Uchiha Yū looked at the letter in his hand and the map before him, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.
"Minato, begin cooperating with our plan. Konoha will gradually withdraw from the Fourth Shinobi World War."
Aside from that primary issue, there were two smaller matters to handle.
"Is Ōnoki still determined to resist?"
He turned to Kakuzu beside him. Ever since the previous naval battle, their alliance had existed in name only. Sunagakure had also made its position clear: it and Dawn Hidden Village would become an inseparable whole.
Caught in the middle, Ōnoki would be left in an impossible position.
The main battlefield was currently concentrated along Konoha's borders, while Iwagakure lay between the three sides. War was not something that could simply be stopped at will. Even if the naval battle had shattered the alliance, Ōnoki still had to bear the consequences. Konoha's shinobi still held a grudge against Iwagakure's shinobi.
With enemies on three sides, and his village's economy firmly controlled by Dawn Weapons Store, Ōnoki had absolutely no chance of turning things around. All that supported him now was his stubborn temper.
"He still chose to resist to the end. However, there are dissenting voices within the village. They want to ease the conflict between both sides through negotiations. Some have even made their stance clear: Iwagakure's shinobi failed to withstand the aftermath of battles between powerful fighters because they themselves were too weak."
Kakuzu kept a close eye on the changes within Iwagakure. Under its former harsh policies, there had been only one voice in the village: the Tsuchikage's orders. Unfortunately, as the situation spiraled further out of control, Ōnoki's prestige had come under serious scrutiny because of this alliance and his command during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
That gave certain schemers