No One Would Find It Strange

The next day.

The sky was overcast, and the atmosphere was somber.

A light drizzle fell, pattering against Hiruzen Sarutobi's gravestone.

Konoha's leaders, representatives of the ninja clans, and several jōnin stood nearby.

No one spoke. Silent ninjas laid one flower after another before the grave.

Meanwhile.

At the Foreign Guest Inn.

The ninjas who had participated in the Chunin Ninja Exams had all left.

A faint barrier of light enveloped Ōnoki's room.

Inside, a crowd of Iwagakure shinobi gathered around a long table, their expressions solemn.

Jingxin's gaze settled on Ōnoki. He already had a pretty good idea what this meeting was about.

"The Third Hokage has died, leaving Konoha without a leader. Jingxin, what do you think they'll do next?" Ōnoki asked him, just as he'd expected.

Jingxin considered the question for a moment before replying, "As for Konoha, they'll probably discuss who should take the Hokage's place. Shimura Danzō is a councilor with enough seniority and ambition, so he'll definitely put himself forward."

"But Konoha isn't his alone to command, and there are others fit to become Hokage. They probably won't settle on a new one anytime soon."

"As for Sunagakure, once Konoha chooses a Hokage, it'll form another alliance with them to ease the pressure from outside. So the compensation they demand will only be symbolic."

"As for us, they may use 'the Hokage hasn't taken office yet' as an excuse to delay paying us our commission—or simply refuse to pay altogether."

Ōnoki slowly nodded. That was exactly the answer he'd wanted to hear.

Jingxin's political insight was already remarkably mature, nothing like that of a twelve-year-old boy.

A hint of relief and pride rose in Ōnoki's eyes.

He was relieved that Hiruzen Sarutobi had handed such a pillar of support over to Iwagakure, despite having the power to change things.

And he was proud that Jingxin was now fully capable of standing on his own.

"You've analyzed the situation well." Ōnoki first acknowledged Jingxin's point, then raised another question. "Do you have a plan for Danzō?"

Jingxin didn't look at all unsettled at the mention of his enemy. He replied calmly, "That depends on what he does."

"Last night, Neji of the Hyuga Clan came to see me. I told him some of Danzō's secrets."

"The Hyuga Clan has certainly had it better than the Uchiha in Konoha, but that doesn't mean they've never been pushed around."

That was all thanks to Konoha's simple-minded ninjas, who didn't know the truth.

Get up in the morning and kick the fox-demon Naruto on the way to work.

Spend the morning chasing cats and dogs, then start making fun of a Hyuga colleague.

At lunch, curse the Uchiha a few times.

Work in the afternoon, all the while gossiping about Sakumo Hatake behind his back.

Then, in the evening, mock a fellow ninja with oddly colored hair, bringing a beautiful, simple, happy day to a close.

Even so, Jingxin knew that unless the Hyuga Clan faced an extreme situation like the Uchiha had, they would never betray Konoha. If anything, they would keep working to strengthen it.

So Jingxin wanted Neji to tell the Hyuga Clan's head, Hyuga Hiashi, that Konoha still had a parasite—and that it posed a serious threat to the Hyuga Clan.

"So," Jingxin continued, "if the Hyuga Clan acts quickly, Danzō's reputation will be ruined at the Third Hokage's funeral."

Ōnoki knew that Jingxin had met with Neji, but there was one thing he couldn't understand.

"Why would the Hyuga Clan help us?"

"They need to protect themselves. Besides, they have a deep-seated grudge against Danzō."

"Protect themselves? A deep-seated grudge?"

"They need to protect themselves because Danzō's covert actions weren't directed only at the Uchiha. The Hyuga Clan has indeed been restricted by him."

"And the grudge?"

"Of course, it's about Hizashi Hyuga."

"I've heard of that. It was the reason Konoha and Kumogakure nearly went to war nine years ago. Was Danzō behind it too?"

"The Hyuga Clan had already prepared to go to war, but Konoha's leadership ordered them to make a sacrifice. Hizashi had no choice but to take his brother Hiashi's place and kill himself to atone. Danzō probably wasn't the one who instigated it, since he'd have loved nothing more than to plunge the Ninja World into chaos."

Jingxin paused, picked up the hot tea in front of him, and took a sip to moisten his throat before continuing, "But I can frame him for it... Danzō has done so many terrible things that no one would find it strange if he'd done this too."

Everyone: "..."

Yeying raised his hand, his voice as cool and detached as ever. "Forgive my bluntness, Lord Jingxin, but with your strength, wouldn't it be easy to simply eliminate that man called Danzō?"

"Because I'm with Iwagakure now," Jingxin explained. "If I don't first push Danzō into a corner and then step in under the pretext of providing support, it'll reflect badly on Iwagakure. Besides, Konoha has plenty of powerful fighters. I can't guarantee the safety of myself and my companions."

The latter was actually the main reason.

If he killed Danzō in Konoha before his reputation had been ruined, Konoha's ninjas would surely try to stop him.

The ninjas remaining in Konoha weren't all that strong.

But if he backed that middle-aged man in the spring of his youth into a corner, things really could go wrong.

Jingxin didn't want to waste one of his Mangekyō Sharingan to use Izanagi.

"Hmm..." Ōnoki deliberated for a while before deciding, "Since Konoha will most likely refuse to pay, there's no point staying any longer. I'll leave everything here to you, Jingxin. It's time for me to head back."

"Jingxin, the Anbu squad will stay here to assist you. I'll take everyone else home."

Being a Kage wasn't an easy job. Ōnoki had been away for so long that his paperwork had probably piled up to half a ton.

Jingxin shook his head lightly. "No, you should all leave. That way, I won't have to hold back."

"Very well." Ōnoki didn't think much of it. "You have your own judgment, but be careful."

Jingxin nodded. "I understand, Master."

Ōnoki looked at Goriki. "Take down the barrier. We're leaving."

Everyone followed Ōnoki's instructions. They'd already submitted a notice to Konoha in advance, and now they set out on the road home.

As soon as they passed through the Konoha Gate, Goriki couldn't help asking, "Lord Tsuchikage, Jingxin was originally from Konoha. You..."

"Goriki," Ōnoki said sternly, "I know what kind of person Jingxin is. We shouldn't doubt him for a moment. Only by treating people with sincerity can we truly keep talented people in our own home. Konoha, the Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi... They're all lessons to learn from."

Goriki nodded and said no more.

And so, the Iwagakure delegation continued farther and farther away from Konoha.

In the Pure Land.

Four Kage from different villages watched Ōnoki and Goriki's conversation through a Flying Thunder God Mark. None of them said a word.

Tobirama glanced at Hiruzen without expression, but didn't say anything.

At this point, it was too late for regrets. There was no use blaming him now.

Rasa stood quietly to one side, anxiously glancing around. He thought of a Kekkei Genkai jōnin who had once been loyal to Sunagakure and dreaded the thought of him showing up to confront him.

Minato said regretfully, "With a guardian like that, it looks like Jingxin will never return to Konoha."

Hearing that, Hiruzen's heart hurt even more.