Mu Yue, the Second Wood Release Ninja!

"Rejected outright..." Ōnoki looked at the message Kitsuchi had sent back and fell into deep thought.

As the one who had devised the plan, he naturally understood the importance of Ninshu and Sōsuke, so Ōnoki had offered what he believed were very favorable terms.

Ōnoki had considered the possibility that Sōsuke would refuse, but he had not expected him to refuse so decisively. According to the report, he had practically rejected every condition.

"Is there some inside information I'm unaware of?" Ōnoki frowned deeply.

Sōsuke's reaction had exceeded his expectations.

Normally, Sōsuke should have been in great need of Iwagakure's strength right now.

Most people in the ninja world had only noticed Shimura Danzō's death. Only Iwagakure, which viewed the Land of Rain as a step in its strategic plans, had noticed something else: Hanzo, the legendary demigod of the ninja world, had also died.

In Ōnoki's estimation, Hanzo's death was most likely connected to Shimura Danzō and Konoha.

If Sōsuke had killed Hanzo, then Amegakure could not possibly have continued cooperating amicably with Sōsuke.

A coup plot was also possible, but given Sōsuke's previous behavior, Ōnoki thought the chances were slim. Besides, Amegakure did not look like it had gone through a coup.

So why would Sōsuke, having lost a powerful ally like Hanzo and offended Konoha as well, reject Iwagakure's goodwill so cleanly? Ōnoki could not understand it.

Was Sōsuke not worried that Konoha's ninja forces would invade the Land of Rain?

Konoha would not even need to exert much effort. They only needed to redirect the ninja force stationed in the Land of Grass to guard against Iwagakure toward the Land of Rain, and they could easily break through the border defenses.

"Or is he waiting for a better offer?" Ōnoki could not quite read the situation.