Iwagakure's Response

While Kumogakure was pondering how to take a share of the flesh from Konoha, Iwagakure in the Land of Earth...

Inside the Iwagakure Building, the short-statured Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was also holding a meeting.

He hovered in mid-air, looking at a huge map of the Ninja World spread out on the long table in front of him, which marked the distribution of various forces throughout the Ninja World.

As the Shadow, Ōnoki spoke first:

"The Third Hokage of Konoha Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, the leader of Root, and the entire Root are gone. A large amount of supplies and sealing techniques were also stolen by the Uchiha. Now they are extremely weak."

Meanwhile, Sunagakure was used as a Orochimaru, the Kazekage died, and most of its ninja were lost, rendering it practically useless.

Kirigakure had been isolating itself for decades, but suddenly, without warning, it announced a defensive alliance with the Uchiha.

So, what do you think are the problems here, and what should we do?

As he spoke, he glanced around at the several Jonin and his staff in the room, hoping someone could offer him a satisfactory opinion.

In Iwagakure, he had long held absolute power, with no elders or advisors to share his authority. Therefore, no matter what opinions these people offered, he was ultimately the one to make the final decision.

"I believe that the Kumogakure will definitely take some action, and how to deal with those brutes is something we have to consider."

Ōnoki thought for a moment, then suddenly added a few more sentences.

The change of Raikage in Kumogakure was always done in secret, so he still thought that Kumogakure, that reckless brute, was still the Raikage.

"Father, I think we should hold back for now."

Although Sunagakure is in ruins, ninety percent of the Land of Wind is desert, so taking action against them would be a thankless and arduous task.

Although Konoha was weakened, it still had the strength to fight back.

It just so happens that the Kumogakure likes to act rashly, so we can wait for them to make the first move, deplete Konoha's last reserves, and then make our own attack.

Although we might not gain as much benefit as Kumogakure, we certainly won't lose out.

If conditions permit, we, who are well-rested and waiting, might be able to take a piece of flesh from the Kumogakure.

As for Kirigakure, let them ally with the Uchiha if they want. If something happens, they should contact the nearest Hidden Konoha or Kumogakure first. We're so far away, we can just wait and see how things develop."

Ōnoki's son, Kitsuchi, was the first to respond to his father's words.

Upon hearing this, Ōnoki shook his head, pointed to the area around the Land of Fire on the map, and said:

"That's too conservative. The south of Konoha has already been breached and occupied by the Uchiha, and there was a major battle with Sunagakure in the west. Who knows if Sunagakure will come again? So the ninjas stationed on the western border of Konoha dare not be mobilized easily."

To the east lies the sea, and across the sea, Kirigakure, which had been quiet for years, has now openly allied with the Uchiha. The Uchiha, however, harbor deep-seated hatred for Konoha. Would Konoha dare ignore them?

Finally, what about the north?

Kitsuchi paused for a moment, then replied, "To the north... are the Land of Grass, the Iron Country, Land of Fields..."

"Not only that, but there are also us and Kumogakure) standing to the left and right respectively."

The Land of Grass is like a weather vane, siding with whoever is stronger;

The Iron Country has always maintained a neutral stance and can be almost ignored;

The Land of Fields, huh? Orochimaru's Land of Fields (Otogakure) is located there, and it's now a mortal enemy of Konoha.

Ōnoki shook his head again, speaking with a hint of disappointment, trying to enlighten Kitsuchi so that he could figure it out on his own.

Unfortunately, Kitsuchi only showed a bewildered look in his wise eyes when he heard Ōnoki's insightful remarks; he was not inspired at all.

"Grandpa, can we do this...?"

First, send troops to put pressure on the Land of Grass, and make them scout out Konoha for us to find out their true strength;

Then, at the same time, we allied with Orochimaru's Otogakure, and the Land of Fields was located between our Land of Earth, Land of Fire, and Land of Lightning.

"Alliance with Orochimaru would allow us to obtain some information about Konoha from him, and also give him a way to keep Konoha and Kumogakure in check."

Fortunately, at this time, Kitsuchi, the daughter of Ōnoki, Kurotsuchi some very good suggestions.

"Hehe, not bad. Although there are still some flaws, it's almost perfect."

Ōnoki was immediately moved to tears, feeling immensely gratified.

Damn, after waiting for so many years, he finally saw a decent successor before he was buried. It's so damn hard!

"The Land of Fields is a good ally, but Orochimaru is not."

