The leaders of the two Ninja Villages coincidentally chose the same strategy. In the ensuing battles, the Kumogakure Ninja and Konoha Ninja operated in small squads embedded within the Samurai Corps, coordinating with the samurai to eliminate enemy samurai while engaging opposing Ninja squads.
While this method certainly reduced Ninja casualties, it also dragged the war into a prolonged stalemate. At this point, the two nations had entered a tug-of-war that showed no signs of ending soon.
Initially, no one had reacted to Kumogakure's surprise attack plan. However, once the Kumogakure offensive was stalled and the Land of Lightning's Samurai Corps was forced to join the fray, other nations became aware of this conflict between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. Different nations reacted differently; small countries naturally refrained from interfering, considering themselves lucky as long as they weren't dragged in. Only the three other Great Nations were capable of joining this war.
In the Land of Earth to the northwest of the continent, as soon as Iwagakure received the latest updates on the war between the two nations, a short young man immediately ran to the Tsuchikage's office. He burst through the door and shouted, "Teacher, new intelligence has arrived!"
This young man was named Ōnoki, the grandson of the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa. The man he addressed as teacher was the current Second Tsuchikage, Mu.
The Second Tsuchikage Mu was wrapped entirely in bandages, with only his eyes exposed, making him look like a mummy. He nodded and said, "Mhm, let me see."
Ōnoki hurriedly handed over the intelligence scroll. Mu scanned the contents and remarked, "Heh, it seems the Land of Lightning's plan has failed. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, one could say the Land of Lightning has already lost."
"Really, Teacher?" Ōnoki was shocked. Currently, the Land of Lightning showed no signs of defeat.
"Ōnoki, you must remember that war is never just about one person. Beyond the armies on the front lines, one must look at the overall strength of the nation," Mu explained. "The Land of Fire has fertile soil and abundant resources, so logistical supply is naturally not an issue. But look at the Land of Lightning—at the Five Kage Summit, they greatly depleted their financial resources to purchase two Tailed Beasts. Furthermore, they didn't make sufficient preparations for this surprise attack—otherwise, the Land of Fire would have noticed long ago. The war situation may seem balanced, but as time passes, the Land of Lightning will run out of steam and gradually retreat."
Mu was known as the'Strategic General' within Iwagakure. His outstanding intellect and keen observation skills had made him a Strategist by the First Tsuchikage's side. During the Land of Earth's annexation of other nations, Mu had proposed many ideas that even the Daimyo of the Land of Earth approved and implemented as primary strategies.
While other nations were still guessing the outcome of the war between Lightning and Fire, Mu had already determined the winner and the loser. As long as things remained stable, the Land of Fire's victory was inevitable. Unless Kumogakure could catch the Land of Fire off guard again like they did at the start, but the Second Hokage had already learned his lesson and would never repeat that initial mistake. Therefore, he believed the Land of Fire would certainly prevail.
"In that case, Teacher, we should help the Land of Lightning. Kumogakure is quite formidable, yet even they are losing to Konohagakure. The power of the Land of Fire is simply too great," Ōnoki said urgently.
"Oh? Ōnoki, do you believe the Land of Fire is our enemy?" Mu asked back.
"Are they not?" Ōnoki was momentarily stunned.
"Of course not." Mu shook his head slightly. "Ōnoki, you must understand that while the Land of Fire is powerful—perhaps the most powerful among the Great Nations—to us, it is not the greatest threat."
Ōnoki was somewhat puzzled. Konohagakure's strength was clearly immense, so why was it not considered a major threat to Iwagakure?
Mu said, "Almost every Ninja in our Iwagakure can use Earth Release Ninjutsu."
Just like the name 'Iwagakure' implies, earth is the foundation of our Village. While Earth Release lacks the raw destructive power of Lightning Release or Fire Release, it is exceptionally good for defense. A defensive line constructed with Earth Release is practically impenetrable to most armies—except for one type of army that can easily break through."
