Chapter 106: Onoki Vs. Old Murasaki【3k, Subscribe】
Stone Village.
Bang!
The door of the conference room was roughly pushed open, and a burly man with red hair tied in a ponytail burst into the conference room.
“Onoki! Why are you imprisoning Kari!” Roshi, with a full beard, questioned Onoki in front of numerous Stone Village high-level officials.
Pointed at the nose by Roshi like this, Onoki’s face also looked extremely unpleasant, and he slammed his fist on the table: “Roshi! Mind your status! This is not a place for you to rampage!”
“Me rampaging?!” Roshi laughed in extreme anger, jumping directly onto the conference table, arms crossed over his chest, looking down at Onoki condescendingly.
The other high-level Stone Village ninjas participating in the meeting saw this and wisely left the conference room.
After everyone left, Onoki’s son Kurotsuchi hurriedly went up to close the door, smoothing things over: “Roshi senior, Kari’s situation is somewhat special.”
“What’s so special?!” Roshi didn’t buy it at all, still roaring aggressively: “Kari devoted himself entirely to the village, even captured by the enemy and suffered inhuman torment. Now that he’s finally been brought back, you’re still keeping him locked up for interrogation?”
“This is a necessary procedure.” Kurotsuchi sighed, trying to pull Roshi down from the table.
But Roshi was also stubborn as a mule, sitting cross-legged directly on the table: “Unless you give me an explanation today! I won’t leave!”
Onoki was so angry that his beard stood on end, slamming the table fiercely: “If you have the guts, sit here for the rest of your life!”
Kurotsuchi was caught in the middle between the two, trying hard to mediate between these two clashing tempers.
After all, one was his own dad, the other was the village’s jinchūriki. The two already had mismatched personalities, political views, and more, and the matter with Kari would only exacerbate the contradiction, bringing adverse effects to the village.
So Kurotsuchi hurriedly explained: “Roshi, Kari led the team to the Land of Bears and lost contact for several months. Now that he’s suddenly back, undergoing investigation is a necessary procedure.”
“Bullshit procedure!” Roshi glared at Kurotsuchi: “Kari escaped back under pursuit from the enemy. The border patrol ninjas even encountered that group and killed one of their jonin and several chunin and genin! Several of them were even injured!”
“Are you suspecting that Kari is a spy released by the enemy? Specifically using the lives of one jonin and several chunin and genin as bait to put on a show?”
Explosion Release ninja Kari had escaped back to Stone Village a month ago.
The team Stone Village sent to investigate the drastic changes in the Land of Bears and Star Ninja Village—only Kari escaped back; the other two were still missing. This inevitably made Onoki suspicious of Kari, leading to an investigation into him.
Since returning, Kari had been confined under the pretext of recuperating, which Roshi couldn’t stand anymore.
After investigations from various sources, Roshi learned a lot of intelligence from the ninjas who participated in the battle that welcomed Kari back.
For example, among the pursuing Star Ninja Village ninjas, one was very powerful, at least jonin level, causing some injuries to the border patrol ninjas who joined the battle at the time. In the end, those few Star Ninja Village pursuers also died in combat, and their bodies were even brought back.
Roshi already disagreed with Onoki on many matters, and Kari was also his good friend. Watching his friend being treated like this, the hot-tempered Roshi naturally couldn’t stand idly by.
Thus, this scene happened today—Roshi directly burst into the conference room, questioning Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, without regard for his Tsuchikage status.
And Onoki, sitting in the main seat, was also extremely dissatisfied with this jinchūriki who often opposed him.
“I’ve said it’s normal procedure! Did I put Kari in prison?” Originally short in stature, Onoki stood on tiptoes on the chair, hands braced on the tabletop, glaring angrily at Roshi.
“Then why haven’t you released him yet! It’s been a month!” Roshi widened his eyes, not backing down at all, meeting Onoki’s gaze and shouting for him to release the man.
If it were any other time, Onoki also felt the time was about right. After all, such a long investigation yielded no results, and the pursuing Star Ninja Village ninjas had indeed lost one jonin and several chunin and genin in combat power. It was unlikely the enemy would use so much war power to buy off a ninja from another country.
Moreover, Kari had brought back some intelligence on Star Ninja Village.
According to Kari’s account, he was defeated by a mysterious woman whose strength was very strong. Their entire team was wiped out and imprisoned in Star Ninja Village’s prison.
While in prison, Kari suffered inhuman torment and interrogation, but he kept his mouth shut, revealing no intelligence about Stone Village.
Instead, from the conversations of the Star Ninja Village ninjas guarding him, he roughly deduced that Star Ninja Village had undergone a coup, controlled by a group of powerful mysterious ninjas.
He even saw the Sand Village ninja Yakura, who was also imprisoned.
“It’s not time yet.” Onoki, who had originally wanted to release him, hardened like a stone due to Roshi’s provocation, refusing to yield.
“You old bastard!” Roshi panted heavily.
His right hand infused with Lava Release, he suddenly blasted toward Onoki.
Onoki immediately used Earth Style: Rock Fist Technique to turn his right hand into hard rock, directly clashing with Roshi’s Lava Release.
