As Kitsuchi recounted the events, Ōnoki's expression grew increasingly grim.
However.
Even after hearing that all the Daimyo and nobles had died, he showed no anger. Instead, he rubbed his temples, stood by the window, and gazed at the Village outside, lost in thought.
He was a Kage who had served longer than Hiruzen Sarutobi. Although he wasn't as deranged as Hiruzen Sarutobi, his continued tenure was largely due to Iwagakure failing to cultivate a worthy successor.
But, similarly.
He could keenly sense that this matter was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface!
"Father, what should we do?"
"This matter has spread, and the entire Village is in a state of panic."
"On one hand, we need to investigate the truth as soon as possible, and on the other, we must find a way to stabilize the Land of Earth!"
Kitsuchi's face was sallow, covered in cold sweat.
Clearly.
His head had been throbbing these past few days. With the deaths of the Daimyo and nobles, the entire country had plunged into chaos.
Of course.
These matters seemingly had nothing to do with Iwagakure, but the problem was that no one in the Land of Earth was managing them anymore. So, whether they liked it or not, they had to find a way to resolve it.
Otherwise, what would happen to the Village's financial allocation next year?
Therefore.
His idea was that an investigation was definitely necessary!
But, the problem was.
Before the investigation, the situation in the Land of Earth had to be stabilized. Otherwise, if the entire Land of Earth truly fell into chaos, Iwagakure would also suffer greatly.
On the other hand.
Although Kitsuchi was fuming with urgency, Ōnoki remained calm and composed.
After a long while, he let out a soft sigh.
"What a troubled time!"
"Just a few days ago, the Akatsuki Organization emerged, not only attacking the three Great Ninja Villages simultaneously but also causing one of the Village's Tailed Beasts to go missing. Now, before we've even discussed a solution for the Akatsuki Organization, something has happened to the Daimyo and nobles."
"If you say there's no connection between these events, then I, this old man, absolutely refuse to believe it."
"But, here's the problem!"
"What exactly does this Akatsuki Organization want to do?"
"Collecting Tailed Beasts, killing Daimyo and nobles..."
"Are they planning to rule the Ninja World?"
Ōnoki murmured, his eyes filled with contemplation.
But, on the other hand.
Upon hearing his father's words, Kitsuchi was absolutely furious: "Old man, stop thinking about all that nonsense!"
"Kitsuchi, see, you're getting anxious again!" Ōnoki said, extremely displeased: "In times of great importance, one must remain calm!"
"Anxiety won't solve problems. The more urgent the matter, the calmer you must be. If you don't first clearly think through the schemes hidden behind it, your hasty actions will only lead you to a dead end."
"How many times have I told you this? Why do you never listen?"
"You're really making me angry!"
However, unfortunately.
Facing Ōnoki, who was filled with disappointment, Kitsuchi didn't give him any face: "My old man, just stop it!"
"Those things can be resolved slowly later. The most urgent matter now is how to stabilize the Land of Earth, and then seize the opportunity to quickly recover the assets of those Daimyo and nobles."
"After all, the Land of Earth will definitely fall into chaos, and this chaos will surely last for a while. During this chaotic period, our Village can only survive on the accumulated wealth of these Daimyo and nobles!"
"Second, we need to find a way to control the Land of Earth. At the very least, we can't let the country continue to be so chaotic, otherwise, without stable tax revenue, our Village will eventually collapse."
"Third is to find the culprit, convene a Five Kage Summit, and so on!"
Clearly.
Kitsuchi not only looked down on Ōnoki's ideas but also scoffed at them.
In his simple understanding, now was not the time to find the truth; on the contrary, stabilizing the country was the most important thing.
But, unfortunately.
When Ōnoki heard these words, he was so angry that his nose was practically crooked: "You're truly a rotten piece of wood that cannot be carved!"
"You idiot, have you ever considered a problem? If we don't investigate this matter now, but instead eagerly rush to seize the money and food of those Daimyo and nobles, and even hastily occupy and control the Land of Earth, then what will Iwagakure appear to be in the eyes of other ninja Villages?"
"Won't it give people the impression that we don't care about the lives of the Daimyo and nobles?"
"And even further!"
"Did Iwagakure itself kill the Daimyo and nobles? Just to legitimately occupy and control the Land of Earth?"
"Have you thought about that?"
"Since the mastermind could kill those Daimyo and nobles, why didn't they collect their assets?"
"Were they unable to?"
"You blockhead, this is a trap!"
"The mastermind is eager for us to seize these riches, and then they'll pin the blame on Iwagakure. At that time, they will not only have secretly achieved their goals but also found a scapegoat!"
"You can't even figure out such a simple truth. How can I, this old man, confidently hand over the Village to an idiot like you in the future!"
"Truly—sigh!"
"Why does Konoha constantly produce all sorts of geniuses, while Iwagakure hasn't produced a single one?"
Ōnoki cursed loudly; he was truly exhausted.
Yes!
He was already so old, and he really didn't want to cling to the Kage position anymore!
But, there was no choice!
Who made Iwagakure so useless that it didn't even have a successor?
On the other side.
As Ōnoki roared, Kitsuchi instantly froze in place.
He was utterly bewildered!
Clearly, he hadn't thought about the things Ōnoki was pondering. Now, he couldn't help but scratch his head and reluctantly ask: "Then, old man, what do you say we should do next?"
"You idiot, does that even need to be said?" Ōnoki fumed: "Of course, we investigate!"
"We must investigate with great fanfare. Regardless of whether we find results, this stance must be displayed!"
"We in Iwagakure are the victims. The most important thing right now is to prevent other ninja Villages from thinking that we were responsible for this!"
"Compared to this, all that trivial stuff about stabilizing the Land of Earth and collecting wealth can take a backseat!"
"The second thing: convene a Five Kage Summit!"
"After all, it's not just the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Earth who have died, but all the Daimyo and nobles of various countries. So, the Five Great Ninja Villages must sit down and talk. Whether or not we can find the mastermind, the Five Great Ninja Villages must unify their thoughts and first find a scapegoat for this matter!"
"Only when our Five Great Ninja Villages reach a consensus and find a scapegoat can we free up our hands to think about how to restore the administration of the Land of Earth, and even how to seize the wealth of those Daimyo and nobles."
"Idiot, do you understand now?"