If given the chance, Onoki wouldn't hesitate to deliver a fierce blow to the Hidden Cloud.
It's different with signing an alliance agreement for joint attacks; no need to worry about exposing vulnerabilities and being ambushed during the attack.
Onoki believes that other Great Ninja Villages would also not want Konoha to see a second Senju Hashirama.
Without Senju Hashirama, they can still be considered equal forces, but with him, Konoha's true strength is beyond a Great Ninja Village, more like a superpower.
...
Land of Fire, Konoha Village.
Hokage Office.
"Lord Third, this is the latest intel from the Land of Grass battlefield." Anbu reported.
Upon hearing it was from the Land of Grass battlefield, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled slightly.
He believed it was likely good news because Mokgetsu had recently gone to support Jiraiya on the battlefield in the Land of Grass.
However, upon reading the specific details of the report, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned from shocked to solemn.
Strictly speaking, it was indeed good news, but not the kind he imagined.
Knock knock.
"Uchiha Madara..." Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the wooden desk.
The testament and clues left by Shimura Danzo made him suspect that Uchiha Madara might have left behind a successor.
But the intel from the Land of Grass stated that the Uchiha Ninja Mokgetsu killed was not a successor but seemingly Uchiha Madara himself.
Could the "Uchiha Madara" causing trouble in Shimura Danzo's death event be the same person as the one Mokgetsu killed?
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought it was highly likely they were the same person.
Since Uchiha Madara targeted Shimura Danzo, it wouldn't be unusual for him to target Mokgetsu as well.
Currently, Mokgetsu is truly worthy of being called "the future of Konoha." If Mokgetsu were to perish, it would be an enormous loss for the entire Konoha.
As for whether the ninja Mokgetsu killed was truly Uchiha Madara, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't ascertain.
Unlike Jiraiya, who only heard of these events, Sarutobi Hiruzen had even personally witnessed the aftermath of the battle at the Valley of the End not long after it ended.
Logically, Uchiha Madara shouldn't be alive.
But such is reality, and given Uchiha Madara's former strength, Sarutobi Hiruzen increasingly thought Senju Hashirama might have faltered and didn't truly kill Uchiha Madara back then.
"I wish I were at the battle site."
Sarutobi Hiruzen could recognize Uchiha Madara's Chakra; if he were present, he would undoubtedly identify the opponent's identity.
"Advise Jiraiya not to act rashly for now, send a scouting team to observe Hidden Rock Squad's response," Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered the Anbu he summoned.
He really wanted to personally see Uchiha Madara's corpse, but now was not the right time.
Having others bring the corpse back to Konoha was risky, while Jiraiya and Mokgetsu were temporarily unavailable.
Moving Jiraiya made Sarutobi Hiruzen worry Mokgetsu might encounter danger; moving Mokgetsu could jeopardize the border defense line.
Due to Uchiha Madara's ambush, Hidden Rock likely already knows Mokgetsu's strength through intelligence.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wondered what choices Hidden Rock would make; if they withdrew, he would call Mokgetsu back.
If Hidden Rock increased troops and continued the war, Sarutobi Hiruzen would personally lead a squad to support Mokgetsu, aiming to subdue Hidden Rock once and for all.
Currently, they have a large number of Hidden Mist captives, and the Hidden Mist Village will likely agree to sign a treaty.
Facing only Hidden Rock and the Hidden Cloud, Konoha isn't too worried right now.
As days went by, the Ninja World's atmosphere suddenly turned strange.
The Hidden Mist on the southeastern battlefield of the Land of Fire was defeated and captured, while the Hidden Rock Squad on the Land of Grass battlefield retreated to the border with the Land of Earth.
The once war-ridden Konoha suddenly became leisurely, only the Hidden Cloud in the Land of Hot Water continued massive battles against the Ninja Squad led by Orochimaru.
This left the Hidden Sand Village, ready to watch the drama unfold, confused about why the battles suddenly stopped.
Due to Mokgetsu's swift resolution on the southeastern battlefield, not only were other Ninja Villages unaware, but even the Hidden Mist Village only learned of Karatachi Yagura's immense defeat and capture when Konoha approached them for peace talks.
The Third Mizukage was extremely speechless; he initially planned to mobilize a thousand-strong Ninja Squad from the Land of Waves as backup for Karatachi Yagura. Still, before the backup was fully in place, Karatachi Yagura was quietly eliminated.
The Third Mizukage didn't even know the cause of Karatachi Yagura's defeat, especially since he had previously overcome the Ninja Squad led by the Konoha's high ranks.
Even though the Third Mizukage regarded Karatachi Yagura as a successor, this defeat left him highly dissatisfied with Karatachi Yagura.
Though Karatachi Yagura suffered a defeat last time, the loss wasn't particularly severe save for the Seven-Swords Ninja and a Jinchuriki who couldn't control the Tailed Beasts properly.
This time, however, nearly the entire Ninja Squad, including Karatachi Yagura himself, was captured; calling it a total annihilation wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"What do you think of Konoha's proposal for peace talks?" The Third Mizukage asked as he looked at the Hidden Mist high ranks.
The Hidden Mist leaders exchanged glances, hesitant to speak, with even Genma lost in thought.
It couldn't be helped; this treaty was indeed a hot potato.
To agree would mean not avenging Hidden Mist and having to compensate Konoha, a considerable loss of face.
To refuse risked Konoha going berserk and killing the thousands of Hidden Mist captives, leading to chaos or even internal strife in the village.
Ignoring other factors, these thousand ninjas themselves were already a considerable force.
The Third Mizukage was somewhat dissatisfied, and just as he was about to speak, the meeting room door knocked.
"Enter," the Third Mizukage said calmly.
The Hidden Mist Anbu entered the meeting room, swiftly went to the Third Mizukage's side, and whispered, "Lord Third, Hidden Rock envoys sent by Onoki have arrived at our village."
"Hidden Rock?" The Third Mizukage felt rather perplexed.
Though Hidden Mist and Hidden Rock were not at war, their relationship wasn't particularly good.