Ōnoki still did not know that someone had set their sights on Iwagakure.
Compared to the turbulent shinobi world, the Third Shinobi World War, hailed as the most brutal war after it ended, had cost the village half its shinobi. It had truly dealt them a crippling blow.
So after Konoha and the Dawn Hidden Village came into conflict, he had not let out a single word, intending to lower Iwagakure's profile while everyone else was not paying attention to it.
Using the wealth plundered back then, along with the money earned by helping establish the Dawn Hidden Village, he sought to ease the wounds the village had suffered in the Third Shinobi World War.
Compared to prosperous and fertile Konoha, Iwagakure's overall landscape resembled karst terrain. Jagged rocks and sparse yellow earth created an illusion of desolation.
Ōnoki's office was rather plain, simply furnished, with a stone placed in the center.
It was just an ordinary stone, but to every shinobi of Iwagakure, it was their Heart Stone, representing a faith as steadfast as rock. No one was allowed to slander this stone!
As usual, Ōnoki was reviewing the documents in his hands when an explosion made his hand tremble slightly. His face darkened with anger as he roared:
"Deidara! How many times have I told you not to try your art in the village? Do you know how much all these repairs cost? Keep this up, and you'll tear the whole village apart!"
Once he realized his own son was not suited to become the Fourth Tsuchikage, he turned his attention elsewhere and trained a group of qualified disciples. Deidara was the most talented among them, but unfortunately, his ideals had always clashed with the village. Combined with his unruly personality, Ōnoki dared not place the village in