Preparations by All Sides

Leaving aside how Ōnoki flew into a rage, Nawaki returned to the military camp and immediately ordered his subordinates to prepare for an attack on the Land of Birds. At the same time, he sent letters to Amegakure and Kusagakure, instructing them to prepare for coordination. He even sent Tsunade a detailed plan to prevent any delay that might cost them the opportunity in battle.

Nawaki had prepared these letters long ago. He had merely been waiting for Kumogakure to launch its sneak attack so he could seize the greatest possible benefit from the situation.

That night, Roshi, who was also stationed on the western front, received a secret letter from Iwagakure headquarters. After learning the outcome of the secret talks, Roshi immediately wrote back, strongly opposing their decision. It was not that he had seen through Nawaki's strategic intentions. Rather, he felt that Iwagakure could not betray its allies like this; it was far too unfair to the Land of Birds and the Land of Demons. Furthermore, he believed Skywalker must be concealing some other scheme.

Roshi's feelings stemmed from his experiences in the battle of the Land of Whirlpools years ago. He had always believed that if he had not betrayed Sunagakure first, the outcome of that war might have been different. Then, during the Second Shinobi World War, Iwagakure would not have fallen out with Sunagakure and subsequently been defeated piece by piece by Konoha. Coupled with the condemnation of his own conscience, Roshi had never let go of what he had done back then. Now that he learned Iwagakure wanted him to betray allies again, he naturally resisted fiercely. In his reply, he demanded that the order be withdrawn. If that was truly impossible, then they should send someone else to replace him as commander.

Unfortunately,