Northwest of the Land of Rain, the Village Hidden in the Rocks, Iwagakure.
Surrounded by high mountains and hills, it boasted a natural fortress-like defensive barrier, forming Iwagakure's natural defense.
At a glance, the village's buildings were predominantly forged from rock, appearing in a dark grey.
And at this moment, inside Iwagakure Hospital, groans continuously emanated.
"Ow, my back! Lighter! Lighter! Ah!"
"Lord Tsuchikage, please be strong! It'll be over soon!"
On the hospital bed, several nurses held down the limbs of a short old man, while a large nurse supervisor pressed on his lower back.
"You speak lightly, old man... Owoooh!!"
Snap!
With a crisp sound, the short old man, who had his face buried in the pillow, suddenly lifted his head, letting out a howl mixed with pain and relief.
"Done."
The nurse supervisor clapped her hands skillfully, looking at the old man lying on the bed. She smiled somewhat helplessly, her tone a bit resentful: "Lord Tsuchikage, please stop moving around."
"Your previous back injury hasn't healed yet. We told you to rest in the hospital, but you refused. We advised you to go back and recover properly, and now, just a few days later, you've strained it again. You really don't take care of your body."
If she hadn't said it, no one would believe that this old man lying on the bed, feeling quite sore and still groaning, was the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.
As the grandson of the First Tsuchikage and the direct disciple of the Second Tsuchikage, his strength was formidable. He was renowned as "Onoki of Both Scales," not only proficient in Earth Release ninjutsu but also capable of using the Dust Release, a Kekkei Tōta (Bloodline Limit Release) that surpassed Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limits).
Alas, even he could not escape the ravages of time.
"What do you know?"
Feeling his authority somewhat undermined, Onoki's large red nose wrinkled. He straightened up and grumbled discontentedly: "I... I'm not even fifty years old yet, I'm in my prime! This minor injury is nothing to worry about."
"Iwagakure can't do without me! You... Ow!"
Onoki was still loudly nagging, but the robust nurse supervisor paid him no mind. She directly used a board to stabilize his back, causing the old man to groan again.
"Yes, yes, Lord Tsuchikage, who in Iwagakure doesn't know? You are our pillar."
The nurse supervisor pouted, flipped the old man over, and admonished: "But you must take your health seriously. You have too many old injuries, and as you age, they will gradually appear."
"If you sprain your back one more time, this problem will stick with you for good, and that will have a significant negative impact on your life and combat."
Onoki grumbled discontentedly but no longer argued, lying obediently on the hospital bed. He said impatiently: "Alright, alright, I'll just rest in the hospital for a while."
"Mm-hmm."
The nurse supervisor nodded with satisfaction, grinning: "Lord Tsuchikage, I'll take you to the restroom."
"Wait, wait a minute! I don't want to go to the restroom right now!" Onoki's face changed, his expression fearful: "Even if I did want to go, I can still go by myself!"
"Be good, Lord Tsuchikage, you can't move right now."
"No, no, I can use ninjutsu! Do you know the Lightweight Rock Jutsu? I can fly!"
"I'm not a ninja, so I know nothing about Lightweight Rock or Heavyweight Rock."
Knock, knock.
A slightly heavy knock came from the door. The nurse supervisor instinctively paused, and Onoki immediately breathed a sigh of relief, quickly saying, "Come in!"
Though she seemed to show no reverence towards Onoki, that was merely the concern of a doctor for a patient. The nurse supervisor naturally knew her place and wisely left the ward.
Bang.
A very burly figure walked in, accidentally hitting his head on the doorframe as he entered. Rubbing his head, he looked at Onoki on the bed and spoke in a deep, booming voice: "Father, how is your body?"
The newcomer wore a red ninja hat, a red tight combat suit, and a brown jōnin mesh armor over it. His build was very tall and burly, and his large nose was identical to Onoki's.
It was Onoki's son, Kitsuchi.
"An Anbu report?"
Onoki, still lying on the bed, took the scroll from Kitsuchi's hand. After a quick glance, he frowned deeply.
"Hyuga Kawa? A Hyuga clan member?"
He said in surprise: "No wonder Hiruzen Sarutobi could so cleanly unify the Leaf ninja clans to react. So it turns out there was a Hyuga clan member cooperating with him."
