The Avengers of the Uzumaki Family

No matter how much Kurotsuchi considered herself a genius, she didn't believe she could defeat the Fourth Raikage right now. He was a powerful figure from the same era as her father and had already made a name for himself in the Third Shinobi World War.

He could still lead the most powerful and influential Kumogakure, a strength that was recognized throughout the ninja world.

Menma did not rely solely on himself, but on the power of the Nine-Tails. But does that matter? The fact is that Menma defeated the Fourth Raikage in a direct confrontation.

This is beyond doubt.

"Lord Third Generation, what should we do next?"

Below, Uesugi Iwazawa asked with a serious expression, "The situation has changed too quickly. They only just realized what was happening when Iwagakure was completely over. The previous strategy wasn't entirely meaningless, but it certainly didn't fit the actual situation."

Of the personnel previously dispatched, only Akatsuchi remained at the frontline position near Hozuki Castle to coordinate the Iwa ninja.

The rest of Huang Tu and the others returned for the time being.

The situation is different now.

Their Hidden Stone Village really needs to change in time.

What do you think?

Onoki put down the two scrolls in his hands and asked a question instead of answering.

The current situation is that no matter what Iwagakure does, it seems to be risky. Maintaining a wait-and-see attitude seems to be the best and safest option, but this choice often means that they have given up their initiative.

Observing and waiting depends on the situation.

In the past, when everyone was engaged in fierce fighting, choosing to observe appropriately was like reaping the benefits of others' labor. Now that the outcome has been decided and the situation has reached a stalemate, continuing to observe could mean missing a golden opportunity.

This is the worst choice a smart person could make.

Yan Jue, Huang Tu, and several other Jonin who held important positions in the village exchanged glances.

It was Iwazumi who spoke first, saying, "The situation is still uncertain. Although the Hidden Cloud Village has suffered heavy losses, it still has energy. Moreover, this is not a battle between two sides, but also involves the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Mist Village. I think we can lean towards the major ninja villages and send someone to contact the Hidden Leaf Village first. It is indeed amazing that Uzumaki Menma was able to lead the Takigakure Ninja to defeat the Hidden Cloud Village, but it is impossible that there was no cost to it. The pressure they will face next is still very high. Now is the best time for us to make a move."

This attitude is blatantly obvious.

They were planning to make a move against the other side.

Huang Tu, standing to one side, frowned slightly. Almost as soon as Iwaze finished speaking, Huang Tu continued, "I think it would be better to honor our previous alliance with Menma-kun. Although Kumogakure can accept casualties, if the intelligence is accurate, the Fourth Raikage's serious injury and the loss of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki have already weakened Kumogakure. Kumogakure won't be able to launch another attack in the short term; at most, they can send some peripheral personnel to maintain order. Sunagakure, so far..." There was no movement whatsoever. The advance force from Kirigakure seemed to have halted at the northeastern border of the Land of Fire. Whether they would actually intervene was uncertain, so the only certainty was that Konoha would participate. Frankly, based on the current power balance, I favor Menma's side. The destructive power of the three tailed beasts is undeniable. And, Third Hokage, don't forget that Orochimaru hasn't yet made his move, and there's also the force of Kusagakure. These are all things we need to be mindful of.”

Two completely opposite opinions.

Rock represents the 'foundation of the Great Ninja Village'.

Huangtu, on the other hand, has more faith in the potential of 'emerging forces'.

Of course, to be more precise, it might just be a possibility that he trusted Menma himself. If at the beginning, Hijikata only chose to pay attention to Menma because his Tsuchikage father favored him.

The loess soil of today truly recognizes the value of the hemp fiber itself.

Just as his father had said.

This is truly an unprecedented genius.

Look at this dough.

Huang Tu, who had never seen the two peerless heroes of yesteryear, also began to believe that there really was such a being in the ninja world who could single-handedly dominate the entire ninja world.

Because Menma is only 13 years old now.

Who can be sure that they won't reach the same level as the legendary duo, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha?

And even setting aside these so-called future possibilities...

Judging from the strength and influence they are currently displaying.

This was enough to make Iwagakure take notice.

One wrong move and it could be Iwagakure that suffers a major setback, not to mention the added constraint of the alliance.

Even in the ninja world, alliances between major ninja villages and factions are more like a joke. But to break them depends on the specific circumstances. They can't be broken casually. The benefits and costs don't necessarily have to be much higher; at the very least, there has to be an equal exchange. Otherwise, what meaning or value do they have?

What do the rest of you think?

His views on his son and Yan Jue.

Onoki remained noncommittal, his gaze shifting to the other elite Jonin from his own village below.

Gathering the wisdom of many.

This can be considered a form of 'democratic decision-making'.

The Jonin from Iwagakure below are all very experienced in life, most of them having experienced the Third Shinobi World War, with only one or two being young figures who have risen to prominence in recent years.

At the moment of hearing Onoki's question.

After pondering for a while, these Jonin took turns expressing their opinions.

It should be said that most people still tend to agree with Yan Jue's view.

It has been over sixty years since the Five Great Ninja Villages were established. It may not seem like a long time, but the five villages are of equal status and their powerful marks are still deeply ingrained in people's minds. The fact that only the leaders of the five villages can be called Kage is the best proof of this.

Other ninja villages cannot use the title 'Kage'.

