The main world.
In Iwagakure, the Fourth Tsuchikage's succession ceremony proceeded slowly beneath the eyes of the village's assembled ninja.
The ceremony was held on the stone platform at Iwagakure's highest point. Hewn from a single mass of mountain rock, its surface had been polished smooth as a mirror by the years, while the names and achievements of successive Tsuchikage were carved along its edges. Today, the platform was packed with people-Iwagakure's Jonin, Chunin, and even many Genin fresh out of the Ninja Academy had come, crowding around the platform until the entire ceremonial ground was sealed tight.
Ōnoki stood at the center of the platform.
Ōnoki of the Two Scales, who had once swept across the Ninja World, was now frail with age. His back was more hunched than before, and the wrinkles on his face resembled parched, cracked earth, every line bearing the marks of time. Yet his eyes remained sharp, like two blades hidden deep within those wrinkles, their clouded depths holding an unquestionable authority.
In his hands, he held the conical hat that symbolized the office of Tsuchikage.
The hat was dark red, with a broad brim and an earth-attribute chakra crystal set into its crown, gleaming softly in the sunlight. It had passed through three generations, from the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, to the Second, Mū, and then to Ōnoki himself. Now, it would welcome its fourth owner.
Ōnoki drew a deep breath, raised his hands, and slowly placed the hat on Kurotsuchi's head.
His movements were slow, as though he were performing some sacred rite. The instant the hat settled, his fingers trembled slightly-not from the weakness of old age, but from a tangle of emotions too complex to put into words.
There was pride.
He had watched Kurotsuchi grow from a little girl who