Ōnoki's face darkened, killing intent flickering in his eyes.
Yes—
He was furious.
Never had he imagined Uchiha Kai would be so brazen, speaking not as if negotiating, but as if threatening him outright.
What now?
If he yielded so easily, where would his dignity go?
More importantly, if he failed to seize A and the Cloud elites, how could he possibly offset Hidden Stone Village's wartime losses?
It was obvious.
The war had already dragged on too long—none of the villages could keep it up. Peace was inevitable.
But peace without victory meant the daimyō would not be satisfied.
And if the daimyō reduced their funding…
Hidden Stone Village's growth would stall during the peace.
Without development, when the next war came, the village wouldn't have enough trained shinobi. That would spell disaster.
His only lifeline now was capturing A and Killer B, ransoming them back for resources to keep Iwa afloat.
But Kai's words had left no room for compromise.
If Ōnoki pressed further, he'd have to fight him.
And could he win?
He had no such confidence.
Even on home ground, Kai's strange powers were too absurd.
That Conqueror's Haki alone could make anyone below Jounin collapse outright.
Numbers were useless against him.
And Ōnoki himself?
At best, he might fight Kai to a draw. Victory was uncertain, and if the battle dragged on, Kai could simply ignore him and slaughter the others.
That thought made his head throb.
Yet to give up so easily left him unwilling.
After a moment's silence, he turned his sharp gaze on Minato. His tone grew low and heavy.
"Minato… What do you say?
Are you not going to stop Uchiha Kai from running amok?
Think carefully!
This is between Iwa and Hidden Cloud, nothing to do with Konoha.
Are you certain Konoha wants to meddle in our affairs?"
Ōnoki's words dripped with menace.
If he couldn't sway Kai, then perhaps Minato could be pressured.
After all, Minato was Sarutobi Hiruzen's protégé, part of the Hokage's faction.
Surely he'd understand his teacher's desire to end the war swiftly.
With Kai causing such chaos, Minato should restrain him—for the sake of diplomacy, for the upcoming Five Kage Summit, for peace itself.
Any other of Sarutobi's men would've caught the hidden message instantly.
But not Minato.
Yes—Minato was indeed the Hokage's student.
But he had also studied under Jiraiya, inheriting that rare blend of innocence, sincerity, and burning sense of justice.
Schemes and veiled threats went right past him.
So, yes.
Ōnoki had thrown a wink at a blind man.
Minato straightened, his expression solemn.
"Tsuchikage-dono, my apologies.
But Kai-kun is right.
A promise once given must be fulfilled.
Kai-kun is my comrade.
Even if I must exhaust my strength, I will stand by him!"
His eyes sharpened with resolve, muscles taut with readiness.
Clearly—he was prepared to fight.
Ōnoki: "..."
The corners of his mouth twitched.
A thousand curses surged in his chest, yet none could be voiced.
What the hell is wrong with you?
Comrades? Bonds? A man's word?
What is this, some stage play?
You're supposed to be Sarutobi's man—can't you act like a proper politician?
Since when does a real leader actually believe in all that sentimental garbage?
The Will of Fire, the Will of Stone—weren't those just slogans to fool the masses?
And you take them seriously?!
At that moment, Ōnoki nearly spat blood.
Truly, he had been cursed to meet such a "little sweetheart."
Silence fell.
A deathly, suffocating silence, until the air itself felt brittle.
At last, Ōnoki sighed heavily.
"…Very well.
You win.
I will abandon the pursuit of Cloud Shinobi.
Not because I fear you, of course—only because, as the Third Tsuchikage, I cannot in good conscience endanger the greater peace.
But do not celebrate too soon.
I will issue an official diplomatic protest in the name of Hidden Stone Village.
You had best prepare yourselves."
With that, he wasted no more words.
Using his Lightweight Boulder Jutsu, he rose into the air and flew away.
Kai, watching him go, curled his lip in disdain.
Hah.
All that talk of peace and duty was nothing but a cover.
The truth was simple: the old man was scared.
If he truly cared about peace, why start a war in the first place?
From the First Shinobi War onward, Konoha had never once initiated conflict. They were on the defensive.
Even this Third War—hadn't Iwa been the one to launch the first strike?
So spare him the sanctimonious speeches.
Kai's eyes gleamed with contempt.
But he said no more.
"Kai-kun, you were reckless," Minato suddenly spoke.
"The Tsuchikage was right—this was between Iwa and Hidden Cloud. Normally, Konoha has no right to interfere.
Strictly speaking, what we did was meddling in another village's internal affairs."
He paused, then smiled faintly.
"…But never mind.
You were only honoring your promise as a man.
On that point, I stand firmly with you.
As for Hokage-sama, leave it to me.
I'll make sure he understands.
Don't worry.
With me, Namikaze Minato, at your side—you'll never face punishment.
Even if Hokage-sama tries to press the Uchiha on this matter, I will stake everything to shield you."
"..."
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