Naruto: Getting Observation Haki By Sacrificing The Byakugan

At the same time, Ōnoki inquired with the accompanying ninja about the cause of his son's severe injuries.

With their strength, what kind of accident could have inflicted such damage?

Ōnoki already had a sinking feeling in his heart.

Sure enough, the explanation provided by the Iwagakure delegation was the very outcome he had feared most.

Rather than having his son be humiliated and grievously wounded in Konoha, he would have preferred it to have been a simple accident on the road back.

Though the thought was shameful, such an accident would have at least preserved their dignity. If it had been someone from Konoha who did this, the implications were far more severe—enough to make even Ōnoki tear his hair out in frustration.

Yet after hearing the full account, even Ōnoki—who had resolved to remain calm—felt an overwhelming urge to march to Konoha and tear that boy, Kawaki Aoba, to pieces.

If the verbal testimony could be dismissed as exaggerated, the supply list presented in black and white left no room for doubt.

The demands were extortionate—essentially a complete draining of Iwagakure's resources, and even then, Konoha had the audacity to ask for double.

If it had been the Fourth Raikage in his place, that hot-headed brute would have flipped the table and prepared to go to war with Konoha then and there.

But Ōnoki was no ordinary man. His cunning rivaled that of Hiruzen Sarutobi himself. He could swallow this humiliation—for now.

Is it just some supplies? Some ninja tools? A bit of operational authority? If Konoha wants it, then let them have it. Give them everything.

After all, with the current state of the shinobi world, these losses could be recovered from other places sooner or later.

As long as—Iwagakure could obtain the Tailed Beast.

Ōnoki's thoughts turned to the secret letter the Mizukage had sent him. He hardened his resolve.

What was a temporary grievance? If Iwagakure could acquire the Ten-Tails, all of today's shame would mean nothing.

Iwagakure was the only major village currently without a Tailed Beast. In such a position, it seemed almost comical that he, the venerable Tsuchikage, would pin his hopes on the existence of the Ten-Tails.

But what choice did he have? Fight Konoha?

No one could predict how much damage Konoha would suffer, but Iwagakure? They would be annihilated—by Kawaki Aoba alone.

And in a way that left them no chance to resist.

So was this choice really so difficult to understand?

It was a choice between a slow, lingering death and an immediate one. At least with the former, there was time to seek salvation.

The decision had been agonizing—but worse was yet to come.

A medical ninja approached Ōnoki and spoke in a hushed tone, "Tsuchikage-sama, Lord Hōki's condition is not good. His injuries were left untreated for too long, and the long journey has only worsened them. We managed to save his life, but in the future…"

The words caught in his throat.

Ōnoki's face darkened. "Speak. What will happen to Hōki in the future?"

The medic grit his teeth. "Lord Hōki may never be able to serve as a shinobi again."

Pffft—

A mouthful of blood burst from Ōnoki's lips. The weight of the back-to-back blows overwhelmed him, and his eyes rolled back as he collapsed on the spot.

"Tsuchikage-sama! Medic, quickly, help the Tsuchikage!" someone shouted.

The stunned medical ninja immediately snapped to attention and rushed forward to examine Ōnoki.

Receiving treatment so swiftly—it was unclear if that counted as good luck for Ōnoki.

What was certain was that the future was far from merciful. When he awoke, he would not only have to mourn his son's shattered future, but also endure the shame of preparing everything on Konoha's list and sending it to them.

With less than a month to collect twice the amount of goods listed, time was already impossibly tight.

No—factoring in the travel time, they had even less than that.

And they had to hurry. Who knew when Kawaki Aoba might have a bad day and decide to erase Iwagakure off the map?

To meet Konoha's demands, Iwagakure fell into utter chaos from top to bottom. And of course, this movement did not escape the attention of other villages' intelligence networks.

In Kumogakure, within the Raikage's office, the Fourth Raikage A slammed the report onto his desk.

"Ōnoki, that damned coward. Got slapped in the face and actually took it."

But despite his words, A could not ignore the chill creeping into his heart—a grim sense of shared fate.

This time it was Iwagakure. Next time, it could be them. And what could he do if that happened? Die gloriously with his village?

What else could he do?

And even then, could he guarantee that he could take even a chunk out of Konoha before falling?

"The Ten-Tails… whether it's real or not, this is our last bet. We have to take the gamble."

Konoha's overwhelming posture this time brought with it a suffocating sense of doom.

It was as if the shadow of Konoha loomed like a mountain above them, ready to come crashing down at any moment.

If they wanted to survive, they would need the strength to defend themselves—before that mountain collapsed.

Isn't that why Ōnoki submitted so easily?

A understood. So did the others.

Time passed swiftly—twenty days or more. The Iwagakure caravan transporting supplies rumbled steadily toward Konoha, their procession grand and mournful.

