Iwagakure Village, Tsuchikage building, Tsuchikage's office.
"...Tsuchikage-sama, the reward on the black market for Konoha's Princess Tsunade has been increased again by thirty million ryo."
An Iwagakure Ninja with a red headband and a plain, square face knelt on one knee and reported,
"Besides some petty criminals, two S-rank missing nin are already hunting down Princess Tsunade. There are also countless bounty hunters watching..."
"In addition, the village is secretly helping those bounty hunters, forcing Tsunade's escape route in the opposite direction of Konoha."
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, sat cross-legged behind a long table. After listening to Kurotsuchi's report, he wrinkled his signature garlic nose. "Two S-rank missing nin? Who are they? How could only two people hunt down Tsunade?"
"One is Sasori of the Red Sand, and the other is Kakuzu, a missing nin from Takigakure Village. They are both true Kage-level strong people."
At this point, Kurotsuchi paused and continued, "It is said that Kakuzu even tried to kill the First Hokage, but was defeated and escaped after a fight."
Hearing this, Onoki scoffed, "Tried to kill the First Hokage? And survived the fight?"
Uchiha Madara was powerful, but he was still defeated by Hashirama Senju.
Even after fighting many battles, and now having the power of the "bloodline combination," he wouldn't dare say he could last more than a few rounds against him.
Onoki was sure this story was made up, and he felt a bit of contempt.
"A missing nin from Takigakure Village dares to say such big words. Kakuzu's strength must be exaggerated."
"The other one, Sasori of the Red Sand, seems to be good at poison and puppet techniques... His grandmother Chiyo couldn't beat Tsunade. Can Sasori defeat Tsunade? I don't believe it."
Onoki lowered his head and stared at Kurotsuchi in front of the table, and said in a deep voice, "Is there anything missing from the information?"
Kurotsuchi frowned and thought, sweat soaking through his red headband. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he looked up and said,
"Princess Tsunade is also traveling with a female ninja named Shizune, who seems to be the niece of Konoha ninja Dan Kato. If she's trying to protect her, it makes sense that Tsunade would avoid conflict."
"I see."
Onoki nodded slightly. He had some understanding of Tsunade's reasons for leaving the village.
After a moment of thought, he said, "Put an extra reward on the black market for Shizune Kato, the price should be equal to the Hokage's son."
"Yes!"
Kurotsuchi responded, stood up, and was about to arrange the work.
But after a few steps, he turned back, a look of hesitation on his face.
"Father, I don't understand. Aren't we about to start a war with Kumogakure? Why are we provoking Konoha too?"
"If those bounty hunters actually succeed, what if Konoha and Kumogakure join forces because of it?"
Onoki looked at his son, his face stern, and said with a hint of disappointment,
"Do you think Tsunade is so easy to kill? She inherited the First Hokage's body, her vitality is extremely strong, and her healing ninjutsu is among the best in the ninja world, enough to avoid many deadly situations.
Besides, the reward is posted on the black market. How could we hide it from Konoha? They probably already started a rescue."
"As long as Tsunade doesn't die, Konoha has no reason to attack Iwagakure."...
Onoki tapped the table and said slowly,
"Right now, the most important thing is to use Tsunade to test Kumogakure's resolve."
"Once we confirm that the Fourth Raikage is seriously injured as rumored, the village will directly attack Kumogakure..."
Kurotsuchi's face showed a look of understanding, and then he said sincerely, "I see, I'll go take care of it."
"..."
Watching Kurotsuchi leave the Tsuchikage's office, a trace of kindness flashed in Onoki's eyes, and then he sighed slightly.
Compared with other ninja villages, Iwagakure Village is much more united internally. The downside is that he controls almost everything.
Like his son, there are many talented ninjas in the village, but they lack the ambition and strategy to take on great responsibilities.
If something happens to him, the village doesn't know how much it will decline.
That's why he's pushing for war with Kumogakure so strongly at this moment, against the opinions of others.
Looking at the ninja world map on the table, Onoki's eyes were deep.
Sunagakure Village is similar to Iwagakure Village, with a lack of young talent. The situation is even more serious there, so it's not worth worrying about.
Inside Kirigakure, bloodline clans and ordinary ninjas have serious conflicts, and there are frequent rebellions. Also, the Land of Water is far from the Land of Earth, so it's not worth considering.
Konoha lost a large number of mid-level and high-level ninjas in the Nine Tails attack, and also has the risk of a talent shortage. They can barely manage with the older generation of ninjas now, but it will be hard to say in the future.
Among the five great ninja villages, only Kumogakure has lots of talent, and its high-level fighters are in their prime.
In the previous war, Konoha defeated the Fourth Raikage's ambitions, but that's not enough. Their war power must be further depleted.
Onoki pressed his temples and reviewed the intelligence file that Kurotsuchi had placed on the table, and said to himself,
"The Eight Tails Jinchuriki appeared in the Land of Sound. Is this Kumogakure acting out of desperation, or is it a trick?"
Well, further guessing is pointless. Besides the bounty hunters, Konoha will help him find out.
They aren't friends with Kumogakure.
With that thought, Onoki relaxed, leaned back in his chair, and fell asleep before long.
Loud snoring filled the Tsuchikage's office.
...
Land of Iron, in a forest.
Trees were toppled, and the ground was covered with large and small holes. Everywhere, the remains of puppets were visible.
Kakuzu, the missing nin from Takigakure Village who once tried to kill the First Hokage, was leaning weakly against a big tree.
The mask on his face was torn, the stitches on his mouth split open uncontrollably, and countless thin threads were spraying from his mouth.
"Cough cough... only two hearts left. That strong woman is really violent."
Kakuzu coughed a few times and turned his gaze to a puppet beside him. "The poison you developed doesn't seem to have any effect."
"The poison worked, but her body is special and quickly suppressed it."
Sasori was silent for a moment, and a low voice came from Hiruko,
"To be able to defeat Grandma Chiyo many times on the battlefield, Konoha's Tsunade is truly famous for good reason."
"Her strong strength and healing abilities are too strong against us puppeteers."
"Heh..." Kakuzu let out a hoarse laugh. "Then I'll take her head-on, and you'll assist me. The female ninja named Shizune, I'll leave her to you."
"Don't worry, I'm not joking. I can stop her. I noticed something interesting during the fight earlier."
Kakuzu remembered the expression on her face when she crushed his heart, and the way she ran away in a panic afterward, and let out a cold smile.
"You really are greedy for money and ignoring your life."
Sasori said slowly, "But before that, I need to replace some puppets. I lost a lot in the previous fight."
Kakuzu glanced at the bounty hunters hidden in the surrounding treetops and said calmly,
"Same as always, the hearts are mine, the bodies are yours."
---
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