"That's… Lord Tsuchikage, I think he's Konoha's Uzumaki Naruto…"
The young Iwagakure ninja looked terrified as he stammered his report.
Ōnoki was visibly shocked.
He stared hard at Naruto for a while before finally landing on his white hair.
"Uzumaki Naruto? Wasn't he blond, just like his father, Minato?"
"That's right—but his appearance matches the portrait. Especially his eyes… I couldn't mistake them!"
Hearing that the youth before him might really be Naruto, Ōnoki began to panic inwardly.
"So… you really are Uzumaki Naruto?"
He asked cautiously, furrowing his brows.
Naruto nodded casually. He didn't bother hiding it.
With confirmation, sweat began to bead on Ōnoki's forehead.
He had already heard about what happened to Kumogakure—
He had heard of the terrifying power of Susanoo.
He had seen Uchiha Madara wield it when he was young.
That divine might… even after decades, still haunted him.
Though his Dust Release (Jinton) Kekkei Tōta could theoretically disintegrate anything,
Ōnoki wasn't confident it could land a hit—
Especially if Naruto had the same Flying Thunder God speed as his father.
"What did you come to Iwagakure for?"
Before he could finish, two more people rushed into the Tsuchikage's office—a man and a woman.
The man was huge and burly, built like an ox.
The woman had short hair, sharp and refined features, and wore a striking red qipao.
Her long, shapely legs were especially eye-catching.
These were Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi, Ōnoki's granddaughter and son.
Seeing them arrive, Ōnoki felt no relief.
They were strong—some of the top jonin in the village.
But if this youth was truly Uzumaki Naruto… even an army wouldn't matter.
"Gramps, who's this guy?"
Kurotsuchi eyed Naruto with suspicion and curiosity.
"Let's skip the formalities," Naruto said flatly.
"I only came here for one reason—the Tailed Beasts."
"Kumogakure was generous enough to hand theirs over.
Hopefully, you'll be just as cooperative, and we'll have a pleasant exchange."
Ōnoki's eyelid twitched violently.
Generous?
Kumogakure had practically been wiped off the map.
"Pleasant exchange?"
They barely survived!
Ōnoki felt despair sinking in.
Iwagakure's overall strength wasn't that much better than Kumogakure's.
If they chose to resist…
Iwagakure would likely suffer the same tragic fate.
Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi also began to understand what was happening.
Kurotsuchi clenched her teeth, glaring at Naruto.
"Uzumaki Naruto, why are you doing this?
With your power, Tailed Beasts don't even mean anything to you anymore!"
She couldn't understand.
If Naruto was truly that strong, why was he so obsessed with collecting Tailed Beasts?
Even if it meant destroying entire villages.
"Enough, Kurotsuchi! Don't say another word!"
Ōnoki barked.
Kurotsuchi was still young and impulsive—
but Ōnoki knew better.
Strong people always have secrets.
And their secrets… are not to be pried into.
After a long sigh, he came to a bitter conclusion.
If Iwagakure was to survive, they'd have to sacrifice their Tailed Beasts.
"Yes… Iwagakure does have two Tailed Beasts.
But the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki, Roshi, has already defected.
You'll have to find him yourself."
"As for the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki, Han—he's still in the village.
But he's been in closed-door training for years. I haven't seen him in a long time."
One had defected.
The other was isolated in training and beyond control.
No wonder Ōnoki gave up so easily.
"Ōnoki, you're really something," Naruto said with a grin.
"Your Jinchūriki are all out of control. Even that Deidara guy defected, right?"
That hit a sore spot.
Ōnoki's face flushed with embarrassment.
Naruto had touched a nerve.
The only strong shinobi left in the village were his own family—Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi.
Everyone else was either a defector like Roshi and Deidara…
or just… trash-tier shinobi.
Even Ōnoki himself often felt helpless looking at his current forces.
Soon after, Ōnoki led Naruto to the place where Han—the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki—was training in seclusion.
Both had the ability to fly, leaving Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi behind, watching with concern as they vanished into the distance.
"Dad, will Grandpa be okay? Should we follow them?"
Kurotsuchi asked nervously.
Kitsuchi thought for a moment, then shook his head solemnly.
"With our strength, we'd only slow them down.
We can only hope Uzumaki Naruto takes the Tailed Beast and leaves peacefully…"
As he spoke, he let out a long sigh.
Never thought I'd live to say something like this…
Kurotsuchi frowned.
"Is Uzumaki Naruto really that strong?
He doesn't look like much to me.
Just another pretty boy with white hair—definitely not someone serious."
Bonk.
Kitsuchi gave her a light chop to the forehead.
"Don't provoke him.
He wrecked Kumogakure—he's not someone you can mess with."
As a father, he didn't want his daughter to get involved with someone like Naruto—
neither physically nor emotionally.
Kurotsuchi rubbed her forehead, knees buckling slightly.
"Fine, I wouldn't get involved with a guy like that anyway."
—
High above Iwagakure, Naruto and Ōnoki were flying.
Naruto's speed had dropped drastically to accommodate the old man—
he could fly a hundred times faster, but was now yawning in the air.
"Can't you go any faster, old man?"
Ōnoki grimaced.
"This is my top speed!"
"By the way, if you don't use Light-Weight Rock Technique, how do you fly?"
Naruto had finally sparked his curiosity.
With nothing better to do, Naruto changed positions—laying down in midair, hands behind his head.
"Don't ask. Let's just say, if I want to fly, I fly."
Naruto stared lazily at the sky.
Ōnoki turned his head away with a pout, inwardly envious.
These geniuses…
They always get what others could never achieve in a lifetime.
Then, Naruto suddenly sat up.
"Your signature jutsu is Dust Release, right?
Tell me—how does it work?"
Ōnoki's eyes bulged as he stopped flying mid-air.
"That's a Kekkei Tōta. Not something you can learn overnight.
Telling you would be pointless. Just forget it."
Seeing that Naruto had his eye on Dust Release, Ōnoki quickly made up an excuse, hoping he'd drop it.
But Naruto had no intention of backing off.
His tone turned serious:
"Maybe I should put it another way—
Explain Dust Release. Now."