Night.
The Land of Earth.
Iwagakure.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the Tsuchikage Residence was somewhat oppressive-oppressive to the extreme, even.
The Third Tsuchikage, seated behind his desk, wore an especially troubled expression. His already aged face seemed to have grown older by an unknown number of years.
Before the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, an Iwagakure Anbu Ninja knelt quietly, his face likewise full of disbelief.
"So you're saying that after hearing our threats, Konoha's Minato Namikaze wasn't frightened, but instead decided to aid Uchiha Minato's Amegakure, making his position as Rain Shadow even more secure?"
The entire Tsuchikage Residence had been silent for only a few seconds before Ōnoki's powerful voice suddenly rang out.
As he spoke, Ōnoki gritted his teeth, looking furious.
When Uchiha Minato first became Amegakure's Rain Shadow, Ōnoki and the others had been utterly shaken and immediately ordered Iwagakure's troops to head to Amegakure.
But after seeing the Amegakure Ninja standing ready for battle, Ōnoki had pressured Konoha in hopes that it would help them eliminate Uchiha Minato, all to reduce casualties.
After all, once Iwagakure and Kumogakure joined forces, even Konoha would likely be unable to withstand Iwagakure's fierce might.
But to Ōnoki's surprise, after receiving their threats, Konoha had not cooperated. Instead, it had increased its aid to Amegakure. How could Ōnoki not be angry? How could he not be furious?!
After all, their Iwagakure general Akatsuchi was still in the hands of Uchiha Minato and his people. If this was handled poorly, his trusted right-hand man could very well end up on the road to death.
This-this was something Ōnoki could never accept, no matter what.
"Lord Ōnoki, what we never anticipated was that Konoha, which used to be so meek, would take such a firm stance this time. And as far