Therefore, after receiving this news, Aizen took Jörmungandr and Setsugetsu to the Land of Earth.
" Aizen- san, you already know why Iwagakure is looking for us?" Jörmungandr, who was on his way to the Land of Earth, asked Aizen, who was leaping around in the forest beside him.
In response to Jörmungandr's question, Aizen replied calmly, "Yes, it's probably about Roshi being captured by Konoha. Iwagakure is probably looking for us because they value our strength and want us to help them get Roshi back from Konoha."
Upon hearing Aizen's guess, Jörmungandr's expression changed in surprise. "Wouldn't that expose our organization?"
This situation was beyond Jörmungandr's expectations. After all, their organization's previous principle was to hide themselves, so why were they now making such a big show of it? This change was far too rapid.
"We can say we've already been exposed. Our previous encounter with Setsugetsu allowed Konoha to uncover some clues about us. Afterwards, to conceal our connection to the organization, our main body leaked some information to Konoha. Therefore, there's little point in us hiding anymore. The only thing we need to hide is our base in Rōran. As long as that remains unknown, everything else is irrelevant. I've decided to stop informing the ordinary ninjas on the outskirts of Rōran. Only we ourselves need to know about it."
Aizen originally intended to develop his power secretly, but now that Konoha has discovered his whereabouts and he's involved with Iwagakure, there's little point in hiding anymore. So, being exposed is fine, as long as the organization's objectives aren't discovered by the other ninja villages, it's not a problem.
As for whether the organization's high profile would attract the attention of other ninja villages, Aizen was not worried. As long as the Light Organization did not affect the interests of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, they would not be taken seriously by them.
This is the arrogance of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
This arrogance is exactly what Aizen wants. He wants his organization to grow and thrive under the arrogance of the Five Great Nations, until ultimately none of the Five Great Nations can stop his true form from achieving the Six Paths.
Jörmungandr speechless; it turned out that the biggest traitor was actually the organization's supreme leader.
Your Majesty, why did you surrender so early? Or perhaps I am the traitor?
After thinking about it this way, Jörmungandr understood Aizen's decision; there was indeed no hidden meaning.
Setsugetsu, standing nearby, raised another question, "If we want to take Roshi away, we'll definitely have to fight Konoha ninjas. What should we do then?"
Setsugetsu's concerns were not unfounded, after all, they were all clones of the main body, and strictly speaking, they were all Konoha ninjas.
Not only did they not help Konoha, they also caused trouble for Konoha. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?
If they actually bring Roshi back to Iwagakure, what if Iwagakure defeats Konoha? Wouldn't their actions just be causing trouble for the original owner?
"Don't worry, we just need to take Roshi with us. If we encounter Konoha Ninja trying to stop us, we'll go easy on them."
"As for whether it would greatly increase Iwagakure's strength and allow them to defeat Konoha, that's completely impossible. Roshi already had the Four Symbols Seal placed on Jiraiya, and that Sealing Jutsu alone is something Iwagakure can't break in a short time. Furthermore, Roshi is severely injured; even with his Jinchūriki's constitution, he won't recover without a period of rest. Besides, with his original body still alive, Iwagakure absolutely cannot defeat Konoha."
"So we don't need to worry too much about Konoha. Of course, there will definitely be some losses for Konoha, but the main body already has a plan to make up for it, so we don't need to have too many concerns."
"I see, then I'll act depending on the situation." Setsugetsu knew that her Ice Release technique was extremely powerful, and even a slightly stronger attack could cause considerable damage to the Konoha Ninja. She was afraid that if she went too far, she would cause irreparable damage to Konoha.
After two days of continuous travel, the three of them finally arrived at the agreed-upon location, Ōnoki Red Rock Valley, before sunset on the third day.
This place is located in the Land of Earth near the border of the Land of Waterfalls. It is famous for its reddish-brown rocks, but it is a very desolate place, and almost no other ninjas pass through here. It can be said to be a natural trading location.
When Aizen and his two companions arrived, they saw that the Iwagakure ninjas had been waiting for them in the Red Rock Valley for quite some time.
The leader of the Iwagakure unit wasn't Ōnoki, but rather Jörmungandr fought Butō before. This made Jörmungandr frown. "Hey, Butō. Where's Ōnoki?"
Upon Jörmungandr's words, the four Iwagakure beside Butō all showed anger. It was extremely rude of him to address the Tsuchikage by his full name. Some of the hot-tempered Iwagakure even drew their blades, ready to teach Jörmungandr a lesson.
However, they were stopped by Butō before they could make a move. Butō knew Jörmungandr's strength and didn't want his companions to die.
Then, smiling, he explained to Jörmungandr, "Please be patient, Jörmungandr. Lord Tsuchikage has entrusted all matters of the transaction to me. So, I will discuss the details with you later."
"Hey, Ōnoki, you guys are really rude! It was Iwagakure who proposed the deal first. And now your shadows haven't even shown up. Are you looking down on us?"
Jörmungandr's tone was somewhat unpleasant, which was understandable. He had assumed that Ōnoki was the one presiding over the transaction, but upon meeting him, he discovered it was Butō.
Although Butō's status was respectable, he didn't have the same influence as Ōnoki. This was a complete disregard for their organization.
Aizen, on the other hand, had an expression that said, "I didn't expect this."
He had long known that Ōnoki, as the Tsuchikage, would not personally trade with these mysterious individuals.
He probably thought these people were all cowards in Ōnoki's eyes, not worth him giving them face.
Of course, another reason is that they don't want to tarnish the Iwagakure. After all, making a deal with a mysterious organization would easily make Iwagakure lose face if word got out.
Of course, even though Aizen knew the reason why Ōnoki didn't appear, he didn't show any sympathy for Ōnoki.
Therefore, Aizen stopped Jörmungandr, who was about to continue his outburst, and simply said, "Since Ōnoki doesn't trust us, why bother making a deal with us?"
After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave with Jörmungandr and Setsugetsu.
Aizen's direct action startled Butō. They hadn't even exchanged a few words, and he was already preparing to leave. Wouldn't that mean his mission had failed?
So Butō quickly tried to persuade them to stay, saying, " Lord Tsuchikage's absence is not out of disrespect for you all, but rather because the defeat at the front has kept Lord Tsuchikage extremely busy. He has been unable to spare any time to speak with you. However, Lord Tsuchikage said that to express his apology for not being able to come in person, he will give you 60% of the mission reward first. We hope that for the sake of the reward, you will be willing to have a proper discussion with us."