After the assassination squad failed, Iwagakure did not stop the war. Instead, they broke up their reinforcements into smaller units and launched attacks separately.
Unable to locate the enemy's camp, Aoki Tsuki found that the enemy had adopted a more flexible combat strategy.
They were determined to fight Amegakure to the bitter end and see who would give in first.
This can be considered as having grasped the Amegakure ' heel. After three months of guerrilla warfare, neither the funds nor the manpower could withstand it.
The village's resolve was firm; it seemed they were determined to fight to the bitter end.
No one dared to oppose Pain, so they secretly went to see the advisor, hoping he could persuade the village chief to make peace with Iwagakure.
When two people fight, someone always has to give up first, right?
It's not like it's the first time they've surrendered. In history, when has Amegakure ever been the first to back down? It's alright.
A secret military surrender meeting is being held at a frontline outpost.
Snap!
Aoki Tsuki slammed his fist on the table in anger, scolding, "You bunch of cowards, are you trying to make me bear the blame?"
"Lord Yue, it's not that we're afraid of dying, it's just that we can't hold on any longer. Compared to before the battle, our troops have suffered over 60% casualties, and some have already begun to desert."
In addition, the civilian casualties in the war zone were enormous, a truly horrific sight...
"That's right. Iwagakure has become insane, killing anyone they see and wiping out entire villages. Our strategies have lost their effectiveness."
"As for funding, no one is willing to lend us money anymore, and there have even been instances of them withdrawing loans—it's shameless."
"We've run out of supplies and weapons. If we keep fighting, we'll be wiped out."
The military meeting had turned into a venting session, with everyone releasing their pent-up fears, making it somewhat resemble Uchiha clan meeting.
Lord Pain has always been tough, but he's just stubborn and doesn't have any practical solutions, which ultimately makes everyone suffer.
"Lord Yue, it has to be you! Everyone in the village knows you always have a lot of ideas, even the Lady Angel consult you."
"Sigh, I never expected things to turn out this way. My poor brothers."
Seeing that everyone wanted to surrender, Aoki Tsuki decided to go along with it.
"I'll go back to the village tomorrow to report on the current situation. You must continue to persevere. Based on my understanding of Lord Pain, he probably won't give in easily."
A conservative estimate suggests it will take another two months of fighting before a turning point occurs.
Even if ceasefire negotiations are held, the back-and-forth dragging on for a considerable period, often lasting several years.
Immediately, someone echoed, "It's alright. As long as everyone sees hope of surrender, the brothers will have the confidence to hold on."
"Yes, yes, we can't rush things. We understand the village's difficulties, and we must stick to our principles no matter what."
"I love my country and I am willing to fight to the end."
Upon hearing that there was hope, everyone quickly expressed their willingness to continue fighting, but the ceasefire and peace negotiations could not be stopped.
They're about to surrender, yet they still insist on Mao's bottom line. These bastards.
That night, Aoki Tsuki couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, because he wasn't sure what Pain was planning. He only knew that Akatsuki's goal was to take advantage of the situation and monopolize the war market.
The Amegakure has been able to hold on until now is undoubtedly due to Akatsuki's silent support behind the scenes.
The reality is that neither Amegakure nor Akatsuki, skilled in assassination, can directly confront a military superpower like Iwagakure.
Akatsuki's core members were nothing more than a few S-rank rogue ninja.
So what if you have ultimate moves and trump cards? How many people can you kill at once? Kill as many as you want, but once your Chakra runs out, it's your death day.
The Third Raikage taught all those arrogant strongmen a lesson with his own life.
After a night of contemplation, Aoki Tsuki prepared several plans in his mind, and then set off early to take a tour of the war-torn areas.
The plight of ordinary people at the bottom of society is appalling; nine out of ten houses are empty, and countless people have been reduced to living on the streets.
This made him feel deeply guilty; he realized that face was worthless and that he needed to stop the fighting immediately.
After three days of investigation and visits, and having obtained some general data, they returned to the village and first sought out Ryōta and Shinichi, former subordinates of the guard team, to inquire about the situation.
It turns out that Iwagakure was not giving up and sent several more groups of people to infiltrate the village, but all of them failed, and now the villagers are in turmoil.
We've only been enjoying a few good years for a short time.
Knock knock knock...
"Lord Konan, are you there? I have something to report."
At this moment, Konan was looking at the documents with a worried expression. She knew the current situation of the village better than anyone else. Xiao's money and the village's funds were separate.
Xiao's funds were used for larger future plans.
Occasionally misappropriating funds is fine, but Tobi and Jue are keeping a close eye on it now, so it's not good to embezzle public funds anymore. Otherwise, if the other members find out that they are working for Amegakure, morale will collapse.
"What's wrong? Is there some problem at the front lines again? The village probably can't provide support in terms of manpower and funds."
Konan thought that Aoki Tsuki had come back to ask for resources.
"What are you thinking? For the village, for the Land of Rain, we can endure even starvation for a while. Don't worry about these details."
"So what's the key point...?"
"The key question is how long this war will last. Xiao has already achieved his goal of appearing on the battlefield as a mercenary, and he has also opened up the market."
" Iwagakure is currently on a downward spiral, threatening to bankrupt the village. In terms of manpower, financial resources, and materials, the two villages are incomparable. Everyone is uncertain about their chances."
