Ōnoki kept Didaze in Iwagakure and sent someone to explain the situation to Kitsuchi and the others, telling them about the planned ceasefire with Konoha.
As expected, the returning Anbu told Ōnoki that Kitsuchi vehemently opposed it.
Ōnoki couldn't help shaking his head inwardly. His son was terrible at seeing the bigger picture.
Did he really think they could defeat Konoha?
Even if they defeated Konoha and Iwagakure gained its territory, what then?
Would the other major ninja villages let Konoha fall into Iwagakure's hands?
What followed would be the major ninja villages joining forces to attack Iwagakure.
"Didaze, stay in Iwagakure. I'll go to the front myself!"
Ōnoki's brows were tightly knitted, and he looked to be in a very bad mood.
"Kitsuchi is only acting this way because his comrades suffered such heavy casualties. You needn't be too harsh on him, Lord Tsuchikage."
Didaze spoke up on Kitsuchi's behalf.
"I know how far to take it. Go practice your secret techniques."
Ōnoki rubbed his head.
He had already tossed the Scroll of Seals to Didaze, letting him read it however he pleased.
After all, Iwagakure's Scroll of Seals contained far fewer useful ninjutsu than Konoha's.
Only a handful of them could truly make a decisive difference for Didaze.
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage."
Looking at Ōnoki, Didaze knew he couldn't persuade him.
"Kitsuchi's really in for it this time."
Looking at Ōnoki's stormy expression, a trace of sympathy appeared on Didaze's face.
Ōnoki left Iwagakure with several dozen Anbu.
This was top secret. Apart from Didaze, no one knew that Ōnoki had left Iwagakure.
At the Land of Grass border.
"Kitsuchi... was it really a good idea to send Lord Tsuchikage that reply?"
Fuku hesitated. He kept having a bad feeling.
"What's the old man going to do to me?"
Kitsuchi looked utterly unconcerned. After all, he was Ōnoki's only son.
"What do you think I can do to you?"
"Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique!"
Ōnoki increased his arm's weight several dozenfold, then slammed his fist into Kitsuchi's head!
Of course, Ōnoki hadn't put much force into that punch. It merely raised a large bump on Kitsuchi's forehead.
"O-old man!"
Clutching his head, Kitsuchi stared at Ōnoki in disbelief.
Ōnoki hadn't come in all the years since the war began, but he came just because Kitsuchi disobeyed orders once?
Why was he singling him out like this?
"Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad! I'll go back!"
Seeing Ōnoki raise his right hand again, Kitsuchi was so frightened that he hurriedly called him Dad.
Then, with Kitsuchi looking utterly resigned, Iwagakure's ninja withdrew and returned to the village.
The next day.
"Did the other side... retreat?"
The sensory ninja checking the enemy's position as usual suddenly discovered, to his surprise, that he could no longer sense the Iwagakure ninja's presence.
"They retreated?"
Shimura Danzō was the first to rush out.
He was now desperately eager for the war to end.
Because once the war ended, he could begin his plan.
As long as he had that pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, he would definitely lead Konoha to greater heights!
Rather than leaving things as they were now, with someone who had the Mangekyō Sharingan but couldn't put them to good use!
Shimura Danzō cast a contemptuous glance at Uchiha Fugaku, who had only just gotten out of his sickbed.
Unaware of the Mangekyō's side effects, Shimura Danzō simply thought that Uchiha Fugaku was too weak to bring out the power of those Mangekyō Sharingan.
He could definitely bring that pair of Mangekyō to their full potential!
"It looks like they've retreated. Should we pursue?"
The Konoha sensory ninja frowned as he asked.
Actually, he knew that their forces most likely wouldn't pursue, but he still had to ask.
It was just routine.
"No need to pursue!"
Shimura Danzō immediately cut in, issuing an order to the sensory ninja.
Hatake Sakumo said nothing. After all, Shimura Danzō was his senior, and he didn't want to get on his bad side over something minor.
Konoha's ninja also began withdrawing.
Just as both sides withdrew, a slender white snake appeared on the battlefield.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."
An icy glint shone in the white snake's eyes.
A few more days quickly passed. Iwagakure's ninja all returned to Iwagakure, and Konoha's ninja returned to Konoha.
Meanwhile, Didaze was still training his Wind Release chakra.
After all, developing a chakra nature from scratch was no easy task. Didaze would need at least a year or two to train his Wind Release to the point where he could combine it.
Simply using Wind Release wouldn't require that much time, but combining earth, wind, and fire required the three chakra natures to be balanced.
To achieve that balance, Didaze not only had to develop Wind Release, but also raise it to roughly the same strength as his earth and fire.
However, Didaze's earth and fire were now absurdly powerful. After all, his frequent use of Explosion Release had long since made them stronger and stronger.
As a result, chakra training had instead become the stumbling block.
But there were advantages as well as disadvantages. Because his earth and fire were so powerful, once Didaze mastered Dust Release, its power would rival or even surpass Ōnoki's.
Thus, Ōnoki wasn't impatient either. He simply waited for Didaze to slowly train his Wind Release chakra.
Meanwhile, he sent an Anbu who wasn't afraid of dying to Konoha to propose a ceasefire agreement, along with, of course, the most important part: compensation.
Konoha.
Root base.
"Why would Iwagakure send someone to our village?"
Looking at the intelligence Root had handed him, Shimura Danzō's brows furrowed deeply.
Just why had Iwagakure sent someone to Konoha at a time like this?
Shimura Danzō couldn't figure it out, no matter how much he thought.
"Forget it. I'd better think about how to get that pair of Mangekyō Sharingan first..."
"Go. Keep spreading the Uchiha Clan's dark history. We must nail them firmly to the pillar of shame!"
Shimura Danzō instructed the Root member.
Whether the Uchiha Clan had actually done those things didn't matter. As long as Konoha's ignorant commoners believed it, it was true.
The Uchiha Clan's explanations would be meaningless then!
"Teacher... am I the one who truly inherited your will?"
Shimura Danzō gazed at the sky, the greed in his eyes giving way to a complicated expression.
The Hokage's office.
"Why did Ōnoki send you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed away, his brows tightly knitted.
He wanted to hear what the other man had to say.
"We intend to end this war."
The Iwagakure Anbu ninja opened with a bombshell.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi's puffing paused.
Although he soon resumed puffing away, the Iwagakure Anbu ninja noticed that pause.
He knew his mission would most likely succeed, because the Third Hokage clearly approved of a ceasefire.
"We demand ten sealing jutsu of each rank: A, B, C, and D. Of course, in compensation, we will acknowledge Konoha's victory."
The moment the Iwagakure ninja finished, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened.
"Iwagakure is demanding far too much. Ten A-rank sealing jutsu-do you have any idea what that means?"
"Lord Tsuchikage said that if Lord Hokage refuses, he will immediately seek an alliance with Kirigakure and Kumogakure..."
"Still, it's not out of the question..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly softened, giving a vivid demonstration of changing faces.