In the evening, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, finished his work and returned home from the Tsuchikage's office. At his current age, he increasingly felt his physical energy waning; he had already passed the golden age of a ninja and was starting to decline.
Even though Onoki's experience had grown richer, the decline in his physical condition was undeniable, and the medical ninjutsu of Iwagakure couldn't slow down his aging.
Generally, at this point, one should consider selecting the next Tsuchikage. Onoki was indeed older than the leaders of other ninja villages, and an early retirement might not be a bad thing.
However, Onoki sadly realized that he currently didn't have a suitable successor. There were many strong individuals, but none of them quite met Onoki's expectations.
Onoki believed that the next Tsuchikage's successor must at least learn Dust Release. This powerful Kekkei Tota possessed the immense power to wipe out a thousand-man army with a single blow. With Dust Release in hand, it was a weapon no less formidable than a Tailed Beast.
Only then could the current Tsuchikage possibly stand against the leaders of other ninja villages. Without Dust Release, Onoki couldn't imagine how to fight against the Third Raikage, Ay, or the Third Hokage, Fumori masaki. As for the other two ninja villages, they weren't much of a concern; one was also an aging elder, and the other was isolated overseas, with their Good at (adept) ninjutsu being countered by Earth Release.
Of course, there were ninjas within Iwagakure who could wield great power without needing Dust Release, such as the two Jinchuriki. One was skilled in Lava Release, and the other in Boil Release. Either of them, combined with their status as Jinchuriki, possessed terrifying power.
However, Onoki had always been wary of Jinchuriki. They didn't have the powerful sealing jutsu of Konohagakure, and there was a real possibility of Jinchuriki losing control and going berserk. Moreover, such immense power was difficult to control, which always left Onoki uneasy.
Onoki had clashed with Jinchuriki more than once in Iwagakure, and he had only managed to suppress them through his prestige and strength. After him, who else in the village could restrain these Jinchuriki?
Onoki was very worried. Iwagakure didn't have the powerful sealing jutsu tradition of Konohagakure, nor did it have the powerful sealing tools of Kumogakure. These two ninja villages, as long as they had these, even without ninjas capable of fighting Tailed Beasts, could control them. But Iwagakure didn't.
If there was truly no other way, allowing a Jinchuriki to become Tsuchikage might be a last resort, but Onoki was also dissatisfied with Jinchuriki in other aspects.
This dissatisfaction lay in their political stance. Onoki's political stance was very clear: people from his own country could be trusted. As for people from other countries, no matter who they were, cooperation could be superficial, but true trust was out of the question. One must plan carefully and strive for the maximum benefit for one's own country.
Onoki had always operated this way since becoming Tsuchikage. He could cooperate with other countries,
but his covert actions never ceased; he was always planning for his own country. While this was a necessary stance for a ninja village leader, seeking benefits for one's own country was understandable, but Onoki was somewhat extreme. He never truly intended to fully cooperate with other countries.
This only changed during the Fourth Shinobi World War in the original world. Perhaps it was due to his advanced age, having let go of many things, or facing the common threat of the Akatsuki, or perhaps witnessing the unprecedented Shinobi Alliance, which touched his heart.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mu, who was resurrected by Edo Tensei, was also surprised and pleased by Onoki's change. In his view, this was his disciple taking a new step.
But the current Onoki didn't have such thoughts. He was very dissatisfied with the political stance of the two Jinchuriki. Leaving Han aside, it was mainly Roshi. He didn't know what Roshi had seen during his captivity in Konohagakure, but after returning to the village, his ideology leaned towards what Konohagakure promoted.
Iwagakure once suspected Roshi of betrayal and sent him to the ANBU for questioning. It was a normal measure to investigate ninjas who returned from captivity. However, because Roshi was a Jinchuriki, he was somewhat sensitive, and he had experienced some things in Konohagakure. Although he didn't refuse, he was very unhappy deep down.
Although Roshi was proven not to have betrayed them, his change in ideology was noticeable to everyone after he came out, and Onoki naturally couldn't ignore it.
