Chapter 121: Genius Ninja! It's Morkel Again!! The Ninja World Is Trembling!

"That's right! It's a Soil Spider!"

Kurotsuchi frowned and pondered. "I think I've heard of that clan. Don't they have diplomatic ties with Konoha?"

"Exactly," Ohnoki nodded, confirming her guess. "No matter how you look at it, the incident at the Golden Wheel Mountains involves Konoha."

"Then just have them pay for the damages!" someone exclaimed.

Elsewhere...

At the heart of the Jinlun Mountain blast zone, Morkel stood in stunned silence, surveying the desolate land around him.

"What… happened?!"

"I was in the mountains when I cast the jutsu… Where's the mountain? Why can't I see any peaks or ridges?"

"It's all flattened?!"

Morkel quickly realized the terrifying truth—this was the result of his own power unleashed in anger.

He had always believed the rumors about the "Raging Sky" technique being able to decimate hundreds of kilometers were exaggerated. After all, Bai Lang had used it to save Earth Spider Ying once, and the damage back then was only a few hundred meters in radius.

So, when Morkel used the jutsu this time, he assumed it would only cover Mount Sumeru. Apparently, he had grossly underestimated its power.

Calling his summoned eagle, Morkel watched it fly in circles above the destruction. To his horror, even after ten minutes, it hadn't reached the edge of the crater.

Staring down at the fresh, cracked earth exposed by raw chakra, a chill ran down Morkel's spine.

"This… this is going to cost me a fortune, isn't it?"

But hiding the event was clearly impossible. Once Naruto learned of the Golden Wheel Mountains' disappearance, he would surely blurt it out in excitement…

Land of Fire — Konoha Village

In the village, Team Might Guy huddled together in a heated discussion.

Lee burst out excitedly, "Did you guys hear? The Golden Wheel Mountains in the Land of Earth were flattened!"

Tenten added, "Isn't that where Beiliuhu was hiding out on Mount Sumeru? Looks like divine retribution caught up with him!"

Neji shook his head. "No, it wasn't divine punishment. That was definitely caused by someone."

Tenten agreed. "True. But who else in the entire ninja world could level hundreds of kilometers of mountains?"

A heavy silence fell among the three.

A single name echoed in their minds: Morkel.

He was the kind of ninja who constantly shattered everyone's expectations.

Even if someone claimed Morkel was a god from the heavens, they would probably believe it without hesitation.

Just then, Naruto approached, arms crossed. "Ahem. No need to keep guessing—it was Morkel."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Did you see it happen?"

Naruto scoffed, "If I had seen it with my own eyes, would I still be here chatting with you?"

"Then what makes you so sure?" Neji asked. "This is a serious accusation."

Naruto grinned. "Because Morkel was worried I'd get caught in the blast, so he sent me back to Konoha before the jutsu."

"My being here is the proof."

Neji, Lee, and Tenten exchanged glances. If Morkel had done it, then the rest of the world would just have to accept it.

Nearby, a curious eavesdropper overheard their conversation and quietly slipped away...

Hokage's Office

Tsunade stared helplessly at the pile of bills from the Land of Earth on her desk.

"Shizune, how much do we have left in the village's treasury?"

Shizune responded, "A bit over one billion."

Tsunade sighed. "That won't even scratch the surface..."

Tsuchikage's Office

Kurotsuchi entered with new intel. "Grandpa, Konoha's spies confirmed it—Morkel was responsible for the disappearance of the Golden Wheel Mountains."

Ohnoki slammed the desk, furious.

"Unbelievable!"

"This guy again!"

"It was bad enough when he tricked Cloud Shinobi and destroyed Rain Shinobi. But now he dares mess with our Land of Earth?!"

"Does he think Iwagakure is a joke?!"

"Send word to Konoha. I want Tsunade and Morkel here for negotiations!"

Kurotsuchi hesitated. "But Grandpa, you know how powerful Morkel is…"

"Are we cowards now?!" Ohnoki snapped. "I refuse to believe he's above justice!"

Once, Ohnoki would never have uttered such words. As a Kage, he represented the pinnacle of justice in the ninja world.

But now, faced with an overwhelming opponent, he had no choice but to cling to ideals.

Back in Konoha...

Realizing the disaster he caused, Morkel immediately headed to the Hokage's office.

Inside, the room was filled with senior Jonin, including Kakashi and Might Guy.

Tsunade's face darkened at the sight of Morkel's bright red hair. "You! You still have the nerve to show up?!"

"What did I say before you left?!"

"I told you to test your jutsu in the Wind Country! And now look—an entire mountain range is gone!"

Naruto chimed in, "Granny Tsunade, if the explosion had happened in the Wind Country, the damages might still have been worse. There are valuable mineral deposits there too."

Tsunade snapped, "Who said you could speak?!"

Land of Wind — Sunagakure

"Achoo!"

Gaara sneezed while buried in paperwork.

