Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

They could also understand the Tsuchikage's anger.

The original plan was to use the Hidden Cloud Village to contain the Leaf Village on the eastern front, while the Hidden Stone Village would take the opportunity to expand its gains on the western front.

Even... Onoki harbored the intention of "inducing" a large-scale war between Kumogakure and Konoha, so that the Raikage could eliminate those two geniuses from Konoha—especially that Uchiha.

To this end, Iwagakure spared no effort in using its reserves and even promised Kusagakure many benefits.

But who could have imagined that the Cloud Village, on which so much hope was placed, would collapse so completely in just a few days!

Not only did they fail to restrain Konoha, but they were also pushed back to their hometown by the enemy, and even the Raikage was caught in the crossfire!

This disrupted all of Onoki's plans.

On the western front, he personally took action, killing Hakuun Hayato, a veteran Jonin of Konoha, and also drawing out Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage of Konoha.

And what about the eastern front? The Cloud Village didn't achieve any results.

Uh, no, the intelligence report says that Akimichi Torifu is dead...

But Onoki knew that even if the fat old man didn't overdraw his life this time, he wouldn't have many years left to live—the Akimichi clan's lifespan was never long enough for "health preservation."

and so……

The Cloud Village has already started peace talks, isn't this putting him in an awkward position?

Now that Akimichi Toudou and Aburame Shiguro have arrived, the balance between the two sides has been broken. Could Iwagakure be sending reinforcements?

However, the cost of continuing the offensive is too high.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is still as sharp as ever, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio from Konoha is also incredibly resilient.

Moreover, with his strategic vision, he could naturally see that once Kumogakure and Konoha successfully made peace, Iwagakure would have to continue fighting Konoha alone.

At that time...

We are about to face a Konoha that can concentrate all its power.

Two figures flashed through Onoki's mind...

If another "natural disaster" were to strike the western front, would Iwagakure be able to emerge unscathed?

If the Mangekyou Sharingan user Uchiha also comes, they'll be the bane of Jinchuriki. What will Iwagakure do?

"Peace talks?!"

The moment the idea popped into his head, Onoki forcefully pushed it out of his mind.

If he were to retreat like this, what would be the point of his personal intervention? And how could he be willing to accept it?

Iwagakure paid a considerable price for this operation.

Although the top-tier combatants suffered relatively few losses, the middle and lower-ranking ninjas were seriously injured or killed, and the amount of resources mobilized was enormous.

More importantly, Onoki's personal intervention ended in failure, which was a blow to Iwagakure's reputation and prestige.

If we go back even further in time, it's always been Iwagakure that suffers.

From the very beginning, Suma Shi, Kari, and three important strongholds were destroyed by the Shadow Guard, followed by the death of their commander, Bunya, at the hands of the Konoha Shadow Guard.

Although he personally killed Hakuun Hayama, an important figure in Konoha.

However, Konoha has already produced even more monstrous talents like Senju Seigo and Uchiha Shisui.

No matter how you calculate it, Iwagakure is at a disadvantage.

After all, veteran powerhouses like Shirakumo Hayato and Akimichi Torifu have exhausted their potential, while Senju Seigo and that Uchiha are only fifteen years old. Who knows how far they will grow in the future?

The thought of that Konoha brat described in the intelligence report as someone who could directly confront the Cloud Village's A and B duo made Onoki feel a lump in his throat.

And that Uchiha.

How come all these monsters are born in Konoha?

"Father!"

Seeing Onoki's face turn pale and then flushed, Huang Tu forced himself to speak, "The situation is unfavorable for us now. If Kumogakure and Konoha make peace, the pressure on our western front will increase exponentially."

Moreover... those in Sunagakure will probably also develop other ideas.

The impoverished Sand Village has always lived in the shadow of the Hidden Stone Village, but it is, after all, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. If the Hidden Stone Village shows any weakness, who knows if things will develop in a worse direction?

Ohnoki understood this principle perfectly well.

He gazed at the continuous Iwagakure camps and the distant outline of Konoha's defenses, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

Retreat? I'm not willing to give up.

Should we continue? The risk is too high, and the returns are uncertain.

As a "shadow," he only ever considers interests!

"Pass down the order..."

After a long silence, Onoki slowly spoke, his voice regaining its calmness:

"The entire army will shift to a defensive posture, reinforce existing fortifications, and intensify surveillance of Konoha's movements, especially along the eastern front. In addition..."

He turned around and looked at the yellow earth:

"In my name, I am sending a strongly worded letter of protest to Hiruzen Sarutobi of Konoha."

"Just say... that Konoha has unilaterally expanded the scale of the war on the eastern front, disrupting the regional balance, and demand that Konoha immediately cease all provocative actions,"

"And provide an explanation and compensation for Baiyun's preemptive attack on our Iwagakure unit this morning!"

