Hidden Stone Village.
Ohnoki read through the Hidden Leaf's statement with careful attention, a complicated look crossing his face.
After a while, he handed the document to his son, Kitsuchi, and sighed. "Being a Kage… the pressure turns people into demons."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi's always been known as an honest man. And now even his words are this sharp."
He twisted his waist as he spoke. A faint cracking sound followed.
Middle age had arrived quietly. The body that once brimmed with stamina was beginning to send its own warnings.
In Ohnoki's eyes, the Hidden Cloud's provocation had finally angered the usually dovish Hiruzen.
"The Hokage says the Third Raikage's rise to power wasn't legitimate? Is there really something like that, Father?" Kitsuchi asked.
The moment those words left his mouth, Ohnoki's lower back, which hadn't been hurting much, suddenly throbbed as if someone had struck it with a hammer.
"Kitsuchi! Just because you're not cut out to be Tsuchikage doesn't mean you get to slack off!" Ohnoki barked, glaring as his mustache bristled. "Go read the history of the shinobi wars ten times!"
Kitsuchi straightened at once. "Yes, Tsuchikage-sama!"
Seeing that, Ohnoki could only shake his head.
His son was stubborn in a simple way. Steady in a simple way.
But simple was still simple.
"Whether the Second Raikage's death had anything to do with the Third Raikage… aside from the man himself, who would know?"
"But one thing is certain. The Third Raikage is a true hardliner."
"When Tobirama Senju went to negotiate with the Second Raikage, they were ambushed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who were hardliners too."
"Lightning and Fire clashed. Two Kage died violently. Others rose in their place. Doesn't that sound neat and convenient?"
"Conspiracy theories don't need airtight logic. All they need is a starting point that aligns with someone's interests. The rest? People will fill it in on their own."
"…It almost sounds convincing," Kitsuchi muttered, his expression shifting. "Will this affect the Hidden Cloud Village?"
"It will. But not much."
Ohnoki floated into the air with his hands clasped behind his back.
"As much as I dislike the Hidden Cloud and the Raikage, I have to admit he's a charismatic leader."
"There might be a little noise in the Hidden Cloud Village, but nothing serious."
"The interesting one is the Hidden Mist Village. The speaker may not have intended it, but the listener certainly will."
He chuckled and began recounting the old entanglements between Gengetsu Hozuki and the current Third Mizukage.
"So the Hidden Mist is going to be in chaos?" Kitsuchi asked solemnly. "Father, do you think the Third Hokage did this on purpose?"
"Whether he meant to or not doesn't matter."
"What matters is that if the Hidden Mist's internal affairs can be thrown into turmoil, then whoever started it, whatever their motive, I must help stir the pot!"
Ohnoki made a grand motion as if slamming the table, only to smack empty air.
For a moment, the air turned awkward.
Kitsuchi quietly lifted the Tsuchikage's desk up beneath him. "Father, try again."
Father and son exchanged a look and burst out laughing.
"Mu-sama died because of that lunatic Gengetsu Hozuki…"
"The Hidden Mist bunch are born like half-wild beasts. Bloodthirsty to the core."
Ohnoki waved his hand decisively.
"Issue a public statement to the entire shinobi world. Say that someone like the Third Raikage, whose virtue doesn't match his position, rose mysteriously after the Second Raikage's death. Distrusted by the major clans, twisted in temperament, destined for brutality."
"Such a man is unfit to be Kage. Encourage the Hidden Cloud's ninja to replace him of their own accord. That would benefit the Land of Lightning and the entire shinobi world."
Kitsuchi's mouth twitched.
Was that really about the Third Raikage?
It was practically pointing at the Third Mizukage's face and cursing him outright.
Ohnoki stroked his beard, feeling thoroughly satisfied.
There really was something refreshing about being a loudmouth, especially when you were targeting an old rival.
"But if Hiruzen Sarutobi dares to say such things…" Ohnoki's eyes narrowed. "He had his own controversies back then. That means the Hidden Leaf has its power well integrated now."
Kitsuchi grinned. "Good thing you've never had any controversy in that regard."
Ohnoki smiled smugly.
He truly was the most legitimately seated Kage of the current era.
Back when he was still a child, Ishikawa, the First Tsuchikage, had already taken a liking to him.
