Hearing the commotion at the door, Ōnoki glanced over, saw Mahiru sprawled on the floor, and tossed aside the documents in his hand, chiding, "How could you be so careless?
You're a Jonin now; how can you trip over a threshold while walking? Get up!"
Roshi also glanced over, and seeing it was Mahiru, he teased, "Isn't this Mahiru, who went to the Land of Wind to find me?
What's the matter, did you get results so quickly?"
Mahiru remained silent, slamming his fist against the floor, tears streaming down his face in profound grief.
Sensing something was wrong, Ōnoki floated up from his desk and hovered before Mahiru, his expression shifting to shock as he demanded, "What happened? Speak!"
"They're dead... they're all dead..."
He was a Jonin; even in the face of the greatest hardships, he could not cry. Mahiru wiped away the tears he couldn't hold back and recounted the events from start to finish.
From the order to infiltrate the Land of Wind, to taking out several Sand Ninja outposts, to splitting up, and finally, Rasa descending like a god with power as heavy as a prison...
The more Ōnoki heard, the more alarmed he became. It was fortunate he had no heart conditions, or he might have suffered a sudden attack.
Thirty Chunin, two Jonin, an elite squad—wiped out just like that.
In the original timeline, when Higashi Shito led the Iwagakure army to attack the Land of Fire, it was only two or three hundred core ninja, and then they encountered Minato Namikaze, who was mowing them down like grass in his prime...
But the concepts were different. The Battle of Kannabi Bridge was the most critical link in the final decisive battle; a surprise attack would naturally require committing all available resources.
For this reconnaissance mission, considering efficiency, Ōnoki had only dispatched thirty elites. Chunin were already the backbone of a hidden village.
And then? Total annihilation. It was like using an anti-aircraft gun to kill a mosquito; the mosquito wasn't hit, but the barrel exploded.
How could Ōnoki not feel the pain of such a high casualty rate? Every Chunin was someone who had spent years fighting their way up from the rank of Genin.
They carried the village's expectations and were the reserve force for the mid-to-high-level Jonin. Thirty of them, all gone!
Having challenged Madara Uchiha back in the day and seen the world, Ōnoki suppressed his anger and grief, asking in a low voice, "The bodies?
Did you bring back the bodies?"
Mahiru nodded, took out a storage scroll, and released the twenty-plus charred corpses, filling half the office.
Ōnoki and Roshi examined them for a moment, then looked at each other, speaking their shared suspicion in unison: "There are no burn marks on the clothing. It's Lightning Release!"
The heat generated by combustion differs slightly from electrical heat; the latter has a shorter duration, and all damage is dealt in an instant with immense power.
"The power of a single strike wiped out a special operations squad.
The perpetrator's level of Lightning Release can be considered one of the strongest in the entire Shinobi World.
This person's strength is not below mine!"
After analyzing the precise power of the lightning, Roshi was deeply shocked. Fortunately, his surname wasn't Nie.
Ōnoki remained silent. With such powerful Lightning Release, the range of suspects could be narrowed down slightly—it was either the Land of Lightning or Konohagakure!
The five great hidden villages each excelled in their own ninjutsu. The lands of Wind, Lightning, Water, and Earth each specialized in their respective elemental ninjutsu, along with various miscellaneous Kekkei Genkai.
Konohagakure was the exception. With its vast territory and abundant resources, it produced many talents. Beyond the Uchiha's Fire Release, which looked down upon the Shinobi World, they were also highly proficient in the other four elemental arts.
"Is there any other intelligence?" Ōnoki asked coldly; knowing only that it was Lightning Release was of little use.
Mahiru cast aside his grief and, while recalling, said, "The man called himself Luo Yongxin and claimed to be from the Celestial, but I suspect this is a false identity.
Because I saw him use a Lightning Release body-refining secret technique to severely injure Hunter with a single punch. I suspect..."
Points +1+1+1+1...
The special identity had begun to yield dividends. As Rasa dug into the mountain, the Starry Sky Vortex in his mind fluctuated incessantly.
"Kumogakure!"
Ōnoki was incensed, slamming his fist onto the desk. To express his fury, he specifically used the Light-Weight Rock Technique to crack the tabletop.
"It is also possible that someone else is trying to frame Kumogakure. Don't be so quick to anger; let us analyze this further," Roshi advised.
"Lightning Release might be a mistake, but could a Lightning Release body-refining secret technique also be a mistake?"
Ōnoki puffed his cheeks and glared, dissatisfied with Roshi questioning his deduction, and demanded angrily, "Similar ninjutsu do exist in the Shinobi World.
But that Luo Yongxin severely injured Hunter with a single punch. With such powerful Nintaijutsu, what else could it be but the Lightning Release body-refining secret technique developed by that brute, the Third Raikage?
Tell me, what other technique could achieve this?"
Ōnoki had a fiery temper, but so did Roshi. Showing no respect for Ōnoki, he retorted, "A ninja's battle is a battle of chakra.
If one possesses a similar technique and has sufficient chakra, it is not impossible to imitate the Raikage's technique.
I still believe there is something suspicious about this. How could our secret operation be linked to Kumogakure?"
"How could it not be linked!"
Ignoring his decorum, Ōnoki pointed toward the east—the direction of the Land of Lightning—and cursed, "That brute, the Raikage, only acts on impulse.
It is no exaggeration to say that every village in the Shinobi World has spies from other villages; this is an unavoidable fact.
This matter is inseparable from that brute. He must have learned of our operation and, in a fit of rage, dispatched his son and disciples to strike in secret to undermine us!
And he even dragged out some Celestial—a ridiculous joke. Nothing can escape my discerning eyes."
"Why couldn't it be the Raikage himself who struck?" Mahiru asked skeptically.
Ōnoki snorted coldly and explained, "That brute of a Raikage took the field himself; did you really think you could come back alive?
His brain might not be the sharpest, but he wouldn't forget to check the corpses.
It could only have been his son or his student, Killer B. I've heard of them; they are highly gifted and possess at least quasi-Kage level strength.
It's a pity, but youngsters are always youngsters—clumsy and reckless in their work."
The more Mahiru listened, the more off it felt. He had come back alive, so what was there to pity?
"I still stand by my opinion; there is something fishy about this!" Roshi remained steadfast, arguing with Ōnoki.
"Must you always go against me? Do you oppose everything I support?"
Ōnoki sternly interrogated Roshi, "If you insist on your own opinion, then go investigate this matter yourself.
Then bring back evidence and present the facts to prove that you are right and I am wrong.
Until then, get out of my way. I am going to the Land of Lightning myself to find that brute; this matter cannot be left as it is!"
For a village leader to go out on missions or hit the battlefield is actually quite common, with the exception of Konohagakure, which has such vast resources and so many top-tier fighters that their leader rarely needs to risk his own life.
Ōnoki pushed Roshi aside and stormed off in a rage, preparing for the logistics of his trip to the Land of Lightning; first and foremost, he needed to bring enough subordinates.
Tobirama Senju being backstabbed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku was a cautionary tale.
Points +1+1+1+1...