The leader was an Iwagakure jōnin no one in Konoha had seen before.

The barrier in front of Konoha's main gate was opened to its full extent. This time, the Iwagakure shinobi received an unprecedented welcome from the Konoha villagers.

The enthusiasm could even be compared to the reception Kawaki received after returning from his mission against Code.

There was no helping it—after all, these Iwa shinobi had brought a substantial tribute. Even if the supplies weren't going to be evenly distributed, they would still go toward rebuilding the village and benefiting everyone in some way.

Yet despite the cheers, none of the Iwagakure shinobi looked pleased. To them, this warm reception felt more like a public shaming.

They had only been ordered to deliver the supplies to the border and hand them off to Konoha personnel.

But the Konoha ninja had insisted that the delivery be made in person—to "show sincerity."

It was clearly a calculated humiliation.

Still, they'd been given strict instructions by the retired Tsuchikage, Ōnoki: no matter what happened, they were to endure. This was for the good of Iwagakure.

Inside a tall administrative building overlooking the gate, Uchiha Shisui stood by a window, observing the crowd below with a conflicted expression.

"Sensei… aren't we going a bit too far with this?" he asked.

Before Kurenai Yuhi could respond, Kabuto Yakushi stepped forward, clapping Shisui on the shoulder.

"Too far? On the contrary—I think we've barely gone far enough," Kabuto said.

"Shisui, you've seen battle, but you're still too naive about how this world works. The shinobi world is harsh. When you have power and don't use it, your enemies bide their time. When they surpass you, they won't hesitate to strike."

He looked out toward the Iwa delegation.

"Just look at them. Enduring this humiliation without flinching. It's not submission—it's calculation. That kind of patience is terrifying."

"Terrifying? Please." Mitarashi Anko scoffed from the corner. "They're just beaten dogs. They wouldn't dare raise a hand."

"You underestimate them," Kabuto said, shaking his head. "Being forced to submit like this? Of course they harbor resentment. It's just hidden for now. The moment Konoha shows weakness, they'll bare their fangs again."

Kabuto's gaze turned back to Kurenai.

"And there's still the matter of the tailed beast. I heard Aoba intends to return it to them? That's hard to believe. Knowing him, he'd never give up a strategic asset without a deeper plan. He's the type to never let a potential advantage slip through his fingers."

Before Kabuto could continue, Kurenai smacked him lightly on the head.

"Don't talk nonsense if you can't speak respectfully. Aoba isn't that kind of person. If he says he'll return the tailed beast, he'll do it."

Of course, she thought silently, it was part of a larger strategy. Aoba was preparing something significant—he'd called it "gathering all the unstable pieces into one basket." But that wasn't something she could say aloud.

Kurenai glared at Kabuto. He might act innocent, but he'd clearly picked up these calculating thoughts from someone.

And Shisui… for all his decisiveness in the field, why was he always so soft-hearted in the village?

Then there was Anko—headstrong and brash, despite her middling strength. Kurenai sighed internally. Orochimaru's teaching methods clearly hadn't emphasized restraint.

Just then, a member of the Konoha enforcement team entered and handed Kurenai a sealed scroll.

"Lady Kurenai, this is an A-rank mission. We're short-staffed across all departments, so we've been authorized to assign this to your team."

Kurenai groaned. "Another pre-assigned mission? Can't we get something random for once? How am I supposed to teach my cute disciples if we don't face unexpected situations on missions? That's how they grow."

Despite her complaints, she unsealed the scroll and examined its contents. Her eyes narrowed.

"Find Tsunade? I thought she was off on a personal journey, and she specifically said not to disturb her. Why now? And what if she refuses?"

The enforcement ninja quickly waved his hands. "It's not an impossible mission, Lady Kurenai! You see, with the village undergoing reforms—especially the medical corps—we're facing a severe manpower shortage. The medical department is expanding, even opening services to civilians and extending beyond Konoha."

He paused.

"We've got fewer battlefield injuries now, but far more responsibilities. Most of the medical staff have been running themselves ragged with Shadow Clones, but that's not sustainable. Lord Aoba recently acquired a trove of advanced medical equipment—no one here understands it. We need Lady Tsunade's expertise to reverse-engineer and reproduce it. She's the only one who can."

What the shinobi didn't say was this: thanks to Aoba's reforms, even hidden clan members had started accepting missions in exchange for generous benefits and high pay. Senior students were roped in under the guise of internships—though with hefty scholarships to make up for it.

At the moment, nearly every team in Konoha had a full mission slate.

Only Kurenai's team—known as the "Young Master Team"—was still available.

After a moment of silent consideration, Kurenai realized it was true. She sighed in resignation.

"Fine. I'll take it."

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