"Konoha and Iwagakure have been actively mobilizing troops for twenty days at the Kannabi Bridge area, attempting a decisive battle..." Rasa, as the Kazekage's assistant, explained to the roundtable meeting, pointing at a map. "But strangely, both villages, having assembled all their forces a week ago, suddenly ceased fire at the last moment and reached a peace agreement."
"What's so strange about that?"
Someone raised a question.
From the Warring States Period to now, the Shinobi World had experienced countless wars. Similar examples were plenty...
Both sides prepare to the end, realize neither has a sure chance of winning, then chicken out and stop.
Or think fighting will only benefit a third party... Numerous situations could lead to such outcomes.
"Indeed, if they just suddenly stopped after preparing to the end, it wouldn't be particularly odd. But..." Rasa scanned the people at the roundtable. Seeing everyone listening attentively, he continued, "The strangeness lies in reaching an agreement suddenly, without any prior signs."
War involves two or even multiple parties. It doesn't stop just because one side doesn't want to fight.
Even if both Konoha and Iwagakure felt continuing the fight wouldn't yield a decisive victory, only mutual destruction. Or worried about someone waiting to pick up the pieces, thus wanting to stop… they would still need to send envoys to communicate and negotiate with the other side before ceasing hostilities.
Because no one knew if the other side was willing to stop.
But neither Konoha nor Iwagakure had this process.
They actively mobilized and deployed troops, gathering all forces at the Kannabi Bridge frontline for a final decisive battle.
Yet on the day of the battle, they suddenly announced a peace agreement, ending the seven-month war between the two villages.
Although everyone present was young, being promoted to roundtable councilors by the Third Kazekage meant they possessed unique qualities.
Over half a year as councilors, they had also been learning and practicing frantically, accumulating much work experience. They understood such situations well.
Thus, after hearing Rasa's explanation, they also saw the unusual aspects and immediately began discussions.
Although the war was at the Land of Earth's border, not directly involving Sunagakure, the Shinobi World's situation was interconnected. Sunagakure, as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, sometimes got dragged into matters even if unwilling. They had to be cautious, attentive to any movements in the Shinobi World.
However,
Even if they sensed something fishy about Konoha and Iwagakure's sudden ceasefire, with too little information, discussions couldn't yield useful conclusions.
"...Any movements from Kumogakure and Kirigakure?"
Suddenly, Ryuji asked.
Everyone looked over, surprised, not understanding why Kumogakure and Kirigakure were mentioned during a discussion about Iwagakure and Konoha.
But no one dared neglect.
Ryuji's combat achievements were too formidable; he had long proven his abilities to the Shinobi World. Especially within Sunagakure, people trusted him immensely and held him in high esteem.
"Kumogakure has been recuperating within their village since their defeat half a year ago. Even shinobi on external missions have been keeping a low profile. Thus, intelligence didn't pay much attention to them. As for Kirigakure..." Rasa said, "Because we fought them in the Land of Whirlpools a month ago, we haven't relaxed intelligence gathering on them... After their defeat, under Elder Genji's' leadership, Yagura became the Fourth Mizukage. Many Kirigakure's Shinobi were dispatched to search for the Three-Tails and Six-Tails' revival locations. Another noteworthy point: the two surviving swordsmen, Biwa Juzo and Kurosuki Raiga, defected from Kirigakure. The newcomers, Hozuki Mangetsu and Kisame Hoshigaki, became the new swordsmen, wielding Hiramekarei and Samehada respectively."
"No other intelligence?"
"None."
Hearing this, Ryuji lowered his head in thought.
The Third Kazekage frowned and asked, "Ryuji, have you thought of something?"
Ryuji looked up, seeing everyone in the meeting room watching him. He nodded. "I suspect the four great villages have secretly allied."
"What!?"
"That's impossible!"
"I heard the Fourth Raikage has a violent temper. His father was backstabbed and killed by Iwagakure. Not taking revenge is already surprising; allying with them is impossible."
"And Kirigakure! They just destroyed the Uzumaki Clan. Konoha can't possibly ally with them!"
"Konoha and Iwagakure are still fighting; how could they ally and join forces so quickly?"
The meeting room erupted like a boiling pot, filled with discussions.
The Third Kazekage, Rasa, Chiyo, Ebizo, and Karura all frowned.
Although they also didn't believe the four great villages, recently locked in life-and-death struggles, would ally, since Ryuji said so, it couldn't be without basis.
After a while, seeing discussions in the meeting room not subsiding and yielding no results, the Third Kazekage lightly tapped the table and called out, "Silence!"
Immediately, the room quieted.
The Third Kazekage nodded slightly, turning to Ryuji. "Ryuji, speak your thoughts directly."
Ryuji looked around and shook his head lightly. "I have no evidence either; just conjecture and intuition."
