Onoki fell into a heavy silence.
'According to the report from the Anbu Ninja, aside from the massive destruction and the items left behind, there was no trace of anyone at the scene.'
'It seemed these items had been deliberately left for others to find. There was no way Raikage had left them behind.'
'The purpose was clear.'
"It seems that Yondaime Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki are likely in grave danger."
Onoki exhaled slowly. The death of his longtime rival didn't bring him joy. Instead, it filled him with a sense of unease.
Two Kage-level combatants had been taken out so easily within their Land of Earth.
He couldn't fathom who in the Ninja World could so effortlessly eliminate the A-B Combo.
However, he was certain that the Land of Rain's situation had nothing to do with Konoha.
'Is that man really still alive?'
Onoki's thoughts raced.
"Tsuchikage-sama, what should we do next?"
"Should we continue investigating the Land of Rain? Or should we take this opportunity to strike at Kumogakure?"
Kitsuchi offered his opinion but was suddenly met with a glare from his father.
Onoki floated up and smacked Kitsuchi on the head.
"Ouch! Tsuchikage-sama, what was that for?"
Kitsuchi looked at Onoki in confusion.
"Short-sighted fool!"
Onoki was furious at his son's stupidity.
"Are you an idiot? Immediately revoke all bounties related to the Land of Rain and send these items to Kumogakure."
"Understood."
Kitsuchi didn't hesitate and turned to leave.
"Wait"
Just as he was about to exit, Onoki called him back. Kitsuchi stopped, puzzled, and waited for Onoki's next words.
"You can subtly suggest that Iwagakure is open to cooperation with Kumogakure."
This left Kitsuchi even more confused, and he said, "Given the hatred between us and Kumogakure, is cooperation even possible?"
"Fool! In the Ninja World, there are no eternal enemies." Onoki scolded again.
"If Yondaime Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki are still alive, they would never agree to cooperation. But if they're truly gone, that woman will understand the stakes."
Kitsuchi, overwhelmed by Onoki's scolding, decided to stop thinking and simply follow orders.
"Sigh--"
Onoki let out a deep sigh, suddenly connecting the dots of recent events.
'The chain of events seemed to have started with Konoha.'
But then another thought struck him.
'Sunagakure was also near the Land of Rain, but why had there been no movement from them?'
'Did something happen in Sunagakure?'
'It's a troubled time indeed...'
---
A few days later.
Unlike the heavy atmosphere in Iwagakure, the Land of Rain was steadily improving.
After dealing with the spies and the A-B Combo, there were no more lurking threats in the Land of Rain.
However, a major event had recently shaken the Ninja World, that is, the appointment of a new Raikage in Kumogakure.
Kumogakure was a unique village, and it's not as united as it appeared. During the Second Raikage's era, a rebellion had broken out, leading to the Second Raikage's death.
It was only after the deaths of Gold and Silver Brothers that the Third Raikage suppressed the rebellion. However, many of Gold and Silver's followers hadn't been killed but had instead submitted under the Third Raikage's deterrence.
When the Third Raikage died, these elements had tried to stir up trouble again, but the Fourth Raikage and Bee's overwhelming strength had kept them in check.
This was why Mabui had warned that if the Fourth Raikage and Bee were gone, Kumogakure would descend into chaos.
In the current situation, to prevent another rebellion, Mabui had pushed Kumogakure's remaining Perfect Jinchuriki, Nii Yugito, into the position of Raikage.
Such behavior undoubtedly caused significant upheaval within Kumogakure. While Yugito's strength was undeniable, she was of common birth.
It was impossible for her to fully obtain the support of the original Raikage's faction, and she was also hated by the secret rebels. Now, she was barely maintaining the village's stability through sheer force.
However, Yugito's strength didn't command the same respect as Ay and Bee's, so this fragile stability might not last long.
However, for the Land of Rain, this event had no impact. Even Naruto, who had personally dealt with A and Bee, remained indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him.
He was still focused on his own affairs.
With the Land of Rain now stable, Naruto planned to take Nagato back to treat his leg disability.
Since Nagato's legs had been injured by Hanzo's Exploding Flame Formation and had never healed due to the strain of maintaining the Gedo Statue and the Rinnegan. Now, it was time to address that.
Naruto also intended to transfer Gyuki into Nagato's body. At this stage, only Nagato, with his Rinnegan and Uzumaki bloodline, could harness Gyuki's power.
Having two Tailed Beasts within him was unnecessary for Naruto. Gyuki offered minimal enhancement, and if needed, he could always extract it later to form the Ten-Tails. After all, a single tail could sustain life.
Just as Naruto was about to call Nagato to head to the Land of Waves…
"Leader, I'm afraid we might need to stay in the Land of Rain a bit longer."
"Is there something else?"
Naruto asked in doubts.
Nagato also said somewhat helplessly: "Not long ago, a member of the Akatsuki contacted me. He's bringing a new member to the Land of Rain."
"Akatsuki? Are there still other members?"
"Well... with everything that's happened recently, I almost forgot about them. If they hadn't contacted me, I might have completely overlooked them."
Nagato smiled wryly, looking somewhat embarrassed.
When Nagato had planned to deal with Black Zetsu, Sasori had been in the Land of Earth on a mission to recruit Deidara. The battle between Naruto, Madara, and Hashirama had left both of them too preoccupied to remember Sasori.
Naruto wasn't in a rush, so he asked directly, "When will they arrive?"
"Within the next day or two."
---
One day later.
Sasori stood at the edge of the massive crater in the Land of Rain, utterly stunned.
'Where am I? Is this really the Land of Rain?'
Beside him, the young Deidara was equally dumbfounded. But beneath his stunned expression, his eyes sparkled with excitement.
"True art!"