I founded the "Bragging Cult" in Naruto.

Chapter 459 Either erupt in silence or perish in silence.

The news of Rōshi and Han's appearance in Kumogakure and Sunagakure spread quickly and reached Iwagakure almost that same day.

In Iwagakure, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, who had been in hiding for half a year and whom many villagers thought had suffered a major tragedy, was jolted awake from his deathbed and hastily convened a high-level meeting.

"What on earth happened?! Why did Konoha send Old Shi and Han to Kumogakure and Sunagakure?!"

Onoki had a rosy complexion and showed no signs of illness. He spoke with a strong voice, and the high-ranking members of Iwagakure in the conference room all lowered their heads, not daring to look at Onoki standing on the table.

In fact, Onoki knew what had happened. Although he hadn't appeared at the Tsuchikage Building in the past six months, he hadn't missed any of the slightest movements there.

Onoki was aware of, and even tacitly approved of, the joint operation of the three ninja villages, including what they did. He also wanted to test how Konoha would respond.

But Onoki never expected that Konoha's counterattack would be so disgusting! Even if Konoha had killed Rōshi and Han directly, Onoki wouldn't have been this angry, because then Iwagakure could have vented all its anger on Konoha.

They're forcing Konoha to pay compensation!

But what about now? Sunagakure and Kumogakure have suffered severe damage, while Konoha's tough stance clearly proves that it is a tough nut to crack, and neither of these two villages will choose to attack Konoha at this time.

After all, if they dare to make a move, Konoha will immediately accuse you of massacring civilians and start a major war. Would you respond or not? If you respond, not to mention whether you can win the war, you will lose face.

How can you win if you have no legitimate cause?

Shouldn't they? Then Konoha could even go so far as to demand compensation from the two villages. Therefore, Sunagakure and Kumogakure must accept this loss, but even if they do, neither village will be satisfied.

At this moment, a living Jinchuriki of a Tailed Beast, a Tailed Beast, was delivered to them. Wasn't this the best compensation?

The biggest victim suddenly became Iwagakure, which "contributed" two Jinchuriki and two Tailed Beasts. The conflict also changed from the conflict between the three ninja villages and Konoha to the conflict between Iwagakure and Sunagakure, and between Iwagakure and Kumogakure.

Therefore, upon receiving this news, Onoki could no longer pretend and went straight to the Tsuchikage Building. However, he couldn't possibly say in front of these people that he had always known about these things, even though everyone knew it but kept it to themselves.

Only Huang Tu, in his simple and honest manner, explained in detail everything from his proposal to attack Konoha, to his loss of power, and then the actions taken by the elders in conjunction with Sunagakure and Kumogakure against Konoha.

"Bang!"

Onoki stomped his foot angrily, his trembling finger pointing at the Iwagakure leaders present, and shouted, "I trusted you so much, and this is how you repay me and the village?!"

"I've only been recuperating for half a year, and I've only entrusted Iwagakure to you for half a year, and you've already done so many foolish things. If something really happens to me, will Iwagakure be destroyed in your hands?!"

The faces of the Iwagakure leaders were as black as the bottom of a pot. They were all shrewd people, and they naturally realized that Onoki was planning to make them take the blame.

They also have to take the blame. Only by finding enough people to take action within the village can the entire village have the morale to face the outside world. That old geezer, Onoki, probably already had this planned out when he faked his injury.

If these people do well, then it is because the Tsuchikage has a keen eye for talent, selecting and employing them as pillars to support Iwagakure.

If things continue as they are now and they don't do well, then it means that the Tsuchikage has "entrusted the wrong person" and that all the village's high-ranking officials, except for the Tsuchikage, are incompetent and useless, or even parasites that are undermining Iwagakure!

Once the Tsuchikage eliminates these parasites, he can restore a bright future to Iwagakure. The villagers and ninjas of Iwagakure will regain their confidence and unite against external threats.

Everyone knows what the script is, and they also know that they have to bear these responsibilities, because risk and reward go hand in hand. Since they chose to gamble on the reward, they will naturally bear the risk if problems arise.

Onoki, seeing the group of high-ranking officials standing like frightened ostriches, was furious and demanded, "What are we going to do?! Tell me, what are we going to do?!"

Seeing that they still didn't answer, Onoki gasped for breath, and finally, his back hunched over. He looked at the yellow earth and said, "Send word to arrest all the elders and those involved in planning and executing the joint operation."

Hearing Onoki's dejected tone, Huang Tu said with concern, "Father, I think..."

Onoki raised his hand to stop him, his face cold, his strawberry nose twitching as he said icily, "Yellow Earth, were you involved too?"

"I don't"

Huang Tu hurriedly tried to explain, but then realized something was amiss. As he struggled to think of what to say, Onoki's voice rang out again: "Execute orders! This is the Tsuchikage Building, not your home!"