"That's fine. Share your thoughts."
"Alright." Ryuji nodded and asked a counter-question, "Although Konoha and Iwagakure's sudden ceasefire seems illogical, is it truly illogical?"
Chiyo frowned. "You mean there's something we don't know?"
"Exactly!"
Ryuji nodded and continued, "Illogical things don't exist. If they do, there must be some circumstance we're unaware of. Think, under what circumstance would Konoha and Iwagakure's sudden ceasefire be logical?"
Hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.
Only Ebizo, Sunagakure's military strategist, replied without thinking, "External pressure."
"Correct, external pressure." Ryuji snapped his fingers, drawing everyone's attention back. "If something unknown to us happened back then, forcing both villages to cease fighting, then everything makes sense."
Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.
The Third Kazekage suddenly understood and eagerly asked, "You mean, because Sunagakure's growing strength made them afraid to continue fighting?"
"..."
Ryuji was speechless.
If they stopped fighting out of fear of Sunagakure's strength, they should have stopped after receiving news of Kirigakure's defeat.
But after getting news of Kirigakure's defeat, Konoha and Iwagakure not only didn't stop but actively mobilized for a decisive battle. This showed that while they recognized Sunagakure's threat, they didn't think Sunagakure could threaten them after their decisive battle.
Instead, they felt Sunagakure's growing strength. If they remained in prolonged war attrition, the gap would only widen. So, they tacitly prepared for a decisive battle.
In other words, Sunagakure indeed made other villages feel threatened, but not to an unmanageable degree, let alone enough for four great villages to ally.
"...Perhaps that factor is involved, but I think that factor alone isn't enough for two sides preparing for a decisive battle to suddenly reach a peace agreement."
After a long silence, Ryuji said, "If there's external pressure that could make two sides suddenly reach a peace agreement, it could only come from the other three of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. But Sunagakure did nothing, so we're excluded. That leaves Kumogakure and Kirigakure."
"But Kumogakure and Kirigakure did nothing?" Rasa was puzzled. "Though we didn't specifically collect intelligence on Kumogakure, if they made any major moves, intelligence wouldn't be unaware."
"Some things, once done, are no longer threats but outright hostility."
It's similar to nuclear weapons in the previous world.
Several major powers possessed nuclear weapons, allowing mutual deterrence, preventing use.
But if one actually used them, it would become nuclear war; deterrence would vanish.
Although the Shinobi World lacked nuclear weapons, Jinchuriki held equivalent status. Everyone understood Ryuji's meaning.
After contemplation, the Third Kazekage made a decision. "...Alright. Intensify intelligence gathering on the four great villages. Simultaneously, order village guards and external Shinobi to raise alertness. Logistics prepares for war."
"Intelligence, pay more attention to commercial intelligence from each village!"
Seeing everyone's stunned looks, Ryuji explained, "If the conjecture of four great villages secretly allying holds, what threat could make them ally?"
"The only one I can think of is Sunagakure's growing strength."
"But if they united against Sunagakure, they must prepare means to deal with the Mechanical City… perhaps some forbidden technique or weapon. I lean towards the latter, as I can hardly imagine any forbidden technique dealing with the Mechanical City."
..
Indeed, Ryuji's conjecture was correct.
Because Sunagakure, merely dispatching their elite puppeteer corps and the Mechanical City, crushed Kirigakure's main force, Iwagakure and Konoha once again felt threatened by Sunagakure.
They realized that if they didn't grow stronger but exhausted strength in war, the final result would be destruction by Sunagakure.
But after six months of war, both sides suffered heavy losses. Ending abruptly would waste all previous sacrifices.
Thus, both sides, originally lacking confidence in victory and preparing for a war of attrition relying on overall village strength, tacitly assembled troops for a final decisive battle at Kannabi Bridge.
However, a visitor disrupted their plans.
This person was Zetsu!
After persuading the Raikage, Zetsu went to Kirigakure.
Having just been defeated by Sunagakure, with high command and Jinchuriki nearly all dead, Kirigakure's hatred for Sunagakure was understandable.
Upon learning of a weapon to counter the Mechanical City and an opportunity to destroy Sunagakure, they almost immediately agreed to the alliance plan.
After securing Kirigakure, Zetsu went to the soon-to-clash Iwagakure and Konoha, hoping they would stop the war and ally with Kumogakure and Kirigakure against Sunagakure.
Initially, both Iwagakure and Konoha refused Zetsu's proposal.
But when Zetsu told them Kirigakure and Kumogakure would soon have Sky Castles too, they agreed.
What else could they do?
The Mechanical City's prowess had been proven in two wars.
Now other villages would have them; if they didn't, they'd be left behind by the times, becoming stepping stones under history's wheel.
Under external pressure of obsolescence and greater interests, both villages chose to cease fire and join Zetsu's plan.