Chapter 106: Ōnoki's Shock
Although Ishiro returned to the village at night, Ōnoki was still awake—and not just him, even the senior advisors hadn't gone to rest yet.
Lately, the village leadership had been negotiating with the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Bears about opening new trade routes. The talks were nearing completion, but all the remaining details required intense back-and-forth discussion, and the entire leadership had been working overtime.
Despite the workload, their mood remained optimistic. The success of the Rain Country trade route had shown the long-term benefits to the village. Being able to develop a comprehensive trade system for both Iwagakure and the Earth Country had become something the upper echelon was genuinely enthusiastic about.
When Ishiro was brought to the Tsuchikage's office, all four advisors were present.
Seeing him arrive, Ōnoki asked, "Ishiro, you're back. How did things go in the Rain Country?"
Ishiro nodded. "Quite smoothly. Danzō and Hanzō moved to eliminate Akatsuki. In the end, they failed. They didn't realize Nagato is a Kage-level shinobi, and even more so, they didn't expect him to possess the Rinnegan."
"The unique abilities of the Rinnegan caused massive casualties for both Root and the Rain-nin. Root brought about fifty people into the Rain Country. Only ten followed Danzō when he retreated. Considering there may be a few survivors who fled from the outskirts, Root likely has no more than thirteen or fourteen survivors. I collected thirty-five of their corpses."
The entire office went dead silent. Even Ōnoki was stunned. Everyone stared at Ishiro, speechless for a long while.
Ishiro deliberately waited for them to calm down before continuing. "Hanzō had called up nearly all of his elite shinobi—over a hundred. In the end, only about a dozen survived. I've also sealed and brought back nearly a hundred Rain-nin corpses."
"Cough… cough…" The silence finally broke. The advisors couldn't stay quiet anymore.
You went out alone… and brought back over a hundred elite corpses? Are you trying to drain the entire village's contribution pool?
But that wasn't the most important point. The middle-aged advisor Saka immediately asked, "Ishiro, what about Akatsuki? What are their losses?"
Ishiro gave him a strange look. It was clear what Saka was assuming—that Akatsuki had suffered heavy losses or even been annihilated.
Ishiro said flatly, "Aside from the three leaders sustaining minor injuries, Akatsuki had zero casualties. In fact, only the three of them participated in the battle."
The room went quiet again—but this time, the silence was filled with disbelief.
Zero casualties? Not even a scratch on the subordinates? Was Root really that weak… or was Akatsuki far too strong? Or maybe… they were all too old to keep up with the times?
Before Ōnoki could speak, Ishiro took the initiative and recounted everything in detail. He especially emphasized how Nagato used Super Shinra Tensei to alter the terrain and wipe out dozens of Root and Rain-nin in a single blow—giving everyone a more concrete understanding of how terrifying the Rinnegan was.
Ōnoki asked Ishiro about the range of the Super Shinra Tensei. Ishiro and the advisors realized he was comparing Nagato's feat to his own, and chose to stay quiet, awaiting his assessment.
After a long pause, Ōnoki finally shook his head and said, "I might not be able to beat this Nagato. The only chance I'd have is to sneak attack with Dust Release."
"But I'm not sure if the Rinnegan can detect stealth attacks. Also, since he can absorb jutsu, who knows if Dust Release would even work."
Ishiro thought for a moment and nodded. "Nagato has all five chakra natures. I think that's also a Rinnegan ability. If it grants access to all five natures, it might also be able to absorb kekkei genkai made from them."
He then took out the scroll containing Uchiha Tō's body and Sharingan. After unsealing it, he handed a bottle containing the eyes to Ōnoki.
"I also discovered an Uchiha among the Root ninja. His name was Uchiha Tō. These are his three-tomoe Sharingan."
One of the advisors examined the bottle, his face grave. "Uchiha joined Root… this is no small matter."
The others nodded seriously.
Ishiro added, "This Uchiha didn't get along with the other Root members. Despite being jōnin-level, he wasn't even a squad captain. It was precisely because he tried to prove himself that I managed to catch him off guard."
The advisors exchanged glances. Saka asked Ōnoki, "I suspect the Uchiha clan reached some sort of secret deal with Root. Should we expose them?"
Ishiro interjected, "Advisor-dono, Root suffered heavy losses this time—and they were all elite. Once Danzō returns to Konoha, his position will be severely weakened."
"I suggest we actually help Danzō, so he still has enough power to check and balance the Third Hokage."
