Iwagakure, in the Tsuchikage Building.
The atmosphere was tense and oppressive at this time.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Onoki stood behind his massive desk, slamming his hand down on the surface with uncontrollable rage. Each strike sent papers and objects on the desk jumping, as if they too could feel the fury radiating from the old Tsuchikage. His wrinkled face twisted in anger, his eyes wide and glaring.
"Find him! All of you, go find him!"
"He's just a kid! Where could he have gone?"
"Even if you have to turn the entire Iwagakure upside down, bring Deidara back to me!"
Onoki's furious roars echoed through the spacious room, filled with boundless anger and authority.
However, his words brought a sense of relief to the many Iwagakure Ninjas present, who had been holding their breath in fear. After responding, they quickly fled the Tsuchikage's office like rats escaping a sinking ship.
Even wandering aimlessly was better than facing their enraged leader.
Soon, only Onoki, still panting heavily, and his son and bodyguard, Kitsuchi, remained in the office.
Kitsuchi didn't dare to breathe too loudly, let alone make any sarcastic remarks, fearing he might provoke his already furious father.
Just two days ago, Onoki had been talking about making Deidara the future Tsuchikage. But today, when they went to deliver his meal, they found only a clay clone in his place.
After a while, Onoki's anger began to subside. He unclenched his left hand, revealing a crumpled ball of paper.
He carefully unfolded it and read the message inside once more.
"Goodbye, old man. Since you don't appreciate my art, I'll go somewhere that does."
"That damned brat!"
Seeing the message again, the hot-tempered Onoki couldn't help but curse. However, this time, he noticed something peculiar in the content.
"Has Deidara been in contact with anyone recently? Or has he been acting strangely?"
Kitsuchi thought for a moment before replying, "Recently, Deidara has been alone. Aside from the people delivering his meals, he hasn't interacted with anyone. As for strange behavior... I'm not sure if this counts."
"Speak!" Onoki glared at Kitsuchi, furious that his son would dare to hold back information at a time like this.
Kitsuchi flinched and quickly explained, "Lately, Deidara has been talking to himself, as if arguing with someone."
"But the guards didn't notice anything unusual, so they didn't think much of it. They just assumed he was lonely from being alone for so long..."
"Hah!" Onoki let out a bitter laugh.
That kid? Lonely? As long as he has his explosives, he's fine. Remember what happened last time Kurotsuchi went to play with him?"
"Someone's been tempting Deidara all this time, and you idiots didn't even notice!"
Kitsuchi's mouth twitched. He had to admit, Deidara was a bit of a handful.
Last time, Kurotsuchi, unhappy with how much Onoki favored Deidara, went to argue with him. But when Deidara couldn't win the argument, he simply set off a bomb. Kurotsuchi, unable to match him, ran off covered in dust and had been training hard ever since to get revenge.
"That brat! If I catch him, he's in for a world of trouble!"
Onoki could only vent his frustration with empty threats. He had little hope of finding Deidara now.
'Deidara had likely been gone for some time and was already far from Iwagakure now.'
'Moreover, whoever had contacted Deidara in secret must have been highly skilled in stealth.'
'Finding him now would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.'
Kitsuchi could only sigh internally.
He had warned Onoki before. Deidara was a rebellious kid, and Onoki's constant pressure was bound to backfire eventually.
Kitsuchi didn't dare to respond, and Onoki had no energy left to deal with the matters at hand. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his raging emotions.
The Tsuchikage's Office fell into complete silence, broken only by the faint sound of breathing.
However--
Knock knock knock!
A series of sharp, urgent knocks shattered the silence.
Onoki, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, was jolted awake, his eyelids twitching.
'Could something else have gone wrong?'
"Come in!"
With a frown on his face, his tone was even harsher than before.
The door opened, and an Iwagakure Anbu entered without hesitation, kneeling before Onoki and bowing his head.
"Tsuchikage-sama, there is an urgent report!"
The words 'urgent report' made Onoki's heart tighten, and his fists clenched even tighter.
"Speak!"
"All the Ninjas who took our bounty at the underground bounty station have been killed in Amegakure. None survived."
"What?!"
Onoki's expression turned to one of utter shock.
Most of the Bounty Ninjas who dared to take missions from the underground bounty station were highly skilled.
Even the weaker ones usually had some unique ability.
Yet, they had been completely wiped out in just a few days.
However, Onoki was more surprised than angry. After all, it wasn't his Iwagakure Ninjas who had died.
In a way, this had helped them gauge the strength of Amegakure while saving them the bounty money. So, he wasn't particularly upset.
But then another thought occurred to him, and he asked suspiciously, "If they were all wiped out, how did you get this information?"
The Anbu Ninja's expression turned grim, his tone uneasy.
"The bodies of all the Bounty Ninjas who took the mission were hung at the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Rain. Everyone passing by saw them..."
Slap!
Onoki slammed his hand on the table again, his face turning ashen.
"Hmph! Amegakure is making an example of them!"
"Tsuchikage-sama, should we take action?"
Kitsuchi's expression was also grim. Such a blatant provocation was something Iwagakure hadn't faced in a long time.
"Take action? What action? We haven't lost anything."
"Besides, if they're daring enough to provoke us like this, they must have some kind of backing. We can't afford to be careless."
Onoki's expression was dark. Though he spoke calmly, the feeling of being publicly humiliated was deeply uncomfortable.