Kankuro glanced over. "Are you okay? Not getting enough sleep?"

Gaara waved it off. "No, just… felt like the Wind Country narrowly avoided a disaster."

Kankuro chuckled. "You must've heard about the Golden Wheel Mountains incident too. Apparently, Morkel was testing a jutsu."

"Good thing he picked the Land of Earth instead of coming here."

He paused. "Wait a minute… The deserts here would've been ideal for that test…"

Gaara nodded with a knowing smile. "Exactly."

Hokage's Office Continued

Tsunade held up five fingers dramatically. "Take a guess how much the Land of Earth wants in compensation?"

"Five. Hundred. Billion!!"

Morkel's jaw dropped. That was more money than he could earn in a hundred lifetimes.

He muttered, "Maybe we can negotiate… Like, offer some tailed beasts in exchange?"

Lifting his palm, he showed the sealing charm embedded there. "See? I've got Three Tails and Six Tails… Those should be worth a bit, right?"

The room went dead silent.

Might Guy broke it: "Wait, how did you get those tailed beasts in your palm?!"

Kakashi groaned, "Is this really the time to ask that?!"

One elder finally offered a calculation: "Tailed beasts hold tremendous strategic value. One could be worth tens of billions."

Koharu added, "We also have the steel fortress Morkel brought back, now a ninjutsu tech hub. That might help..."

Tsunade sighed. "Still far from enough. Even if we sell everything, it's just a fraction."

Morkel scratched his head. "How about I go back and replant the entire mountain with Wood Style?"

Tsunade snapped, "It's not that simple. What about the ecosystem, the wildlife, the resources?!"

Morkel shrugged. "What if I use Reincarnation Jutsu to bring them back?"

Tsunade rubbed her temples. "You're exhausting."

At that moment, someone from the Code Decoding Department burst in with a decrypted message.

Out of breath, he handed it to Tsunade.

[Please ask Hokage and Morkel to come to Iwagakure for compensation negotiations.]

Tsunade's expression turned serious. "Looks like they're not willing to negotiate through letters anymore. We'll have to go in person."

The others nodded.

Tsunade turned to Morkel. "Don't stress too much. The entire village is behind you."

Morkel, moved, nodded. "Master…"

"Alright, enough sentimental stuff. Let's move."

Using Flying Thunder God, the two teleported to the Land of Earth's border ruins, then took a plane—piloted by Morkel—toward Iwagakure.

Looking down at the vast destruction below, Tsunade was awestruck. "Incredible. You can see the damage for miles."

Morkel muttered, "Spectacular, isn't it?"

"You sound proud!" Tsunade scolded.

Morkel grinned. "No, no, of course not..."

Meanwhile...

At the Fire Country border, Bubble tried to return to Rain Shinobi Village but was intercepted by a mysterious masked man.

"I need the Six Tails from you," the man said coldly.

Bubble blinked. "Six Tails is gone…"

"You think you can trick me?" the man sneered, and attacked without warning...

Back in Iwagakure...

Morkel's plane soared over the village—an act that looked suspiciously like provocation.

To avoid tension, he and Tsunade jumped out and descended gently.

Summoning his green Susanoo, Morkel had it catch Tsunade mid-air. With wings spread wide, they landed gracefully at the village entrance.

Naturally, the giant green figure caused panic—until the older shinobi recognized it as Susanoo.

"It's that boy again… Morkel."

"He's here to negotiate compensation. Open the gates."

Once inside, all eyes fell on them—Tsunade in her Hokage cloak, and Morkel in a composed stance.

"I told you not to show off," Tsunade muttered.

"We can't have the Hokage looking shabby," Morkel replied.

Eventually, they were greeted by Kurotsuchi, who introduced herself as Ohnoki's granddaughter.

She smiled at Morkel. "So you're Morkel. You look... much more reserved—and handsome—than I imagined."

Flustered, Morkel waved her off. "No, no, not really..."

Soon after, her father, the stoic Huang Tu, appeared to escort them to the Tsuchikage's office.

Kurotsuchi pouted. "Dad, Grandpa asked me to bring them!"

Tsunade smiled knowingly at the family dynamic.

Finally, they arrived at the Tsuchikage's office.

"Come in," said the voice from within.

The door creaked open to reveal a short, elderly man—Ōnoki himself.

Morkel fixed his eyes on the legendary figure, one of the few masters of Dust Release.

Inside the office, everything was prepared—tea, conference tables, and formal seating.

Ohnoki turned to his aides. "Summon the elders and the daimyo."

As the room cleared, only Ohnoki, Tsunade, and Morkel remained.

Trying to ease the tension, Ohnoki began, "Tsunade, I haven't seen you in decades. You've really grown… now Hokage of Konoha."

Tsunade smiled. "Time flies. I'm over fifty now."

"You must be eighty this year, right?"

Ohnoki chuckled. "Nah, just seventy this year..."

Then, his gaze slowly shifted to Morkel...

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