"Tsk tsk, listen to what's being said: 'If our heads are already in the tiger's mouth, reasoning won't save us.' And this was said by a mere child..."
Onoki clicked his tongue in wonder as he read the detailed account of the jōnin meeting, but a hint of envy and jealousy flashed in his eyes.
"A Hyuga clan member who doesn't cultivate taijutsu but instead practices ninjutsu, that's truly rare. Not everyone can make such a choice, and to even achieve such skill, with such good character..."
Konoha truly was a land of outstanding individuals. Whenever it seemed like Konoha was facing a decline and had fallen into despair, there would always be young people who emerged to turn the tide and save the crumbling edifice.
If nothing unexpected happened, this kid named Hyuga Kawa would soon appear on the battlefield in an even stronger form.
With Konoha's abundant foundation of ninjutsu and secret techniques, as long as one could demonstrate their worth and talent, there would always be a ninjutsu or secret technique suited for them.
The former Sannin of Konoha, the former Minato Namikaze, now Hyuga Kawa, and in the future, who would it be?
Looking at Hyuga Kawa's appearance in the intelligence report, at that face with a gentle smile, Onoki turned to Kitsuchi beside him.
Comparing goods, you just throw the inferior one away.
This image is a far cry.
Thinking this, Onoki patted Kitsuchi's head, causing him to look puzzled and scratch his head.
Onoki continued to read the scroll, his brows furrowing further.
"The Abyss of the Land of Hot Water... the power to alter terrain... a suspected monster that broke free from its seal..." He muttered the intelligence content collected by the Anbu from the scroll.
It wasn't until he saw that both the Cloud and Leaf villages had secretly sent people to the Land of Hot Water that Onoki closed the scroll and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
If it were just the Cloud Village, it wouldn't be much; those brainless brutes always charge in regardless of the odds.
But now, even Konoha had chosen to temporarily dispatch personnel to form a team and head to the Land of Hot Water during such a crucial period, just before a war was about to begin.
This could only mean that there was truly something valuable there.
"Father, do we need to do anything?" Kitsuchi asked at an opportune moment.
Onoki nodded, but then quickly shook his head, saying: "We will act, but it won't be us who does it."
"Those hotheads from Cloud Village chase and bite our people as if they've seen their father's murderer. Wasn't it just about killing their Third Raikage?"
Gritting his teeth, he complained, then took a scroll from his pocket and handed it to Kitsuchi. Kitsuchi took it and opened it, his eyes widening slightly at the names on the scroll.
"Kakuzu, the Xuanyuan Group, the Hannya Group, the Jashin Cult... and various bounty ninja and teams, big and small..."
Kitsuchi looked up at Onoki and asked: "Father, do you intend to hire these bounty ninja to investigate the situation in the Land of Hot Water?"
The Xuanyuan Group had a great reputation in the black market, claiming to be without village or master, solely taking money to eliminate troubles for others, earning them the title of "ninja who hunt ninja."
As for Kakuzu, known as the "Immortal," there was no need to mention him; his mission completion rate in the underground black market was nearly 100%, with several records of killing A-rank rogue ninja and jōnin.
As for the Jashin Cult, it was an extremist religious organization native to the Land of Hot Water.
Kitsuchi would not underestimate bounty ninja; since they could make a name for themselves, it meant they all had their own abilities.
The black market was inherently a place of mixed fish and dragons, with all sorts of people, but no good Samaritans. Those who could survive on this platform, and make a name for themselves, were inevitably those whose hands were stained with countless blood.
"These bounty ninja and teams are quite useful. They are all experienced fighters."
Onoki stated directly: "As long as the money is right, even a near-impossible mission will be rushed for. Used well, they can bring us good returns."
"I won't just send them to investigate the Land of Hot Water; I'll also have them scout out the situation in the Land of Rain, so that we can precisely join the battle later."
Regarding his father's words, even the honest and simple Kitsuchi didn't voice any opposition, merely nodding, tacitly approving Onoki's approach.
If Iwagakure ninja were sent, they would likely be targeted by both the Cloud and Leaf villages, with a high probability of being wiped out.
It was better to entrust this dangerous mission to bounty ninja who fought for money. For Iwagakure, regardless of success or failure, the only loss would be some money.
The resources required to train an excellent jōnin were far more expensive than hiring a rogue ninja of jōnin caliber.