- Maybe so," Onoki agreed, but he grinned wryly, "but this time we'll only be pulling back some of the forces to fulfill the treaty, and letting the most ardent supporters of the war get killed.
- You want to take advantage of the moment and stabilize the internal situation," Tsuchikage's son nodded understandingly.
- Exactly! The other great villages will be weakened, destroying each other's forces, while Iwa will consolidate around our clan and retain most of its military potential," the elderly shinobi leaned back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully, "it may well allow us to claim to be the leading force in seven or ten years, when the time comes for the next redistribution of spheres of influence.
- But it's not certain that Konoha will agree to such a plan," Kitsuchi, who had fought in the last war, pointed out snidely, "by accepting peace on our terms, rather than fighting their way to Iwagakura as they did earlier.
- That is why the timing should be as good as possible," Tsuchikage frowned, folding his arms across his chest, "albeit to the detriment of our future allies.
After all, it was only agreed to go to war with Konoha, not to fight to the bitter end.
***
- What?!
The roar from the Raikage's office caused all the ninja who were in the vicinity of the office building to jump reflexively. The clinking of glass and flying shards of glass, furniture, and even masonry stones, clearly demonstrated the correctness of such behavior and the degree of rage of the Kumogakure leader.
- That disgusting little runt! How dare he make such a condition!
The dark blond man's powerful chest heaved, the dumbbell handle clenched in his left hand creaked, and his face breathed fury at the news.
- I apologize, Raikage-sama, but I was unable to get other terms," Ishigari Yusuke bowed, accustomed to such outbursts from his superiors, "Tsuchikage has taken a hard line from the start, very unhappy with our little ruse.
- Ai-sama, are we going to agree to Tsuchikage's terms? - Dodai, who was also present for the report, asked.
- We need this alliance! - The said shinobi almost growled, throwing the damaged training equipment into the wall and ignoring the rumbling and splattering of stone chips, began to pace the office, "Even if the price is Rikudo's legacy, there's no other way - equalizing power with Konoha is worth it. Besides, if Onoki thinks I'm going to forget his insolence, he's sorely mistaken!
Despite the long-standing plans that would result in the imminent death of the Kumogakure residents, Ai cared for his subordinates in his own way, and if there was a choice between parting with one of the Sage of the Six Paths' treasures and the increased mortality of the fighters under his command, due to the more serious resistance of Konoha's forces, the second option was not even considered.
There will always be casualties in war, it's an inevitable fact of life, but like a good ruler, the Raikage sought to do everything possible to reduce casualties, whether it was funding the training of new iryonins, quality education, or affordable uniforms.
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