Iwagakure's spies had gone to great lengths to uncover this route. It offered their only chance to intercept the Third Raikage.
No, it offered a chance to wipe out every key fighter from Kumogakure, with the Third Raikage at their head!
Ōnoki had begun planning as soon as he received the intelligence.
Without Uchiha Yin's report, Ōnoki might already have made his move.
But the situation in Konoha now gave him too much to consider. He could not afford to let down his guard.
Chapter 444: Discussing Cooperation
He did not know whether this move was right or wrong.
In the original story, Konoha had been stretched thin by this point. Ōnoki would have been confident of victory; if he could eliminate the Third Raikage and Kumogakure's promising young talents, he would have done it without blinking.
In the end, though, the Third Raikage had died, Iwagakure had suffered heavy losses, and Konoha had gained a chance to catch its breath.
But under the current circumstances, Ōnoki hesitated.
Iwagakure had rested and rebuilt its strength, and it had plenty of troops. Even so, he had no idea how many lives it would take to bring down the Third Raikage.
So Ōnoki did not dare act rashly.
A move on this scale could have an enormous impact.
He believed it could alter the course of the entire war across the shinobi world. He had no choice but to be cautious.
Ōnoki's expression shifted as he weighed his options. At last, he made up his mind.
"Third Raikage, A... I wonder what you'll decide," Ōnoki murmured.
Then, one morning, just as dawn broke, a huge Signal Flare shot into the sky like an enormous firework.
It was Iwagakure's signal for an emergency assembly.
"What's going on?"
"Is another ninja village attacking us?"