The first thing Ōnoki thought of was the Akatsuki.
The relationship between Iwagakure and Akatsuki has been quite long, almost ten years now.
In the later stages of the Third Shinobi World War, during the battle where Minato Namikaze became famous throughout the Shinobi World and killed dozens of Jonin in an instant.
The Kannabi Bridge mission, which was also Kakashi's breakthrough battle, destroyed not only the bridge but also countless supplies.
Iwagakure completely lost its route for a large-scale invasion of the Land of Fire. After a few brief skirmishes, the conflict ended with Iwagakure's surrender.
The Land of Earth and the Iwagakure suffered heavy losses, and ultimately, due to Hiruzen Sarutobi's eagerness to end the war, no reparations were paid in return.
However, this also dealt a heavy blow to the Land of Earth. While it is true that the Land of Earth is rich in mineral resources, minerals are not food; they must be converted into money to buy food.
During the long war, all trade with the outside world in the Shinobi World was suspended, and all countries were living off their past glories.
The unity of Iwagakure is not just lip service; in addition to the village's extreme harmony, its relationship with the daimyo is also quite amicable.
After the war, Ōnoki did not want to place too much economic burden on the Daimyo of the Land of Earth, so he reduced expenditures.
At that time, Ōnoki approached the Akatsuki, which was already somewhat famous, and outsourced some of the military missions in the Land of Earth.
The impoverished Iwagakure, whose only remaining asset was its mines, hired the Akatsuki using its various mineral resources for a two-year term.
Two years later, having tasted success, Ōnoki continued his cooperation with the Akatsuki, outsourcing tedious and complex tasks in exchange for free mineral resources.
The funds provided by the daimyo can be better invested in the training and development of the village's ninjas, which is a win-win situation.
As cooperation deepens, business expands, and trust grows.
During the negotiations, the level of the members also increased accordingly, and Ōnoki gradually learned that the core members of Akatsuki were S-rank missing-nin from various villages.
He also met with two core members of the Akatsuki. Based on his interactions with them, Onoki's impression of the Ōnoki Akatsuki was...
As long as you pay, even the Sage of Six Paths can arrange things for Iwagakure!
Ōnoki did decide to step in himself, but he wasn't sure what his reputation as the Third Tsuchikage was worth in front of Ren, who was now being touted as the strongest ninja in the Shinobi World.
To be precise, is one's own reputation more valuable than Deidara's?
Unable to be certain of Ōnoki had to prepare for the worst; if diplomacy failed, he would have no choice but to resort to force.
Iwagakure takes matters into their own hands?
The shrewd Ōnoki wouldn't do such a thing.
Regardless of whether they can win or not, even if they do win, what's the point? What's lost can never be regained. Deidara has been in Konoha for so long; he should have already let go of everything he needed to.
The only saving grace was that Deidara genuinely wasn't interested in what he was saying; he was more interested in playing in the mud.
The Akatsuki is the best choice right now.
Without hesitation, Ōnoki immediately used a communication method that he only activated once every few years to contact a core member of the Akatsuki whom he had met once before.
After learning the other party's location, Ōnoki made some arrangements for the village and then flew away from Iwagakure alone into the sky.
The next day arrived.
The Chunin Ninja Exams are still in full swing.
After taking turns to rest, the ninjas leading the teams from each village regained their energy, and a fierce battle was underway.
Kitsuchi's mindset had improved considerably by now, after all, he had learned about his father's coping strategies during their conversation last night.
The task has already been handed over; with Ōnoki taking the lead, there's no point in Kitsuchi continuing to worry.
Since that's the case, taking good care of his daughter is the most important thing. There are two things that Kitsuchi cares about most.
Kitsuchi didn't know whether the village or his daughter was more important, since no one forced Kitsuchi to choose between the two.
Now that the village affairs are being taken care of by the Tsuchikage, his son, Tsuchikage, can focus his attention on his daughter.
Konan was also in the monitoring room, but Konan didn't really care much about the ninjas of Amegakure.
What really caught Konan's attention was the entire monitoring system.
Cameras are not uncommon in the Shinobi World, and ninjas are generally familiar with them.
However, most of the surveillance systems outside Konoha are used by ordinary people, and they are used to guard against ordinary people.
Once a ninja has witnessed the effect, they can effectively evade camera surveillance.
After all, such a large metal object is simply too conspicuous.
However, Konan took Konoha's surveillance system seriously, because even though she could deduce the position of the camera from the line of sight between the two opposing cameras, she was still able to do so.
However, Konan still couldn't see any flaws on the screen.
Perhaps some clues could be discerned at the scene, but this level of concealment is sufficient for use within the ninja village.
Konan replaced the Forest of Death scene with Amegakure on the screens, exploring the practicality of this surveillance system in Amegakure.
If possible, we must find a way to obtain Konoha's surveillance equipment!
Konan made a decision in her heart, not for any other reason than to reduce Nagato's burden.
As the headquarters of the Akatsuki, Amegakure was able to remain impregnable for a long time, ensuring that all intelligence agents who went there never returned.
This was all achieved thanks to Nagato's Rain Tiger at Will Technique he maintained at all times.
Now that something could alleviate Nagato's burden was right in front of her, Konan couldn't help but have an idea.
Just then, Konan, who had already taken off the ring hanging on her chest, emitted a vibration.