Iwagakure, the temporary Tsuchikage office.
"What did you say? Zhou Cheng faced the Six Paths of Pain alone and managed to kill five of them!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"That was the Six Paths of Pain, a godlike force!"
"Zhou Cheng is powerful, but surely he hasn't reached that level!"
The stubborn Ōnoki refused to admit that Zhou Cheng was stronger than him.
"Grandpa, give it a rest!"
"Just a few members of the Akatsuki left us battered and humiliated."
"Never mind their leader."
Kurotsuchi looked at him with contempt. Damn old fool.
Is it really that hard to admit someone else is strong?
Have you even looked at what the village has become?
They were living in tents pitched amid the ruins, exposed to the wind and rain.
They had even lost their tailed beast. Iwagakure had long since become a laughingstock.
Yet he was still being stubborn!
Would he only stop once he had dragged all of Iwagakure down with him?
Kitsuchi looked troubled too. His father had become obsessed.
Ever since his battle with Zhou Cheng, he had been losing his grip.
It made sense. The power of Dust Release had given him an easy ride for years, and a sudden defeat had proved more than he could bear!
"Lord Tsuchikage, we should focus on rebuilding the village, not on anything else."
Kitsuchi also began trying to reason with Ōnoki.
He hoped that, as his son and granddaughter, they could bring him to his senses.
"Rebuild? How?"
"Because of Zhou Cheng, the other shinobi villages refuse to help. The money, supplies, and manpower needed to rebuild the entire village are astronomical."
"We can't shoulder that burden alone!"
Kurotsuchi curled her lip at that. Would things have gotten this bad if you hadn't been so stubborn?
"Enough!"
"You stubborn