Orochimaru arrived at the Iwayama Building unimpeded. Like a phantom, he bypassed all the sensed hidden ninjas and successfully infiltrated the building.
"As expected of the symbol of Iwagakure's supreme power!"
"With a critical event like a Tailed Beast rampaging within the village, there are still two Jonin-level ANBU guards here!"
"It seems that this place holds secrets for Onoki that are as important as the Five-Tails Jinchuriki!"
Orochimaru nodded in agreement, a faint praise. The dark chakra within him slowly enveloped the entire Iwayama office. Before the two ANBU ninjas guarding the shadows could even react to what was happening, black tentacles, born from all directions of their bodies, wrapped around their limbs and mouths.
"Mmph mph…"
Amidst a violent struggle, two venomous snakes, stealthily released by Orochimaru, struck out and bit the two ANBU ninjas.
The potent venom from Ryūchi Cave instantly corroded the internal organs of the two ANBU ninjas. Under the restraint of the dark chakra tentacles, they convulsed in agony for a moment before falling completely silent.
Orochimaru calmly summoned a massive snake, as thick as a water vat, and brazenly began searching the Third Tsuchikage's office.
"Feasibility of launching a war against the Land of Fire? Heh, that's probably useless by now, right?"
"Iwagakure Jonin roster, got it!"
He tossed it aside, and the large snake swallowed the scroll, silently acting as Orochimaru's mobile storage.
"Earth Style Ninjutsu scroll…"
"Hmm, some basic Earth Style ninjutsu. Better than nothing, I'll take it!"
Orochimaru threw, the snake swallowed, and the process repeated.
"Secret Earth Style Ninjutsu, and it's even protected by a complex seal…"
"It seems this scroll is the most important item here. Time to leave!"
Orochimaru chuckled softly and tucked the scroll into his embrace.
He found a departure application certificate similar to Konoha's, wrote something with a flourish, picked up the Iwayama Stone Seal left on the table by Onoki, and pressed it down firmly.
Nodding with satisfaction, he placed the departure certificate into his embrace.
"There's no need to stay here any longer!"
Orochimaru surveyed the Iwayama office, which he had thoroughly ransacked, chuckled, and dispelled the summoning of the giant snake.
Sensing the numerous ninjas returning to the Iwayama Building with heavy hearts, Orochimaru withdrew the dark chakra dispersed throughout the office and vanished in a Shunshin.
Changing his appearance and moving stealthily, he returned to 'Yoshidan's' residence. He recalled the Shadow Clone lying on the bed and, upon learning that no one had visited, resumed 'Yoshidan's' appearance and walked unsteadily towards the Iwagakure village entrance, reeking of alcohol.
"Halt!"
The guarding Iwa-nin examined 'Yoshidan' for a moment. Seeing his familiar, alcohol-infused appearance, he couldn't help but frown.
"Chunin Yoshidan, I recall you and Kimi's squad just returned from a mission. Why are you going out again? Where is Kimi?"
'Yoshidan' glared at the ninja with displeasure, mumbling incoherently,
"What Kimi?"
"It was that little brat, Ichi-han. How long has it been, and you've already forgotten the wrong person?"
The guard ninja's expression softened, and he nodded apologetically.
"My apologies, Chunin Yoshidan. It is my duty!"
"Although your identity has been confirmed, you still require proof issued by Lord Tsuchikage to leave the village."
'Yoshidan' snorted and fumbled in his embrace, pulling out the departure certificate he had personally forged and handing it over.
"Here you go!"
"Do you really think I'm just a good-for-nothing who only drinks all day?"
At this moment, 'Yoshidan' no longer appeared drunk. He looked at the guard ninja sternly and said,
"You all sensed the battle in the village just now, didn't you?"
"An enemy infiltrated the village and released that beast."
The guard ninja was instantly shocked, asking with a tense expression,
"How could this happen? Did you catch the enemy?"
'Yoshidan' cautiously glanced left and right and glared fiercely at him.
"Keep your voice down!"
"If we had caught the enemy, would I need to go out?"
"However, with Lord Tsuchikage's strength, finding the hidden enemy is only a matter of time!"
