deeply on it.
Roshi was strong, but he was still quite a bit behind the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki...
Just as Ōnoki's mind was in turmoil, a mix of anger and worry, his office door was pushed open.
A vibrant, slightly teasing young female voice rang out:
"What's wrong, Old Man? Why are you in here getting so worked up all by yourself?"
Hearing the voice, the anger in Ōnoki's chest involuntarily flickered out.
Because the one who had pushed the door open was his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi.
Kurotsuchi had short, neat black hair, and her beautiful face carried a touch of heroism. She wore a brownish-red Ninja outfit suitable for movement, with a tool pouch tied at her waist, looking capable and full of youthful energy.
She walked in casually, curiously eyeing the messy documents on her grandfather's desk and his sour expression.
Seeing it was his granddaughter, Ōnoki's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but he immediately put on a stern face, assuming the dignity of a grandfather and the Tsuchikage:
"Kurotsuchi? Didn't I tell you to stay focused at the training grounds and prepare for this year's Chunin Exams? Why have you come here?"
He remembered his granddaughter had only recently passed the Chunin selection and should be consolidating her strength and gaining experience, not running around everywhere—especially during such a sensitive time.
Hearing this, Kurotsuchi wasn't intimidated; instead, she let out a 'pfft' and laughed. She walked to the desk, playfully pointing a finger at the brownish-red Chunin uniform she was wearing, then pointed to the Iwagakure headband on her forehead and winked:
"Hey! Old Man, you really are busy to the point of confusion, aren't you? Did you forget?"
She puffed out her chest with a hint of pride:
"I passed the Chunin Exams long ago; I'm a genuine Chunin! You were the one who personally draped this vest over me back then!"
Stunned by her words, Ōnoki paused for a moment before somewhat awkwardly slapping his forehead. The anger on his face was completely replaced by a trace of helplessness and doting:
"Oh... look at my memory."
He shook his head, his voice softening. "Yes, yes, I've been so busy I forgot.
Our Kurotsuchi has been a Chunin for a long time now. Time really flies..."
Looking at his granddaughter's youthful and confident face, the gloom in Ōnoki's heart seemed to disperse slightly, but then, a deeper worry surged up.
How much longer could this peace and daily life last?
Where would this sudden storm sweep Iwagakure and the younger generation like Kurotsuchi?
Kurotsuchi keenly sensed the fleeting heaviness in her grandfather's eyes. She dropped her joking demeanor and asked seriously, "Old Man, what exactly is going on?
The atmosphere in the Village hasn't seemed right lately."
Ōnoki looked at his granddaughter's concerned gaze, opened his mouth, and finally just let out a sigh.
He waved his hand. "It's nothing, just some diplomatic troubles.
Go on and mind your business. Remember, don't go too far from the Village lately, and be careful during your training."
Kurotsuchi knew her grandfather was hiding something from her, but seeing he didn't want to elaborate, she nodding sensibly. "Mm, I understand. You take care of your health too, Old Man. Don't die before I defeat you and become Tsuchikage."
With that, she gave Ōnoki one last look before turning and leaving the office.
The door closed again, leaving Ōnoki alone once more.
He looked back at the report on the desk that he had slammed. His gaze became incredibly sharp and determined.
No matter how powerful the enemy, no matter how bleak the outlook, he, the Sandaime Tsuchikage and protector of Iwagakure, would never sit idly by and wait for death!
"Come then, Konoha brat... let me, Ōnoki of the Both Scales, see just how much weight you, the Sixth Hokage, truly carry!"