This is why the Hidden Star Village is constantly ridiculed by those who know about it.

A ninja village that only had a few hundred ninjas at its peak, and its leader dares to call himself a Kage? Isn't that a huge joke?

Based on this...

When considering problems, most people are easily influenced by subjective factors. For example, among the five great ninja villages, Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure are still okay and can be left aside for now, but in fact, Sunagakure and Kirigakure have already weakened to only about 60-70% of their peak strength.

But from the outside perspective...

Even the weakest villages, Sunagakure and Kirigakure, are still significantly stronger than other ninja villages.

Therefore, the Jonin of Iwagakure are still limited by this kind of thinking when considering problems. Even though Menma has proven himself with his strength, it is still not enough for the people of the major ninja villages with their 'fixed mindset'.

As long as the alliance between Kumogakure, Konoha, and Kirigakure remains intact, they will still lean towards one of these three sides.

This is also within the 'reasonable range' of judgment.

"Hmph, you're all so conservative. You're all hopeless, just like you, Onoki. You called me back, not because you wanted to do something so cowardly, but because you have no interest in getting involved."

Just as these Jonin finished speaking...

Ōnoki, who was in the main seat, had not yet said anything.

Suddenly.

A cold, unfriendly snort suddenly rang out from the left side of the office.

Everyone was startled.

Who on earth dares to spout such nonsense in this conference room? And to so blatantly mock the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure?

However, those below did not notice that neither Onoki, nor Kyoto, nor Iwazawa showed any surprise.

It is obvious that they are very familiar with the person who spoke.

As everyone's gaze unconsciously turned around, following the direction from which the sound came.

What came into view was the figure of a middle-aged man who was slightly short but very burly. His purplish-red hair and full beard on his chin were very eye-catching.

This figure was none other than Rōshi, one of the four Kage-level shinobi of Iwagakure and the Jinchūriki of the Four-Tails!

And it was at the moment I saw Lao Zi's face.

Even the young Iwa ninjas who weren't very familiar with Rōshi showed a look of realization. After all, they were all potential high-ranking members of the village. Even if they weren't that familiar with Rōshi and couldn't recognize him by his voice, they definitely remembered Rōshi's personality, his past, and his appearance.

In their vast Iwagakure village, only Roshi had the courage and confidence to confront their own Tsuchikage head-on.

Onoki also seemed to be used to it.

Looking at Old Purple with a calm gaze, he said, "This is just a normal discussion. After all, it concerns the strategic decision-making of the entire ninja village, so everyone should speak freely. If you have any opinions, you can speak them out."

If an ordinary person were to confront themselves so directly...

Onoki had already lost his temper.

Only Old Purple.

Ohnoki will still treat him differently.

This is not only because Old Purple is the backbone of the village, and in terms of personal strength, he is second only to him, but also because Old Purple's seniority in the village is very deep. Many times when he confronts him, it is for the benefit of the village, not for his own selfish reasons. Although he has hardly spent time in the village in recent years and has not carried out many missions, whenever the village has important matters or is threatened by war, as long as the Tsuchikage gives the order, Old Purple will immediately return to carry out his orders.

He's the kind of guy who's very direct: "Even though I disagree, I'll still follow orders based on principles."

Ōnoki naturally didn't say anything more.

For those who have a broad perspective and will protect the interests of the ninja village.

Like Ohnoki, he is very tolerant.

It should be said that the older generation in the other four ninja villages seemed to be very reasonable, farsighted and broad-minded.

Only the F4 of Konoha Village, after they got old, became worse and worse.

Compared to old guys like Onoki, Chiyo, Ebizo, and Genshi, he's far inferior.

This is no joke.

The Konoha F4 truly follow a perfect arc, with age as the dividing line. From their youth to their prime, they are leaders who grow rapidly and demonstrate excellence and wisdom. Then, as they age and begin to decline, they become more stubborn and foolish than the last.

It can bring Konoha back to its peak from its desolate state after the First Shinobi World War, or it can drag Konoha from its peak into the abyss step by step.

These are the F4 of Konohagakure.

He was a completely different being from Onoki and the others.

"My opinion? Does it matter? In the end, you're the one making the decision, aren't you? And as I see it, you've already made up your mind, haven't you?"

Old Purple snorted lightly, glancing sideways at Onoki in the main seat, and spoke in a tone that seemed to be very disdainful.

They completely disregarded Onoki's status as a Kage.

Ohnoki, however, remained indifferent.

"How would you know if you didn't tell me? I certainly wouldn't listen to your opinion. This situation is very different from before. In the three Shinobi World Wars, the main protagonists were always our five great ninja villages, but today is different. Therefore, no matter how outrageous your opinion is, as long as it is truly beneficial to our village, I will definitely adopt it."

Onoki leaned forward slightly, looking at Rōshi with a faint smile.

"Huh? Then my attitude is to take this opportunity to send troops to continue to severely damage Kumogakure. During the Third Shinobi World War, we and Kumogakure forged a blood feud. That Fourth Raikage is definitely thinking about revenge against Iwagakure all the time. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As long as we weaken Kumogakure, our eastern front will be much safer!"

Old Zi raised an eyebrow, gave a cold smile, and then directly expressed his opinion without the slightest hesitation.

'Severely damage the Hidden Cloud Village?'