If everyone else is rotten, then Iwaya Village cannot be considered rotten.

Hidden Leaf Village, Tsuchikage Building, Tsuchikage's Office.

"...Lord Tsuchikage, the bounty on Princess Tsunade of the Leaf in the black market has been increased by another thirty million ryo."

An Iwagakure ninja, wearing a red headscarf with a square, weathered face, knelt on one knee to report. "Excluding the bottom-feeding desperate criminals, two S-ranked missing-nin have already begun hunting Princess Tsunade, and there are countless other bounty hunters waiting on the sidelines..."

"Furthermore, the village has secretly coordinated with those bounty hunters to force Tsunade’s escape route in the opposite direction of the Leaf."

The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, sat cross-legged behind a long desk. After hearing Kurotsuchi’s report, he wrinkled his signature bulbous nose. "Two S-ranked missing-nin? Who are they? If it's only two, how could they possibly hunt down Tsunade?"

"One is Sasori of the Red Sand, and the other is Kakuzu, a missing-nin from Takigakure. Both are genuine Kage-level powerhouses."

At this, Kurotsuchi paused before continuing, "It is rumored that Kakuzu even attempted to assassinate the First Hokage, escaping after a brief clash."

Onoki let out a scoff upon hearing this. "Assassinated the First Hokage? And survived a fight with him?"

Even Uchiha Madara, with all his overwhelming might, was ultimately defeated by Senju Hashirama. Even Onoki himself, a veteran of countless battles who now wielded the lethal Kekkei Tota, would not dare claim he could last a few rounds against such a man. Onoki concluded that this record was fabricated, a hint of contempt rising in his heart.

"A missing-nin from Takigakure dares to spout such nonsense? It seems Kakuzu’s reputation is largely inflated."

"As for the other, Sasori of the Red Sand, he is said to specialize in poisons and puppet arts... If even his grandmother, Chiyo, was no match for Tsunade, how could Sasori best her? I find that hard to believe."

Onoki lowered his head, staring at the kneeling Kurotsuchi, and said in a deep voice, "Is there anything missing from the intelligence?"

Kurotsuchi frowned in thought, sweat soaking into his red headscarf. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he looked up. "Princess Tsunade is accompanied by a female ninja named Shizune Kato, who appears to be the niece of the Leaf ninja Dan Kato. If she chose to retreat, it would be reasonable to assume it was to protect her."

"I see."

Onoki nodded slightly, well aware of the reasons behind Tsunade’s departure from the village. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Place an additional bounty on Shizune Kato in the black market, equal to that of a Hokage’s child."

"Understood!"

Kurotsuchi acknowledged the order and stood up, ready to handle the subsequent tasks. However, after taking a few steps, he turned back, his face showing hesitation.

"Father, I don't understand. Aren't we about to go to war with Cloud? Why provoke the Leaf at this time?"

"If those bounty hunters actually succeed, and the Leaf and Cloud decide to unite because of it, what then?"

Onoki looked at his son, his expression stern and filled with a sense of disappointment. "Do you think Tsunade is someone who can be killed just because one wants her dead? She inherited the constitution of the First Hokage; her vitality is immense, and her medical ninjutsu is the best in the ninja world, which is enough for her to avoid many fatal crises."

"Moreover, the bounty is posted on the black market; how could the Leaf not know? They have likely already launched a rescue mission."

'As long as Tsunade doesn't die, the Leaf has no reason to move against my Hidden Stone.'

Onoki tapped the desk and said slowly, "For now, the most important thing is to use Tsunade to test the resolve of the Cloud Village."

"Once we confirm that the Fourth Raikage is indeed severely injured as rumored, the village will move directly against Cloud..."

Kurotsuchi’s face revealed a sudden realization, followed by a look of sincere conviction. "I see. I will handle it immediately."

"..."

Watching Kurotsuchi leave the office, a hint of tenderness flashed in Onoki’s eyes, followed by a slight sigh. Compared to other ninja villages, the Hidden Stone was far more united, but its flaw was that it was essentially his own personal domain. Like his son, there were many capable ninjas in the village, but they lacked the strategic depth and vision to shoulder the burden of leadership. If anything were to happen to him, he could not imagine how far the village might decline.

It was precisely for this reason that he forced the war against Cloud, overriding all dissent.

Staring at the map of the ninja world on his table, Onoki’s gaze was profound. The Hidden Sand was similar to the Hidden Stone, suffering from a lack of new talent, and their situation was even worse; they were not worth worrying about. Within the Hidden Mist, the conflict between the Bloodline clans and ordinary ninjas sparked frequent rebellions, and the Land of Water was too far from the Land of Earth to be a factor. The Leaf had lost many mid-to-high-level ninjas during the Nine-Tails incident and faced a talent gap; they were barely holding on thanks to the older generation, but the future was uncertain.

Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, only the Cloud Village was brimming with talent, with its top-tier combatants in their prime. The previous war had thwarted the Fourth Raikage’s ambitions, but it was not enough; their war potential had to be further depleted.

Onoki rubbed his brow and reread the intelligence report Kurotsuchi had left behind. He muttered to himself, "The Eight-Tails jinchuriki has appeared in the Land of Sound. Is this the Cloud Village acting out of desperation, or is it a calculated feint?"

No matter. Continuing to guess was a waste of effort. Aside from the bounty hunters, the Leaf would help him test it out.

They were, after all, no friends of the Cloud.

With this thought, Onoki relaxed and leaned back into his chair. Before long, he drifted off to sleep. In the Tsuchikage’s office, the sound of snoring began to rise.

...

Land of Iron, in a certain forest.

Trees were toppled, and the ground was riddled with craters of all sizes. Everywhere one looked, there were the wreckage of puppets.

Kakuzu, the missing-nin from Takigakure who had once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage, leaned powerlessly against a large tree. The mask on his face had been torn, and his stitched mouth split open uncontrollably, spewing countless thin threads.

"Cough, cough... only two hearts left. That monster-strength woman is truly vicious."

Kakuzu coughed dryly and turned his gaze to the puppet beside him. "The poison you developed seems to have had no effect at all."

"The poison worked; it was just that her constitution is somewhat special, and she suppressed it quickly." Sasori remained silent for a moment, his deep voice emanating from within the Hiruko puppet. "To have bested Grandma Chiyo multiple times on the battlefield, Tsunade of the Leaf lives up to her reputation."

"Her monster strength and medical abilities are simply too effective against us puppet users."

"Heh..." A hoarse laugh escaped Kakuzu’s mouth. "Then I will take the front line, and you will support me. You can take care of that female ninja, Shizune."

"Rest assured, I am not joking. I can hold her off. During our previous clash, I discovered something interesting."

Kakuzu recalled the expression she wore when she crushed his heart, as well as her subsequent swift and messy retreat, and let out a cold laugh.

"You really do value money more than your life."

Sasori said slowly, "But before that, I need to replenish my puppets. A lot were lost in the previous battle."

Kakuzu glanced at the bounty hunters hiding in the treetops nearby and said indifferently, "The usual rules: the hearts go to me, the bodies go to you."