Huang Tu was stunned: "Father, this..."

This is clearly a case of blaming the victim, and... the Eastern Front? Father is going to speak up for Cloud Village? What's the point of doing all this?

Huang Tu felt that he couldn't keep up with his father, Onoki's, train of thought at all.

"Just do as I say." Onoki snorted coldly.

"This is not a real negotiation; it's a gesture to both sides and to other ninja villages."

“We at Iwagakure have not been defeated; we have merely temporarily ‘stopped’ and we have a ‘reason’ to justify it.”

"At the same time, we can also test Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha's current attitude to see if they have been blinded by the victory on the eastern front and want to continue causing trouble on the western front."

He paused, a shrewd glint in his eyes:

"In addition, we secretly contacted Kusagakure and offered them great benefits to find ways to create some 'friction' on the border of Takigakure. The scale doesn't have to be large, but it has to be frequent."

He looked at the yellow earth, "Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yes!" Huang Tu understood his father's intention.

This is a strategic retreat, maintaining deterrence as much as possible, delaying time, and preparing for possible changes in the future when a strategic victory cannot be achieved.

At the same time, it will keep Konoha, which is allied with Takigakure, from having peace and quiet, and prevent them from easily digesting the victory gained on the eastern front.

As long as Iwagakure continues to exert pressure on Konoha at the border, Konoha will likely not gain much advantage from the peace talks with Kumogakure.

Thinking of this, Huang Tu felt immense admiration for his father.

In the short term, this is the best option for Iwagakure.

Although Iwagakure will hold its ground for the time being, as long as it doesn't retreat directly like Kumogakure, the outside world can't say that Iwagakure has lost!

In this way, not only is face saved, but there is also the possibility of gaining some benefits in future developments.

After all... Konoha is probably the side that doesn't want to continue fighting.

……

The following day, at the Konoha camp.

Hiruzen Sarutobi casually tossed the harshly worded, accusatory, and threatening scroll he was holding onto the table.

A cold smile appeared on his face, but a hint of relief flashed deep in his eyes.

"That old fox Onoki is still using the same old tricks. When he can't gain any advantage himself, he tries to save face by playing the victim and crying 'stop thief' while testing our attitude."

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the slightly cooled tea, took a sip, and looked at the people inside the tent.

Akimichi Toudou, Aburame Shiguro, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, and others were all present.

Nara Shikaku nodded and calmly analyzed:

"This 'letter of condemnation' appears tough, but it is actually all bark and no bite."

"He never mentioned that he had taken the lead in crossing the border to attack. Instead, he seized on the battles on the eastern front and the achievements of Captain Qingwu to make a big fuss about 'expanding the war' and 'disrupting the balance'."

"This shows that Onoki has no intention, or rather, no ability, to continue launching a large-scale offensive on the western front."

"He is just using this method to maintain the posture that 'Iwagakure has not failed, but has only suspended its operations and holds the truth,' to show to the domestic and foreign audiences, while buying time and observing our reaction."

“Lu Jiu is right.”

Qiu Daotangdong said in a deep, muffled voice:

"If that old fox Onoki still had the confidence, he would have continued the attack long ago. Why would he waste so much time talking?"

“He was afraid. He was afraid that once we stabilized the eastern front, we would concentrate our forces on the western front, and he was also afraid that the Cloud Village would negotiate peace, leaving him isolated and helpless.”

"Hmm," Aburame Shigehiro replied succinctly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping across the line of confrontation marked on the map.

With the fighting on the western front temporarily subsided, Iwagakure has shifted to a defensive posture, which is exactly what Konoha needs right now.

Having fought on two fronts, Konoha also needs time to heal its wounds, digest its gains, and especially... deal with certain internal problems that were exposed or exacerbated by the war.

From a perspective of interests, Konoha possesses the rich Land of Fire, and its foundation is the strongest among the Five Great Nations.

With a major victory on the eastern front, Kumogakure has sued for peace, and Iwagakure has retreated on the western front, temporarily easing external pressure.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, felt that... it was necessary to return to the strategy of consolidating internal power and accumulating strength.

A deep glint flashed in his eyes as he changed the subject:

"The emergence of geniuses like Qingwu and Shisui is a blessing for Konoha, but it may also bring new variables."

“We must handle this properly and guide them onto the right path so that they become new pillars of Konoha, not… a hidden danger.”

Everyone inside the tent tensed up, understanding what the Hokage was referring to.

Uchiha Shisui awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan. Although this matter was strictly ordered to be kept secret, it was no secret among the higher-ups and those with ulterior motives.