Iwagakure, in front of the Hero's Monument --
The wind whipped up dust, slapping against the weathered stone monument. Ōnoki hovered before it, his aged fingers tracing the names eroded by the wind and sand, his fingertips trembling slightly at the inscription of "The Third Shinobi World War."
(19,782 people...)
(Nearly 30% of them died at the hands of the Third Raikage alone...)
The video was still playing in the Heavenly Screen, showing the crimson figure of Gate of Death Might Guy intertwined with Six Paths Madara Uchiha's white robes, the burst of light making his wrinkles appear even deeper.
(From the First Hokage established the ninja village until now...)
(I have witnessed the rise and fall of far too many powerful figures.)
Memories flashed back like a revolving lantern.
Hashirama Senju easily used the power of Wood Release to suppress the Tailed Beasts;
Madara Uchiha was a powerful figure who single-handedly fought against the Allied Shinobi Forces.
The Third Raikage fought alone against ten thousand Iwa ninja for three days and nights in a frenzy;
Minato Namikaze easily defeated dozens of ninja from the village.
As well as...
The other day, the Heavenly Screen displayed Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
He recalled the order he had just given—to secretly increase the bounties on Naruto and Sasuke. This should have been a golden opportunity to weaken the future threat to Konoha, but now, this decision left him feeling like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.
(If it fails...)
(Iwagakure will offend Konoha...)
Ōnoki suddenly started coughing violently.
(How much longer can I protect Iwagakure...?)
(Deidara has defected, Kurotsuchi is not yet ripe...)
(If the present is at odds with the future...)
He clenched his fist, and pebbles fell through his fingers.
"Send the order!" Ōnoki's voice startled the birds atop the monument. "Cancel the additional bounties on Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha!"
The Iwa ninja waiting in the shadows was taken aback. "Lord Tsuchikage, this..."
"Execute immediately!"
After the Iwa ninjas vanished in Body Flicker Technique, Ōnoki slowly landed on the base of the Hero's Monument. His hunched figure appeared exceptionally small at that moment, but the light in his eyes was clearer than ever before.
(Hashirama Senju...)
(Perhaps you are right.)
(The tender shoots of a new era...)
(It will eventually break through the soil.)
Ōnoki looked up as Heavenly Screen sunlight shone on his face, revealing deep wrinkles, but his eyes were clearer than ever before.
(Changing foreign policy... maybe that's the right choice.)
He gazed at the earth-shattering battle unfolding in the Heavenly Screen —the clash between Six Paths Madara and Gate of Death Might Guy, a testament to the cruelty and hope that shaped the future of the Shinobi World.
(I am already over seventy years old...)
(How much longer can we protect Iwagakure?)
His thoughts drifted to his old rival from the same era— the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, the man known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu," who ultimately died at the hands of his own student, Orochimaru.
(Of the Five Great Shinobi Villages' Kage, only this old fellow remains...)
(How pathetic...)
A gentle breeze stirred up dust, pulling his memories back to the distant past—
Young Ōnoki stood beside the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, gazing up at the giant rock that symbolized the spirit of Iwagakure.
"Ōnoki, remember this—"
"The Will of Stone is not stubbornness, but rather the resilience of a mountain and the inclusiveness of the earth."
At that time, he was still ignorant, but under his grandfather's stern yet loving gaze, he felt the responsibility of "Shadow" for the first time.
Later, the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, personally taught him Dust Release —a bloodline limit surpassing Kekkei Tōta Kekkei Genkai, which combines the Chakra Nature Transformation, enough to break everything down into atoms.
"Ōnoki, the Will of Stone is not about clinging to the past, but about upholding your beliefs while recognizing the changing times."
This sentence stayed with him throughout his life.
Then, after he succeeded Tsuchikage, Iwagakure experienced unprecedented prosperity.
Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, Mahiru, Kakkō, Taiseki, Sumashi, Tōshinin, Bunga, Ittan, Kari, Roshi, Han...
These names were once the pride of Iwagakure, the pillars that supported the village.
However, war changed everything.
The Third Shinobi World War
Tōshinin led the Iwagakure army to press on the border, pushing the Konoha defense forces into a desperate situation, but Minato Namikaze single-handedly reversed the battle.
Mahiru's swordsmanship once injured Kakashi, but he was ultimately defeated by the Yellow Flash's Body Flicker Technique.
Taiseki Camouflage Concealment Technique to abduct Rin Nohara, but died at the hands of Obito Uchiha, who had awakened his Sharingan.
The Kakkō- Earth Release, shrouded in flames, buried Obito, but Kakashi of the Sharingan, pierced him with Chidori.
Sumashi's Earth-Splitting Palm ultimately failed to stop Minato's Flying Thunder God.
(They're all dead...)
(Because of my ambition... because of the expansion of Iwagakure...)
He stubbornly believed that it was all Konoha's fault.
But now, looking at Might Guy in the Heavenly Screen, burning his life to protect his comrades, and remembering Naruto Uzumaki in the first video of this Heavenly Screen, who never gave up hope even in despair...
(Perhaps... the real mistake is my stubbornness.)
Ōnoki pondered, the radiance of Dust Release flowing through his palm.
(The First... the Second...)
(Have I been misunderstanding the Will of Stone you taught me all along?)
(The new generation... may be the future.)
(That girl, Kurotsuchi... it's time for her to take over the reins.)
(The future of Iwagakure... should no longer be decided by a stubborn old man.)
The monument to heroes in the distance--
Kurotsuchi leaned against the shadow of the rock wall, arms crossed, her amber eyes silently watching her grandfather's back. A gentle breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her forehead, but it couldn't dispel the worry in her eyes.
(The old man has been acting very strangely lately.)
Ever since the mysterious Heavenly Screen appeared, Ōnoki often floated alone to the monument to the fallen heroes, where he would stand for a long time. Sometimes he would stroke the stone tablets engraved with the names of the dead, and sometimes he would just silently gaze at the Heavenly Screen, his eyes filled with a complex expression that she could not understand.
(What is Grandpa thinking...?)
She wasn't unaware of Ōnoki's expectations—he hoped that Iwagakure would have a new pillar, someone to take over his responsibilities and lead the village to a better future.
(But who in Iwagakure right now is qualified?)
Father? Strong enough, but too conservative; Akatsuchi Brother Akatsuchi? Loyal and reliable, but lacks decisiveness; as for the other Jonin...
(There isn't even one person who can fully master Dust Release!)
Thinking of this, Kurotsuchi unconsciously clenched his fists.
(That bastard Deidara...)
The image of the blond boy's arrogant smile flashed through her mind—"Art is an Explosion! Yeah!"
(He was clearly the most talented one, but he defected from the village, making the old man so angry that he didn't eat for three days!)
(Just you wait, I'll beat you up and drag you back sooner or later!)
In the Heavenly Screen, the battle between Six Paths Madara and Gate of Death Might Guy continued, and the earth-shattering power made Kurotsuchi unconsciously bite her lower lip.
(If... if I had that kind of power...)
(Grandpa won't have to worry every day anymore...)
Suddenly, Ōnoki's figure moved. He slowly drifted away from the Heroes' Monument, his hunched back appearing exceptionally lonely. Kurotsuchi instinctively wanted to chase after him, but then stopped. What would be the point of chasing after him? She didn't even know what to say.
(Get stronger... I must become stronger!)
(It's not about surpassing anyone...)
(Just so I can share some of the burden with that stubborn old man!)