Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Han lay there, the hole in his right calf still visible.

It wasn't bleeding, but a layer of muscle tissue around the edge of the wound had been disintegrated, revealing the darker colors beneath.

His breathing was heavy, his chest heaving violently, and his lips trembled.

Uchiha Taiga pinned his shoulder down, pressing a knee against his chest while looking down at him.

There was no sentimental gaze shared between them; Taiga wore a half-smile, while Han's face was twisted in ferocity.

The scene appeared somewhat absurd. A young boy effortlessly pinning down a giant of a man over two meters tall was quite a striking sight.

Things had reached a point where a peaceful resolution seemed impossible.

Iwagakure's Jinchuriki had been injured and lay immobilized on the ground. Taiga continued to hold Han down, showing no intention of letting go. The surrounding Iwagakure shinobi watched this unfold, their faces filled with indignation and fury.

Without Onoki needing to say a word, they were already preparing to strike again.

Some slowly formed hand signs, while others took a few steps forward, tightening the encirclement.

Their movements weren't as fast as before, but they were far more resolute. Earlier, they had hesitated, hoping for a peaceful resolution. Now that Han was injured—their Jinchuriki was injured—it was absolutely unacceptable for Iwagakure.

Kitsuchi stood beside Onoki, his body leaning slightly forward, his hands clenched into fists.

His eyes were locked on Uchiha Taiga, his brows furrowed into a tight knot.

As an Iwagakure Jonin and Onoki's son, he could not stand by and watch a comrade from his village be beaten like this without doing anything.

Onoki's eyelids twitched. He clearly hadn't expected this outcome at all.

He had thought Han would last at least a few rounds, enough to let him gauge Uchiha Taiga's true strength, rather than falling so quickly. He even believed Han's Steam Nintaijutsu would cause the boy some trouble, teaching the brat that Iwagakure was not to be trifled with.

But the reality was that from the moment Han attacked to the moment he was defeated, not even half a minute had passed.

Moreover, he had been defeated purely in taijutsu.

Onoki had intervened to help Han, but his Particle Style ended up hitting Han's leg. The brat had deliberately redirected Han's leg into the beam, using Onoki's own attack to injure the Jinchuriki.

A village's Kage injuring their own Jinchuriki was a deeply embarrassing blunder.

Onoki's lips were pressed tightly together, the wrinkles on his face deepening with anger. From start to finish, the boy before him hadn't taken Iwagakure seriously at all.

Right at that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from a short distance away.

Several people ran over from the depths of Takigakure. Leading them was a middle-aged man wearing a Takigakure flak jacket, his forehead covered in sweat. It was the same man who had run back earlier.

Behind him were a few others, all Takigakure shinobi, panting heavily as they ran.

At the very back, two people were carrying a simple sedan chair.

It was made of wood, with a chair tied between two poles, and an old man sat upon it.

The old man was extremely frail. His hair was completely white, and the wrinkles on his face were as deep as knife carvings. With sagging skin and heavy bags under his eyes, he looked as though a strong gust of wind might blow him away at any moment.

The two carriers ran quickly, but the sedan chair remained remarkably steady, ensuring the old man wasn't jostled.

The sedan chair came to a halt at the edge of the street.

The old man spoke tremulously, his voice faint. "Everyone... please stop!"

The middle-aged man quickly stepped into the center of the scene, standing between Onoki and Uchiha Taiga with his arms spread wide, as if trying to break up a fight.

His face was filled with anxiety, beads of sweat rolling down the bridge of his nose.

The old man sat on the chair for a moment before slowly, inch by inch, standing up. His movements were so sluggish it looked like a video playing in slow motion.

His hands were shaking, his legs were shaking—his entire body trembled as if he were about to collapse into the grave the very next second.

A nearby Takigakure shinobi hurriedly stepped forward to support his arm.

Once he steadied himself, the old man used his cloudy eyes to survey the surroundings. He looked at the crater smashed into the ground, the collapsed walls, the panting Han lying in the rubble, the boy pinning him down, Onoki, and finally Rasa.