Or is it that in just six months of my absence, the person in charge of this Earth Shadow Building is no longer the Earth Shadow?!

Huang Tu shut his mouth, turned and left the conference room. Onoki looked at the higher-ups who remained silent even after hearing that he was about to be arrested, and sighed.

These people did not want to resist because they were heartbroken. Their earth god not only did not protect them, but instead pushed them out to become the outlet for the people's anger.

Only by climbing to this position can one truly understand just how ruthless the Third Tsuchikage, who led the entire Hidden Stone Village to great achievements, really was.

It's ironic that such a person is portrayed by the public as short-tempered, easily angered, and deeply loyal.

Soon, squads of law enforcement ninjas arrived and "subdued" the high-ranking officials in the conference room. In fact, they did not resist. They were put in shameful shackles, and their Tsuchikage was not even willing to give them a mask to cover their faces.

Even a paper bag would be fine, so that they wouldn't have to let others see their ugly side.

Onoki's speech in the meeting room had already spread throughout the entire village before the meeting ended. Everyone knew that it was this group of good-for-nothings who had acted recklessly while the Tsuchikage was recuperating, causing such a great loss to Iwagakure.

Many people have already gathered around the Tuying Building, carrying rotten vegetable leaves, rotten eggs, and broken bricks that they have bought at "high prices," just waiting for these wastes to appear.

As they wished, these useless fools were escorted out of the Tsuchikage building. In an instant, all these "weapons" had a way to go. Some radical Iwa ninja even threw real ninja tools at the Iwagakure high-ranking officials.

However, their ninja tools were intercepted and confiscated by the ninjas holding these high-ranking officials captive.

These high-ranking officials, who had devoted countless efforts to Iwagakure, were dragged step by step towards Iwagakure's prison amidst the insults and humiliation of the entire village.

There is no greater sorrow than a broken heart; this is the truest reflection of their feelings at this moment.

In the Tsuchikage's office, which had been sealed off for half a year, Ōnoki was processing piles of documents. Kōtsuchi asked, "Father, what should we do now?"

"Send letters to Kumogakure and Sunagakure, reminding them not to forget their alliance and to return the Jinchuriki of Iwagakure to Iwagakure as soon as possible. Then send a letter to Konoha, questioning their motives for this action and whether they intend to provoke a Shinobi World War!"

Finally, summon all Iwagakure ninja, suspend all commissions, and conduct border drills.

After saying this, Onoki sighed, put down his pen, and rubbed his temples. This matter could not be resolved with just one or two diplomatic letters. Perhaps the impoverished Sunagakure would be pressured by Iwagakure's military force and, after demanding some benefits, would return the Jinchūriki.

However, the Hidden Cloud Village is not afraid of them, and they even want to challenge the Hidden Stone Village. Therefore, if the Hidden Cloud Village wants to return the Jinchūriki, the Hidden Stone Village will probably have to pay a heavy price.

As for the diplomatic rhetoric given to Konoha, it was just standard diplomatic language. Konoha would never take responsibility for this matter. There was no need to wait for Konoha's response; Onoki could already guess what excuse Konoha would use to brush it off.

To give a random example, Konoha conducted a search and rescue operation for the missing Jinchūriki of Iwagakure. After finding the Jinchūriki, they handed them over to Iwagakure's "allies," namely Kumogakure and Sunagakure.

Even if everyone with eyes can see that this is nonsense, what can Iwagakure do to refute it? Can they just insist that Kumogakure and Sunagakure are allies of Iwagakure?

Huang Tu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What about Sakamoto Tatsuma and Namikaze Minato? They were the ones who caused this incident. From the disappearance of the Jinchuriki to the appearance of the Jinchuriki in Kumogakure and Sunagakure now, it was all their doing."

Shouldn't we, the Hidden Stone Village, do something about these two? Even if we Iwa ninja can't enter the Land of Fire to subdue them, shouldn't we at least increase their bounty at the Gold Exchange?"

"Tell me, what's the point of raising their bounty?"

Onoki looked at his son with disappointment and asked, "Do you think that their bounties are too low to attract the powerful rogue ninjas of the Gold Exchange?"

Right now, in the entire gold exchange, no, in the entire ninja world, who dares to cause trouble for these two?! Forget about rogue ninjas, even the ninja villages of the Five Great Nations—tell me, who would dare to take action against these two?!

Onoki became more and more agitated as he spoke, eventually slamming his fist on the table. He was increasingly disappointed in his son. Huang Tu, with a stern face, didn't know how to respond or how to dispel the resentment in his heart.

The father and son remained silent for a while before Onoki's tone calmed down, and he said hoarsely, "The most important thing now is to find the tailed beast of Iwagakure. Without the tailed beast, the Land of Earth will become a small country within ten years."

No matter the cost, we must bring back the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails, even if it means going to war. Because if we don't act now, we'll only be waiting to perish. Do you understand?

"I understand, Father."

(End of this chapter)