Recently, Ōnoki felt like all his hair had turned white, and he had even developed a bald spot in the middle.
Every day, just looking at Iwagakure's supply reports gave him a feeling of dread.
And when he looked at the casualty reports, it felt like his heart was being twisted.
Yet with the war having reached this point, Iwagakure no longer dared to retreat. If they did not use this opportunity to utterly crush the Sand Shinobi, then once Sunagakure recovered its strength—especially after it finished fighting Kirigakure—Iwagakure would be in for a terrible time.
Although Kirigakure had been continuously plundering the coast of the Land of Wind, as time passed, its logistical support and reinforcements had become increasingly difficult to maintain. It was probably only a matter of a few more months before Kirigakure had to withdraw.
When that happened, would the Third Kazekage, freed up to act, give Iwagakure any mercy?
Iwagakure could barely hold on even now, let alone later.
Unfortunately, Konoha's price was simply too high. Otherwise, Ōnoki truly would have wanted to invite Konoha over once again.
By now, the entire northern region of the Land of Earth had become a garrison area for Konoha. When Ōnoki learned that Konoha had signed a treaty with the Land of Earth Daimyo, he had cursed the heavens and the earth for a long time. Yet in the end, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.
After all, what could he do even if he could not swallow it? Fall out with Konoha? Then Konoha would teach him what it meant to physically stop breathing.
Just as Ōnoki was discussing the current battle situation with the others, an Anbu from Iwa Village entered the command room and handed him an Intelligence Scroll.
After reading the