"That shameless Third, every word he says is for the good of Iwagakure, but isn't it actually for Konoha? Humph~"
Ōnoki tossed the letter aside, but after a while, he picked it up again and read it carefully.
Those in power, especially the Tsuchikage of the impoverished village of Iwagakure, Ōnoki had long forgotten personal honor and disgrace, prioritizing the interests of Iwagakure above all else!
"That old Third's conditions are quite tempting, but how much of them will he actually deliver? Besides, attacking Konoha is very risky..."
The philosophy of Iwagakure is different from that of Kumogakure. Kumogakure's primary goal is military expansion; they want a larger territory. As a result, the small countries surrounding Kumogakure have been almost completely swallowed up, and now the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire are directly adjacent.
Between Iwagakure and Konoha, many small countries remain. However, don't mistake this for Iwagakure's good intentions; rather, these small countries are preserved as buffer zones in war to prevent damage to the Land of Earth's mainland.
Iwagakure, on the other hand, wants tangible benefits that they can actually obtain, such as food, money, supplies, or even prime farmland.
Konoha happens to be the one that can provide the most of these supplies. Without war or death, one can get a large sum of compensation from Konoha for free, which is almost like a windfall.
However, Ōnoki was not blinded by profit. Just as he was attacking Konoha while also being wary of Kumogakure, Iwagakure naturally had to carefully take the bait offered by Konoha, without being caught.
After tapping the table a few times, Ōnoki addressed the newly arrived Anbu:
"Bring the Kitsuchi here."
A moment later, a tall, bearded Iwagakure named Kitsuchi appeared in the Iwagakure office.
" The Third Hokage of Konoha sent me a letter, instructing Iwagakure to secretly launch an attack on Kumogakure. They will tie down Kumogakure's main force, and regardless of the outcome, they will provide us with a large sum of supplies as compensation afterward. Tell me, which side should we choose?"
Ōnoki rubbed his temples and tossed this particularly tricky problem to Kitsuchi.
Although Kitsuchi has a rugged appearance and looks somewhat unkempt, he is one of the best in Iwagakure in terms of both strength and strategy, and he is very likely to become the Tsuchikage in the future, leading Iwagakure to continue to move forward.
Ōnoki also intentionally cultivated the Kitsuchi towards the direction of the Tsuchikage.
After a moment of contemplation, Kitsuchi slowly said:
"There's no need to rush to reject the Third Hokage's 'request,' but there's also no need to rush to send troops to Kumogakure. We can intentionally align ourselves with the Land of Lightning and then make a judgment based on the war situation."
The seemingly honest Kitsuchi has come up with the most ruthless, yet also the most prudent, plan: no matter what, Iwagakure will make a fortune from this war.
The conquest of Konoha was a cause for celebration, with the Three Great Shinobi Villages dividing up Konoha's legacy. As for the Mizukage Mei Terumi's warning, no one took it seriously; in fact, they were hoping things would slow down so that Mei Terumi would simply die in Konoha.
He killed the Hokage and high-ranking officials of Konoha, and now he thinks he can leave Konoha unscathed? Dream on!
If their attack on Konoha fails, they might as well turn around and attack Kumogakure, grabbing a loot from the vulnerable Kumogakure and making off with it. Konoha will have to reluctantly offer a substantial compensation, even if it's a small amount. But every little bit helps!
It was a plan that almost satisfied both sides, and this was exactly what Ōnoki had intended. Therefore, Ōnoki laughed heartily with no attempt to hide his admiration, after all, this was his son.
"Well said. I'm entrusting you with the overall command of this operation. I hope you can achieve great results."
"I will certainly not disappoint Lord Tsuchikage's expectations!"
During the preparations for the third round of the Chunin Ninja Exams, Konoha began frequent personnel reshuffles. Jiraiya was even transferred to the border without even having time to return to the village for a moment.
However, Jiraiya went to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, rather than the border of the Land of Lightning, which needed high-end combat power the most. This was the choice that Hiruzen Sarutobi made in this battle.
They used overwhelming force to repel the Land of Earth's attack, forcing them to retreat and instead attack Kumogakure, plundering Kumogakure vulnerable rear.
Even if Iwagakure is determined to attack Konoha, it doesn't matter; Jiraiya's elite troops will give Ōnoki a surprise.
As for the ninja forces of Kumogakure, Konoha will continuously feign weakness, allowing Kumogakure to advance deeper into their territory. Once they are far enough away, Konoha will rely on its surrounding defensive structures to block Kumogakure's advance and then cut off Kumogakure's ever-stretching supply lines.
Once the Kumogakure discovers that its home has been raided, or that its logistical supplies have been exhausted, it will naturally choose to retreat.
Although the plan is simple, the casualties it will ultimately incur may far exceed expectations. However, Konoha can no longer sustain a three-front war simultaneously...
Hiruzen Sarutobi a deep drag on his pipe. The dire situation in Konoha had left him nearly exhausted, but at this crucial juncture, Konoha could not afford to show any obvious weakness!
As for the Kirigakure Army, let's send out the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; they are currently the only force capable of single-handedly contending with an entire ninja village.
A month passed in the blink of an eye. Although the situation in the Shinobi World had undergone earth-shattering changes, Konoha was not greatly disturbed and continued to live its normal life. The third Chunin Ninja Exams was also held as scheduled.
Seven teams, comprising twenty-two examinees, will engage in fierce 1v1 battles, giving them a chance to become Chunin.
The first match of the Chunin Ninja Exams was between Neji of Konoha and Kankuro of Sunagakure.
In order to preserve his strength for future plans, Kankuro only released one puppet to test the waters for a few rounds before cleanly and decisively choosing to concede defeat.
The second match was between Kirigakure Genin Sunagakure Genin, which was exciting for the Genin, but rather boring in Naoki Senju's eyes.
This was especially true for the three figures on the high platform.
" Konoha has produced some pretty good seedlings this year, much better than our village."
The Fourth Kazekage casually joked, completely disregarding Mei Terumi's increasingly grim expression beside him. Although she didn't care about a mere Chunin Ninja Exams, Kirigakure's defeat in this Chunin Ninja Exams was far too humiliating.
Only one team made it to the final exam, and they were eliminated by Sunagakure as soon as they entered the arena. The remaining two players were of similar strength, which means that Kirigakure was completely suppressed by Konoha and Sunagakure this time!
"Not at all, Sunagakure is full of talented people too. That puppeteer is quite skilled, he's just a little out of sorts."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he defused the Fourth Kazekage's attempt to flatter him, while simultaneously maintaining high vigilance. He brought the One-Tail Jinchuriki to Konoha to participate in a small Chunin Ninja Exams, all while concealing his true strength. The Sunagakure's intentions were definitely not simple.
Orochimaru Kazekage, grinned. The time was ripe. Although the Fourth Mizukage was a problem, he didn't mind dealing with all the troubles at once.
The Konoha Crush Plan begins!