The border between the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass.
For the first time in years, the shinobi of Kumogakure and Iwagakure officially met.
However, the tension between the two sides was even greater than during the previous meeting between Kumo and Konoha.
This was unavoidable.
Konoha and Kumogakure had only been in a standard wartime relationship, and the Fourth Raikage, A, had interacted with Tsunade before, giving him some understanding of her.
But Ōnoki? That old man was cunning and downright malicious.
That damn scheming geezer!
Forcing a stiff smile, the Raikage glared at the short-statured Ōnoki across from him, barely resisting the urge to charge forward and decapitate the smug old man with a Lariat.
"Fourth Raikage, I've long heard of your reputation!" Ōnoki grinned cheerfully, as if he hadn't been the one who ordered his forces to besiege and kill the Raikage's father, the Third Raikage.
"Third Tsuchikage, the feeling is mutual!" The Raikage barely restrained his temper, his voice gruff.
At his words, their respective guards immediately tensed, eyeing each other warily.
The Iwa-nin were wary of the Raikage suddenly attacking, while the Kumo-nin feared their leader might lose his cool.
(Raikage A: So you're all just worried about me, huh? Especially you guys—prepare to train until you drop dead when we get back!)
"Enough, stand down!" The Raikage waved dismissively. "Kumo and Iwa don't have any major conflicts of interest. Since we're both here, our goals must align. Isn't that right, Tsuchikage?"
Ōnoki nodded, his expression one of approval.
This big oaf has more restraint than his father.
The Third Raikage had died precisely because he was too straightforward.
There were pros and cons to that—had the Third Raikage possessed more cunning, his taijutsu might never have reached such heights.
After all, clever people always sought shortcuts, while taijutsu was a path only the steadfast could master to its peak.
In the end, the guards didn't disperse. Both sides remained on high alert, ready to shield their Kage at a moment's notice if negotiations broke down.
"Fine, have it your way." Ōnoki waved his hand, signaling his guards to stay quiet.
"I read your letter. Are you certain Tsunade said that?"
Faced with Ōnoki's skepticism, the Raikage scoffed. "You think I'm like you, old and senile? My memory's just fine!"
Ignoring the furious glares from the Tsuchikage's guards, he recounted the situation.
"Tsunade made it clear—even if Kumo and Iwa allied against her, she wasn't afraid. That kind of confidence... can you believe it?"
If a letter could be faked, the Raikage's own testimony here surely couldn't.
"If that's truly the case, then this is quite interesting."
For a moment, Ōnoki was reminded of Konoha's past.
Living long had its advantages—he had personally visited Konoha when it was founded and witnessed the overwhelming presence of Uchiha Madara under the First Hokage's leadership.
Now, Tsunade seemed to embody a similar aura to the First Hokage.
"So, what's your take?" the Raikage asked disdainfully.
Ōnoki chuckled awkwardly. He had momentarily forgotten himself, speaking to the Raikage as if he were one of his subordinates.
No wonder A was annoyed.
"If Tsunade is challenging both of us, she must have a trump card. That's critical. Additionally, this suggests she doesn't want large-scale war."
"Hah!" The Raikage sneered. "Not just her—even you wouldn't dare start a full-blown war now, would you?"
The shinobi world had changed drastically over the past decade.
The three Great Ninja Wars had claimed countless lives and sown endless hatred.
After years of relative peace, most grudges had faded—except for certain ones, like "the Third Raikage was overwhelmed by Iwa's numbers."
War was possible, but what came after?
Unless driven to desperation or given a justifiable reason, no one wanted to be the one to reignite the flames of war.
Even the cautious Ōnoki had been searching for a foolproof plan.
But war was cruel—once begun, sacrifices were inevitable.
Shinobi longed for peace but would never cower from battle.
"In that case, why don't we accept the Fifth Hokage's challenge? What do you think?"
The Raikage looked at Ōnoki with grudging admiration.
'This old fox's skin is thicker than I thought!'
'I could never say something so shameless. He's clearly trying to drag me into fighting Tsunade together, yet he frames it as if she invited us!'
Seeing the Raikage's expression, Ōnoki didn't need to guess what he was thinking.
"Raikage, what's your decision?" he pressed.
"Since you're inviting me, I'll give you the courtesy of agreeing." The Raikage agreed.
This had been his plan all along—originally, he had hoped Iwa would take the lead, drawing Konoha's fury, while Kumo swooped in to reap the benefits.
Now, it seemed Ōnoki had the same idea.
"Good. Kurotsuchi, send a message to the Fifth Hokage. Tell her the Raikage and I await her here."
Kurotsuchi turned and left without giving the Raikage a chance to protest.
'Damn it, I've been played!'
Even if this was his own strategy, watching Kurotsuchi's retreating figure left the Raikage with an odd sense of emptiness—as if he'd been outmaneuvered.
'Damn Iwa-nin.'
"Come, Raikage. As our guest, why not tour Iwa's camp?"
The Raikage's pupils shrank to pinpricks before he laughed it off. "No need. I've had a long journey and need rest. We'll talk when the Fifth Hokage arrives."
This time, the Raikage understood clearly—while Kumo might negotiate with Konoha, the chasm between them and Iwa remained.
He wasn't a saint. The grudge over his father's death wasn't something he could simply forget and laugh about with Ōnoki.
"Very well. This old man should rest too. Age has caught up to me."
Ōnoki smiled amiably, and after exchanging farewells, he slowly hobbled back toward Iwa's camp, looking every bit the frail old man—though everyone knew better.
The Raikage turned and strode away, his movements swift and decisive.
In the blink of an eye, the Kumo-nin had vanished.
Kurotsuchi returned shortly after.
"Tsuchikage-sama, why provoke the Raikage at the end? What if he backs out of the alliance?"
Ōnoki chuckled. "Even if I hadn't, do you think the Raikage would forget the past? I was reminding him—and myself. Today, Iwa and Kumo are allies. Tomorrow, Iwa could ally with Konoha. In the shinobi world, there are no permanent allies—only permanent interests."
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