Iwagakure.
" Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, how's the troop assembly going?"
Ōnoki stood at the highest point of Iwagakure, his feet slightly off the ground, clearly using the flying Ninjutsu — Super Light-Weight Rock Technique.
Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi used the exact same Ninjutsu to fly to Ōnoki's side and report on their work.
"The troops have basically assembled, Jonin 324 Jonin are present, and we are ready to attack Sunagakure at any time," Kitsuchi said with a serious expression.
But Akatsuki obviously didn't have the seriousness and rigidity of his senior brother at all. He scratched his head in a naive manner and said with a smile:
"Logistics are ready, and the hired war organizations have all arrived, but the Akatsuki has yet to reply."
Akatsuki is publicly known as a war mercenary organization, an illegal mercenary group composed of missing-nin. They were chosen by Iwagakure as a partner because of their outstanding strength, but Akatsuki is not the only war mercenary organization.
There are also many mercenary organizations that are not as strong as Akatsuki, but have some unique methods. For example, there is an assassin organization in Kusagakure that specializes in infiltration and assassination.
In certain special circumstances, they can also play an extraordinary role. Iwagakure is the biggest client of these mercenary organizations and also the one who understands them best.
" Akatsuki, huh!"
The old man snorted in dissatisfaction. In his view, the Akatsuki had harbored inappropriate intentions, which was why they dared to attack Kumogakure and now refused Iwagakure's offer of employment.
Once the turmoil in Konoha is over, we'll take care of the Akatsuki!
The only thing worth worrying about is the Ninjutsu used to destroy Amegakure, and destroying Akatsuki is also a way to force the mastermind behind it all to reveal themselves.
"I will be secretly following along during this war, so remember not to expose yourselves."
" Lord Tsuchikage, this won't do. Iwagakure still needs you..." Kitsuchi immediately objected. The old man was already over seventy years old and should have retired long ago. Going to the battlefield now would be too risky.
"Alright, Iwagakure can still function without me. Do you think you can handle Konoha Naoki Senju from Konoha?" The old man rolled his eyes playfully; he knew his son all too well.
"This..." Kitsuchi rubbed his hands awkwardly. It would be fine against other Konoha members, but against Wood Release, his Earth Release was only good for Wood Release...
It wasn't just him; most of the Iwagakure Ninja were like this. Their proud Earth Release Ninjutsu was utterly useless against Wood Release. Earth Release, which could alter the terrain, was no match for Wood Release, which was deeply rooted in the earth.
If Naoki Senju possessed the same Chakra as Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju Uchiha...
Ōnoki uncontrollably recalled the scene when he first met Madara Uchiha, a fear etched deep in his memory.
"Grandfather!"
A sweet yet hurried female voice entered Ōnoki's ears. By the time Ōnoki tried to run away, it was too late. His small body was immediately embraced by the girl, and what's worse, the girl was also grabbing one of Ōnoki's few remaining strands of hair.
"Gently, gently, don't break your hair!"
Ōnoki yielded to the girl's strength, afraid that the last bit of hair would be pulled out by the roots. If outsiders saw this scene, the prestige Ōnoki had accumulated over fifty years in power would be completely wiped out.
" Kurotsuchi, watch out!"
Kitsuchi originally wanted to pull Kurotsuchi away to rescue his elderly father who was being twisted, but when he saw Kurotsuchi, he couldn't help but soften his heart and could only give him a light scolding.
But there were people who felt even more sorry for him, and they wouldn't even tolerate a single scolding.
"What's wrong with me playing with the kids? You're the one who's so strict. Alright, go check the logistics supplies again." The old man stubbornly scolded Kitsuchi. If he hadn't been so distressed by the broken hair, his scolding would probably have been more convincing.
Although inspecting logistics was Akatsuchi's job, Kitsuchi wisely left, otherwise the task would soon be much more complex than simply inspecting logistics.
After the meddlesome Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi left, Ōnoki patted Kurotsuchi's little hand that was clutching her hair and said kindly:
"Is something wrong, Little Kurotsuchi?"
"I want to join this war too!" Kurotsuchi obediently let go of his hand and then shouted loudly in Ōnoki's ear.
The old man rubbed his ears, which were numb from the loud noise, and said firmly, "No!"
"Why not? If I can go to Akatsuchi, I want to go too!"
Kurotsuchi, whose request had been rejected, grabbed Ōnoki's hair again, pulling out several strands, which brought tears to Ōnoki's eyes.
"Listen to me, war isn't a ninja game. War is dangerous and cruel. Look at the Genin you usually play with, none of them are participating, are they?"
Ōnoki went to great lengths to prevent Kurotsuchi from having any thoughts of participating in the war. Genin do need to participate in the war, but they are mostly in logistical roles, such as transporting supplies and transferring the wounded.
However, Ōnoki was unwilling to let Kurotsuchi take such risks, so the Genin had a good relationship with Kurotsuchi and even had occasional contact with her were not required to participate in this war, of course, only in the early stages of the war.
If the war lasts a long time and neither side takes the initiative to negotiate peace, all ninjas will be forced to participate in the war, including prisoners in jail.
Besides, in the dead of winter, Ōnoki flew into the air, enduring the cold wind and Kitsuchi to discuss preparations for war. Was it for the sake of prestige? Or was it simply to avoid the Kurotsuchi and prevent her from having to participate in the war again?
But to his surprise, Kurotsuchi had even mastered the Light-Weight Rock Technique... Ōnoki was at a loss for whether to be happy or sad.
"But the villagers all say that if Iwagakure loses to Konoha this time, the name Iwagakure will never exist again..."
Hearing the sadness and grievance in Kurotsuchi's voice, Ōnoki's heart melted. He increased the altitude of the plane so that Kurotsuchi could lean against him, and softly comforted her:
"Don't worry, everything will be alright. With Grandpa here, Iwagakure will be safe."
"Hmm~"
Kurotsuchi responded in a Kurotsuchi, coquettish voice, but Ōnoki didn't notice Kurotsuchi sly smile; her plan had succeeded!
Inside the Tsuchikage's office, Kurotsuchi's Earth Clone stealthily crept in. The ninja on duty weren't surprised to see Kurotsuchi and even greeted her. After all, who in Iwagakure didn't know the Lord Tsuchikage's granddaughter?
"Uh, I'm just helping Grandpa get something. You guys continue with your work."
Kurotsuchi's clumsy acting couldn't possibly fool them, but why did they expose him? The more classified information had already been sealed away on scrolls, and what remained were worthless and outdated documents.
Let's just consider it as the Lord Tsuchikage's granddaughter getting some early training in infiltration skills. Anyway, with them watching over her, nothing bad will happen.
Kurotsuchi Tu Earth Flow to the desk, pretending to look for something, and in fact he was looking for something—the starting point of this war.
A war at the level of a ninja village is not like a gang fight where you just roll up your sleeves and charge in. It requires a specially planned location, with people going to the battlefield in batches. This can reduce the probability of being ambushed and also allow for a more accurate grasp of the distribution of personnel.
This wasn't exactly secret information; basically every ninja in Iwagakure knew it, except for Kurotsuchi and her companions. And no one was willing to tell her, so Kurotsuchi had no choice but to try her luck in the Tsuchikage's office.
Fortunately, she was lucky. There was indeed a report on the battle strategy on her desk. After finding the location, Kurotsuchi pretended to leave as if nothing had happened, but in reality, she was so happy she could jump for joy.
She can finally participate in the war that will decide the fate of Iwagakure!