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Iwagakure.
The village, built within the mountains, was currently shrouded in a dark cloud.
Due to the war, the streets were almost deserted.
Occasionally, a few villagers would pass by, all looking hurried, their heads down as they walked quickly.
A sense of oppression filled the air.
At the guard post at the village entrance, a few Iwagakure shinobi on duty leaned against the wall, basking in the sun idly.
"Hey, how do you think the front lines are doing?" a young genin kicked a stone at his feet.
"Who knows," his companion yawned. "Anyway, with Kitsuchi and Ishikawa-sama there, nothing major can go wrong."
"That's true..."
The few of them chatted desultorily.
Just then, a black dot appeared on the horizon, approaching from afar, rapidly growing larger.
"It's a shinobi hawk!"
"Emergency intelligence!"
The shinobi at the guard post all stood up with a whoosh.
The shinobi hawk swooped down, and an Iwagakure Anbu shinobi, covered in blood, tumbled off its back, falling heavily to the ground.
He was drenched in blood, his face pale.
"Quick... quickly inform Tsuchikage-sama!" the Iwagakure Anbu stammered, swaying. "Western... Western Front..."
Before he could finish, he collapsed stiffly, unconscious.
The faces of all the shinobi present instantly changed drastically.
"Quick! Quickly inform Tsuchikage-sama!"
In the Tsuchikage Tower, in the office, Onoki was buried in a mountain of scrolls.
Since the war began, he hadn't closed his eyes much.
Every battle report, every decision, required his personal review.
"Thump thump thump!"
A series of urgent knocks sounded.
"Enter."
The door was pushed open, and one of the guard post shinobi from earlier rushed in, his face ashen.
"Tsuchikage-sama! Urgent military intelligence from the Western Front!"
Onoki's hand, gripping his brush, instantly froze.
"Read it."
The jonin took a deep breath and unrolled the scroll.
"Reporting to Tsuchikage-sama, I, Ishikawa, leading the Western Corps... am now besieged in the central stronghold, surrounded by the allied forces of Sunagakure and Konoha!"
"The enemy has five thousand troops, we have two thousand, and have already lost a quarter."
"Food supplies only last for three days, and materials are critically low."
With each sentence he read, Onoki's expression grew grimmer.
By the time the last sentence was read, Onoki's face was so dark it looked like a kumo shinobi.
"I implore Tsuchikage-sama to quickly dispatch reinforcements, otherwise... the Western Corps, I fear, will be completely annihilated."
The scroll was read.
The office fell into a deathly silence.
Onoki stared intently at the scroll, not saying a word.
The guard post shinobi bowed his head, not daring to look up at him.
After a long while—
Smash!
With a loud bang, Onoki slammed his fist on the table!
The table shattered in response, and documents scattered everywhere!
"You scoundrels!"
The Tsuchikage's roar echoed throughout the entire building.
"Konoha? Sunagakure? When did they merge their forces?"
"What is the intelligence department doing?!"
The guard post shinobi trembled with fear. "Tsuchikage-sama, please calm your anger!"
"Calm my anger?" Onoki trembled with rage, his small stature now appearing terrifying. "How can I calm my anger?!"
"Two thousand men of the Western Corps! Those are two thousand elites!"
"Now they are trapped there, and will run out of food in three days!"
"How can you tell me to calm my anger?!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and his chakra began to leak uncontrollably.
The air in the entire office became oppressive.
The guard post shinobi knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe loudly.
After a long time, Onoki finally managed to suppress his anger.
"Go, call all the high-ranking officials to the conference room immediately!"
"Immediately! At once!"
"Yes!"
The guard post shinobi, as if granted a great pardon, quickly ran out.
In the conference room, the high-ranking officials of Iwagakure arrived one after another, each with a grim expression.
Clearly, the news of the Western Corps being trapped had already spread.
"Everyone is here."
Onoki looked around, his voice deep. "You all know about the situation on the Western Front, don't you?"
Everyone nodded in silence.
"Speak," Onoki sat down. "What should we do now?"
No one spoke in the conference room. The atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive.
"What? Are you all mute?" Onoki sneered. "Normally you're all so talkative, aren't you? Why is no one speaking now?"
An elder coughed, tentatively saying, "Tsuchikage-sama, in my opinion..."
"The west... I'm afraid it cannot be saved."
"What did you say?" Onoki suddenly stood up, his eyes wide.
The elder was startled, but still bit the bullet and continued, "My lord, you must consider, from the village to the western stronghold, for a large army to march, it would take at least a day at the fastest!"
"And that's not even counting the preparation of supplies!"
"By the time reinforcements arrive, Ishikawa and the others will probably already have..."
He did not continue, but the meaning was clear.
It was too late.
"So, you mean to abandon them?" Onoki's voice was as cold as ice.
"I wouldn't dare!" The elder quickly lowered his head. "It's just... it's just that if we go to rescue them now, I'm afraid..."
"Afraid of what?" Onoki sneered. "Afraid that we too will be surrounded by the allied forces?"
The elder stopped speaking, not daring to respond.
Everyone else also lowered their heads.
But everyone silently agreed with this statement.
Onoki looked at these high-ranking officials, a wave of sadness in his heart.
These people.
Normally, they would all solemnly vow to dedicate themselves to Iwagakure.
But at the critical moment, they all started calculating gains and losses.
"What if we don't save them?" Onoki suddenly asked.
Everyone was stunned.
"If we don't save them, two thousand men of the Western Corps will be completely annihilated," Onoki answered his own question. "Then, Konoha and Sunagakure will march straight in."
"At that time, where will Iwagakure's prestige be?"
"Where will the Land of Earth's prestige be?"
"Who will dare to fight for Iwagakure in the future?"
"Who will still trust me, the Tsuchikage?"
A series of questions made everyone present blush and feel utterly ashamed.
"But..."
Someone else wanted to speak.
"There are no 'buts,'" Onoki interrupted him. "The Western Corps must be saved!"
"Even if..."
He paused, his tone becoming incredibly firm. "Even if it means using the entire village's strength, we must save them!"
The conference room immediately erupted in an uproar.
"Tsuchikage-sama, please reconsider!"
"If we use the entire village's strength, what will happen to Iwagakure?"
"What if..."
Onoki waved his hand, cutting off all dissenting voices. "My decision is made."
He stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Immediately tally all combat-ready forces in the village."
"Aside from essential guards, everyone else will assemble, preparing for deployment."
"This..."
Meanwhile, in another corner of Iwagakure, in a dark alley, two figures stood there.
"Has the message been sent?" a hoarse voice asked.
"It has," another voice replied. "They will act very soon."
"Good."
"Iwagakure will be vulnerable."
"Hehehe..."
Low laughter echoed in the alley.