Several days later, Sunagakure's ninja had all withdrawn into the village to guard against Uchiha Mai's raids and ambushes, which had become as regular as a daily check-in.
Rasa, entrusted with a vital mission by the Third Kazekage, also slipped out of the village under the moonlight one night and headed toward the Iwagakure battlefield.
Seeking reinforcements was not something one could do carelessly.
First, to catch the enemy off guard, they had to keep Konoha in the dark. And everyone knew that Konoha's Hyuuga Clan and Uchiha Mai possessed exceptionally powerful reconnaissance abilities.
If not for the need to evade Konoha's eyes and ears, Rasa could have left Sunagakure two days earlier.
After traveling at full speed, Rasa finally reached the Iwagakure battlefield. He passed through checkpoint after checkpoint, verifying his identity time and again, before meeting the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki himself.
Rasa wasted no time on pleasantries. He immediately explained the situation and the purpose of his visit, seeking to invite Ōnoki to join forces with the Third Kazekage and kill Uchiha Mai.
Ōnoki was sorely tempted.
A ninja's fundamental duties were assassination and intelligence gathering. Even though Ōnoki was one of the Ninja World's foremost masters and enjoyed tremendous prestige throughout it, he was still a ninja.
The dignity of a master, never bullying the young or outnumbering an opponent—none of that existed.
Battles between the Ninja World's masters were usually one-on-one because, besides attacking, they also had to guard against the enemy's other experts. They considered defeat before victory and prioritized caution.
But given a perfect opportunity, any ninja would gladly abandon that imaginary pride and dignity to spring a dirty trick on the enemy.
For example, Uchiha Mai and Orochimaru had once joined forces to ambush Roshi from two sides. Ōnoki still remembered that incident