Chapter 877 : A Good Day!

[A/N: Sorry for my absence, everyone. Was very sick in the past 3 days and I couldn't write 😓 Feeling considerably better now. I'll try to catch up with the missed chapters today and tomorrow. Once again, apologies 🙏]

'First, a powerful ninja caused chaos in the economic heart of the village. That ninja was strong enough to lure me out. As soon as he escaped, I was forced on a wild goose chase by the explosions. During that time, this building was attacked and our secret techniques were stolen. The Anbu Headquarters was attacked at the same time and our elemental crystals were stolen. And, while we were panicking over the explosive seals, someone was spreading false information through the village right under our nose…' Onoki's heart grew cold as he finally grasped the depth of the conspiracy against Iwagakure. Every single aspect was a massive headache. However, together it was a disaster!

Roshi muttered solemnly, "The stolen techniques, elemental crystals, the damaged property and even the dead ninjas can be replaced. However, if the minds of our next generation have been contaminated, it'll threaten our village's survival! If the civilians stop sending their children to the academy, we can't raise our future generation."

He sucked a breath of cold air and said, "Such meticulous and nefarious planning… This can't be the job of one person. No, it almost feels like…"

Onoki completed his sentence, "Konohagakure's Root!"

Onoki thought, 'Curse you, Danzo! Were you after my Dust Release? Do you think Konoha can copy it so easily?'

Hearing Root, the experienced ninjas in the room immediately became worried. Kitsuchi said, "This does feel like him. It is eerily similar to their actions in the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars. However, we're in peacetime. The next Great Ninja War isn't on the horizon yet. Why would they make such a huge move all of a sudden?"

Onoki snorted, "Isn't it obvious? They're already laying the groundwork. Even though Kumogakure and Sunagakure are rebuilding their forces, they still aren't anywhere close to recovering to their original strength. Kirigakure is still a complete mess. The only village that can threaten Konoha right now is us. They want to clip our wings before the conflict breaks out!"

Others in the room agreed with Onoki's analysis. However, Roshi asked in confusion, "One thing doesn't make sense. Why did they only knock out our ninjas? If they wanted to reduce our strength, wouldn't killing our ninjas fulfilled their goal? They even let him off."

Roshi pointed at the Anbu Commander. His death would have been a huge blow to Iwagakure. Even though the ninjas in the Tsuchikage building weren't strong, they wielded significant influence too. Killing them would have caused Iwagakure more than a few headaches. However, nothing of that sort had happened, which raised questions on Onoki's analysis.

Onoki frowned, "I have been wondering about the same too. This aspect doesn't align with how Danzo operates. He would have ordered the deaths of every last one of them…

The only explanation I came up with was that Konoha didn't want to force my hand… If they killed hundreds of our ninjas, we would have been pushed into the same situation Kumogakure was in over a year ago.

The public opinion would change and I'd be put under pressure to start a war. Even if I wasn't pressured, I'd have limited options. So, we would have been forced to ally with Kumogakure and plan an attack on Konoha. If we didn't do so, Konoha would continue such operations and keep weakening us perpetually…"

Silence engulfed the room as everyone analyzed Onoki's words. Finally, one asked, "Does that mean we won't retaliate despite such a nefarious attack?"

Onoki answered, "We will, but we have more time to respond. And, our response won't be an all-out war. Konoha isn't the only village that can conduct such operations! However, that can wait. Our first goal is to ensure those scums have left the village and find and disarm the remaining 15,000 explosive seals!"

Onoki's words immediately brought everyone back to the present. The danger still hadn't passed! They still were unsure of Konoha's intentions and such a massive number of explosive seals was a major threat to the village.

Everyone immediately resumed the work. Kitsuchi took charge of the Iwa ninjas inspecting the village. Iwagakure dispatched all available Sealmasters and Grandmasters due to the severity of the situation. The common people and even the Genins were asked to stay in their homes and not touch any suspicious objects or tags.

Meanwhile, Onoki assembled the strategists in the village and began analyzing the recent incident in more depth. He wanted to consider every possibility before making any reckless move.

