Even after taking civilians hostage, the Daimyo Mansion Army could not halt the Konoha Combat Unit's advance. As for their ability to fight head-on, there was no contest: they could not defeat the Konoha Combat Unit either. For a time, the dark clouds of defeat hung over the Daimyo Mansion Army.
The local lords who had sided with the Daimyo Mansion whispered among themselves, beginning to consider retreat. They were indeed dissatisfied with the Konoha Ninja Village, but no amount of dissatisfaction mattered more than their lives.
More than half the lords in the Land of Fire had now refused to side with the Daimyo Mansion, instead expressing support for the Konoha Ninja Village. The elite Border Forces had not moved at all, leaving the Daimyo Mansion's Chakra Samurai as the only elite force in the interior. Yet even the Chakra Samurai were helpless against the Explosive Cannons.
The Daimyo Mansion Army suffered defeat after defeat, inflicting far fewer casualties on the Konoha Ninja Village than it suffered in return. Deeply worried, the local lords began advising the Daimyo Mansion to negotiate with the Konoha Ninja Village and settle the matter properly. The village had launched its campaign under the banner of Purge the Traitors. In other words, handing over the treacherous minister to give the Konoha Ninja Village an explanation should be enough to stop its advance.
The Konoha Ninja Village had won the support of the other local lords primarily because of its credibility. Those lords trusted that the village harbored no disloyal intentions. Even if it had selfish motives, they were directed at Tobi in the Daimyo Mansion. It was not just the Konoha Ninja Village—even these local lords were dissatisfied with him.
Thus, the local lords supporting the Konoha Ninja Village had no objections to its