Boom!
The rock fist collided explosively with the Lava Release, erupting waves of heat. Even Roshi, as a jinchūriki, was pushed back several steps.
However, Onoki didn’t have it easy either; the clothes on his right hand were mostly burned by the Lava Release, and the rock on his arm was shaken off.
“In a few more days, when the one-month period is up, Kari’s confinement order will naturally be lifted.” Onoki said coldly.
“Hmph!” Roshi snorted heavily.
He knew he wasn’t Onoki’s match; otherwise, he would have already fought this incompatible old guy outright.
But the stubbornly tempered Roshi couldn’t possibly bow his head and submit to Onoki.
Thus, after getting the promise, Roshi withdrew his Lava Release, pushed open the door, and left the conference room.
“Really pissing off this old man!” Onoki watched Roshi’s departing back, panting with anger.
“I say, Dad, don’t get worked up with Roshi; take care of your health.” Kurotsuchi then stepped forward to support Onoki.
Mentioning this, Onoki felt his old waist was about to break, thumping his lower back and saying to Kurotsuchi in frustration: “Sigh, if only you were a bit stronger, able to suppress Roshi and Han, I would have passed the Tsuchikage position to you long ago! No need to be busy like this every day!”
Kurotsuchi, lectured by his own dad, could only smile obsequiously.
For his own honest and straightforward son, Onoki sighed deeply.
Kurotsuchi was too much like him in his youth, just that his strength was somewhat…
Not weak, either. Kurotsuchi, not yet thirty, was already a jonin and had even served as a frontline commander during the Third Great Ninja War.
But his strength wasn’t enough to suppress Four-Tails Jinchūriki Roshi and Five-Tails Jinchūriki Han.
Therefore, Onoki was very worried that if he passed the Tsuchikage position to Kurotsuchi, he wouldn’t be able to control these two jinchūriki. Once he was gone, if these two caused trouble, Stone Village really wouldn’t have anyone to suppress them.
This was also Stone Village’s biggest dilemma now: lack of high-end combat power.
Stone Village’s ninja education system borrowed from Konoha’s Ninja Academy system but had its own unique features.
Stone Village had many ninjas. During the Third Great Ninja War, they could muster ten thousand ninjas to besiege Third Raiden A, fighting for three days and nights, exhausting Third Raiden A’s chakra until death.
But similarly, Stone Village also lost many excellent ninjas, to the point where they still hadn’t recovered.
Supported by Kurotsuchi, Onoki slowly sat down, one hand thumping his sore lower back, his profound gaze peering through wrinkles at his bewildered son, saying: “The daimyo doesn’t want to escalate conflict with the Land of Bears, or rather Star Ninja Village, to avoid falling into war.”
“So, the daimyo of the Land of Birds will step forward to issue a diplomatic note to the Land of Bears, hoping they explain the situation and, depending on circumstances, recognize the Land of Bears’ new daimyo.”
“What?” Though Kurotsuchi didn’t understand politics, hearing that the Land of Earth daimyo was preparing to compromise, his rugged face was stunned.
Wasn’t the daimyo not to be insulted?
Not to mention the daimyo’s family was massacred, and the Land of Bears’ nobles from top to bottom were bloodbathed. The Land of Earth had quite a few nobles intermarried with Land of Bears nobles—could they tolerate this?
While Kurotsuchi was dazed, Onoki punched him on the head.
It hurt Kurotsuchi so much he yelped.
“So when will your blockhead open up!” Onoki was completely disappointed in his own silly big son.
However, his young granddaughter Kurotsuchi had shown extraordinary talent and wisdom from childhood, giving Onoki hope.
“Huh? Dad, what’s really going on?” Kurotsuchi scratched the spot where his dad had punched him, grimacing in pain.
Onoki gave him an irritated glance before slowly explaining: “Ever since the last siege on Third Raiden A, our Stone Village also lost over two thousand ninjas, and war-weariness in the village isn’t low either. Rashly starting war would only benefit the Land of Wind.”
“So the daimyo’s intention is to let a small country step forward, recognize the Land of Bears’ new daimyo, use this opportunity to uncover the mastermind behind the drastic changes in the Land of Bears, then stir up relations between the Land of Bears and the Land of Wind, let Sand Village ninjas probe Star Ninja Village first, and when they’ve fought enough, we find an opportunity to send troops and intervene.”
Despite Onoki’s detailed explanation, Kurotsuchi still didn’t quite get it, his eyes revealing clear stupidity.
National-level games were pitch black to many ninjas specialized in combat.
Onoki looked at his son’s bewildered eyes and finally sighed, turning to outside the window: “Continue intensifying border patrols. The Land of Bears may have to be renamed.”
——————
At the same time.
The thin gauze curtains of the Shrine of the Land of Demons moved without wind.
Miroku Miko suddenly awoke from the couch, her white undergarment soaked with cold sweat clinging to her back.
Her trembling fingertips pressed against her heaving chest; the nightmare from moments ago still lingered in her mind.
Endless darkness swallowed the entire Ninja World. In a beam of light piercing the darkness, a vague figure faintly emerged…
“This prophecy…” Miroku became uneasy.
