— — — — — — —
"So, to maximize our benefits, it's best if we secretly reach out to Konoha and surrender as soon as possible?" Onoki finally stopped being stubborn and looked at Kitsuchi helplessly.
"Exactly!"
Kitsuchi nodded firmly. "This is also the united conclusion of the think tanks. They even urged me to push you to make a decision and send someone to negotiate with Konoha as soon as possible."
"Especially after this staged performance of Uchiha Madara's 'escape.' The urgency has only increased!"
"Because they're worried that other villages might come to the same realization and beat us to it, surrendering to Konoha before we do."
"If that happens, whoever is late will receive far worse treatment than those who surrender first!"
"So, Father, please make a decision soon."
They knew that other ninja villages weren't lacking in intelligent people who could see through this.
However, compared to the other villages, Iwagakure had one major advantage—internal unity.
Sure, Kumogakure was also fairly united, but it had more hotheaded and stubborn warriors who wouldn't easily bow to Konoha.
Onoki squinted his eyes and fell into deep thought for a long time before finally nodding. "Alright. I'll depart tomorrow and go to Konoha myself. I'll meet Uchiha Kaito and try to finalize the matter."
"Of course, I also want to verify some things."
"If this really is just an elaborate act by Konoha, and if Uchiha Kaito's strength has continued to grow to an overwhelming level, then we'll follow your plan."
"Otherwise, don't blame me for uniting the other four Great Ninja Villages and launching an all-out assault on Konoha to eliminate this massive threat!"
Clearly, getting Onoki to surrender so easily wasn't going to happen—he needed a solid reason.
Truth be told, out of all the Five Kage, Onoki was likely the one most reluctant to bow to Konoha.
Not because of Kaito, but because of Uchiha Madara.
He could never forget the humiliation that Madara had inflicted upon him and his master, the Second Tsuchikage.
But reality was forcing his hand. As if one monstrous Uchiha wasn't enough, now Konoha had produced another one—Uchiha Kaito.
And Iwagakure simply didn't have the strength to resist.
As Tsuchikage, he couldn't act recklessly based on personal grudges and drag the entire village into destruction.
"Wise decision, Father! This is the best course of action!" Kitsuchi was overjoyed and let out a sigh of relief.
In truth, he had come here on behalf of the think tank and the village leadership to persuade Onoki.
They all knew about Onoki's deep hatred for Konoha and feared he'd refuse to surrender out of sheer spite.
When it came to life and death—not just for themselves but for their families—they had no choice but to push this course of action.
Onoki wasn't oblivious to this either. Seeing his son's expression of relief, he chuckled and pointed at Kitsuchi. "You brat! The other village elders sent you to convince me, didn't they?"
Kitsuchi scratched his head awkwardly, wanting to explain something but hesitating.
Onoki simply waved him off. "No need to explain. Do you think I'm an idiot? Of course, I understand their concerns and the stakes at play."
"Since I've agreed, I won't go back on my word."
"I've been Tsuchikage for decades, and Iwagakure is my life's work. I can't just watch it be utterly destroyed."
"Even if Iwagakure ceases to exist in name, I must at least ensure that its people continue to survive and thrive."
"That's enough for me."
This was the best possible outcome under the circumstances.
"The only regret is that I might be the last Tsuchikage. You, brat, can forget about ever becoming Tsuchikage yourself!"
Onoki smirked at his son.
"Uh…"
Kitsuchi laughed awkwardly. "Father, you know I never wanted to be Tsuchikage. I don't think I have what it takes to bear that responsibility."
"So I have no regrets."
As long as the people of Iwagakure could live peacefully, or even better than before, he'd be satisfied.
And judging by Konoha's current policies, that wasn't an impossible outcome—especially if they were the first to surrender.
— — —
Sunagakure
"Uchiha Madara actually escaped from Konoha? Do you all think this news is credible?"
After receiving the report, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa immediately gathered Chiyo and Ebizō for discussion.
"Highly suspicious!"
Ebizō narrowed his eyes. "With Uchiha Kaito's power and methods, even someone like Uchiha Madara shouldn't have had the chance to escape."
"That kid's growth hasn't slowed down at all over the years. No matter how you look at it, this situation is fishy."
"I suspect this is just an act put on by Konoha to deceive us and the other villages!"
"For all we know, Madara will soon start causing chaos in the ninja world, weakening the other villages while indirectly helping Konoha unify everything!"
Ebizō was sharp as always, immediately seeing through the underlying scheme.
"Agreed!"
Chiyo nodded with a grim expression. "For years, Konoha has been economically infiltrating every major ninja village and nation—including us."
"In fact, Sunagakure is probably the most severely affected."
"The Land of Wind has also fallen under Konoha's influence more than any other country."
"Right now, the Daimyō of the Land of Wind trusts and favors Konoha more than us."
"Our funding has been cut year after year."
"Even mission commissions are decreasing, with more being redirected to Konoha. Because of this, we've had no choice but to downsize and adopt an elite-ninja strategy."
"Meanwhile, Konoha continues to grow stronger."
"At this rate, even if they do nothing else, Sunagakure will eventually collapse."
"And now they're pulling this stunt with Madara? The ninja world is about to be thrown into chaos. Kazekage-sama, you should start making preparations now."
Chiyo and Ebizō weren't being pessimistic—Sunagakure's situation really was this dire.
If not for Rasa's ability to extract gold from the desert and the village's trade of minerals with Konoha, they'd be in an even worse state.
Actually, the Kazekage position had long become a burden in Suna—more of a figurehead for outsiders, doing more harm than good.
Instead, as village elders, they still held significant power, and their family's influence remained strong.
.
.
.