"Lord Tsuchikage has ordered me to scout the surrounding area to see if I can find any accomplices waiting outside to receive the enemy. Then we can catch them all in one net!"
The guard ninja nodded in full agreement.
"Such meticulous planning, truly worthy of Lord Tsuchikage!"
"Lord Yoshidan, since you bear such an important mission, how could I possibly make things difficult for you!"
"Please!"
'Yoshidan' snatched the certificate back from the guard, nodded grandly, brushed past the few guard ninjas, and disappeared into the complex terrain of the distant mountain forest.
…
After examining the body of the deceased Jinchuriki, the Fuinjutsu Division reached a conclusion that weighed heavily on Onoki's mind.
"Lord Tsuchikage, I have thoroughly examined it."
"Apart from the seal broken by the Tailed Beast's chakra, there are no traces of any abnormal chakra within the former Jinchuriki."
"And…"
"I judge that, like the previous Jinchuriki, the cause of this Tailed Beast's rampage was the villagers' accusations and curses!"
"I specifically questioned several civilians who were present, and the information they provided generally matches my speculation."
"Before the Tailed Beast went berserk, the Jinchuriki was surrounded by those ignorant civilians, constantly subjected to verbal abuse."
"Finally, some of them even resorted to physical assault, launching insults at the Jinchuriki."
"Therefore… I suspect that the violent emotional fluctuation, which affected the compatibility between the Tailed Beast and the Jinchuriki, is the true reason behind several instances of Tailed Beast rampages."
Onoki nodded with a grim expression, pondered for a moment, and continued to ask,
"Is there any way to permanently resolve this?"
The ninjas of the Fuinjutsu Division, having some experience, pondered for a moment and gave a definitive answer.
"Yes!"
"Increase the strength of the sealing jutsu!"
"Then, seal the Tailed Beast within a ninja with a strong will, preferably a child!"
Onoki rubbed his temples in frustration and floated back and forth in the air with his hands behind his back.
"To let a child bear such a fate?"
"Are there no other options?"
The Fuinjutsu Division ninja regretfully shook his head.
"A child's mind is purer. Only by cultivating them from a young age can the Jinchuriki have a chance to coexist peacefully with the Tailed Beast."
"I cannot think of any other methods."
Onoki sighed and waved his hand at the Fuinjutsu Division ninja.
"I understand. You may withdraw."
The enormous stone urn seemed to weigh nothing as Onoki held it in his hand. Using the flight ability of the Super Weighted Rock Technique, he landed directly on the rooftop of the Iwayama Building.
Looking down at the villagers gathered below, their faces filled with shock and fear, Onoki sighed in distress.
"Under these circumstances, the villagers' anti-war sentiment is likely far greater than usual!"
"It seems Iwagakure will need to recuperate for some time…"
A slight breeze blew past, and Onoki, who had fought on battlefields for many years, instantly smelled a faint, almost imperceptible fishy odor. His brow furrowed slightly, and his expression changed drastically.
"This is the unique fishy smell emanating from a corpse after being poisoned!"
"Not good!"
Onoki expanded his senses and immediately discovered the bodies of two Jonin lying in the shadows. Without bothering to investigate the specific cause of their deaths, he smashed through the roof of the Iwayama Building with a single punch and landed inside the office.
"Damn thieves! Murderers!"
Seeing the mess, Onoki almost couldn't catch his breath.
The sound of the collapsing roof immediately attracted the attention of the ninjas on duty who had returned to the Iwayama Building with Onoki. Upon pushing open the door, they were all stunned by the scene before them.
Someone, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Tailed Beast's rampage, had stealthily infiltrated the Iwayama office, killed two loyal Jonin, and then swept away all the documents containing Iwagakure's various secret techniques and hidden records.
Onoki's body trembled with rage, his anger almost uncontainable.
But he suppressed it!
As Tsuchikage, he could not let the villagers who always watched him know what had happened in the office. If the Tsuchikage, who could casually suppress Tailed Beasts, didn't even notice his own home being ransacked, he would become a complete joke if word got out!
"Notify ANBU to blockade all exits of the village. For the next period of time, no one is to leave for any reason!"
"Yes!"
The stunned and disoriented Iwa-nin immediately snapped back to attention, hastily responded, and went to carry out Onoki's orders.