Not long after, Iwagakure announced two significant pieces of news to the public.
The first was the death of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, who had been sealed and imprisoned. He reportedly passed away in his cell due to cardiac arrest at the age of sixty-one. (In the original timeline, he was seventy-nine during the Fourth Great Ninja War.)
The second was a declaration from the Fourth Tsuchikage that Iwagakure would withdraw from the Ninja Alliance.
The first announcement caused little stir in the ninja world. After all, he was a war criminal—dead was dead. Some rival ninja villages might have even celebrated in secret with fireworks. Only the kind-hearted Master Bunpuku led his disciples in chanting the Rebirth Mantra twice at the Sand Temple upon hearing the news.
The second announcement, however, sent shockwaves through the ninja world. The reason Iwagakure gave for withdrawing was almost laughable. According to the Fourth Tsuchikage’s official statement, the Ninja Alliance’s selection system for Chūnin and Jōnin was unfair and showed blatant regional discrimination. This, they claimed, had resulted in many talented Genin and Chūnin from Iwagakure being overlooked and unable to advance. Thus, Iwagakure would permanently withdraw from the alliance.
This reasoning seemed petty. It was true that in recent years, Iwagakure’s performance in the Chūnin and Jōnin exams had been lackluster. Their promotion numbers were far behind those of Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and even the isolated Kirigakure. In the second "World Ninja Way Tournament," only Kitsuchi made it into the top ten. But wasn’t this due to their own ninja’s lack of competitiveness?
If your children aren’t performing well academically, shouldn’t you focus on improving their education or sending them to tutoring classes? Quitting the "Chūnin Exams" and "Jōnin Exams" altogether—wasn’t that absurd?
However, the Kage of each village knew better. This likely had little to do with exams. After all, ninja promotions were a minor issue compared to the revenue generated by the tournaments’ ticket sales—quitting the alliance would mean throwing away a significant source of income. Even if Iwagakure held a grudge against the alliance, could they really hold a grudge against money?
Clearly, something had happened within Iwagakure’s leadership. According to intelligence gathered by various villages, on the very night of Ōnoki’s death, Iwagakure underwent a bloody purge. Many people lost their lives. When these two events were linked, it became intriguing. Could it be that the Fourth Tsuchikage had finally decided to take action against Ōnoki’s loyalists? That would make sense. If it were someone like A or Jinghang, they might have acted even sooner.
But upon closer investigation, everyone was dumbfounded. Most of those who died were actually close confidants of the Fourth Tsuchikage, Kitsuchi. What kind of operation was this? Turning the blade inward? Who purges their own Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today!
Moreover, all of Iwagakure’s key departments were now staffed by veterans from Ōnoki’s era. This baffling maneuver left everyone scratching their heads.
The only person who might have some understanding of the situation was the Kazekage, Jinghang.
"Let it be. Kitsuchi’s temperament is likely not as volatile as his father’s, nor as reckless in his actions. Peace should hold for a few more years," Jinghang remarked seriously, closing the classified report delivered by Tetsu Yamashita.
"Kazekage-sama, I feel your attitude toward this matter is too lenient," Yamashita questioned, puzzled.
Jinghang smiled faintly and said, "Senior Brother, I appreciate your honesty. It’s fine; today, it’s just the two of us in this office. You can ask any questions you have, and I’ll answer them all. But I must remind you, once you leave this office, not a single word of this conversation can be disclosed."
Without hesitation, Yamashita replied, "Of course. I won’t tell my parents, my wife, or my children."
Jinghang nodded and picked up the internal phone.
"Pakura, inform the Secretariat that no one is to remain on this floor, and no one is to come up for the next five hours."
After hanging up, Jinghang took out a scroll and released iron sand from it, forming hand seals.
"Magnet Release: Black Mist Technique!"
Fine grains of iron sand quickly spread throughout the office.
"Don’t be alarmed. I’m just setting up some precautions because what we’re about to discuss is very important. Some of it might be shocking, and some of it might concern the life and death of the ninja world. It absolutely cannot be leaked."
Jinghang put away his smile and became uncharacteristically solemn.
"Alright, ask any questions you have now."
Yamashita swallowed hard. He had never seen Jinghang so serious. But as a competent intelligence chief, he voiced his concerns.
"My Lord, I feel our response to Iwagakure is somewhat inadequate. Killing Ōnoki doesn’t change much. Iwagakure has still withdrawn from the Ninja Alliance, which is a blatant challenge to the alliance’s authority. We should seize this opportunity to unite the other villages and crush Ōnoki’s remnants, thereby reinforcing the alliance’s power."
Jinghang shook his head.
"The Ninja Alliance was my proposal. To rely on such a fragile alliance to maintain peace in the ninja world is wishful thinking. Besides, our real enemy is not Ōnoki’s remnants."
"Then who is it?" Yamashita asked.
"Don’t rush. Let me ask you this first—you were an undercover agent in Kirigakure. You should know their situation better than I do. Have you ever wondered about this: the Third Mizukage was incredibly powerful. How did he fall under a genjutsu? And whose genjutsu was it?"
Hearing Jinghang’s question, Yamashita fell silent.
He had, of course, investigated this matter. But every time he found a clue, the trail would abruptly end. Given his undercover status, he feared further probing might expose him, so he had to let it go. Later, after returning to Sunagakure and with the changing relations between the two villages, he had no reason to concern himself with Kirigakure’s affairs. Still, this question had always lingered in his mind like a thorn. Now, with Jinghang suddenly bringing it up, he immediately connected the dots.
"Are you saying that the same person is behind the Fourth Tsuchikage’s downfall this time?"
"Exactly!" Jinghang slammed the table and stood up.
"If you look through history, you’ll notice a pattern. Every major war in the ninja world seems to have been orchestrated or provoked by an unseen hand. I used to think it was merely human ambition at work—until I discovered someone..."
"Who?" Yamashita asked.
"The one who sows chaos across the world."
Yamashita was utterly stunned.
Could such a person truly exist?
"The Land of Earth-Lightning War—I started it. You know that, don’t you?" Jinghang said calmly.
Yamashita nodded. As the head of intelligence, he had read the classified files.
"Actually, no. I wanted to start it, but someone beat me to it."
"Him. And him." Jinghang handed over two pieces of paper.
Yamashita took them. The first was a sketch of a half-black, half-white creature, with the word "Zetsu" written beside it. Unable to make sense of it, he quickly turned to the second page.
The second was a signature.
And that signature shocked Yamashita to his core.
"But he’s supposed to be dead!"
"He’s not," Jinghang said, as if reading Yamashita’s thoughts.
"Let me tell you a story. It’s a long one, but I’ll keep it brief. After I finish, you can ask questions. If you’re hungry, I have snacks and tea."
"Understood," Yamashita replied.
"Alright then. A long time ago, before there were any ninjas in the world, a woman descended from the heavens..."
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