Politics and Feud with Kumogakure

As Ken approached his sensei and Han, seeking their support, both of them started laughing heartily. Perplexed, Ken wondered if they were mocking him or if there was something he had missed. Han, still chuckling, motioned for Ken to follow him to his ancestral hall.

Inside the grand hall, Onoki, the powerful Tsuchikage, sat reading a document with an air of seriousness. As Han brought Ken closer, the young chunin's heart raced with trepidation. He knew that if Onoki discovered his anti-governance thoughts, it could mean his life.

Surprisingly, Han, a half-kage shinobi with the ability to end Ken's life in an instant, had brought him to meet Onoki. Ken couldn't fathom the reason behind this decision. Was there more to Han's intentions than meets the eye?

Onoki looked up from the document, and his intense gaze fixed upon Ken. He could feel the weight of the Tsuchikage's chakra, and fear coursed through his veins. With a stern expression, Onoki asked Ken if everything he had heard was true. Ken's mind raced, contemplating the consequences of his answer. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded, confirming his knowledge of the dark truths.

As Ken stood before Onoki, he realized that he couldn't hide his true intentions from the perceptive Tsuchikage. The way Han had brought him here and Onoki's observant silence made it clear that the Kage had been analyzing him for a while. While maintaining his poker face, Ken silently pondered his options, considering all the possibilities for revealing his true intentions.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in his mind. It was after completing his first B-rank mission with his team in the Land of Rice. His sensei had instructed him to report directly to Onoki instead of joining them. At that time, Ken had showcased his new jutsu creation to the Tsuchikage. Now he understood that Onoki would have been aware of his abilities and potential since then. The cat was already out of the box, and there was no point in trying to hide anything.

With a deep breath, Ken mustered the courage to confess everything to Onoki. He shared his doubts, his investigations, and the knowledge he had acquired about the village's affairs. Surprisingly, Onoki seemed genuinely impressed with Ken's insights. The Tsuchikage admitted that much of what was happening in the village was due to a power struggle within the ruling Daimyo's family.

Onoki revealed that the Daimyo was currently ill, and a succession crisis was looming. Some of the Daimyo's children were gaining support from both internal and external forces, including spies from Kumogakure. The situation had become dangerously unstable, and in order to stabilize the country, Onoki believed that the only way forward was to create a greater evil, namely, Onoki's own suppression of the internal and external forces vying for power.

As Ken processed this shocking revelation, he began to understand the real reason behind Iwagakure's determination to eliminate the Third Raikage and his army. It wasn't merely a show of strength or a thirst for war. Instead, it was a strategic move to protect the core of Iwagakure's power—the Daimyo himself.

In that moment, Ken realized that the world of shinobi was far more complex and intertwined with politics than he had ever imagined. The lines between good and evil blurred, and the choices he would have to make as a shinobi of Iwagakure became even more challenging.