Chapter 488: This is Not a Loss, This is a Tactical Retreat

Although Konoha didn't voice its concerns, the Cloud Village ultimately understood the situation. However, such actions—publicly undermining an ally—were better avoided, at least on the surface.

The problem now was the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Roshi.

Ōnoki had no choice but to hand over battlefield command to his son, Kitsuchi, and rush back to Iwagakure with a few guards to deal with the escalating crisis.

The capture of Roshi required serious deliberation among the leadership of Iwagakure.

In the Tsuchikage's office, the atmosphere was tense. The village's leadership, including Ōnoki, was at a loss about how to handle Roshi's situation.

Roshi, you idiot!

It was one thing to leave in anger, but couldn't he have hidden better? The village couldn't find him, yet the enemy could? And now, he was captured and taken to the Cloud Village, bringing shame to Iwagakure.

"Should we withdraw?" someone finally asked.

The war had reached a stalemate, and deep down, everyone knew Iwagakure couldn't win. The problem was finding a suitable excuse to retreat without outright admitting defeat.

Now, the Roshi incident presented a convenient reason to step back.

Jinchūriki, and by extension, tailed beasts, were of paramount importance to a village. They could be unused, imprisoned, or even shunned, but they could never be allowed to fall into the hands of another village.

This was the unyielding bottom line.

"But if we withdraw our troops..."

Wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting defeat? Worse, it could lead to heavy war reparations. Losing the war was bad enough; paying reparations to the Cloud Village would be a humiliation too great for Iwagakure's leadership to bear.

A heavy silence fell over the room. Even the Daimyo of the Land of Earth sat frowning, saying nothing.

Ōnoki surveyed the room, seeing the reluctance in everyone's faces. It was clear—they all wanted the war to end but couldn't bring themselves to admit defeat.

The reality was unavoidable: the war was lost. But accepting defeat was out of the question.

Even if three years of war had achieved nothing, Iwagakure could not afford to bow to the Cloud Village.

"Retreating doesn't mean losing."

Ōnoki broke the silence, standing up to shoulder the responsibility. He knew the others were hesitant to speak freely, fearing the weight of blame for the war's failure.

Fortunately, the Daimyo of the Land of Earth supported Iwagakure, so there was no need to explain themselves to the Daimyo's palace—only to the villagers.

"Everyone, this is just a tactical retreat. Who said we lost to the Cloud Village? Did the Cloud Village win?"

As long as Iwagakure didn't admit defeat, the Cloud Village couldn't claim victory. If they wanted a decisive result, they could come and invade the Land of Earth.

And as for negotiations or war reparations? Ridiculous. Iwagakure didn't lose—what was there to negotiate?

A tactical retreat isn't a loss. And if it's not a loss, why pay reparations?

Ōnoki didn't mind tarnishing his reputation to avoid giving the Cloud Village any satisfaction.

"Ahem! Tsuchikage, this tactical retreat... it won't have any major consequences, will it?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Earth was initially shocked by Ōnoki's bold reasoning but, after some thought, realized it was sound.

The war had been initiated by Iwagakure to invade the Land of Lightning. Retreating tactically didn't mean losing; it was a practical decision to avoid unnecessary losses.

Ōnoki nodded confidently. "Although it might bring some negative effects, the Cloud Village isn't the winner. We aren't victorious, but neither are they. And they wouldn't dare launch an invasion of the Land of Earth."

Ōnoki was certain of this. Iwagakure couldn't afford such a campaign, but neither could the Cloud Village.

Launching an invasion so far from home would strain their logistics—something the Cloud Village had likely considered. Previously, it was Iwagakure dealing with the logistical headaches; now it would be the Cloud Village's turn.

"If they do attack, I'll ensure their supply lines are constantly disrupted. Let's see how long they last."

"Ahem!"

The Daimyo, though slightly embarrassed, saw the reasoning behind this plan and supported Ōnoki. However, he expressed a lingering concern:

"Tsuchikage, even if we retreat tactically, we can't stop people from talking. And there's still the matter of Roshi..."

For Iwagakure to save face, they not only needed to appease their villagers but also address the issue of Roshi.

If the tailed beast were to fall into the Cloud Village's hands, it would be a devastating loss. A tactical retreat might be embarrassing, but at least both sides would share the humiliation. Losing the Four-Tails, however, would turn Iwagakure into a laughingstock.

"I don't know if Roshi can return to the village," Ōnoki admitted, "but the Four-Tails definitely won't fall into the Cloud Village's hands."

Looking at the gathered leaders, Ōnoki explained:

"Even if the Cloud Village tries to keep the Four-Tails, the other villages won't allow it. Both the Mizukage of the Mist Village and the Kazekage of the Sand Village have already contacted me."

"They oppose the Cloud Village gaining control of another tailed beast. Konoha hasn't contacted me yet because they don't want to undermine their allies, but they won't support the Cloud Village in this either."

"If the Cloud Village tries to keep the Four-Tails, Konoha will stand against them. In a four-to-one scenario, the Cloud Village can't force the issue."

"But..." one leader hesitated. "What will it cost us to secure the support of the other villages?"

Iwagakure would need to pay a price to gain their assistance. No one would help them for free. Even if the other villages didn't want the Four-Tails to fall into the Cloud Village's hands, what would they demand in return?

It might be easy to negotiate with the Sand and Mist Villages, but Konoha would be a different story. Securing Konoha's support against its own ally wouldn't be simple.