Therefore, we will send an "alliance" team to the Land of Grass under the pretext of forming an alliance with the Land of Fields of Fields, to first intimidate them into sending someone to Konoha to investigate their strength.

After the group arrives in the Land of Fields, we should ignore Orochimaru and secretly infiltrate the Land of Fire. We will personally investigate the situation in Konoha and the Uchiha in the southern part of the Land of Fire."

At this point, a hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes.

[Uchiha clan leader Uchiha Feng can freely use Susanoo!]

This information kept reminding him of a bad memory, one he didn't want to face.

After hearing this, almost everyone in the room looked at each other blankly, unable to offer any better suggestions or additions.

However, a moment later, Kurotsuchi thought of a supplement to Ōnoki's plan:

"Grandpa, could we hire Akatsuki again and have them cause some trouble in Konoha?"

Although those mercenaries are greedy, they are truly capable when paid, and their strength is extremely high. With them putting pressure on Konoha from the sidelines, our 'alliance' team should have a higher success rate."

Upon hearing this, Ōnoki and the others' eyes lit up, clearly agreeing with the idea.

"Moreover, those people from the Land of Grass have always been opportunistic. While we intimidate them, we can also give them some benefits to strengthen their resolve to deal with Konoha."

At that time, no matter what the outcome, we can still profit from the situation; it's just a matter of whether we profit from the Land of Grass or the Land of Fire.

Most importantly, doing these things only costs money, won't deplete our strength, and therefore won't give the Kumogakure an opportunity to take advantage.

Seeing that no one objected, Kurotsuchi continued.

Upon hearing this, Kitsuchi frowned and asked in confusion:

"Kurotsuchi, isn't this... too slow?"

"By contacting this person and that person, and then waiting for the right moment to strike, the Uchiha might have already digested what they stole, and Konoha might have recovered its strength. Wouldn't we have just missed a golden opportunity?"

Kurotsuchi was about to explain when she heard this, but Ōnoki, who was sitting in the main seat, laughed first:

"Slow? Hehe, no, Kurotsuchi's suggestion is very good."

Kitsuchi, have you forgotten that the guiding principle of our Iwagakure is stability?

In this grand game of the Ninja World, those who rise to the top first are often the ones who die first.

Just like Konoha, which used to be the undisputed number one ninja village in the Ninja World, but what about now?

Those brutes from Kumogakure want to rush ahead and grab the spoils? Let them go first. Even a broken boat has three pounds of nails; Konoha won't just obediently surrender.

Don't forget, Jiraiya is still in Konoha, Tsunade hasn't left Konoha either, and there's the strongest Nine-Tails Jinchuriki among the Tailed Beasts... If Kumogakure is too reckless, hehe, they'll definitely end up with a bloody nose.

"That will be our opportunity. Kurotsuchi mentioned the Land of Grass and Konoha, and maybe even the Kumogakure. We won't be at a disadvantage."

"Father, wouldn't it be... if we did this..."

The honest and simple-minded Kitsuchi found it difficult to speak of such despicable methods.

"Do as I say. We won't be the first to reach out, nor will we be the last."

Remember, what we need to do is be the one who quietly takes the bricks after others have knocked down the wall.

Ōnoki's eyebrows twitched a few times, suppressing his anger and disappointment, and he made a decision in one sentence.

This son has the ability, he's already reached the Kage Level, but his brain is just not cut out for being a Kage.

'But thankfully, she gave birth to a wonderful daughter.' The more Onoki disliked the Kitsuchi, the more he loved the Kurotsuchi Ōnoki the blink of an eye.

Her own granddaughter is exceptionally talented, possessing the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, and is also very intelligent...

Having seen too many oddballs and deformed people in Iwagakure, Kurotsuchi was perfect in every way.

"Kitsuchi, you will lead the team that is to 'ally' with Orochimaru, and Kurotsuchi will accompany them."

Listen to Kurotsuchi's advice on everything you do on the road. Don't underestimate her just because she's young, or I'll make you regret it when we get back."

Yes. *2

The Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi immediately accepted the order.

"Also, keep an eye on the Uchiha. If you can contact them, try to do so; if not, just ignore them for now."

In short, let's not antagonize them for now, and wait until we gather more detailed information before making any further decisions.

Ōnoki had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after being beaten by Madara Uchiha when he was young, suddenly gave this advice.

The thought of Uchiha Feng and Susanoo mentioned in the intelligence always made his heart tighten.