Ōnoki of the Two Scales.
The Third Tsuchikage.
The Tsuchikage who held office the longest in the history of Iwagakure, and the one who single-handedly pushed Iwagakure toward prosperity and strength.
At least, that was true before the war broke out.
But now, Iwagakure's situation was extremely embarrassing.
Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kirigakure was Ryosuke's base camp.
The Hokage, Tsunade, had a good relationship with Ryosuke, close enough to "wear the same pair of pants."
The Kazekage, Rasa, had already formed an alliance with Ryosuke long ago. As long as it involved attacking the daimyō or major families, he was always the first one to charge forward.
Even Kumogakure, although their relationship with Ryosuke wasn't as close as Konoha's or Sunagakure's…
After all, Ryosuke had blown up A right in front of their faces.
But in terms of benefit, thanks to the Research Institute, Kumogakure was actually the village most deeply tied to Ryosuke.
You could say they shared honor and shared loss.
Out of the Five Great Ninja Villages, four stood behind Ryosuke. Only Iwagakure had chosen to stand on the opposite side of Ryosuke during the war.
That was because Ōnoki truly never imagined that Ryosuke could win.
But losing is losing.
When news of the battle returned, Ōnoki prepared himself to shoulder all responsibility. He waited for Ryosuke to come kill him, using his own death in exchange for the survival of Iwagakure.
But…
No one came.
Ryosuke simply nodded at Haku, exchanged a few words, and then Haku went back to lead the Absolute Extermination Army to take over the governmental system of the Land of Demons.
After Haku left, Ryosuke looked at Ōnoki.
Ōnoki met Ryosuke's calm gaze.
Before coming, he had prepared many explanations, but when he truly saw Ryosuke, he didn't know where to begin.
In the end, all he managed to squeeze out was a dry line, "You don't seem surprised?"
Ryosuke asked, "You mean the fact that you came alone, all the way to the Land of Demons to find me?"
"Yes."
"I am a little surprised. You came earlier than I expected."
After the war ended, Ryosuke had two options regarding Iwagakure.
Hot treatment.
March in, kill a batch, imprison a batch, and absorb the rest.
The good part was it would be crisp and clean, leaving no future worries.
The downside was also obvious.
The Absolute Darkness crisis, the aliens on the moon, Kaguya…
All those hidden threats had yet to be resolved.
Especially because Iwagakure was one of the few ninja villages capable of using gravity-style ninjutsu.
That would be extremely useful for exploring the moon.
Killing off Iwagakure's high-level combat power... Would be a waste.
So Ryosuke chose option two.
Cold treatment.
No one paid attention to Iwagakure, and likewise, no other country would assign missions to them.
Anyone could see that Iwagakure was done for.
Ryosuke didn't attack them head-on, but economic blockade alone, no missions, no money, meant that as time went on, the village would naturally wither away.
You can't expect ninjas to farm the land, right?
More than half a month had passed since the end of the war. Many well-informed locals of Iwagakure had already begun selling off their property, preparing to move to other cities to settle and rebuild their lives.
Property prices plummeted, the population drained away.
Rumors were already spreading through the black market that other ninja villages were willing to accept Iwagakure ninjas.
Hearing Ryosuke's words, Ōnoki replied with complicated eyes, "If I don't come now, Iwagakure will become a village in name only."
"Lord Ryosuke, "
Ōnoki dropped to his knees, lowering himself into the most humble dogeza posture, his forehead pressed firmly to the ground.
"On behalf of Iwagakure, I offer you our loyalty."
"We admit defeat."
"If you want to kill someone, then kill me!"
"I am old. I am history that should've been eliminated long ago. If you don't want to dirty your hands, I am willing to commit suicide myself!"
"All I ask is that you show mercy and give Iwagakure a path to survive."
After speaking, with a heavy thud, Ōnoki slammed his forehead onto the ground, cracking the tiles, fresh blood flowing from his brow.
Ryosuke looked at the old man kneeling and bowing to him.
Since coming to this world, Ryosuke had met many elderly leaders of ninja villages.
The Third Hokage, Danzo, Granny Chiyo… these elders who had lived through bloody eras of war had never received any formal education in wielding power.
In their youth, they relied on passion and bravery to lead. But once they grew old, they inevitably became out of touch with the times.
They were not suited to remain in high positions. Once they clung to power, they would eventually bring disaster upon their village and upon themselves.
Ōnoki was different.
Just from the first meeting, with only a brief exchange, Ryosuke could already tell the man's mind was still in its prime, cunning and calculating, yet possessing the resolve to burn himself for the sake of his village.
Feeling Ryosuke's silent gaze, Ōnoki's heart sank.
"Still no good?"
"As the victor of the war, Ryosuke didn't march in and slaughter Iwagakure. Allowing it to wither on its own is already an act of mercy."
"I am grateful for his mercy, but…"
Ōnoki tightly shut his eyes, a tear appearing at the corner.
"Is Iwagakure really going to perish because of me?"
"Stand up."
Ryosuke said, "I don't like people kneeling in front of me. As for your talk of history…"
"I have never thought of eliminating history."
"History will become the nourishment that helps us walk toward a new world."
Ōnoki lifted his head, stunned as he stared at the hand Ryosuke extended toward him.
He had lived a long life, and had seen many geniuses.
But never, not even Hashirama or Uchiha Madara, had anyone given Ōnoki the kind of oppressive pressure Ryosuke did.
This pressure had nothing to do with age or strength.
Ōnoki clearly sensed that the young man before him was the kind of person, who could, by his own power alone, pry open history and the future.
In that moment, Ōnoki understood.
Their defeat… was not unjust.
———
[In a Barren Forest]
Obito slowly emerged from underground, looking toward Uchiha Itachi, who stood a dozen meters away with his back to him.
Obito had already taken off his Akatsuki cloak, switching to a deep-blue robe. His mask had also been replaced with a white one, and on his back hung a half-person-tall war fan.
Uchiha Itachi turned around. Whether it was old habit or the fact that he hadn't found a new place to belong, he was still wearing the Akatsuki cloak.
The two former "comrades who once fought side by side" looked at each other with a shared sense of vigilance.
Itachi noticed the change in Obito's eyes.
His right eye was a Sharingan. His left was a Rinnegan.
A few thoughts flashed rapidly through Itachi's mind.
He had heard about Obito stealing Nagato's corpse.
Sharingan can be transplanted. Byakugan can also be transplanted.
But ever since the founding of Konoha, there had never been a case of someone having both a Byakugan and a Sharingan.
The Rinnegan would only be even stronger than the Byakugan.
Different dōjutsu kekkei genkai should logically reject one another.
So could it be… There was some connection between the Sharingan and the Rinnegan?
Or was this some special trait of the Rinnegan?
"I didn't expect you would still contact me."
Obito interrupted Itachi's thinking. "Do you want to join me, and fight against Ryosuke together?"
Uchiha Itachi shook his head slightly.
"After the war ended, I understood many things. Ryosuke… is not the key. Of course, that's not the reason I came to find you."
He pointed to his left eye, blinded due to using Izanagi.
"I need an eye."
Obito was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
"Sure, I'll give it to you."
"But not without conditions."