"You people of the Hidden Cloud Village just want to drag the other ninja villages in to help you protect your Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."
"In that case, let's just talk about benefits directly. Don't play this moral blackmail game. Think carefully, what can your Hidden Cloud Village offer in exchange to protect your good little brother?"
After saying that, Aoba completely ignored everyone else and pulled Tsunade, who had been watching the show for quite a while, out of the venue.
Kurotsuchi glanced at the deep-in-thought Onoki and her father, Kitsuchi, hesitated for two seconds, then decisively followed after them.
And when Aoba left, Terumi Mei and Gaara, who had come mostly for formality anyway, also followed suit and left.
"You… why are you following us?", Outside the conference room, Aoba looked at Kurotsuchi, who had followed them out as well, full of confusion.
'Could this girl really be thinking of herself as a Konoha ninja now?'
Kurotsuchi looked a bit guilty, "I came with you guys, didn't I? Of course, I should stick with you."
If she stayed there, she'd definitely get a tongue-lashing from her grandpa and dad.
"Suit yourself then."
Aoba looked completely unconcerned. After all, the lodgings were arranged by the Land of Iron, and it wasn't like it was costing him any money.
"Aoba, how about we go to Onee-san's place for a bit?"
Terumi Mei came over affectionately and wrapped her arms around Aoba's arm.
"I—"
Before Aoba could answer, Tsunade had already pulled him away from Terumi Mei's grasp, "Sorry, but we still have some things to discuss later. It's not convenient for an outsider like you to get involved."
"Out… outsider?", Terumi Mei froze. By the time she came back to her senses, Tsunade had already dragged Aoba far away.
"Damn it!"
She stomped her foot angrily and muttered in frustration, "Aoba and I are engaged, okay? She's the one who's the outsider here, not me!"
Still, she didn't follow after them. Instead, she turned back to her own quarters.
It was still early anyway, not the right time for anything.
But Kurotsuchi, hearing what Terumi Mei said, couldn't help but have a strange look on her face.
'So Terumi Mei is Aoba's official fiancée, and Tsunade-sama is his secret lover… then what does Tsunade-sama's current behavior count as?'
———
[Inside the Conference Room]
With Tsunade leaving first, the so-called Five Kage Summit suddenly ended up with only two of its initiators remaining.
At this point, the Fourth Raikage, whose face had been dark and stormy all along, finally looked up and turned to Onoki beside him.
"Tsuchikage, you don't have anything to say?"
This Five Kage Summit was jointly initiated by the two of them, but after Onoki asked a couple of questions, he had made no further comments, the whole time, the Raikage had been the one getting stonewalled.
"Me? What's there to say?", Onoki looked as if he didn't understand what the Fourth Raikage was talking about.
The Raikage's face darkened as he said in a deep tone, "Don't you have any intention of taking back your Tailed Beasts or avenging your Jinchuriki?"
"Revenge, huh…", Onoki thought about the reason why Roshi had left the village.
His conflict with Roshi wasn't a secret in Iwagakure, it was just a personal feud between the two of them, nothing to bring to the table publicly.
After they got intelligence from Konoha, Roshi had behaved himself in the village for a while.
But this past year, they had grown divided again over how Iwagakure should treat Konoha. And with nothing major happening in the ninja world lately, they'd let their guard down.
Then, only a few days after leaving, came news of Roshi's disappearance.
Han insisted on following the Anbu team to investigate, and then he too went missing.
In a sense, those two brought it on themselves. If they'd just stayed obediently in the village, nothing would have happened, they really did cause trouble for Iwagakure.
"Even if I wanted revenge, I have no power to do it. And as for why I came to this Five Kage Summit, it was only to find out whether Uchiha Madara was involved. Now that I've got my answer, my purpose is fulfilled," Onoki floated up from his seat and settled back down again. Iwagakure was really resting on his shoulders alone now.
The ninja world was unpredictable. Rather than obsess over revenge, it would be wiser to get closer to Konoha, four villages huddling together for warmth had a much better chance of survival.
As for making Iwagakure rise again, that was no longer something this dying old man could manage. He could only trust in the wisdom of the next generation.
"But you, Raikage…", Onoki looked over at him again, "Seeing how confident Aoba is in facing the Akatsuki, if you want to guarantee the Eight-Tails' safety, why not just send it to Konoha? It's safer there than in the Hidden Cloud."
"Onoki!"
The Fourth Raikage roared in fury at his words.
Onoki merely shook his head, then also left the venue.
After leaving the hall, Onoki didn't return to the lodging arranged by the Land of Iron. Instead, he went to visit Tsunade.
Of course, he also saw his granddaughter. But as soon as they met, before he could even say a word, she bolted straight away, as if afraid he'd drag her back home.
Onoki didn't mind much. If that girl wanted to stay on Konoha's side, then let her. Taking her back would just be a headache.
And besides, his real purpose was to talk to Aoba. After exchanging a few polite words, Tsunade left the room to give them privacy.
To be honest, Onoki's calm composure piqued Aoba's curiosity.
He was too calm.
Now that both the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki were gone, Iwagakure barely had any top-level fighters left.
An entire Land of Earth was being supported by one seventy-something-year-old man.
When his teacup was nearly empty, Onoki finally spoke, "Aoba, can you tell me, what exactly is Konoha's goal?"
"Goal?", Aoba raised an eyebrow at that.
Onoki didn't bother beating around the bush, "Konoha's actions these past two years have been obvious to everyone in the ninja world. I just want to know, do you intend to maintain the current village system, or do you want to establish a unified ninja world?"
"A unified ninja world, huh… That's pretty crazy. Didn't expect that even at your age, Tsuchikage, you'd have such a terrifying idea," Aoba just smiled faintly.
Onoki also smiled helplessly, "If that's truly your goal, then by all means say so. It'll just help us prepare for surrender sooner."
"Surrender?"
Aoba was taken aback, clearly not expecting Onoki to say such a thing.
'What happened to the 'Will of Stone'?'
"Surprised?", Onoki changed the question, "Aoba, if Uchiha Madara really were resurrected, what are your chances of winning?"
Aoba thought for a moment, then spread his hands, "Who knows? Maybe fifty-fifty."
Onoki's gaze sharpened slightly. That sounded way too casual.
But he quickly composed himself again, chuckling softly, "Since you say so, if you really do plan to unify the ninja world, what else can I do but hurry up and surrender?"
"Let's not talk about that," Onoki waved his hand, a kindly smile appearing on his face, "Aoba, when are you and Kurotsuchi getting married?"
"I'm not getting any younger myself, I'd like to hold my great-grandson before I die."
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