While the Konoha camp was overflowing with celebration regarding the combat record of Minato, a starkly different scene unfolded within the Iwagakure frontline headquarters.
Onoki rested upon a plush couch as his breathing remained shallow and uneven. Although the medical ninja had successfully cauterized the stump of his severed arm, his complexion was still ghost-white from the ordeal.
A tight circle of Iwagakure high-ranking officials stood around the sickbed. The air in the small room was thick and suffocating, weighted down by the collective anxiety of the village leadership.
I truly did not expect that boy to have already achieved such a terrifying level of martial power.
Onoki let out a long, weary sigh that seemed to drain the remaining color from his face. He is no longer a being that can be categorized as a mere genius. He is a monster.
The Tsuchikage closed his eyes, instantly haunted by the memory of that singular sword strike that had rendered his defenses utterly useless. He could still see the rain of light that had set the very atmosphere ablaze. It reminded him of a different era—of that demonic figure who had once peered down at him and his master with such casual disdain when they had visited Konoha to negotiate an alliance with the Second Tsuchikage.
Has Konoha truly managed to give birth to such a nightmare for a second time?
Upon hearing the defeated tone in Onoki's voice, the gathered officials exchanged nervous glances. Some shifted their weight, hesitant to speak, until an older Jonin finally found the courage to break the heavy silence.
Tsuchikage-sama, about the nature of your injuries...
I am not going to die just yet.
Onoki dismissed the concern with a sharp motion of his remaining left hand, using it to push his torso into a more upright position against the headboard. However, it is clear that this war cannot be sustained any longer.
The declaration caused an immediate wave of shock to ripple through the room.
Tsuchikage-sama!
A younger ninja stepped forward, his face flushed with indignation. Is Iwagakure really going to surrender just like this? While we have suffered losses, our core military strength remains mostly intact. Furthermore, we still have the power of the Jinchuriki at our disposal.
The Jinchuriki.
Onoki flashed a smile that was devoid of any warmth. You must remember that our Four-Tails and Five-Tails were originally caught by the First Hokage using his Wood Release. He then simply sold them to us like common livestock.
How is that even possible?
The young ninja looked as though his entire perception of reality had been shattered by the Tsuchikage's words.
The First Hokage once captured every single Tailed Beast with the exception of the One-Tailed. Aside from the Nine-Tails, which was retained by Konoha as the ultimate deterrent, the others were distributed to the various villages for a price.
Onoki shook his head, his voice tinged with a deep, historical melancholy. He entertained the naive hope that the hidden villages would use that power to balance one another, creating a stalemate that would end the cycle of war.
While that balance shattered the moment he took his last breath, no one dared to even whisper about starting a conflict while the First Hokage was still drawing air.
This is precisely why I made the decision to attempt a preemptive strike on Minato Namikaze. I knew that if he were allowed to mature, he would inevitably become the next God of Shinobi. However...
Onoki let out another heavy sigh. I completely miscalculated the current strength of the target. That failure rests solely on my shoulders. Once the formal end of this war is negotiated, I will step down from my position to take full responsibility.
Tsuchikage-sama, you cannot do that!
The room erupted as the officials desperately tried to convince him to reconsider his resignation.
Let us put the matter of leadership aside for a single moment.
A strategist nearby spoke up, his brow furrowed with worry. This war has only just begun. If we simply surrender now, it will be impossible to justify our actions to the Daimyo's Mansion. Furthermore, the reputation of our village will plummet, and our share of the global mission market will vanish.
We are truly trapped between two impossible choices.
We might as well just commit everything and fight Konoha until the very end!
As the shouting intensified, Onoki raised his hand to demand silence. That is enough. Stop your arguing immediately.
He surveyed the faces in the room, his eyes reflecting a profound sense of physical and mental exhaustion.
After a long period of silent deliberation, he spoke again. Send an envoy to initiate peace negotiations with Konoha. Tell them that Iwagakure was misled by the lies of Sunagakure. State that we are now prepared to join Konoha in order to crush Sunagakure's unjustified aggression.