Ōnoki nodded. "Agreed. Danzō's existence is to our advantage. Let's do what we've always done—spread word of Konoha's losses, but this time, say it was the Anbu, not Root."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Ishiro then explained how he had persuaded and manipulated Hanzō. Since he had been acting as Iwagakure's representative in the Rain Country, his actions were well within his authority.
The senior leaders were very satisfied. Although the Rain Village had suffered greatly, pulling Hanzō to their side was still beneficial—especially with the potential trade profits from Rain.
After a brief discussion, Ōnoki asked, "Ishiro, what about Akatsuki? Did you speak with them? Will they cooperate?"
Now that they knew how strong Nagato was, Ōnoki wouldn't dare dismiss Akatsuki's attitude.
Ishiro answered confidently, "I've already convinced them. They'll now expand into nearby small countries and promote trade routes. They're committed to economic development."
Eyes lit up around the room. Everyone had already seen the benefits of trade. If Akatsuki could stimulate the economies of small nations, Earth Country and Iwagakure would undoubtedly profit the most.
After a moment of silent thought, Ōnoki turned to Saka.
"Saka, tomorrow, go to the capital and speak with the Daimyō. Then lead a team to the Rain Country."
Saka nodded in acknowledgment.
Ōnoki then turned back to Ishiro and paused slightly.
Ishiro straightened up. He knew it was reward time—and he was ready.
Ōnoki didn't keep him waiting. "Ishiro, your mission in the Rain Country was outstanding. We'll skip the usual rewards. Go to the Contribution Department and claim any A-rank jutsu for free."
"We're logging three S-rank missions for your record—but no contribution points will be given. Do you have any other requests?"
Ishiro quickly shook his head. "No, thank you, Tsuchikage-sama."
A free A-rank jutsu—this far exceeded his expectations.
The corpses Ishiro brought back included over a hundred jōnin, many of them elite, plus hundreds of chūnin. Total contributions would've been nearly 200,000 points.
Adding in the S-rank mission rewards and the Sharingan bounty, it might total a little over 200,000.
But a free A-rank jutsu, with no price cap, meant Ishiro could choose one worth far more than that.
Back when he was at the supply station, he had accumulated only 100,000 points in two years, which wasn't enough for even the cheapest A-rank jutsu. In the end, it took a stroke of luck to afford Light-Weight Boulder Technique.
Now, after just ten days in the Rain Country, he had earned a free pick.
Ishiro guessed that it wasn't the corpses or the points that truly impressed the leadership. It was the diplomatic success and the massive potential profits from securing the Rain Country.
In addition to the free A-rank jutsu, Ishiro had obtained a number of scrolls from the corpses.
These included seven C-rank jutsu, and one B-rank Wind Release technique.
The Wind Release came from one of Root's elite jōnin. Danzō likely didn't expect such losses and hadn't forbidden his men from carrying scrolls.
Unfortunately, Ishiro couldn't use Wind Release. He planned to visit the Contribution Department the next day to see if it could be exchanged.
As for the C-rank jutsu: two Wind Release, four Water Release, and one Fire Release.
Water Release included: Water Clone, Water Prison, Water Formation Wall, and Water Whip. The Fire jutsu was more like a flare or flashbang, releasing a burst of light without real combat value.
Most of these weren't very useful. But for the sake of expanding his tactical arsenal, Ishiro decided he'd still spend some time learning them.
But that could wait.
For now, Ishiro was most excited about choosing his A-rank jutsu.
His criteria were clear: Earth Release or Water Release only.
Between the two, he preferred Water Release.
He already had Torrential Rain Technique, so he didn't need an A-rank area-of-effect jutsu right now. Thanks to the Water Pressure Line's piercing power, Torrential Rain wasn't any weaker than most A-rank AOE jutsu.
Its range was small, but that would improve as his power grew.
What Ishiro needed now was a powerful single-target A-rank jutsu to use as a trump card.
Originally, he hadn't planned to study one. He wanted to continue refining Water Pressure Line, enhancing its slicing power.
His long-term goal was to match the level of Tobirama's Water Severing Wave, which could cut the Divine Tree.
Of course, that was S-rank. Ishiro only aimed for A-rank.
But progress on Water Pressure Line had stalled. Training interruptions—like B-rank kenjutsu and A-rank Light-Weight Boulder Technique—had consumed all his focus.
Now he had Heavy-Weight Boulder Technique and chakra fusion training lined up next.
His schedule was packed.
And time to sit down and refine Water Pressure Line kept shrinking.
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