After Ōnoki returned to camp, he temporarily halted his attacks on the Konoha Ninja Forces and adopted a defensive stance. He needed to think carefully about what would happen after a ceasefire with the Land of Fire. The war had reached this point, and even the most stubborn person ought to learn when to bow his head.
Iwagakure Ninja Village was barely holding out against Konoha and Kumogakure, but losing a Jinchūriki had greatly diminished its advantages. Just as Kazemori Masaki had said, if they lost another Jinchūriki, Iwagakure Ninja Village would have no choice but to accept a humiliating defeat, just as Sunagakure Ninja Village had.
Although Sunagakure Ninja Village did not consider the outcome it had received all that bad, Ōnoki found it utterly unacceptable. Nor did he dare gamble on a future turnaround. Konoha Ninja Village and Kumogakure Ninja Village could now conserve their strength while waiting for their exhausted enemy. The longer this dragged on, the worse Iwagakure Ninja Village's situation would become.
"Perhaps it's time we considered a way out." Ōnoki said this before all the senior ninja at a war council in the Iwagakure Ninja camp. As the Tsuchikage whose word was law in Iwagakure Ninja Village, his stance said everything.
Everyone exchanged glances, their expressions varied. Although some insisted they could not admit defeat just like that, those were merely words spoken for appearances. There were certainly people unwilling to bow their heads, but the vast majority wanted a ceasefire because they could see no hope of victory. Ending the war with the situation as it stood might truly be the best outcome for Iwagakure Ninja Village.
"Since Konoha Ninja Village is willing to say that, it means they're sincere about peace talks. From what I know of Kazemori Masaki, their terms for