By the time Gua set off back to the village, the fighting between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth had all but ended. All that remained was for the two sides to negotiate a peace agreement in private.
But Tsuchikage Ōnoki still had not asked for peace.
Gua guessed that he simply could not swallow his pride. After all, past wars between the great nations had ended in draws, with both sides suffering heavy losses. This time was completely different. They had pushed straight into the heart of the Land of Earth.
It was utterly unprecedented.
Once word of this war spread, the other members of the Five Great Nations would probably look down on the Land of Earth.
So Ōnoki needed some time to get himself into the right frame of mind before negotiating peace.
Konoha did not press the attack, either. They looted some gold, silver, and valuables from the Land of Earth, then quietly waited.
If Ōnoki refused to surrender, they would keep plundering the Land of Earth's territory south of the Nian River.
By the time everyone living in that part of the Land of Earth had migrated elsewhere, perhaps it would no longer belong to Iwagakure.
Of course, it would not belong to Konoha, either. This was the border region between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth, and the Land of Earth would eventually reclaim it. All Konoha could do was squeeze as much out of it as possible.
Gua knew all of this.
And so he grew increasingly quiet.
"Gua, this is war. There is no right or wrong in war."
On their way back, Fugaku explained the true nature of war to Gua.
"Once a war begins, we have to be prepared to defend our side, even