Roshi had a smug look on his face. He had long been unhappy with Ōnoki always holding power in Iwagakure himself. He just sat in the village all Tenten, issuing orders and mobilizing anyone with a few words, including himself and Han, the two Jinchūriki. Today, he finally got his chance.
"Oh? You mean, someone is unhappy with my actions?" Ōnoki's voice was laced with sarcasm as he slowly rose from his seat. "Who told you that what I did was wrong? Hmm? Have you forgotten who redeemed you unharmed when you were trampled underfoot by Uchiha Kō?"
"And who is it that has inherited the position of Tsuchikage, working diligently and tirelessly for over twenty years, leading Iwagakure from the end of the Five Great Nations to its current strength as one of the top three among the Five Great Nations?"
"It's you? Roshi? The Jinchūriki always stands with his arms crossed and has a dark face? Hmm? Or is it that you and Han are somewhat dissatisfied with me?" The Tsuchikage Ōnoki spoke very calmly, but no one present could ignore or question what he said.
Han, covered in sweat, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Lord Tsuchikage, I, Han, absolutely did not mean to question you. This matter has nothing to do with me!" Han smiled bitterly, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the tense atmosphere between Roshi and Ōnoki on the field.
Han's gaze towards Roshi began to turn strange. "No, buddy, how come you're so brave?" This was a true reflection of Han's thoughts at that moment. He looked at Roshi as if he wanted to beat him to death. Now, because of Roshi, he was being suspected.
Roshi looked at Han, frowning, and cursed inwardly, "Damn it! You're Jinchūriki just like me. I was supposed to get rid of the Tsuchikage after this, and then we could share power in Iwagakure. Tsk tsk, looks like you're not so lucky."
"Yes, Han, I know you are loyal to Iwagakure and would never have such a despicable thought. After all, it takes a lot of shamelessness to call someone 'mother' and then curse them after you've finished eating. I still trust you." Tsuchikage Ōnoki walked down the steps, and Han immediately knelt on one knee.
Ōnoki chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, then looked at Roshi. "You say my actions will cause discontent? Will cause discontent among the people of Iwagakure? Fine, I'll give you a chance, Roshi. If you can find ten clan leaders to say this, the position of Tsuchikage is yours."
"Hmph, you said it yourself, Ōnoki, don't regret it!" With that, Roshi left the place that made him feel so uncomfortable. He'd had enough of Ōnoki and Ōnoki faction's mocking looks!
Ōnoki ignored him, slowly walked up the steps, and sat down on the Tsuchikage's throne once more. He smiled and said, "Han, I want to apologize to you. I was too harsh with my words just now."
Han dared not stand up and hurriedly said, "Lord Tsuchikage, I dare not! I only hope that Lord Tsuchikage will understand that, apart from being fellow Jinchūriki of Iwagakure, I have no other dealings with Old Man Shi—I spit on that traitor!—"
Ōnoki chuckled and said, "Of course I understand. He is him, and Han is Han. However, I hope that if Han has any complaints about me, he can speak up directly. I'm the kind of person who likes to discuss issues with people."
Han remained bowing his head and said, "Lord Tsuchikage is wise and mighty. His twenty years of rule are evident to all! I only know some martial arts, but if I can help Lord Tsuchikage, I will be extremely satisfied!"
Ōnoki's smile deepened. "Tu'er, quickly help your Uncle Han up. The ground is cold. Then, take 500 million taels of silver from the treasury and give it to him. He's worked hard all these years, toiling tirelessly for my Iwagakure."
"Yes, Father!" Kitsuchi quickly helped Han up. Hearing this, Han finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally severed ties with that guy Roshi. All those words and actions he had just done were taught to him by Kokuō.
Kokuō said, "Remember, Ōnoki is no ordinary person. He is the only leader in the Ninja World whose wisdom can rival that of Uchiha Kō. He is astute and his methods of governance are not as kind and benevolent as he appears. You, you should follow closely behind him, and you'll be fine in the future!"
Kokuō's eyes seemed to see right through the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. He originally wanted to explain his thoughts to Han, but considering Han's intelligence, he couldn't help but gasp and instead taught him his previous actions and words.
Han nodded firmly in his heart, "I understand, Kokuō. From now on, if Tsuchikage tells me to go east, I will never go west!"
Kokuō nodded, feeling relieved. He was really afraid that Han might be fooled by Roshi rebel with him. If that happened, with Han's brains, both he and Han would suffer!
Ōnoki wasn't in a hurry. Wasn't he supposed to send Roshi to search house to house? Well, let him do it. He could wait a while and see which clans were unhappy with him, then eliminate them all. Oh, right, if Uchiha Kō questioned him, he'd just say Roshi disagreed. That way, he could deal with this Jinchūriki without lifting a finger, right?
Killing three birds with one stone, perfect.