Ōnoki was no fool; he immediately understood Mu's meaning. In the cycle of elemental weaknesses, Lightning Release counters Earth Release. This meant that for other nations—including the Land of Fire—Iwagakure's Earth Release was an insurmountable barrier. However, Kumogakure could easily use Lightning Release to shatter it, moving through as if no one were there.
"Exactly. The Land of Lightning is our greatest enemy," Mu said calmly.
"But Teacher, didn't you say the Land of Lightning would lose this war? Then they shouldn't be much of a threat," Ōnoki still couldn't wrap his head around it.
Mu nodded. "That is true. The Land of Lightning will lose, but that doesn't mean their vitality will be severely damaged. Konohagakure certainly won't want to pay too high a price, so the war will end once both sides find the terms acceptable. And once the Land of Lightning realizes why they failed this time, Ōnoki, what do you think they will do?"
"Hmm... they will probably find a way to close the gap with the Land of Fire," Ōnoki thought for a moment and said.
"Very good." Mu nodded approvingly. "Then do you think the Land of Lightning will continue trying to swallow the Land of Fire's territory, or will they go for the Land of Rice Fields?"
The Land of Rice Fields was a country situated between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. It wasn't a Great Nation, but its strength was decent. Being able to survive between the expansions of Fire and Lightning was a testament to its capability. Of course, another reason was that both Fire and Lightning needed to digest the vast amounts of land they had recently seized and didn't want to expend extra effort fighting the Land of Rice Fields.
Kumogakure's surprise attack route this time went directly through the Land of Rice Fields. It was likely that the Land of Rice Fields didn't want to make an enemy of Lightning, nor did they favor Fire—after all, the Land of Fire had annexed part of their territory years ago. Thus, the Land of Rice Fields maintained a neutral stance, neither obstructing nor assisting.
"That seems unlikely. The Land of Rice Fields won't just watch the Land of Lightning occupy them, and the Land of Fire won't want the Land of Lightning's borders to touch their own," Ōnoki said.
"Therefore, seizing land from other directions is what the Land of Lightning should do. Now do you see what they will do?" Mu asked.
Ōnoki had an epiphany. Since the Land of Lightning couldn't continue hostilities with the Land of Fire after their defeat, they would have to find a breakthrough elsewhere. The Land of Frost, the Land of Valleys, and the Land of Earth were undoubtedly suitable targets—especially since Iwagakure's fundamental techniques were countered by Kumogakure's.
"Not only should we not help the Land of Lightning, we should help the Land of Fire strike them down, or at least leave them unable to expand. This is what best serves the interests of our Land of Earth. At the very least, Konohagakure's aggression isn't as high as Kumogakure's. Even with their great strength, they won't necessarily attack proactively. Even if a real fight breaks out, they are easier to defend against than the Land of Lightning," Mu explained. This was why he feared Kumogakure more.
"I see." Ōnoki agreed with his teacher's reasoning, but he couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
Mu keenly sensed Ōnoki's thoughts and said, "Ōnoki, from our position, we cannot let personal likes or dislikes dictate our actions. We must prioritize the interests of the Village and the nation. Our personal feelings are unimportant compared to them; our concern should be how to secure the greatest benefit. The 'Iwa' in Iwagakure stands for a boulder—tenacious and unyielding. While ensuring our own stability, we then seek what we need."
"Yes." Ōnoki lowered his head slightly. His hostility toward the Land of Fire wasn't just because of its power; a deeper reason was that years ago, when he and Mu went to Konohagakure to request a military alliance, they were humiliated by Uchiha Madara. From that moment on, he had hated Konohagakure, even though that was Madara's personal behavior and not Hashirama's intent.
Mu's warning was to point out the error of letting personal feelings override the Village's interests. In the future, Ōnoki would inherit Mu's position. As the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, he could not be someone who acted on a momentary whim while disregarding the welfare of the Village.