Looking at the visibly nervous Ninja, Onoki asked in a deep voice, "What was the outcome of the battle? What's the current situation in the Land of Rain?"
The Ninja quickly responded, "In the end, the blue-purple giant merged with the wooden giant and fought against the black-armored Nine-Tails. The wooden giant was completely destroyed, while the black Nine-Tails didn't seem to suffer any injuries."
"As for the current state of the Land of Rain, please forgive me, Tsuchikage-sama. I didn't dare get too close. The original city has completely disappeared, leaving only a massive crater. I don't know the specifics."
"How is this possible? How could the Nine-Tails win? Could this all be fake?"
Onoki muttered in disbelief. In his mind, there was no way Hashirama and Madara could lose to the Nine-Tails.
It wasn't that he looked down on the Tailed Beasts, but in the eyes of those two, the Tailed Beasts were probably nothing more than pets that bite people.
"Ugh--"
After a brief moment of thought, Onoki suddenly felt a headache coming on, and his back began to ache again. He was once again reminded of his age.
Interrupted by the pain, Onoki stopped his train of thought and instead took a moment to carefully examine his son standing beside him.
Under his son's increasingly puzzled gaze, Onoki couldn't help but sigh and shake his head in disappointment.
Kitsuchi had a good personality, a strong sense of responsibility, and a spirit of unity. He was also well-regarded in Iwagakure. However, his strength was somewhat lacking.
While Kitsuchi was among the top-tier experts in the Iwagakure, he was rather ordinary by the standards of the wider Ninja World. In the current era, every great Ninja Village had its share of exceptional talents, but Kitsuchi only knew Earth Release...
Kitsuchi's face darkened. Having been around his father for so long, he knew exactly what Onoki was thinking… he was being looked down on again.
However, out of respect for his elders, Kitsuchi couldn't bring himself to argue with his old man. Of course, it wasn't because he couldn't beat him.
He silently turned his head away, pretending not to notice.
Onoki didn't press the issue and instead turned his attention back to the Ninja in front of him, his expression serious.
"Go to the underground bounty station and issue a mission to gather intelligence on the Land of Rain. Any information will do, and the reward can be set high."
With Iwagakure currently lacking in capable Ninjas, Onoki wasn't willing to risk his own people on what seemed like a highly dangerous mission.
"Understood!"
Once the ninja left to carry out the mission, Onoki turned back to Kitsuchi.
"How's that brat Deidara doing these days now?"
Kitsuchi grimaced. "Same as always. A few days ago, he blew up someone's house again. Now he's outside the village blowing up fish for fun."
"That little brat! He hasn't improved at all!"
Onoki's face darkened further.
Kitsuchi sighed. "If you ask me, you should just give him some recognition for his so-called 'art.' I think the kid really wants your approval."
"I feel like if you keep pressuring him like this, he might just run away one day."
"Hmph! That kid has the best talent in the Hidden Stone right now. The future of the entire village will rest on his shoulders. He can't afford to be so reckless."
"If you people were more capable, do you think I would have to keep holding onto this Tsuchikage position at my age?"
Onoki glared fiercely at Kitsuchi.
Kitsuchi shrank back, muttering under his breath, "There's still Kurotsuchi, you know. Your granddaughter keeps saying she wants to be Tsuchikage."
"If she can master Dust Release, the Tsuchikage position will definitely be hers."
Kitsuchi didn't dare say more, and Onoki also fell silent.
The joy he had felt after securing significant benefits from Konoha was now overshadowed by the troubling news he had just received.
'Most of the younger Ninjas today had no idea how terrifying those two men from the past truly were.'
---
Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
The Fourth Raikage, Ay, also received a report from the Ninjas patrolling the border.
The impact of the battle was too vast. The fight that erupted in the center of the Land of Rain had even been felt at the borders of the Land of Lightning.
In addition, the Ninja World had just emerged from the haze of war, and Kumogakure was also afraid of sneak attacks from Iwagakure, so border patrols were particularly vigilant.
"A battle of hundred-meter-tall giants? This report sounds made up."
As Ay read the report, his dark skin made it hard to discern his expression, but his furrowed brow was evident.
He had seen the Eight-Tails in its full rampage state, and even then, its size didn't come close to a hundred meters.
"Many people went to investigate after sensing the commotion, and their descriptions were strikingly similar. The report is likely true."
Mabui's expression was serious. She couldn't even imagine how a hundred-meter-tall giant would fight.
After all, a single move from such a being would shake the earth.
After a moment of thought, Mabui added, "One of them might have been the Nine-Tails."
"Can't we confirm?" Ay frowned.
"The creature was clad in something resembling black armor, so its original form wasn't visible. However, it had nine tails, so it's highly likely to be the Nine-Tails."
"As for the other two, one was a blue-purple giant, and the other was a wooden giant, possibly created using Wood Release."
"Wood Release... I'll go ask Bee about the Nine-Tails later. Send more intelligence operatives to investigate the current situation in the Land of Rain."
"Make sure they conceal their identities."
"Then I'll notify them right away."
With that, Mabui turned and left the Raikage's Office.
Inside the office, Ay remained deep in thought.
Then, in a flash, he disappeared from his seat.
---
Land of Rain.
In just one day, Naruto used his Dojutsu to create numerous simple, habitable structures on the ruins of the former Amegakure.
After all, the entire city had been reduced to a massive crater, with not a single intact brick left. Moreover, the dark clouds that had been dispersed by the battle were gathering again, and it looked like another heavy rain was on the way.
This left Naruto deeply puzzled.
'What was going on with the rain in the Land of Rain?'
'Did it really rain nonstop 365 days a year? It made no sense.'
"Leader, the food has been distributed."
Just when Naruto pondered this, Konan walked in from outside.
Naruto nodded and said, "I assume the instructions have been clearly communicated as well?"
Konan nodded in response.
"I've informed them that today's food is free, but starting tomorrow, they'll need to complete assigned tasks to receive rations. However..."
"Some of the formerly wealthy residents are complaining..."