Uzumaki Kuming's guerrilla tactics inside the Land of Earth had caused Iwagakure no end of trouble. To protect the border, Ōnoki had no choice but to personally lead a group of ninja to guard the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, keeping watch for attacks from Konoha.
Reports from the front were sent to the Tsuchikage's new office. During that time, Uzumaki Kuming could only keep the Konoha Ninja hidden and avoid any large-scale military operations. There were still small skirmishes, though, and Konoha and Stone Ninja clashed here and there, with both sides winning and losing.
Ōnoki was dissatisfied with the situation, but Konoha's ninja were determined to stay hidden, and there was little he could do about it. He never managed to find Konoha's stronghold, either.
This situation lasted for nearly three months. Once Roshi had fully recovered from his severe injuries, he headed to the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind to take over from Ōnoki. After all, Ōnoki was the Tsuchikage and had plenty of matters to deal with both inside and outside the village. Now that a fighter of Roshi's caliber had recovered, the frontline duties were handed over to him.
To ensure Roshi's safety, Ōnoki gave him a force of five thousand men to command, then returned to the village.
After Roshi took over at the front, Uzumaki Kuming led the Konoha Ninja on the offensive again. This time, though, Roshi had clearly been instructed by Ōnoki not to fight Konoha's ninja in the open. Instead, he relied on barrier formations and fought a defensive battle. Kuming's force of fewer than a thousand men couldn't break through the Stone Ninja's lines, and could only retreat in defeat.
Afterward, Roshi used exactly the same approach