Land of Stone, Iwagakure.
Ōnoki floated in front of his desk, holding an urgent scroll sent by Kumogakure.
After carefully reading through the scroll, Ōnoki knitted his brows and sank deep into thought.
Seeing this, Kurotsuchi asked curiously, "Old man, did something happen?"
Ōnoki tossed the scroll to Kurotsuchi and said gravely, "Little girl, see for yourself..."
"..."
"Whoa! Both of Kumogakure's Jinchūriki were captured?"
Kurotsuchi was somewhat shocked. Although she had never met them, she had heard that Kumogakure's Jinchūriki were extremely powerful.
One of them was even a perfect Jinchūriki.
Now that they had been captured too, their opponents were clearly no pushovers.
"Ah..." Ōnoki let out a heavy sigh. "Things have gotten serious. I never expected their targets to be all the Tailed Beasts..."
Kurotsuchi immediately closed the scroll and complained, "Old man, this is all your fault! If you'd sent people to keep an eye on Roshi and Han, would we be in such a helpless position?"
Ōnoki haughtily raised his chin. "Hmph! What's it got to do with me? They like living free and unfettered. I couldn't stop them!"
"You stubborn old man, just keep digging your heels in! You're already so old. You might as well retire!"
Kurotsuchi kept muttering with her little cherry lips, thoroughly irritating Ōnoki.
"Quiet! Let me think!"
"Report!"
As they spoke, an intelligence ninja delivered an urgent secret letter from Sunagakure.
"What does Sunagakure want now? Didn't word of Shukaku's capture spread long ago?"
Ōnoki hurriedly tore open the envelope, and its contents left him stunned.
"!!!"
"So Deidara was behind this!"
Sunagakure had sent information on the culprits and their identifying features directly to the various nations.
Under the Raikage's coordination, the great nations that had lost their Tailed Beasts began sharing intelligence. After all, this was an