The resurrection experiment had to be temporarily shelved.
However, Tsunade and the others had mentally prepared themselves for the possibility of failure from the very beginning.
So when Tsunade smashed the lab floor used for the resurrection with a single punch, she simply left with a bill in hand, looking somewhat dejected.
She wasn't upset about the bill Kagetsu gave her. After all, the finances of Konoha Hospital were in good shape recently. The days when she was broke were long behind her.
The amount Kagetsu charged her didn't even compare to the cost of purchasing a single medical device.
What truly bothered her was the failure of the experiment.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, although disappointed as well, left with a faint smile on his face.
For someone like him, who had experienced countless failed experiments, this one failure was nothing.
What truly frustrated him was when he couldn't identify the cause of the failure during an experiment.
As long as a problem could be found, there was a chance it could be solved.
Each failure, as long as its issue was pinpointed and addressed, became a stepping stone toward eventual success.
…
"Konoha and Sunagakure sent a reply about the Kage Summit?"
In Iwagakure, inside the Tsuchikage's office, Onoki looked at the letters from Konoha and the Sand Village. His eyes widened in surprise. His small, hunched body reacted too suddenly, and he winced as a sharp pain shot through his lower back.
"My back!"
Onoki groaned, clutching his waist with a pained expression. Ever since the end of the war, he had been feeling his age more and more.
The injuries he had accumulated over the years during the many Ninja World Wars had started to manifest one by one now that he was no longer in his physical prime.
Each pain served as a grim reminder of his aging body — and his urgent need for a successor.
Among the Five Great Nations, most villages already had their Fourth Kage. Only Iwagakure was still in a difficult transitional period, struggling to find the next in line.
His son, Kitsuchi, had enough strength and enough prestige. But his personality was too honest and straightforward—he simply wasn't cut out to be a Kage.
If you put him in charge of a unit of shinobi, he'd make an excellent commander.
But if he became Tsuchikage, Ōnoki feared that Iwagakure would be schemed into ruin by the sly old foxes leading the other villages.
Besides, Kitsuchi understood his own shortcomings. He had never shown any ambition or desire to inherit the position of Tsuchikage.
If he ever did take up the mantle, it would only be because his father had died in battle and there were no other suitable candidates left—he'd be a last resort, pushed into the role out of necessity.
As for the younger generation of Iwa shinobi who had once caught Ōnoki's eye, most of them were wiped out during the Third Great Ninja War—killed by Konoha's Yellow Flash and Orochimaru before they ever had the chance to grow into their full potential.
And so, Ōnoki pinned his hopes on the new generation. He was determined to find two talented young shinobi, raise them personally, and teach them everything he knew.
"They want to hire Iwa-nin?"
Kitsuchi picked up the response letter from the table, glanced at it, then scratched his head with a frown.
Something about it didn't sit right with him.
Hiring Iwa-nin?
A major shinobi village hiring ninja from another major village?
Instead of giving missions and payment to their own ninja, they were outsourcing to outsiders?
Was Konoha and Suna really that short on manpower?
The Third Great Ninja War had ended a long time ago. Surely, by now, they'd trained up a fresh batch of genin.
It wasn't that Kitsuchi couldn't understand the letter—it was just that, ever since the founding of the shinobi villages, nothing like this had ever happened before.
At most, two great villages might cooperate on a joint mission.
But one major village outright hiring another's shinobi?
Kitsuchi simply couldn't make sense of it.
Especially since the ones issuing the mission were none other than Konoha and Sunagakure!
Was this a trap?
That was Kitsuchi's first instinct.
But as long as the payment was sufficient and the mission was clearly listed, once a shinobi accepted it without noticing anything suspicious, they were obligated to complete it with everything they had.
This was a matter of a village's reputation.
Weren't they afraid of damaging their own credibility?
That was the second thought that crossed Kitsuchi's mind.
No matter how you looked at it, this situation was bound to stir speculation.
Why would a major shinobi village need to request help from another? Had their strength diminished?
After the war ended, the Daimyō of the Land of Wind had started—intentionally or not—allocating more missions to Konoha.
This alone had already made Sunagakure uneasy and became a source of quiet ridicule among the other villages.
After all, if even your own country's Daimyō and nobles didn't trust the shinobi village under their command, then what kind of future did Sunagakure really have?
Though not long after, the two nations inexplicably began working together from top to bottom, forming a shared interest alliance.
Sunagakure regained the Daimyō's favor and financial support.
But that didn't erase the hardships and humiliation they had suffered before. Those wounds hadn't vanished. They weren't forgotten.
And what was even more absurd—according to the response letter, they were specifically requesting a large number of shinobi skilled in Earth Release. The stronger their earth-style capabilities, the better.
When it came to Earth-style chakra affinity, there was no doubt that Iwagakure reigned supreme.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Nations, only the so-called Land of Fire's Konoha had a broad and diverse range of chakra attributes and jutsu.
"Do we need to participate in this?" Kitsuchi looked at his father, who had finally recovered from the pain, and asked instinctively.
"Why not participate?" Ōnoki slammed his hand on the table, glaring sharply. "Isn't it obvious? This is about forming alliances and factions!"
"It's rare to see Konoha show such a cooperative attitude! Whether it was the First Hokage, the Second, or even the Third—they never lowered themselves like this."
"The Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru... now he is a completely different kind of leader compared to his teacher. Honestly, with his personality, I thought Konoha would become more aggressive and extreme."
"But what about the Raikage?" Kitsuchi looked troubled. "Kumogakure hasn't given up on trying to win over Iwagakure yet."
"Simple," Ōnoki said calmly. "We side with whoever offers the better deal! Compared to Konoha and Sunagakure's reply, the Cloud Shinobi clearly came off as arrogant. They're just tossing us empty promises, trying to drag us into their mess."
"Should we drive out the envoy from the Land of Lightning then?" Kitsuchi asked.
"No," Ōnoki shook his head. "Let them stay. The envoy and the Cloud Shinobi can serve as bargaining chips. We'll use them to negotiate better terms with Konoha and Suna. It's clear Konoha is trying a new approach, and from the way Suna has developed recently, it seems like—at least for now—this direction might be beneficial for the future of the shinobi villages."
"This is a rare opportunity. We need to join in and experience it firsthand."
Ever since the shinobi village system was founded, most villages had followed Konoha's lead—copying their methods and making slight changes to call them their own.
From the ANBU to the ninja academy, everything was first tested in Konoha. Once proven effective, the rest of the villages adopted it.
Every Hokage brought something new when they rose to power.
And now, what Konoha and Suna are attempting—this alliance, this shift in strategy—Ōnoki could tell it was the Fourth Hokage Orochimaru's new play.
With past experience to guide him and obvious benefits on the table, of course he wanted to be part of it. To witness it personally.
Konoha used to play solo. The other villages had no choice but to compete. But now? Konoha had changed its attitude, introduced a new game.
Naturally, it was worth giving it a try.
****
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