"You bastard, are you trying to surrender?!" Konan roared.
"How could that be? Even if everyone else surrenders, I'll be the last one to raise my hand."
Aoki Tsuki first stated his position, and then revealed the purpose of his return.
"The current situation is that the front line is on the verge of collapse. Even with my best efforts to coordinate, it can probably hold out for another two months. I just want to ask the leader's plans."
It should be noted that the past few months have already depleted Amegakure's savings accumulated over the years, and most of the newly trained ninjas have also been killed or injured.
If this Amegakure will become an empty shell.
Afterwards, Aoki Tsuki handed over his investigation report for Konan to read.
The above lists the specific casualties at the front, the number of surviving troops, the percentage of defectors, the estimated civilian casualties, and the direct and indirect economic losses.
In addition, he specifically investigated the situation of the Iwagakure Ninja and made comparisons.
On average, it takes two Amegakure to take down one Iwagakure Ninja, even with Akatsuki members providing support.
This should be considered the most authentic, comprehensive, and objective data since the start of this war.
Konan compared the information she had gathered with the facts and found that everything matched. She gradually calmed down and realized that the situation was worse than she had anticipated.
"Thanks a lot."
Given her aloof personality, it's truly remarkable that she could say something like that.
"It's all for the village. Please report this situation to the chief. If he agrees, I will immediately contact Iwagakure to negotiate."
War is not the goal, but merely a means to gain the upper hand at the negotiating table.
The fact that the Five Great Nations have been fighting each other for so many years has already proven this point.
"Well...!"
Konan sighed, got up, and left to see Pain.
Those villagers who deserted from the battlefield will most likely join Akatsuki, but they will soon find that Konan is still the leader and Pain is still the Pain.
You'll be completely confused then.
Will Pain let these people go? Aoki Tsuki silently mourned for them.
About an hour later, Konan returned.
"What do you mean?" Aoki Tsuki asked, her expectant eyes easing Konan's anxiety.
"We can talk, Iwagakure must withdraw from the Land of Rain unconditionally, and we will not make any compensation. Let's pretend the war never happened."
Is this definitely spoken in the tone of a defeated party?
Aoki Tsuki rubbed his face. He had expected Pain's response, but he hadn't anticipated it to be so forceful; it was quite a challenge.
"I'm sorry..." Konan was about to say that she was powerless to help when she saw Aoki Tsuki slap her thigh.
Snap!
"Alright, since the leader has agreed, I'll get to work on it right away. With my silver tongue, this matter will be settled."
"All done?"
"Hmm, I'm about 80% confident; the advantage lies with me."
He had already devised a complete plan in his mind to ensure that both sides could end the matter in a dignified manner.
That afternoon, she passed the message to Kikuno Momo, and through various channels, she released information and photos about how Iwagakure massacred civilians.
The international community condemns the invasion launched by the Land of Earth and calls on all parties to jointly impose economic sanctions on the Land of Earth.
This was actually quite ineffective; only a few small countries that had also been ravaged by Iwagakure responded.
Public opinion is a strange thing sometimes. Once someone's reputation is ruined, employers won't consider hiring them for tasks.
On the contrary, Xiao entered the public eye in this wave of publicity as an international mercenary.
'Professional boosting service; as long as the money is right, Xiao will get you on the battlefield.'
Aoki Tsuki also specially invited celebrities to endorse the brand, helping employers see more options and not be misled by the Five Great Nations.
After completing these preliminary steps and waiting for things to develop, more than a month had passed.
Information in the ninja world is still very limited. Some countries are peaceful, so they assume that all countries are like them, or that they don't care about the lives of others.
They will only cry out about the injustice of fate and beg others to stand up for them if disaster strikes them.
On this day, Aoki Tsuki, in the Northern War Zone, hired a professional ninja postman to deliver a ceasefire notice to the commander of Iwagakure.
The gist is: Where will this war end? Let's sit down and talk about it.
The notice was quickly forwarded to the Tsuchikage's office in Iwagakure. When Ōnoki saw the contents, his wrinkled old face broke into a smile.
"You cunning brat!"
Recently, various rumors have been circulating in the Shinobi World that are detrimental to the reputation of Iwagakure, and have begun to affect Iwagakure's income. The daimyo has also sent people to inquire about this matter.
Nine times out of ten, it's psychological pressure set up by the opponent before negotiations.
Iwagakure also suffered significant losses in this multi-front war, especially in the battles against Kusagakure and Konoha, where they incurred the greatest casualties.
If Amegakure is pushed to the limit, it might completely side with the enemy country.
After much deliberation, Ōnoki finally agreed to a ceasefire, and the two sides began negotiations. However, he immediately set up a psychological barrier.
He requested that the representative of Amegakure personally visit Iwagakure to speak with him, as a sign of sincerity.
Aoki Tsuki was stunned after receiving the reply. "Damn old man, no wonder he's called ' Two Scales '."
As an advisor and diplomat for Amegakure, he naturally took on the role of envoy to Iwagakure to discuss a ceasefire, accompanied by two clerks.
The soldiers on the front lines were overjoyed; they had been looking forward to this day for a long time.
Little did they know that their highly anticipated advisor had virtually no leverage.