Ōnoki Laughed Himself Crazy

In Iwagakure, the Iwakage Ōnoki, received intelligence from a spy that Uchiha Qingcheng, acting in the name of the Third Hokage, had launched the Konoha Crush Plan.

Ōnoki looked at the short page, which recorded the conflict between Uchiha Qingcheng and the Third Hokage, and the mysterious power behind Uchiha Qingcheng.

After reading the intelligence, Ōnoki burst into laughter, excitedly saying, "This Hiruzen Sarutobi is simply regressing with age! The two strongest clans in Konoha, the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan, have been completely Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

Ōnoki smiled and said, "If the Uchiha Clan were here in Iwagakure, we would treat them like national treasures. If Ninja World War were to break out, we would send the Uchiha Clan to the front lines. These guys with Sharingan are all battle fanatics, and on the battlefield, they would be the sharpest swords."

Ōnoki then said in a deep voice, "Although it's a bit troublesome to manage, what are these troubles if we can win the war?"

Hearing Ōnoki's words, Kitsuchi, standing to the side, said with a serious expression, "The Uchiha Clan is not easy to control, but their advantages are still very obvious. Every time there is Ninja World War, you can see their crazy figures. Those Sharingan that make the enemy tremble with fear, every time I think about it, I feel a little terrified."

Some of the Hidden Stone Village's officers chimed in, "That's right! That's right! When I saw these Red Eye Uchiha Clan on the battlefield, I knew Konoha had dispatched its elite forces."

Ōnoki smiled and said, "All these Uchiha Clan clansmen are dead, leaving only Uchiha Qingcheng. Although this Uchiha Clan has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, Konoha's strength has been greatly weakened. Hiruzen Sarutobi's method of severing his own arm was extremely foolish."

Kitsuchi, standing to the side, also said with a happy expression, "That's right. Next time the Great Shinobi World War starts, Konoha probably won't have such high combat power."

Some of the Iwagakure ninja, all with smiles on their faces, shouted, "Next time, let's rob Konoha again and make Konoha pay Iwagakure more war reparations. Hiruzen Sarutobi loves paying reparations anyway!"

Immediately afterward, a burst of mocking laughter echoed from the buildings in Hidden Stone Village: "Hahaha, Hiruzen Sarutobi is the most competent Hokage!"

This is an affirmation from Ōnoki, and also from all the Stone Ninja.

In Second Great Ninja War and Third Great Ninja War World Wars, Konoha was a victorious nation. However, due to a series of mismanagement by Konoha High Command, the victorious nation successfully paid reparations to the other countries.

Hiruzen Sarutobi even went so far as to say, "Our Konoha must end the war as soon as possible. We cannot allow the village's ninjas to continue dying on the battlefield. We must achieve peace in the Shinobi World as soon as possible."

Then began a series of war reparations. All the Konoha Ninja who died in battle were considered to have sacrificed in vain because of this statement. A cowardly and incompetent Hokage would only erode Konoha's strength.

Just then, an explosion suddenly rang out in Iwagakure. With a deafening roar, a mushroom cloud rose directly from the center of the Iwagakure. Many villagers shouted in panic, "Run! Deidara is bombing the village again!"

Upon hearing the loud bang, Ōnoki was furious and shouted, "That Deidara is trying out new Ninjutsu again, blowing up a whole building every time!"

All the Stone Ninja were astonished and exclaimed, "Lord Tsuchikage, this Deidara is your disciple. Every time he practices Explosive Clay Ninjutsu, he causes a violent explosion, destroying many buildings. The cost is far too high!"

Akatsuchi said very seriously, "Lord Tsuchikage, I admit that Deidara is a genius and obsessed with art, but exploding in the center of the village every time will affect the villagers of Iwagakure."

Ōnoki thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Put Deidara behind the village so he can train his Ninjutsu there. That way, if there's an explosion, it won't disturb the villagers."

Upon hearing Ōnoki's words, the group of Stone Ninja shouted in unison, "Understood, Lord Tsuchikage! We'll go move Deidara immediately!"

Beneath the bombed-out building stood a ten-year-old boy with blond hair, looking at his masterpiece, and excitedly shouted, "Art is an Explosion, boom, hahaha!"

Soon, a group of Hidden Stone Village Anbu Ninja walked directly to Deidara. Looking at the building Deidara had destroyed, they all said helplessly, "Four buildings have already been destroyed this month, and it's only the third. Those buildings that were just destroyed were still under construction, and now another one has been destroyed. The village's funds are going to run out again."

The Land of Earth has a harsh environment, surrounded by rugged, rocky terrain, making it unsuitable for growing crops. Therefore, the village is not very wealthy and relies entirely on funding allocated by the daimyo of the Land of Earth.

That's why the Iwagakure Anbu Ninja, upon seeing the ferocious Deidara, exclaimed in such a manner, and then began to worry about the village's finances, all feeling a pang of sympathy for Ōnoki.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Wind, the swirling yellow sand and the ninja village built on the desert stood out starkly against the surrounding landscape.

Meanwhile, on the scorching desert, a masked man complained, "Mr. Shimada's requests for Ninjutsu are all too tricky. This Land of Wind is all desert; they're not easy to find at all."

Kakuzu looked at the endless yellow sand and said helplessly, "Chiyo, that old woman, lives in seclusion by Moon Lake. She's not easy to catch at all. The only S-rank Ninjutsu in Hidden Sand Village is the Magnet Release technique, which is only mastered by the Kazekage. Am I supposed to capture the Kazekage and then exchange it for S-rank Ninjutsu?"

Kakuzu, remembering that his life savings had all been stolen, said with a helpless expression, "This Hidden Sand Village, while lacking in skilled ninja, even I wouldn't be confident in defeating all the Sand Ninja facing the entire village. Besides, what does Mr. Shimada need so many S-rank Ninjutsu for?"

Kakuzu a straightforward man; as long as the money is right, he'll do anything, even attack an entire ninja village.

Kakuzu began reminiscing about Uchiha Shimada again, then said with a resentful look, "Mr. Shimada even wanted me to protect beautiful women in the Shinobi World. What does a ghost like him need beautiful women for?"

Just then, a group of Hidden Sand Village ninjas appeared in the desert. These sand ninjas all wore headscarves to shield themselves from the swirling sand.

Seeing this, Kakuzu said greedily, "With them leading the way, I should be able to reach the Hidden Sand Village very soon."

Kakuzu then followed the Sand Ninja ahead, heading towards the Hidden Sand Village.