"The Mizukage has died in battle, the Raikage and Hokage are severely injured, Tsuchikage, what should we do next?"
Flying steadily in midair, the Third Kazekage could not help but ask.
Actually, before this great battle had even begun, the Kazekage had never imagined that their side would lose, and lose so miserably at that.
So much so that now he had no idea what to do, after all, he had never considered the terrible situation they would face after defeat.
The Third Tsuchikage remained silent upon hearing this. After a long while, he spoke in a low voice, "What else can we do? Besides preparing our troops for war, do we have any other path to take? Surrender to Uchiha Ryun... I don't think you would be willing, Kazekage."
"..."
"If he dared to fight all of us head-on in a great battle, that would be one thing. What I fear is him using the tailed beasts to sabotage the major hidden villages... Or like what happened in Kirigakure, destroying the village and then just leaving without a care..."
The more the Third Kazekage thought about it, the more his head ached, and the more frightened he became.
The Third Tsuchikage heaved a heavy sigh upon hearing this. The Kazekage's worries were his worries as well.
"Facing the current situation, I suggest your Sunagakure temporarily cease hostilities with Konoha... Preserving your strength to deal with Uchiha Ryun is the wise move." Ōnoki offered a suggestion.
"Mm, I will seriously consider whether to stop the war."
The Third Kazekage did not give a definite answer, but Ōnoki wasn't concerned about what choice the other would make later.
"Do as you see fit... Anyway, both of our village's Jinchūriki are already in his hands. That guy probably won't have nothing better to do than go smash our Iwagakure again. From now on, you'll have to fend for yourselves..."
Ōnoki suddenly muttered this rather bluntly.
Hearing this, the Third Kazekage instantly became furious.
"Tsuchikage, what kind of talk is that... Initially, it was your three great hidden villages that came to me, asking for my help to eliminate Uchiha Ryun... I agreed without a second word. Now, after we're defeated, you say something like 'fend for yourselves'?? Isn't that a bit too much???"
The Third Kazekage complained with great dissatisfaction.
Their Sunagakure had never offended Uchiha Ryun. It was only because the four Daimyō plus the three Kage came to him, asking for his help, that led to today's battle.
Now, well, the fight was lost, and one of the main instigators, Iwagakure, was starting to shirk responsibility and sell out its allies???
"Ahem... I was just reminding you to be careful of Uchiha Ryun... I didn't mean to evade responsibility. After all, as you know, I detest Uchiha Ryun to the core. As long as he lives another day, our Land of Earth will also rest uneasily..."
The Third Tsuchikage, realizing he had misspoken, quickly tried to remedy it.
"Based on my personal deduction, if that guy still wants to collect the tailed beasts, he will inevitably continue to clash with the Five Great Shinobi Villages. I think his next target will most likely be your Sunagakure's One-Tail, Takigakure's Seven-Tails, or Kumogakure's Eight-Tails."
The Third Tsuchikage made his analysis with a serious expression.
"Why couldn't it be Kirigakure's Six-Tails, or Konoha's Nine..." The Third Kazekage said, then obviously paused for a moment, before his entire face darkened completely.
The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was fucking Uchiha Ryun's little lover. How could that guy possibly target the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki...
"Kirigakure was just attacked by Uchiha Ryun, so it's unlikely he would attack them again. Of course, since Kirigakure is still in a state of ruin, and now with the Mizukage dead, the possibility of him going to Kirigakure again to capture the Six-Tails cannot be ruled out either..."
The Third Tsuchikage uttered a pointless sentence, mostly talking to himself.
Actually, Iwagakure was the safest at the moment, because their village no longer had any tailed beasts... Right now, they really didn't have to live in fear of Uchiha Ryun kicking down their door...
"Tsuchikage, stop saying these meaningless nonsense. I want to know what your Iwagakure will do next? You're not really thinking of 'sitting on a mountain watching tigers fight', are you?"
The Third Kazekage asked, his face full of irritation.
"Right now, we are all in the same boat. If this boat sinks, everyone will suffer. So Iwagakure must not think it can stay out of this."
"I know... I can guarantee Iwagakure will not stand by idly and watch you fall into distress without lifting a finger... The issue of dealing with Uchiha Ryun must be carefully deliberated. The Five Kage Summit must continue..."
The Third Kazekage nodded, then sighed and brought up another thorny problem: "The Mizukage has died in battle now. Who will inform their Kirigakure..."
"I will go... We'll split up. You take the severely injured Raikage back to Kumogakure for treatment. I will inform Kirigakure to go collect the body..." The Third Tsuchikage took the initiative to take on this trouble.
"After you deliver him, immediately contact Kirigakure together with Kumogakure. Don't let them mistakenly think we joined forces to kill the Third Mizukage..."
The Third Tsuchikage rubbed his temples and reminded.
"They wouldn't dare? Why would we have nothing better to do than kill the Mizukage..."
"Now is a sensitive time for Kirigakure. We should avoid misunderstandings if we can..."
"Fine..."
The Third Kazekage nodded helplessly, then raised the final thorny problem:
"Should we make this battle public?"
"If the news of the Five Kage's defeat gets out, the entire shinobi world will likely be thrown into great turmoil. The regimes of the great nations might even become unstable because of it."
"But if we conceal this news, the matter of the Third Mizukage's death will become even more troublesome..."
The Third Kazekage stated his concerns and thoughts one after another.
"The outcome of this battle cannot be made public. We are 'Kage'. We cannot lose, and we cannot afford to lose... If even we lose, then the morale of those below will collapse..." Ōnoki gave his reply with a gloomy face.
"I will continue to communicate with Kirigakure. I believe the higher-ups of Kirigakure are not fools. They should be able to distinguish right from wrong and understand priorities..."
"Alright, then that's settled for now... We'll go our separate ways." The Third Kazekage nodded and prepared to leave.
"Wait. After you return, contact the Daimyō of the Land of Wind. We still need to join forces to put pressure on the Land of Fire, on Konoha..." Ōnoki continued, his face cold.
"Put pressure on Konoha... You mean..."
Before the Third Kazekage could finish his sentence, he saw Ōnoki nod.
"I suspect Sarutobi Hiruzen that guy deliberately got hit, or even pretended to be dead... How could the esteemed Professor be so fragile? Konoha's losses in this battle were the smallest, or rather, facing Uchiha Ryun, their Konoha has consistently had very few losses..."
"After all, Uchiha Ryun defected from their Konoha. Konoha village just watches that bastard wreak havoc on the other hidden villages while they themselves always remain aloof...
Trying to use Uchiha Ryun's hand to weaken the four great nations? How can we let them have their way?"
"If we are going to suffer, then their Land of Fire, their Konoha village, shouldn't expect to have it good either!"
The Third Tsuchikage felt they absolutely must drag Konoha village into the mire.
"Right! I said long ago that Konoha was intentionally letting Uchiha Ryun run amok everywhere. You bastards not only didn't support me... but said I was destroying unity..."
"..."
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