He personally laid Ohnoki's foundation and even had him polish the stone symbolizing the Will of Stone.
Then Mu, the Second Tsuchikage, became his teacher.
In the Hidden Stone Village, Ohnoki's word carried absolute authority. His control over most of the village was ironclad.
But over time, that kind of stability inevitably bred a touch of arrogance.
Some prodigies and powerhouses didn't appreciate being bound so tightly.
Roshi, the Jinchuriki, for example, deeply resented Ohnoki's autocratic attitude and had been slow to return to the village.
"The Hidden Leaf is changing. The Hidden Stone can't fall behind."
"Kitsuchi, speed up the formation of the Explosion Corps!"
"And tell the eligible ninja in the village to hurry up and have children. If any show talent, I wouldn't mind taking them as disciples myself!"
"You too, Kitsuchi!" Ohnoki rapped his son sharply on the head. "You think I wasn't talking about you?"
This one hadn't turned out to be a top-tier Tsuchikage candidate.
But maybe the next generation would.
Several days later.
After the Hidden Stone's statement spread across the shinobi world, the Hidden Cloud Village showed little reaction at first.
Mostly confusion.
If you're going to insult someone, at least hit the right target.
All this vague speculation. Did they really think any Cloud ninja would believe it?
The Third Raikage's image, fighting the Eight-Tails with his own body and standing at the front lines to shield his villagers, was carved into every heart.
Even if his succession had been controversial, which it hadn't…
After everything that had happened, very few would still feel resentment toward him.
For a Kage, what mattered most was whether he made the village stronger and whether he was the first to step forward when trouble struck.
"Oh… so this is really about the Third Mizukage, isn't it?"
"Ohnoki is crafty. Using Hiruzen Sarutobi's words as a springboard to stir up infighting in the Hidden Mist Village…"
The Third Raikage snorted coldly.
"In that case, let's add more fuel to the fire!"
"If we can weaken our opponent even a little, our ninja will bleed a little less in the future."
Dodai, standing nearby, nodded in understanding. "Leave it to me, Raikage-sama."
When the collected statements finally reached the Hidden Mist Village…
The Third Mizukage, who had been waiting for responses from the other villages to strengthen the legitimacy of his Blood Mist Village policies, nearly flipped his entire desk.
What did this even mean?
It was supposed to be a war of words between the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Cloud.
So why did it all end up pointing at him?
No. Not pointing. Accusing.
His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. His eyes were cold as ice, yet inside, agitation and fury burned like a raging fire.
Even the day Gengetsu Hozuki had defeated him in public, he had not felt such murderous intent.
Being mocked by the entire shinobi world over his deepest, darkest secrets…
It was enough to drive him mad.
"The Hidden Cloud, the Hidden Stone, even the Hidden Sand has something to say!"
"And the Hidden Leaf…"
"No. I am Mizukage. I must think calmly." He forced himself to breathe. "The Hidden Leaf is retaliating against the Hidden Cloud. They shouldn't have hostile intent toward me. Hiruzen Sarutobi even echoed my call for strengthening each village's military forces…"
Even at the peak of his anger, he knew taking on four villages at once was impossible.
If he could establish some degree of cooperation with the Hidden Leaf, there would be benefits.
Cooperate first. Betray later.
That was tradition in the Hidden Mist.
Isolation defined the village's ninja, not necessarily the Mizukage himself.
If he sealed himself off completely and the other great villages formed an alliance without his knowledge, that would spell disaster.
"This all traces back to that beast Ohnoki. And the Third Raikage!"
"And those damned bloodline clans who refuse to submit to my rule!"
The Third Mizukage shot to his feet.
From this moment on, he would formally usher in the era of the Blood Mist Village, pouring all his strength into purging those who defied him.
When the next shinobi war came, he would lead a loyal army and prove with sheer force that his name as Third Mizukage shone no less brightly than Gengetsu Hozuki's.
As the saying went, one man's joy is another man's sorrow.
The Mizukage's tower in the Hidden Mist trembled under its master's fury.
Meanwhile, at the Ninja Academy in the Hidden Leaf, Asuma, Shisui, Kakashi, and the others gathered together.
They sat cross-legged on the grassy hillside behind the academy as if on a picnic, each pulling something precious from their robes.
Ordinary children would have taken out snacks.
What they produced instead were their family's treasured training manuals.