Iwagakure was one of the Five Great Nations in the world of Naruto. Judging solely by the combat strength of its current leadership, it was also one of the strongest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was now in power in Iwagakure. He was the only shinobi in the entire Shinobi World to possess a Kekkei Tōta. If the current Third Hokage of Konoha were compared with the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki would be slightly stronger in terms of individual strength.
In theory, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Konoha's Third Hokage, had mastered ninjutsu using all five chakra natures and was already a figure who stood at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World. Unfortunately, Hiruzen had only mastered five-nature ninjutsu. In the world of Naruto, quantity alone couldn't bring about a qualitative change.
Compared with Ōnoki's Dust Release, which combined wind, earth, and fire, Hiruzen was more than a little outmatched.
Moreover, under Ōnoki's leadership, Iwagakure had become a united front. Two Jinchuriki were currently among its ranks: Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, and Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Both were stable Jinchuriki who wouldn't lose control, and they could even control some of their Tailed Beasts' power. They were powerful shinobi of Iwagakure.
Ōnoki's disciples were also elite shinobi. So, despite having gone through the Second Shinobi World War, Iwagakure's strength remained formidable.
Uzumaki Kuming led his squad across the vast desert of the Land of Wind and entered the Land of Birds, heading toward the Land of Earth. When they reached the border between the Land of Birds and the Land of Earth, he stopped the squad inside the Land of Birds to rest and wait for an opportunity to cross the border.
In August of that year, after some time spent preparing and gathering intelligence, the Land of