Then, the old man spoke again, his voice just as hoarse and trembling as before.

"I am Akagi, the leader of Takigakure."

He paused, as if gathering his strength.

"You have all traveled from afar and are honored guests of Takigakure. I have already prepared tea and a place to rest in the village. Please, refrain from fighting here and grant this old man a small favor."

He spoke very politely, keeping his posture incredibly humble.

He was the leader of Takigakure, but it was only a mid-sized ninja village, incomparable to the Five Great Ninja Villages. Whether it was the Kazekage or the Tsuchikage, neither was someone he could afford to offend.

He had no choice but to lower himself and play the peacemaker.

Onoki glanced at Akagi for a second before withdrawing his gaze, fixing it back on Uchiha Taiga.

At a time like this, it didn't matter who showed up. He completely ignored Akagi.

Akagi felt somewhat awkward under Onoki's dismissive glance. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something else, but ultimately remained silent.

He stood there, slightly hunched over, his expression stiff.

Onoki stared at Uchiha Taiga and spoke in a deep voice.

"Brat, are you trying to start a war with Iwagakure?"

His voice wasn't loud, but every word seemed to be squeezed through his teeth, carrying a heavy, oppressive weight.

He was confirming Uchiha Taiga's stance.

If the boy truly intended to go to war with Iwagakure, Onoki would not hesitate to fight right here and now. Even if he couldn't win, even if he would lose, he would not back down.

Rasa stood not far away. When he heard Onoki's words, he was utterly speechless.

'Seriously, in this kind of situation, what are you thinking?'

Rasa knew Onoki was a stubborn old man who refused to bow his head to anyone in his life, but he hadn't expected him to be this stubborn, throwing around words like 'war' right off the bat.

After a moment of thought, Rasa walked over.

His pace was unhurried, his expression calm. He walked up to Onoki, turned slightly, leaned close to his ear, and whispered a few words.

His voice was so low that only Onoki could hear it. Kitsuchi, standing nearby, strained his ears but could only catch a few vague words.

"...enemy... battle... Kusagakure... massive explosion..."

Kitsuchi's frown deepened. He didn't know what Rasa was telling his father, but he saw Onoki's expression gradually changing.

Onoki's face was shifting.

First came anger, then suspicion, followed by surprise, and finally, sheer disbelief.

His eyes widened slightly, his pupils contracting. His lips parted, and the small tuft of white beard on his chin trembled faintly.

He looked at Rasa, his eyes swirling with complex emotions.

Rasa gave a slight nod, offering him a meaningful look.

"You are the Kazekage, and you actually agreed to it?" Onoki asked.

Rasa smiled faintly. "Taiga-kun asked for it."

"He asked, and you just gave it to him?"

"What else was I supposed to do?" Rasa replied. "Hold out stubbornly like you?"

Onoki's face twitched.

He shifted his gaze away from Rasa and back to Uchiha Taiga. The boy was still pinning Han down, one hand gripping Han's shoulder, a knee pressed firmly against his chest.

Onoki stared at Uchiha Taiga for several seconds.

He took a deep breath, his chest puffing out high, before slowly exhaling. His shoulders slumped slightly, as if he were forcing something down.

Then he spoke. His voice was still deep, but it lacked the explosive, hair-trigger tension from before.

"Iwagakure's Jinchuriki cannot be handed over to you."

He spoke very slowly, enunciating every single word clearly.

Standing to the side, Rasa couldn't help but facepalm upon hearing this.

He had just wasted all that breath explaining everything that needed to be said.

Yet he hadn't expected this little old man to be quite this stubborn.

Rasa sighed.

'Onoki is still the same old Onoki.'

"Unless... you join Iwagakure!" Onoki added.

Rasa's eyes widened at those words. He stared at Onoki in utter disbelief.

Only now did he truly understand what it meant for an old man to be as cunning as a fox.

When it came to sheer shamelessness, he, Rasa, had lost.