Given Uchiha Kō's temperament, he knew that because of Roshi, one or two more villages under his Konoha's control had been destroyed. At that point, it wouldn't be something that could be resolved by simply trampling him underfoot on the battlefield.
Moreover, Ōnoki wasn't afraid that Uchiha Kō would see through his scheme to use someone else to kill him. On the contrary, he believed that Uchiha Kō would help him carry it out. After all, a smart ally, an ally who could help Konoha, and an ally who could assess the situation was exactly what Uchiha Kō needed.
The difference between a smart person and a stupid person is that one knows what he should and shouldn't do, while the other is always thinking, "I could do it too."
How many powerful people have died because of their arrogance and hubris? Ōnoki knew that this era was not his era, but the era of the so-called Konoha God of War, Uchiha Kō. Since he could not change the general trend, he might as well submit to it.
Unfortunately, many people don't understand this principle, and some might even say they are fools. Do they truly not understand? No, they do understand, they understand all too well. Take Rasa, for example. Didn't he know Konoha was powerful? Why did he declare war? For his own purposes, for his own power.
Did Roshi not know the immense benefits of helping Konoha? He did know, but he was blinded by power. He wanted to oust the dictatorial Ōnoki and become the supreme Tsuchikage himself, so he had to make a fuss about this matter.
There are countless intelligent people in the world, but very few can hide their brilliance and win in the end. There are two reasons for this: one is overconfidence, and the other is simply not destined for it.
Two hours later, Roshi walked in from outside, his face dark with displeasure. Ōnoki looked behind him and couldn't help but chuckle, "Yo, isn't this the great Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Roshi of Iwagakure? Hmm? Why isn't anyone supporting you behind you?"
"Oh, I see. It must be because they don't know what's good for them, not because of Roshi, right?" Ōnoki sneered.
Every single employee and executive in the Tsuchikage Building was mocking Roshi, laughing at his overestimation of himself and his complete lack of understanding of politics.
Roshi clenched his fists and said in a muffled voice, "I lost, Lord Tsuchikage. I failed to find anyone. Punish me!" Roshi wasn't admitting defeat, but rather trying to save face.
But now that the two have completely fallen out, would Ōnoki give him that chance? Of course not. With a quick glance around, Ōnoki suddenly had an idea and said, "How about this? Since you're willing to accept the punishment, I'll punish you by sending you alone to Konoha to use the Tailed Beast Bomb to help Konoha fight against the Cloud Mist Ninja Corps. What do you say?"
Then, Ōnoki frowned again. "Tsk tsk, no, no, how can you alone be a match for 20,000 Cloud Mist Ninja Corps? I think you should just give up."
"No! I'm going, no one stop me!" Roshi said resolutely. However, an awkward thing happened. No one present stopped him. Instead, they watched him perform with cold eyes, including Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki who had previously interacted with him.
Ōnoki's eyes lit up. "Alright, from now on, no one is allowed to use this as an excuse. Otherwise, they'll be my enemy. Roshi is the role model for our Iwagakure! Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Roshi turned around, snorted, and walked out of the Tsuchikage Building. Without even glancing at the people present, he arrogantly left Iwagakure and flew towards the battlefield.
After seeing Roshi leave, Ōnoki's smile and the upturned corners of his mouth flattened. "Kitsuchi, Han, I order you two to take 15,000 Iwagakure Ninja and march straight at Kumogakure! The scale must be massive, leaving no trace of life in your path, and rake in as much money as you can!"
"Yes!" Kitsuchi, upon receiving the order, began to mobilize the troops.
Ōnoki instructed the other high-ranking personnel to ensure the availability of food and supplies. He warned that if Kitsuchi and Han ran out of food and supplies during the fighting, everyone present would not only be beheaded but also have their families implicated!
Everyone rallied their spirits and did their jobs well. They knew that Ōnoki wasn't the kind of person who wouldn't see their efforts; as long as they did their job seriously, nothing would happen, even if the war was lost.
But if you can do well, but then become lazy... well, that's another story.
Just after everyone left, Ōnoki took out a smartphone and called Uchiha Kō. This was a smartphone that Uchiha Kō had secretly given him by the Anbu when he attended Uchiha Kō's wedding.
Ōnoki didn't have to wait long before the call connected. "Has the Lord Tsuchikage finally come to his senses?" Uchiha Kō's voice came through.
"That's right, I think Ōnoki Jun is more worthy of my bet, but..." Ōnoki hesitated, his expression becoming very troubled.
Uchiha Kō frowned. He knew this way of speaking all too well. However, this phrase was always followed by either a condition or a key point. But Uchiha Kō didn't intend to expose him and patiently asked, "But what?"
"However, one person disobeyed orders and acted on his own. He has now traveled to the Land of Land of Fire and intends to use the Tailed Beast Bomb..."