Standing on the Side of Justice
"What's going on? Why did the Amegakure leader suddenly attack the Raikage? This... this guy is from Konoha? Damn it! Evil Konoha, they actually had this trick up their sleeve!" Seeing this situation, Ōnoki began to have second thoughts. The Raikage was probably done for after taking so many hits, and Rasa's strength couldn't hold out either. If they continued fighting, he would have to face a joint attack from Konoha and the Amegakure leader. Things couldn't go on, so he had to preserve the village's fighting force first.
"Iwagakure members, heed my command! Withdraw from the battle for now. Aoi, forget about revenge for now; preserve our strength and retreat first, then we'll discuss other matters."
The unexpected event caused the situation of the four-nation alliance to deteriorate rapidly. At this time, Ōnoki could no longer afford to deplete the strength of Kumogakure. Now that the Land of Rain had betrayed them, the outcome of the remaining three-nation alliance against the Fire Rain Alliance was already uncertain. If they were to continue thinking about weakening Kumogakure at this point, the next situation would probably only be that Iwagakure and Sunagakure could barely resist the Fire Rain Alliance.
"Ōnoki, you old codger, are you trying to teach me how to do things? It's all because you, you coward, were hiding behind the scenes, otherwise how could Lord Raikage have done this~" Despite saying this, Aoi still retained some rationality and led the Kumogakure elites in a fighting retreat.
"Tsuchikage, are we just going to retreat like this? Now that the Land of Rain has turned against us, it means that our rear positions in the Land of Rain are not safe." It's settled. I didn't expect that this leader of the Land of Rain would also be on Konoha's side. Victory is now assured. My judgment, Rasa, was right after all. Standing on Konoha's side is the best choice for Sunagakure.
"Hmm!!! Kazekage, that reminds me. It seems we can't go into the Land of Rain. Iwagakure, listen to my command, retreat towards the Land of Grass. Beyond the Land of Grass lies our Land of Earth. I've left a force on the border; with both sides working together, defending against the Fire and Rain Alliance shouldn't be a problem."
Hiss~ Those bastards from Konoha are really treacherous. They're probably waiting for me to retreat to the Land of Rain right now. Luckily, the Kazekage mentioned it, otherwise my tens of thousands of troops would probably be stuck on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
"Kazekage, how about we retreat to the Land of Earth together? I know this will take us further and further from your Land of Wind's main camp, but given the current situation, we can't afford to divide our forces." The Land of Wind is not only a harsh environment but also lacks resources. If we retreat with tens of thousands of troops there, the Land of Wind probably can't support them. Would they then be forced to surrender if blocked by the Fire Rain Alliance?
"This..."
Should I learn a thing or Nagato Ōnoki? But if Onoki is gone, Konoha will truly be the only power. No, that's not what I want. Iwagakure can lose, but Konoha can't win too easily, otherwise, how will Sunagakure have any chance?
"Stop here, let's go, or we'll all be dead." What an indecisive person Chiyo was; how could she have chosen such a jerk?
"Evacuating towards the Land of Earth is an option, but logistics after Sunagakure might not be able to keep up. We'll have to ask Iwagakure for help then." Even if we reach the Land of Earth, we can always detour back to the Land of Wind. But why not use other people's money to support our own army?
"You..."
Well, kid, you've been waiting for me here? Fine, with those Sunagakure guys splitting up to draw fire, the pressure on me will be reduced considerably.
"Then let's go our separate ways and part ways here. However, my Iwagakure can barely withstand the Fire Rain Alliance's retaliation by relying on our fighting strength and the terrain, but your Sunagakure is in danger. I hope Kazekage will think twice before acting." Seeing through Rasa's calculations, Ōnoki still tried to persuade him again with a hint of threat.
"Then there's no need for Your Tsuchikage to trouble yourself. My Sunagakure has its own national circumstances, and I doubt the Fire Rain Alliance would have any designs on the Land of Wind."
Or should we learn Nagato? After this battle, the Land of Rain will have achieved great victories, while we've done nothing. We probably won't even have a pretext to divide the spoils. The Fire and Rain Alliance might at most refrain from attacking the Land of Wind Land of Rain we tipped them off, and they might even have overlapped in their tipping-off efforts...
No, I have to act. Otherwise, not only will I not get any spoils, but the Land of Wind will also be in danger. Forgive me, Ōnoki, it's all for Sunagakure!
"Uh~ Is this the so-called Will of Sand, that dead pig that's not afraid of boiling water? Hmph, you short-sighted fool. Just bury your head in the sand like an ostrich and wait for the Fire Rain Alliance to arrive. Iwagakure members, let's retreat~" Knowing he couldn't persuade Rasa, Ōnoki stopped wasting his breath and turned to give orders to the Iwagakure members.
"Hmph, an ostrich? Who knows? Magnet Release: Gold Dust Spear!" Faced with Ōnoki's taunts, Rasa became even more determined to make her move.
"What?! Earth Release: Light- Light-Weight Rock Technique!" Relying on his years of combat experience, Ōnoki skillfully dodged the giant spear that brushed past him, still shaken, and looked in Rasa's direction.
"Father, watch out! Earth Release: Giant Rock Armor!"
Pfft~
Before Ōnoki could see clearly, the second spear pierced straight through the Kitsuchi protecting him.
"Kitsuchi, damn it, Rasa, you're asking for death!" Seeing Kitsuchi severely injured in an instant, Ōnoki's emotions exploded.
"Phew~ What a pity. I had already taken double precautions, but I didn't expect Kitsuchi Ōnoki, you old man, you're really tough."
As he spoke, Rasa led the Sunagakure members toward the Fire Rain Alliance.
"Hmm? Even you... Damn it, you're all spies..." In this situation, Ōnoki could easily see the situation. Two of the four allied forces were actually on the opposing side, and their only ally was being ambushed. Even if they retreated to the Land of Earth, it would probably be a fierce battle. No, he had to send someone to win over the Land of Water. The Land of Earth alone could not possibly withstand the combined forces of the Land of Fire, Rain, and Wind.
"That's right, those who know when to yield are the wise. Our Land of Wind chooses to stand on the side of justice, so who is the one courting death? Do you understand? Ōnoki ~" Whew, this situation couldn't be better. They didn't kill Ōnoki, and they also made their role and stance on the battlefield clear.
Hmm... Kitsuchi the son of the Tsuchikage is a war achievement, and following Konoha to collect heads is also considered sacrificing his life for the Allied Shinobi Forces. Hang in there, Ōnoki, the future of the Ninja World depends on you. With Sunagakure slacking off, Iwagakure Kirigakure should be able to withstand the Allied Shinobi Forces' attack, right?