Bait

In the dark room, a man sat alone.

It was deep into the night, yet Ōnoki's heart could not settle.

Peach Country's rise had now become unstoppable. The unification of the world was the inevitable trend, beyond the power of any man to prevent.

The fate of a mantis trying to stop a chariot needed no explanation. For Iwagakure, for the people of the Land of Earth, he believed he had made the wisest choice.

Yet even if abandoning his country and sovereign was the wise choice, he could never escape the infamy of being branded a traitor.

If he did not wish to bear that stigma, he would have to watch the village's shinobi and the nation's people be trampled underfoot. The outcome would still not change; there would only be pointless sacrifices.

If there had been even the slightest chance, Ōnoki would not have chosen this path. But comparing the military strength of both sides, the gap was simply vast enough to inspire despair.

Peach Country not only possessed technological power far beyond that of every other nation, but the number and strength of its shinobi also greatly exceeded those of the Land of Earth. Even if they joined forces with the Land of Lightning, what then? Their opponent had allies as well.

The Land of Water, Rōran, and the Land of Bears together could be considered a major power. Add the Land of Fire, which was gradually being turned into military strength, and the forces of four great nations combined utterly outclassed the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning in every respect.

Though opportunities in battle could change in an instant, and one could turn defeat into victory by seizing an enemy weakness, what would it matter even if they did? With no advantage in