As for Han, while he didn't have any obvious stance, the two had always been close, and Onoki was very suspicious of Han's position. Although in terms of strength, both met the conditions for Tsuchikage, this point made Onoki not want them to be Tsuchikage candidates.
An "Iwa" should remain unchanged, no matter what it experiences; resilient and steadfast—that is the true essence of Iwagakure's will.
If viewed from a political standpoint, Onoki was most satisfied with his biological son, Kitsuchi. Kitsuchi had no rebellious tendencies and had always been Onoki's good son.
However, while Kitsuchi resembled Onoki in many ways, he lacked his father's shrewdness. This made Onoki worry about how Kitsuchi, if he were to truly inherit the position of Tsuchikage in the future, would face those cunning opponents, especially Fumori masaki!
Fumori masaki was an expert at playing tricks. Even Onoki himself had repeatedly suffered at his hands. How could his honest son possibly overcome him?
It was because of this that Onoki found himself in a dilemma. His physical condition was no longer suitable for serving as Tsuchikage, yet he had no suitable successor. Everyone had one problem or another.
One problem that emerged from this was a shortage of talent. Iwagakure's style leaned towards conservatism and teamwork, rarely producing strong individuals with prominent personal heroism.
In comparison, Konohagakure was teeming with talent. Even if Fumori masaki stepped down, there would likely be many who could inherit the position of Hokage, and they wouldn't have the specific flaws that he did.
Onoki sighed softly. Hearing the sound, Kitsuchi came out of the room holding his daughter and asked, "Father, what's wrong? Did you encounter some trouble?"
Onoki glanced at Kitsuchi, thinking, "It's all because of you. Why are you so honest? This way, you can only be a general who charges into battle, not a marshal who commands armies!"
But Onoki didn't say it directly. Instead, he waved to Kitsuchi and said, "It's nothing. Come, let me hold Kurotsuchi."
"Oh." Kitsuchi nodded and stepped forward, placing his daughter Kurotsuchi into Onoki's arms.
Although Onoki's granddaughter Kurotsuchi was very small, she still felt quite substantial in the diminutive Onoki's arms, a completely different feeling from being held by the tall Kitsuchi.
Seeing her grandfather, Kurotsuchi smiled, extending her hand to pull Onoki's beard, as if playing with something interesting.
Onoki wasn't known for his good temper, but he was generally very gentle with his family, except when provoked while angry.
He looked at his granddaughter's face, sensing a hint of his wife's charm in it. Onoki's wife had passed away. During her lifetime, she had always been Onoki's capable assistant and supporter, possessing a spirit uncommon among women, a truly strong woman.
Onoki suddenly wondered, if his granddaughter grew up not like her parents, but like him or her grandmother, that would be truly wonderful. She would be his ideal successor. He just didn't know if she had the talent to learn Dust Release.
Dust Release is a Kekkei Tota that combines three elements. It is extremely difficult for ordinary people to learn Kekkei Genkai, which are mostly inherited through bloodlines. And Dust Release, perhaps because it is a higher-level technique, is even more difficult to inherit through bloodlines than Kekkei Genkai. At least, his son showed no talent for learning it.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mu, was the first to learn Dust Release. He searched many times before finding Onoki to inherit his legacy. Onoki, however, hadn't found anyone else, which shows how truly lucky Mu was to encounter a successor like Onoki.
Without Onoki, who knows what would have become of Iwagakure, whether it could have maintained its current size, or if it would have fallen to a similar state as Sunagakure.
Onoki looked at his granddaughter's smile with a complex expression. At that moment, Kurotsuchi saw Kitsuchi standing nearby and began to reach out to him. Kitsuchi softly grunted, looking at his father. He knew his father was closer to his daughter, perhaps old people just preferred their grandchildren.
Onoki handed Kurotsuchi to Kitsuchi and asked Kitsuchi to get him a newspaper. Since learning about such things, Iwagakure had also started producing some, but their scale couldn't compare to Konohagakure, which had started earlier. Currently, Konohagakure's newspaper was the publication circulated throughout the entire shinobi world.
Onoki wasn't interested in domestic or village affairs; he mainly looked at the situation in other countries to see if there was anything noteworthy.
