After investigating, Sunagakure's intelligence ninja lost their composure and brought the news back to the village, reporting to Rasa and the others, who were still waiting anxiously.
Tears streamed down Rasa's face when he heard the news. Choking up, he lamented, "Sunagakure's campaign is over, and this Ninja World war will soon be over too.
"Master's death will become a turning point. Who knows how many hopes, efforts, and plans were buried in the desert along with him?"
Shouldn't we keep looking?
Haven't we already searched the whole area twice?
No such exchange took place among them.
The fight between Uchiha Mai and the Third Kazekage had been a battle to settle both superiority and survival. Besides, the Third Kazekage had even had Ōnoki helping him.
Now Uchiha Mai had returned unharmed, Ōnoki's whereabouts were unknown, and the Third Kazekage had yet to return. In all likelihood, Uchiha Mai had won.
If Uchiha Mai had won, at least one of the two—Ōnoki or the Third Kazekage—had to be dead.
If the Third Kazekage were the survivor, he would have returned to the village long ago, given how close the battlefield was to Sunagakure.
The Three Great Shinobi Villages were now at an overwhelming disadvantage. Only a brainless gambling addict would insist on fighting with such poor odds.
And Sunagakure had not yet reached the point where it needed to stake its national fortunes on a gamble. With two powerful young ninja like Rasa and Sasori of the Red Sands, it could hold on for another few decades without trouble.
After some discussion, Rasa and the others decided to suspend hostilities for now and observe the situation in the Ninja World for a few days before deciding whether to withdraw from the war.
If Uchiha Mai attacked Sunagakure during those few