Compared to the suppressed rage of the Fourth Raikage of Hidden Cloud Village, Ōnoki, upon hearing the news, merely sighed softly.
His eyes were dark, revealing a trace of complexity.
He looked up at the Iwagakure high-ranking officials in his office, whose eyes were filled with anger, and after a long silence, he spoke in a calm tone.
"Iwagakure will not get involved in this matter!"
However, it was a pity.
As Ōnoki spoke, everyone else immediately felt like they were about to explode with frustration.
But before anyone could object, Ōnoki cut them off directly: "Uchiha Jin is a cunning fox. Think about the state of the Uchiha back then—they were practically shunned by everyone. Yet, he used the despised Uchiha to eventually kill that Old Monkey, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Do you think a person like that is an idiot?"
"With Konoha's current insane actions, does Uchiha Jin not know he will anger our Four Great Shinobi Villages?"
"No, he knows!"
"He simply doesn't care, knowing that we are powerless to change anything."
"..."
Ōnoki sighed.
The people standing in his office were practically Iwagakure's absolute core high-ranking officials. Naturally, Ōnoki wouldn't bother with pleasantries. He made the same decision as Rasa and the Fourth Raikage.
Two words: Ignore it!
There was nothing they could do!
Uchiha Jin found too perfect an opportunity. Currently, none of the Four Great Shinobi Villages in the Ninja World have the capacity for external expansion, at least not in the short term.
It was only with Ōnoki's explanation that the people in the office gradually calmed down.
The atmosphere was utterly silent!
Everyone suddenly realized that what the Tsuchikage Lord said seemed quite correct; Iwagakure truly didn't have the capacity to interfere.
So, alas!
After a helpless sigh, everyone fell completely silent.
Seeing this, Ōnoki didn't bother with further talk. He simply waved his hand, dismissing everyone, as their presence served no purpose.
After everyone left the office, Ōnoki stood up and walked to the window. Looking out at the seemingly peaceful Village, he couldn't help but sigh after a long time, and his back began to hunch over.
He had an ominous premonition!
Regarding the mastermind who simultaneously killed the feudal lords and nobles of the great nations, he felt that the culprit most likely wanted to stir up trouble, coupled with Uchiha Jin, who was now gradually revealing his ambition... Wait a minute.
Could that mastermind stirring up trouble be Uchiha Jin, that little fox?
It's possible!
The thought sent a chill down Ōnoki's spine instantly.
Considering how quickly Konoha is moving, it's clear they had prepared plans in advance, ready to act immediately after the Five Kage Summit, allowing them to take advantage of the inability of the Four Great Shinobi Villages, including Iwagakure, to intercept them.
Could that puppet master be Uchiha Jin?
Thinking of this, Ōnoki's eyes instantly deepened, and there was even a trace of fear deep within his pupils.
For a moment, he dared not think further!
If his conjecture were true, what exactly did Konoha, controlled by Uchiha Jin, intend to do?
Step one: eliminate the feudal lords and nobles, plunging the entire Ninja World into chaos. Furthermore, by targeting the nobility of all nations, Konoha damn well avoided being collectively targeted by the Ninja World... Step two: annex the smaller countries.
What about next?
Once Konoha stabilizes the Land of Fire and annexes and digests the surrounding smaller countries, will their next step be to move against the Four Great Shinobi Villages?
You must realize that without the feudal lords and nobles now, previous Ninja World Wars actually held back. Although the fighting was fierce, they never reached the final step, because the feudal lords and nobles of all nations would never allow any major Ninja Village to be destroyed.
During the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, every Village was actually close to being breached, but eventually, the feudal lords and powerful figures would subtly call a halt. In the end, the losing nation would, at most, lose some assets and a few mission commissions.
But what about now?
Without the feudal lords and powerful figures acting as a buffer, if the major Ninja Villages go to war again, they might truly and directly destroy the defeated nation.
So, unification?
Thinking of this, Ōnoki was drenched in cold sweat.
He was terrified by his own judgment, but for the moment, he couldn't think of a way to stop it.
For one thing, he had no evidence!
But more importantly, the general situation was unfavorable. Also, because they had lost the class of feudal lords and powerful figures, the most urgent task for every Village now was to completely control the country where their Village was located.
The first step, stabilization work, was enough to give the major Ninja Villages a massive headache.
Not to mention the need to establish organizational structures next, especially management agencies at various levels—that's certainly not something that can be accomplished quickly.
After all, they are fundamentally a group of Ninja, and none of them have specifically studied management.
Only a few high-ranking officials in the Ninja Villages had managed to learn a tiny bit after taking office. Now, suddenly having to manage an entire country—such a massive undertaking—it would be impossible to get things on track without two or three years.
After all, the word 'management' is easy to say but difficult to execute.
Criminal affairs, law, household registration, taxation... there are thousands of issues in every aspect, and this group of Ninja doesn't inherently understand them. It's simply impossible to handle all of this in a short time.
Therefore, there was nothing he could do!
Even if Ōnoki sensed that Konoha was planning something, he had no way to stop them, and he couldn't even unite the Other Ninja Villages to pressure Konoha.
Even if he were willing to give up annexing the resources of the Land of Earth and mobilize all Ninja to attack Konoha, would the Other Ninja Villages be willing to abandon such huge benefits?
People are shortsighted!
Facing such vast resources, the idea of gathering all forces to attack Konoha is simply impossible to realize.
Plus the Akatsuki Organization lurking in the shadows, watching intently... This is an Overt Scheme!
Even if you can detect Konoha's intentions, you can only follow the path they have laid out.
Even if there is a cliff ahead, a massive abyss!
There's no way around it.
Even if he could convince the high-ranking officials of the Other Ninja Villages, the problem is that every Ninja Village is composed of various clans, interest groups, factions, and individuals. Therefore, setting aside whether the Other Ninja Villages can internally reach a consensus, even Ōnoki himself isn't confident he can persuade the major factions within Iwagakure.
Facing the enormous benefits of the Land of Earth, why would they abandon the profits right in front of them to fight Ōnoki for an uncertain future?
You say Konoha is planning something, but do you have evidence?
So, alas!
After a helpless sigh, Ōnoki completely slumped down in despair.
Especially considering that Iwagakure doesn't even have a qualified successor, he didn't know what path the future would take.
His face was filled with worry!