Iwagakure, temporary command post.
Several lamps burned inside the tent, their stark white light casting sharp contrasts across the map spread over the table.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, paced slowly before the map, his brows tightly furrowed. His short frame cast a long, slanting shadow beneath the lights.
His finger pressed against a red dot on the map, marking the border region between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass.
"You should all know about Kusagakure's recent moves.
"They killed Hanzō, and now they intend to get their hands on the Land of Rain. Heh, times certainly change quickly. Just a few years, and a small nation can already contend with the great nations.
"But we have no intention of letting them succeed. The Land of Rain is our established objective. Now that Sunagakure has withdrawn after our underhanded attack, and Konoha has suffered heavy casualties, the Grass Ninja are our only remaining opponent.
"If we lack the courage to keep fighting even now, we might as well slit our own throats!"
Ōnoki's voice carried the steadiness peculiar to a middle-aged man. He was still in his prime, not yet the aged figure he would become.
Having lived through Madara Uchiha's era and two Shinobi World Wars, he had extensive battlefield experience.
Under his leadership, Iwagakure had continued to develop, and it was now at its peak, fully deserving to be called the strongest shinobi village after Konoha.
"According to the latest intelligence, Kusagakure has already taken Amegakure in the heartland. Clearly, they no longer intend to wait for an opening. They want to annex the entire Land of Rain.
"If we let them keep expanding like this, sooner or later they'll become our greatest problem."
The Iwa Shinobi jonin standing beside the table said nothing, waiting for