Ōnoki spoke with earnest concern, but Kitsuchi's face was full of conflict.
Clearly.
Even though his Old Man had said so much, he still didn't want to give up the benefits already in hand.
After all, that was wealth accumulated by the Daimyo and nobles over a long period, reaching a massive scale; was his family just supposed to lightly give it all up now?
He didn't believe his Old Man's claim about dealing with the 'proper business' first before cleaning up the rest.
Heh, what a joke!
By the time Iwagakure finished searching for the 'Culprit Behind the Scenes' and concluded the Five Kage Summit, there was a high probability that the wealth would have long since been spirited away.
"Old Man, I..." Kitsuchi still wanted to try.
But, unfortunately.
He only received a glare from Ōnoki, who then spoke with a tone of disappointment: "I know what's on your mind, kid, but you still haven't grasped the underlying laws of this world."
"And that is—force determines everything!"
"Firstly, those Civilians won't dare to reach out recklessly because they lack the ability to protect wealth. Even bandits and mountain thieves lack that ability. Therefore, those who dare to reach out are likely local officials and samurai."
"Have you thought about the problem? Do you think they can run away?"
"Once the Village has settled the overall situation, there will be plenty of time to deal with those guys!"
"So, Kitsuchi!"
"Take a long-term view; learn to think like a Kage."
"I am already very old. How many more years can I struggle to hold on?"
"Our Village doesn't have many geniuses, so in the future, the burden will likely fall on you."
"Don't let me down, and don't let the Village down."
"Do you understand?"
Ōnoki's tone was deep, and Kitsuchi couldn't help but feel a jolt through his body.
It was true!
In the Ninja World, the only ones who could steadily suppress Ninjas were the Daimyo and noble class, and that was due to many factors.
But what about now?
The Daimyo and noble class were gone; Ninjas were the highest class of the future!
Perhaps they wouldn't dare to kill Daimyos and nobles casually, but if it were just some mere samurai and local officials?
Killing them was just killing them, they didn't even need a reason!
So from this perspective, even if that wealth was snatched away, it was only being kept temporarily on behalf of the Village.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Old Man, I understand!"
"I'll go make the arrangements immediately!"
After saying that.
Kitsuchi left happily. Having been enlightened by Ōnoki and realizing the logic, he was now completely at ease.
However.
Compared to the joyful Kitsuchi, Ōnoki couldn't bring himself to be happy at all.
He watched his son's departing back and pondered for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.
He was truly tired!
The current Iwagakure could still be counted among the Five Great Ninja Villages almost entirely because he, this Old Man, was holding it up.
His Dust Release and the two Tailed Beast Jinchuriki.
The top-tier combat power consisted only of the three of them, plus his political maneuvering; this was the core of Iwagakure.
But what about now?
Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, had been captured. How much longer could he, this Old Man, hold on?
Where exactly was the future of Iwagakure?
Compared to Konoha, where powerhouses continuously emerged—even after so many were plotted against and killed by his own Village—their top-tier combat power still ranked first in the Ninja World.
Iwagakure was different!
In recent years, only one genius, Deidara, had emerged, but now no one knew where he had run off to. Looking across all of Iwagakure, there wasn't a single person qualified to take over his position.
His son, Kitsuchi, was actually quite ordinary.
It was only within the context of Iwagakure that he seemed to stand out a bit.
Coupled with having a father who was a Kage, he had gained a slightly broader perspective through osmosis, so out of necessity, Ōnoki chose to train him as a Kage.
But after all these years, Ōnoki was still dissatisfied.
This son of his was still too far off!
If he were to accidentally kick the bucket, he held a pessimistic view of Iwagakure's future... Land of Water, Hidden Mist Village.
The entire Village appeared very dilapidated; even a small part of the Mizukage building had collapsed, and to this day, there was no money to repair it.
Clearly.
Obito had played the Hidden Mist very cruelly over the years. Especially last time when Ao of the Hidden Mist used his Byakugan to completely see through the signs that their Kage was being controlled, a great battle immediately broke out under the leadership of Genji.
Obito controlled Yagura Karatachi and directly caused a massive upheaval in the Hidden Mist.
In the end.
The Hidden Mist paid a bloody price to awaken Yagura Karatachi's consciousness, and then, in his rage, he chose to self-destruct.
But, unfortunately.
It still didn't cause any harm to Obito, who had hidden in Kamui, but it caused immense damage to the Hidden Mist Village.
Not only was the Three-Tails gone, but a bunch of Ninjas had died, and many Village buildings were destroyed.
Adding in the years of the Blood Mist Village era, the current situation of the Hidden Mist was even more tragic than Sunagakure's.
It was also fortunate that the Hidden Mist Village was located overseas in a unique position, so this matter didn't spread. Additionally, the Land of Water wasn't exactly a desirable place; otherwise, it would have been besieged by other Ninja Villages long ago.
"The Daimyo and nobles are all dead?"
"And the Daimyos and nobles of other countries were also killed by a mysterious force at the same time?"
"How is this possible?"
"..."
Inside the Mizukage's office, everyone spoke up one after another.
Everyone's face was written over with shock, and their brains had directly entered a state of paralysis.
As the Fifth Mizukage behind the desk, although Mei Terumī's looks and figure were quite good, at this moment, her brows were slightly furrowed, making her look very troubled.
She was truly helpless!
Although taking down the Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi had indeed allowed the Hidden Mist Village to see a glimmer of light—and she had even prepared to manage the Village well over the next ten years to let the Hidden Mist lick its wounds and restore its Ninja population—who would have thought.
God didn't give her that chance at all. Even before she could think of a way to get money to repair the Mizukage building, this kind of thing suddenly happened in the Ninja World.
Truly—damn it!
However, after taking a deep breath, she looked at the Old Man sitting next to her: "Elder Genji, what is your opinion?"
"Mei Terumī, you are the Mizukage." Genji let out a sigh and spoke in a faint tone: "I am old and have no heart for power struggles."
"The future of the Village should be decided by you, the Mizukage. However, if I must say a few words, I suggest we take no action for the time being. Let's first see what actions the other Ninja Villages take, and then we can just follow suit."
"This matter is too bizarre!"
"Although my political skills aren't great, I can vaguely sense that there might be some conspiracy behind this."
"Considering the unique status of the Daimyo and noble class, to avoid being used as a tool by someone, I suggest we act as if we don't know about this for now and send scouts to see what the other Ninja Villages do next."
"Then, we just follow along!"
"Pay close attention to the movements of the Land of Earth; that old fellow Ōnoki is very shrewd."
"Things we can't understand or figure out certainly won't escape that old fellow's eyes!"