"Actually refused..." Onoki looked at the message Kitsuchi brought back and fell into deep thought.
As the planner, he naturally understood the importance of the Ninja Sect and Sosuke, so Onoki offered what he considered very favorable conditions.
Onoki expected Sosuke might refuse, but he didn't expect Sosuke to reject so decisively. According to the returned information, almost none of the conditions were accepted.
"Is there some hidden agenda I'm unaware of?" Onoki's brows furrowed deeply.
Sosuke's reaction exceeded his expectations.
Under normal circumstances, Sosuke should very much need the strength of the Hidden Rock right now.
Most people in the Ninja World only noticed Shimura Danzo's death, but only the Hidden Rock, which considered the Land of Rain as a step in its strategic plan, noticed something else—that the legendary demigod Hanzo also died.
In Onoki's conception, Hanzo's death was likely related to Shimura Danzo and Konoha.
If Sosuke killed Hanzo, then Rain Village couldn't possibly continue to cooperate amicably with Sosuke.
Although the possibility of a coup conspiracy exists, given Sosuke's previous behavior, Onoki considered this probability to be small, and Rain Village's current situation didn't indicate it went through a coup.
So, having lost Hanzo, a powerful ally, and having offended Konoha, Onoki couldn't understand why Sosuke rejected Hidden Rock's goodwill so straightforwardly.
Doesn't Sosuke worry about Konoha's ninja squad infiltrating the Land of Rain?
Konoha doesn't even need to exert much effort; they just need to send a ninja squad from the Land of Grass meant to defend against Hidden Rock to attack the Land of Rain, easily breaching the border defenses.
"Or is he waiting to strike a better deal?" Onoki found it momentarily difficult to gauge.
Sosuke isn't like Hanzo; Sosuke suddenly appeared and then became famous in the Ninja World, and Onoki wasn't confident in grasping Sosuke's character and personality accurately.
Just then, the door to the Tsuchikage Office was knocked upon.
"Third Lord, here's the latest war report from the Hidden Cloud and Konoha." Anbu quickly opened the door to report upon receiving Onoki's nod.
Onoki nodded slightly, and the Anbu placed the intelligence on Onoki's desk and promptly left.
"Is the Hidden Cloud trying to test Konoha's defenses this time?" Onoki was a bit surprised after reading the intelligence.
This time, the Hidden Cloud seemed to be getting serious, first launching a surprise attack in the north of the Land of Fire, then deploying numerous squads to cause havoc in the north, and quickly sending ninja squads to engage the Konoha ninja squad stationed in the Land of Hot Water.
Onoki took out the map of the Ninja World, realizing that if the Hidden Cloud in the Land of Hot Water could defeat the Konoha squad, the north of the Land of Fire would become a paradise for the Hidden Cloud, allowing them to come and go freely.
"If the Hidden Cloud succeeds, the Hidden Rock will have more room to maneuver," Onoki stroked his goatee.
Jiraiya has constantly been obstructing the advancement of Hidden Rock's ninja squad in the Land of Grass.
If the northern part of the Land of Fire falls, then Konoha's ninja squad in the Land of Grass would also be greatly affected, making them easy prey from both flanks.
When the time comes, the Hidden Rock could strike the Land of Fire's defenses at close range, or sail with a large force to the Land of Hot Water to stab the Hidden Cloud in the back.
Ninja Villages don't have absolute enemies, only absolute interests. If stepping on the Hidden Cloud has a higher success rate, Onoki would give them a ruthless hit without hesitation.
However, for now, Onoki is more inclined to deal with Konoha, as Konoha has been living too comfortably; in the last two wars, Konoha was the one laughing in the end.
"We could first attempt to offer better conditions." Onoki started drafting new orders to Kitsuchi.
If he can pull the Ninja Sect over, he should definitely try.
When allied ninja squads stand in the Land of Rain, even if they do nothing, they could still divert Konoha's energies.
...
Land of Fire, Konoha.
Namikaze Minato gazed at that familiar giant wooden gate, exhaling with relief and smiling.
Even for a ninja like him, there is pressure on the battlefield.
Due to Minato's active request, Ino-Shika-Cho took most of the ninja squads to support Orochimaru, while Minato led the injured from the squad back to Konoha.
The upper echelon's approval was within Minato's expectations; because of his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, he has long been utilized by Konoha's top brass as a firefighting figure for various S-level tasks.
If Konoha were to elect the busiest Jonin during the war, his name would certainly be included.
Having been busy for so long, a little rest was only fair, and besides, his return to Konoha wasn't purely for rest; there was serious business at hand.
Minato first headed to the Hokage Building to report the task situation to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"The large number of small squads from Hidden Cloud in the northwest and mid-north were merely to divert our attention; once we successfully intercepted and stopped the elite squad led by the AB Combo, they quickly retreated..."
Though the intelligence had been reported once before, post-return briefings are a different matter altogether and are a required protocol.
Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed heartily after taking a sip of tea and saying:
"Thanks to your quick actions, Minato, otherwise the forces over in the Land of Hot Water might have suffered setbacks."
Konoha boasts many powerful figures, but the one Sarutobi Hiruzen feels most assured and satisfied with right now is surprisingly the youngest pair, Mokgetsu and Namikaze Minato.
Their only issue might be that they are too young, lacking a bit in experience.
"It's mainly because Shikaku was timely in his findings," Minato humbly responded.
After reporting the mission, Minato didn't linger for long and quickly left the Hokage Office.
"Once the war concludes, what position should be arranged for Minato?" Sarutobi Hiruzen contemplatively watched Minato's departing figure.