Sunagakure has no path to victory in this conflict. By switching sides, we can provide a satisfactory explanation to both the Daimyo and the people of our village.
Since victory was impossible against Konoha, the only logical move was to align with the winner and share in the spoils. Iwagakure required the optics of a victory, and it didn't particularly matter who the victim was.
Originally, they had targeted Konoha because of the land's immense wealth. But if Konoha was too dangerous to touch, they would simply pivot to Sunagakure and pick the low-hanging fruit.
Even though Sunagakure was economically destitute and offered little in the way of real loot, Onoki needed a win to stabilize his political position. The war was still in its infancy; while Minato had erased several hundred men, most were expendable Chunin. The blow was painful but not yet fatal to the village's foundations.
A two-on-one scenario would be far less taxing on their resources. It was a simple matter of two predators ganging up on a single, weakened prey. This strategy would allow Iwagakure to salvage its dignity and give the Daimyo something to celebrate.
Meanwhile, within the Sunagakure encampment...
A few members of the elite Shadow Guard had finally limped back in a state of total disarray. The intelligence they carried hit the command staff like a physical blow.
The Third Kazekage is... dead?
Ebizo stared at the survivors in a state of pure shock, his voice trembling with a mix of horror and disbelief.
That man, Minato Namikaze, is a complete monster.
The lead ninja of the group had eyes that were bloodshot from exhaustion and terror. He possessed the ability to fly and moved with such velocity that we could not even perceive his movements before the Kazekage was taken down. He can fire concentrated lasers and transform his body into a flash of light. Even the Third Tsuchikage lost an arm in the encounter.
As the report concluded, the interior of the command post fell into a silence so deep it felt like a tomb. Ebizo remained motionless for a long time before finally uttering the same conclusion as his rival.
He is nothing less than a monster.
Because the Shadow Guard had returned in such a visible state of ruin, and because certain parties were eager to spread chaos, the news of the Kazekage's demise spread through the camp like a lethal infection.
Have you heard the news yet? The Kazekage has been killed in action.
That is impossible. He was the strongest Kazekage in our history. Where did you hear such a ridiculous rumor?
It is no rumor. The Shadow Guard confirmed it themselves. He was executed by Minato Namikaze from Konoha.
You mean that Wood Release monster?
I heard he wiped out hundreds of Iwagakure ninja single-handedly. He even cut Onoki's arm off and forced the Kazekage into a desperate self-destruction.
Whispers like these began to echo in every corner of the camp. What started as hushed conversations quickly grew into a tidal wave of panic as more horrific details came to light.
In an instant, the morale of the Sunagakure forces crashed to an all-time low. The fear of the "Wood Release Monster" was more effective than any physical army.
Panic soon gave way to total disorder. A faction of radicals began shouting for blood and revenge, while the more rational officers tried to maintain a semblance of discipline. Most of the soldiers simply stood around in a daze, paralyzed by the loss of their leader.
Ebizo felt the weight of his years pressing down on him. Sunagakure had emptied its treasury to fund this campaign. Now that they had been crushed on the battlefield and their Kage was gone, he was trapped in the same nightmare that had killed his predecessor.
The internal political situation was even worse. The death of the Third Kazekage had destroyed the delicate balance of power within the village. The various factions began to bicker and fight for control, turning the command center into something resembling a chaotic marketplace.
We need to appoint an Acting Kazekage this instant! How can we hope to lead a war without a head?
Are you still talking about fighting? The Kazekage is dead. Do you honestly plan to face that monster yourself?
The election is the only priority. We need someone to take control. Our only choice is to abandon our current positions and retreat.
Abandon them? Do you think Konoha is just going to let us walk away? If we retreat now, the war will follow us right into the Land of Wind!
Then what is your brilliant plan? Stay here and wait to die? Or stay here until we starve because we've run out of supplies?
We still have the Tailed Beast!
You want to use a Tailed Beast against a man who uses Wood Release? Was your head used as a footstool by Shukaku?
Ebizo sat in the main chair and remained wrapped in a heavy silence. Looking at the screaming faces of the men before him, he could see no path forward.
In truth, he had already realized that Sunagakure no longer had a future.
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