"Speaking of which, Father, today's newspaper is a bit special," Kitsuchi said softly, holding his daughter as he fetched the newspaper for Onoki.
"What's so special about it? Is it writing something sensational?" Onoki snorted softly.
"No, it's about some measures taken by the Fire Daimyo. I don't know why, but the Fire Daimyo has actually started raising objections to some policies previously introduced by Konohagakure and has issued an edict announcing new policies. It looks like they're trying to suppress Konohagakure," Kitsuchi said.
Onoki's brow furrowed slightly, and he immediately snatched the newspaper from Kitsuchi's hand, reading it word for word. He had long heard about the conflict between the Fire Daimyo and Konohagakure and wasn't particularly curious. What he truly cared about was what kind of suppressive measures the Fire Daimyo was taking.
After reading for a while, Onoki looked up and muttered, "What's wrong with this Fire Daimyo? Did his brain suddenly break, or what?"
"Father, you also find it strange, don't you? I also think there's something wrong with the Fire Daimyo's actions," Kitsuchi said.
"It's more than just something wrong; it's the work of a fool," Onoki said. "It's understandable to take some measures to curb one's own ninja village. Powerful ninja villages are naturally prone to conflict with the Country's Daimyo."
This phenomenon existed in every country with a ninja village, and it was even more pronounced in the Five Great Nations. Nobles would secretly guard against ninja villages, and ninja villages also had to be careful to maintain their relationship with the country's nobility. If a severe conflict truly occurred, the ninja village was more likely to be more greatly affected.
After all, ninja villages had no social foundation and mainly operated within their own limited territory. Their influence on other areas was far less than that of the country's nobility. Even with strong military power, they were inferior in many economic and political aspects. Military power could at most be used for victory, not for governance.
Therefore, as long as the leader of a ninja village was intelligent, they would maintain good relations with the nobility. Sometimes, they would even arrange marriages between women from the village's families and the children of nobles. And as long as the Country's Daimyo was intelligent, they would also understand not to clash with the ninja village and would maintain relations.
The Land of Earth was exactly like this. Onoki and the Country's Daimyo had forged a strong relationship of trust. Onoki always served the Country's Daimyo, and the Country's Daimyo also trusted Onoki greatly, often granting him favors.
However, during the Second Shinobi World War, Onoki's misjudgment caused the Daimyo to be somewhat dissatisfied with the ninja village. Onoki had also been working to mend relations over the years, finally restoring them to their original state. But to make a new good impression on the Daimyo, having a new Tsuchikage step forward was a better choice, and then the problem returned to its original place: Onoki couldn't find a suitable successor.
Basically, as long as both the Country's Daimyo and the ninja village leader were intelligent, this would be the case. In countries like the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, the relationship between the ninja village and the nobility was generally harmonious. In the Land of Water, conflicts had arisen due to some policies, and these intensified after the Second Shinobi World War.
Sunagakure's past poor performance had given the Kazekage no good impression, and conflicts often arose. Later, during the Second Shinobi World War, after both the country's noble upper echelons and the ninja village's upper echelons underwent a change of blood, facing the crisis of a weakened country, both sides reunited.
Normally, the Land of Fire shouldn't make such a mistake. Fumori masaki was definitely an intelligent man, Onoki was sure of that. As for the Fire Daimyo, Onoki had no particular impression. Based on past actions, he was either cooperating well with Konohagakure or forced to swallow his pride.
This was nothing unusual. It was reasonable for the Fire Daimyo to want his own initiative. However, judging from the newspaper, this Fire Daimyo's political maneuvering was not good at all; in fact, it was simply terrible.
Onoki felt that this fellow seemed intent on completely pushing Konohagakure to his opposition, which was completely inconsistent with the methods of an intelligent person. A truly intelligent person, to suppress a powerful ninja village like Konohagakure, would surely proceed slowly, rather than immediately adopting a rejectionist approach.
"This Fire Daimyo is simply an idiot! If this continues, he'll eventually burn himself, and not just Konohagakure, but other nobles as well," Onoki concluded.