Onoki believed he had already pushed his evaluation of Menma's strength as high as it could possibly go. He had even tried to imagine the most optimistic outcome for the so-called "Waterfall-Grass alliance" when facing military pressure from the Leaf, Mist, and Sand all at once.
Even though the three villages weren't going all-out, the intelligence reports showed they had still mobilized over ten thousand shinobi. Add in the luxurious lineup of commanders, and Onoki figured that even if Menma threw everything he had at them, the best possible result would be heavily damaging the invading forces while the Waterfall-Grass side was almost completely wiped out. At best, Menma and a handful of survivors would barely escape with their lives.
And that was exactly the outcome Onoki had secretly been hoping for.
It would satisfy his desire to weaken the other major villages while also giving him a perfect chance to do Menma a huge favor and pull the boy into the Hidden Stone's camp. Yes—that had been Onoki's plan from the very beginning.
Risk?
Of course there was risk.
But compared to the rewards, Onoki believed the risk was completely acceptable. Just the Nine-Tails alone was worth any price. Not to mention Menma himself was genuinely outstanding.
To put it in words that weren't exaggerated at all—even without the Nine-Tails, Onoki would still have been willing to gamble on Menma alone. The boy truly had that kind of value. The Hidden Stone might still look strong on the surface, but as the Tsuchikage, Onoki knew the village had already reached its peak and was now standing on the edge of decline.
He had to think about the village's future.
Choosing and nurturing more outstanding young talent was currently his top priority.
Yet now, looking at the situation, every single one of his plans had been thrown into chaos.
The victory Menma's forces had achieved in this war had become the single greatest variable in the entire ninja world.
So this is how it turned out? Even this old man misjudged him. Menma-kun, your excellence far exceeds anything I expected… What a shame. What a real shame…
Onoki's hands tightened around the scroll until his knuckles turned white. A sharp glint flashed through his cloudy eyes.
The rise of the Waterfall-Grass alliance under Menma was now an unstoppable trend. Onoki could see that clearly. Almost all the preparations he had made earlier had become meaningless. And judging from the impression Menma had left during their last meeting, Onoki could tell the boy was extremely proud at heart.
Therefore…
Looks like we have to abandon the previous plan. It seems we were just short of fate, Menma-kun.
Onoki quickly adjusted his thinking and reset his goals in his mind.
"Kaede!"
The low command rang out.
"Lord Tsuchikage! What are your orders?"
In an instant, a lean figure dressed in the standard Stone ANBU uniform appeared from the shadows on the left side of the Tsuchikage's private office. He dropped to one knee and bowed respectfully.
"Immediately send my order to Kitsuchi. He must capture the Cloud's Mount Tsumuji stronghold within fifteen days. Have Han and Roshi join the operation as well. Remember—no matter the cost!"
Onoki's gaze was sharp as he stared at the ANBU operative, his voice carrying a chilling edge.
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. Your command will be carried out."
The ANBU codenamed Kaede bowed deeply once more, then vanished in a blur to execute the order.
"Hmph. The real game has only just begun, Menma-kun. Let this old man see exactly how much ability and how many tricks you actually have!"
Onoki's mind stirred. He floated gently upward and drifted to the window, gazing out at the distant scenery of the village. A meaningful smile slowly spread across his aged face.
The situation was no longer under control.
Onoki did indeed need to adjust his plans accordingly. But the core strategy he had set earlier could not be changed.
He had to squeeze real gains out of the Cloud and the Land of Lightning.
After waiting so long for an opportunity like this, Onoki had no intention of letting it slip away.
Using the Cloud and the Land of Lightning's resources to strengthen his own village and clear the threat from the east once and for all.
Only then could the Hidden Stone focus entirely on dealing with Menma and the Leaf.
Onoki had a feeling that, starting today, the Waterfall-Grass alliance led by Menma would become the Hidden Stone's greatest enemy.
Different villages made different judgments.
The ninja world continued to seethe.
The flames of war in the north still burned.
Onoki could calmly continue his own village's strategy and keep pressuring the Cloud, but the Hidden Leaf had fallen into an extremely awkward position—unable to advance or retreat.
Jiraiya couldn't make a rational decision.
He could only send the problem back to Tsunade.
But faced with this situation, Tsunade was also suffering a massive headache. Who could have predicted that everything would look so promising before the war—victory seeming almost certain—only for it to end like this!?
The moment she received the frontline report, Tsunade felt her entire world tilt.
What kind of joke was this?
Three villages applying overwhelming pressure together, and this was the result?
Even if the Sand had been slacking off, the main battlefield had still been a solid eight-thousand-strong army from the Leaf and Mist combined. That scale ranked among the largest deployments in any major village war in history.
The shinobi the Leaf had sent were all elites of the elite. Every major clan had dispatched their best members. And they still lost!?
How was Tsunade supposed to accept that?
And as if that terrible news wasn't enough, another disaster arrived at the same time: the Leaf units stationed in the rear—responsible for patrols, supervision, and logistics—had been ambushed by enemies of unknown identity.
Dozens of shinobi had been killed. Most critically, the Hyuga clan members tasked with rear security—including the most important main-branch member—had all gone missing!!!
This was like pouring oil on a fire.
What made Tsunade even more furious was that the so-called "unknown identity" was nothing more than a polite lie for the public.
The ANBU's full investigation had already uncovered clear traces.
The unmistakable scent of a snake.
There was only one person that could mean.
Orochimaru!!!
The first name that came to mind.
The most terrifying part was whether that bastard was simply interested in the Byakugan or if he was actually coordinating with Menma. There was no way to know right now.
The only thing Tsunade could be certain of was that the Hidden Leaf was in deep trouble.
"Why does nothing ever go smoothly…?"
Tsunade let out a long, helpless sigh.