Iwagakure.
The Tsuchikage's office.
"In the battle at Liyan Pit, we lost not only three hundred combat personnel, but also ninety percent of our water-storage equipment."
"Buying water at the border like this has caused our costs and wastage to increase exponentially."
"Our repeated defeats have also left morale at a low ebb."
"Even with Han doing his best to keep spirits up, quite a few Iwagakure shinobi have begun questioning whether sending troops was the right decision."
Holding a notebook, an adviser rapidly delivered his report to Ōnoki.
"Mm." Ōnoki acknowledged him but did not rush to speak.
Instead, he floated over to the enormous map with his hands clasped behind his back and studied it.
"Has Deidara arrived?"
"He has. We have him to thank for keeping Rasa occupied at Liyan Pit. Otherwise, our forces might have been wiped out."
Ōnoki turned around, surprise on his face.
"He kept Rasa occupied all by himself?"
The adviser carefully checked the intelligence in his hands.
"That's right. He also used Clay Bombs to kill nearly a hundred Hidden Sand shinobi single-handedly, tearing an opening in their ambush encirclement."
"Then he drew Rasa's attention on his own and lured him away from the battlefield."
A trace of satisfaction crept into Ōnoki's eyes.
He really is a genius.
To think he could keep Rasa occupied at such a young age.
But even with Deidara joining them, Iwagakure's predicament remained unchanged. They could neither advance nor retreat.
They still needed to find a way to break the deadlock.
As Ōnoki pondered, the adviser picked up two more reports.
"Lord Tsuchikage, Hidden Cloud has been very active. Large quantities of supplies have already been deployed."
The implication was clear: Hidden Cloud could enter the war at any moment.
"What about Konoha? Did they respond