Even though the attack reminded Onoki of Root's operating style, there was always the possibility of a third party trying to cause a conflict between Iwagakure and Konoha for their gain. The fact that the fighting style of the young man, who started the entire debacle, didn't match with any known rank S ninja strengthened this doubt.

Onoki didn't agree with Roshi's initial speculation. His abilities shared very little similarities with Fujin. Onoki didn't want to imagine Fujin improving in these aspects so rapidly. He believed there was a higher chance that a new rank S ninja had appeared in Konoha, which was a different kind of headache in itself.

As a result, Onoki subconsciously hoped his earlier analysis was incorrect. He would rather face a third party trying to fan the flames of war than Konoha's revived Root and endless stream of rank S ninjas!

——

Though tension gripped Iwagakure, the rest of the Land of Earth remained untouched by the chaos. Life carried on as usual, with most enjoying a rare period of peace. Far beyond the village, nestled within a sprawling mountain range, jagged peaks stretched endlessly under the vast sky. To an outsider, it was just another unremarkable landscape, but deep beneath its rocky facade lay a secret, an underground base unknown even to Iwagakure's watchful eyes.

The base was well-hidden, yet stark in its simplicity. A single, vast circular chamber lay at its heart, its cold stone walls enclosing a large round table surrounded by chairs. In one of them sat a young man, his dark, abyss-like eyes fixated on the scroll in his hands. Though the chamber was sealed from all sides, his long hair swayed ever so slightly, due to a surprising breeze flowing in the room.

Even though his appearance had matured slightly due to age, Roshi would recognize him in a heartbeat despite never having actually seen his face in person. He was the same person Roshi fought on the bank of a river in the Land of Grass several years ago, Suzuki Fujin!

Fujin gazed into the scroll for nearly half an hour before finally placing it on the table, next to several other scrolls. He muttered, "Not bad… Another impressive Earth jutsu. These are far better than the modifications I made on the Earth jutsus Hiruzen taught me. Once I master these, my Earth Release will improve by another level. That said, raising it to the same level as my Wind or Lightning Release is still a challenge…"

He sighed, "Oh well, can't wish for everything at once. This loot is worth the risk I took and the time I spent in Iwagakure. The only issue is that if I use these techniques openly, Iwagakure would easily connect the dots…"

Fujin thought for a bit before deciding, "Fuck it, who will they complain to? I'm no longer worried about Onoki hunting me down. In fact, I'd be happy if he did so. A sparring partner is what I most need at this moment! If they take a diplomatic route instead, I'll just claim I recreated these jutsus and sling mud back at them. Whether others believe it or not is inconsequential."

Needless to say, none of the minor villages around the Land of Fire would change their allegiance due to this matter. The events following the attack on Konoha had stamped his fear deep within the hearts of their leaders. They wouldn't care about such incidents, as long as Fujin didn't target them.

Fujin turned his gaze back to the scrolls and thought, 'It's a shame there wasn't any scroll related to Dust Release there. While I doubt I could learn it without any guidance, it would have been informative and inspirational to read how it is learnt.

Then again, it was to be expected. Onoki wouldn't leave something like that lying around. I'm already surprised that I got Roshi and Han's notes on Lava and Boil Release… They'll be handy once I get my hands on Son Goku and Kokuo's chakra.

It's a shame I couldn't get my hands on Son Goku's chakra this time. Though I could have if I tried, doing so openly would have invited a lot of troubles and suspicions. I prefer doing it secretly. Anyway, I have already marked Roshi. So, getting Son Goku's chakra won't be a problem. Kokuo's chakra on the other hand…'

Kokuo had already been absorbed into the Gedo Statue. So, getting his chakra was a massive challenge for Fujin. Fujin was about to grab another scroll when his hands stopped. He turned his gaze towards the walls. A tag was vibrating. Fujin observed it carefully, before a wide smile broke out on his face.

He stood up, his appearance changing as he did and laughed, "Hehe, they stepped into it! What a good day! Fighting Roshi and Onoki in the afternoon and these guys in the evening. Ain't that just perfect?"

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