On Konoha's side,
Nara Shikaku was actively discussing business matters with Aburame Shiken.
Making money—nothing shameful about that.
"What do you mean the Nara clan can already be self-sufficient?"
But who could refuse…
An extra dish at mealtime,
An extra Explosive Tag in battle,
An extra pretty girl when soaking your feet…
All of that—whatever it is—requires money.
Thinking of this, Nara Shikaku recalled something else.
"The Kamizuru clan's honey? Aren't you worried they might be spies sent by Iwagakure? Who would send their entire clan onto the battlefield—even one-year-old children? Someone who's been Tsuchikage for that long must be quite wise, right?"
Ōnoki: "That's some nasty slander. So what if I don't like the Kamizuru clan? A bunch of people who lose every time they're sent out—who would use them?"
Kamizuru clan: "You never let us fight anyone else! Every opponent we've ever faced has been the Aburame clan!"
"Not sure. But from the looks of it… if they really were spies, they're doing an exceptionally good job."
Aburame Shiken recalled his earlier inspection trip to the Kamizuru clan's apiary.
The Kamizuru clan leader, dressed in new clothes and shoes, leading a group of similarly well-dressed clansmen,
Along with that adorable three- or four-year-old child,
Welcoming him with great enthusiasm,
And even having bees lined up in formation to greet him.
Kamizuru clan leader: "Konoha is just too good—good food, good clothes, no war, and all we do is raise bees every day. What kind of heavenly life is this? Iwagakure—bah! No wonder you'll never catch up to Konoha. Look how they treat talent, then look at you. Clan Leader Shiken is here to inspect—we must show absolute loyalty this time. He'll definitely trust us even more."
"Ah, hello everyone."
Aburame Shiken responded warmly,
While at the same time, one of the Parasitic Insects on his body quietly burrowed into the ground.
In an instant, the number of insects lurking around the Kamizuru apiary tripled.
Aburame Shiken: "Something unusual always hides something suspicious. The Kamizuru clan must be closely monitored."
Kamizuru clan leader: "Ah… this…"
But even now,
The Kamizuru clan remained extremely well-behaved.
So…
The number of hidden insects became five times the original.
Kamizuru clan: "Nice."
Speaking of the Kamizuru clan,
One inevitably thinks of Iwagakure.
So what was Iwagakure doing at this moment?
...
Land of Earth,
Iwagakure Explosion Release Training Base,
"Three, two, one—detonate!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A continuous series of explosions rang out.
"Not enough, not enough! With this level of power, do you think you can eliminate the Aburame insects? Do you still want to be endlessly harassed by those annoying bugs?!"
The new Explosion Release leader, Gari, was constantly training the Explosion Release unit.
Their hypothetical enemy was the Aburame clan that had disgusted them to death during the Second Great Ninja War.
Inside a room within the base—
"Tsuchikage-sama, what do you think? That kid Gari is pretty good, right?"
Kitsuchi happily introduced him to his father. This was the son of his old teammate.
Seeing him so outstanding now made him genuinely happy for his late comrade.
Unfortunately, that comrade had been killed by the Aburame clan's Phosphorus Devourer Insects.
The evil Aburame clan.
"Mm, not bad. This is the future of Iwagakure. Kitsuchi, how many people are in the Explosion Release unit now?"
"Tsuchikage-sama, fewer than two hundred."
"What? How can it be so few? Didn't I say that anyone capable of using explosive abilities could join the unit?"
"Tsuchikage-sama, aside from Gari's Explosion Release bloodline clan, there are almost no shinobi with explosive abilities. However, we recently discovered a type of clay that can be detonated. The research division is developing it. I believe before long, the Explosion Release unit will see a major expansion."
"That's more like it."
Ōnoki said, then couldn't help but think of Konoha again and sighed.
"The longer one sits in the position of Kage, the more one feels Konoha's strength."
Bloodline users, rare as they were in other villages, numbered in the thousands in Konoha.
The Uchiha, the Hyūga:
"Well… it's not all our credit. There are the Kurama and the Gekkō clans too."
And then there were the secret technique clans, no less impressive than bloodlines—
The Aburame, Inuzuka, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi:
"Hahaha, we'll take the praise."
Most infuriating of all—Konoha's strongest individuals didn't even come from these clans.
Orochimaru licked his lips,
Jiraiya adjusted his outfit,
Tsunade got ready for another round,
Hatake Sakumo wiped down his White Fang short blade,
Namikaze Minato followed behind Kushina carrying her bag.
The Senju clan: "Shouldn't we get a mention too? We've declined, not disappeared. And we've produced a protagonist, alright? One-fifth founding shares—we deserve some screen time!"
The more Ōnoki thought, the more miserable he felt.
"I kind of want to be Hokage too… That kid Sarutobi Hiruzen must be really happy."
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Well, if you put it that way… mm, mm… being Hokage really does feel pretty good."
"Kitsuchi, how large is Iwagakure's military now?"
"Over twenty thousand shinobi on record, regardless of rank."
"The village can barely afford that, right?"
"…In recent years, there really haven't been enough missions to go around."
Kitsuchi said with a bitter expression.
More shinobi meant greater strength—but it also meant Iwagakure was running out of money.
"Prepare for the next attack on Konoha, Kitsuchi."
"Yes… sigh!"
...
At the border of the Land of Rain,
Danzo stepped out from within the country.
"Rain Kage? Hanzō… so you too long for the pinnacle of power. But that's only natural—who could refuse the title of Kage?"
Aburame Shiken, Senju Hideki, Uchiha Kamito, Hyūga Hiyasu, Inuzuka Ryoha: "We can. No salary, no holidays—we're determined to push Minato to the top."
"But even among Kage, there are differences."
"Only the Hokage stands at the very peak of this ninja world."
Danzo said softly.
...
Land of Lightning,
Valley of Clouds and Lightning,
"You're telling me to throw away this blade?"
The newly appointed Eight-Tails jinchūriki, Killer B, appeared to be talking to the air, but was actually communicating with the Eight-Tails within him.
As for why the Eight-Tails had revived so quickly—
Normally, it would take over a decade, slowly absorbing scattered chakra from the ninja world.
But—
Black Zetsu: "If the Tailed Beasts don't revive, how am I supposed to save Mother? Faster—must go faster."
As for what method was used…
Well, since they're not saying, we should respect their privacy.
Black Zetsu: "Oh my, how considerate."
As for the poor Eight-Tails—
Right after awakening, it encountered the Third Raikage clad in Lightning Release Armor.
When enemies meet, what's there to say?
A barrage of thunder clashed against thunder—
The Eight-Tails lost one horn, and the Third Raikage gained a striking lightning-shaped scar on his chest.
The remaining Cloud shinobi quickly sealed the Eight-Tails into the Six Paths Ninja Tools, then returned to the Cloud Village with the unconscious Third Raikage.
Only afterward did they choose Killer B as the new Eight-Tails jinchūriki.
Not long later, Orochimaru happened to pass through the area.
Looking at the massive horn before him, he could only say:
"Thank you, heavens, for this Eight-Tails horn."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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