Iwagakure.
Ōnoki held the latest intelligence report, deep in thought.
Too many things had happened in the Shinobi World recently.
First, Uchiha's great enemy, Obito, had killed the leader of Akatsuki and seized his Rinnegan.
Ōnoki had purchased the intelligence on the Rinnegan at the earliest opportunity.
Ōnoki had spent thirty million, but after reading the report,
he felt the money had been well spent.
No matter what Obito's intentions were, he now possessed the Rinnegan, and he also knew space-time ninjutsu.
He was a tremendous threat to every faction.
Many factions had begun offering rewards for information on Obito's whereabouts.
Ōnoki had joined them as well. After all, the Rinnegan's power was simply too great.
But the intelligence from Konoha that followed left even Ōnoki caught off guard.
The Third Hokage was dead.
He had died just like that.
Not on the battlefield, but within his own village.
He had died at the hands of his lifelong friend, Shimura Danzō.
And this had happened while the Fifth Hokage Orochimaru, Toad Sage Jiraiya, and the famed medical expert Tsunade were all present.
He had perished together with Danzo.
There was clearly far more to this than met the eye.
Especially since, during their battle, even their own shinobi had been kept out by the Anbu.
No one knew what had happened at the scene.
Then there was the enormous Wood Human Technique.
Its height made it impossible to miss.
Basically, everyone who had remained in Konoha had witnessed the Wood Human's might.
Someone could actually use Wood Release of that level after the First Hokage had already died.
No one knew who had used that Wood Release ninjutsu.
But Konoha had undoubtedly been holding something back.
Especially now that Orochimaru was the Fifth Hokage.
It was difficult to determine whether