Chapter 489: Ōnoki: Procrastination is the Key to Success in Every Battle

Konoha may not want to see another tailed beast in the Cloud Village, but standing against its allies is an entirely different matter.

"Konoha... I'll find a way," Ōnoki said after a moment of thought, though his tone revealed uncertainty.

Even he wasn't sure whether Konoha would firmly oppose the Cloud Village.

Such matters were unpredictable.

Damn that Third Hokage!

Every time Ōnoki thought about how Konoha had chosen to ally with the Cloud Village instead of Iwagakure, his frustration boiled over.

Didn't Hyuga Shizuichi explain the stakes to you? Why did you choose the Cloud Village? Were you out of your mind?

Fortunately, the Third Hokage had already retired, which offered Ōnoki a small sense of comfort.

The next move by Iwagakure left everyone observing the war stunned.

After the high-level meeting, Ōnoki decisively issued an order to withdraw troops.

When the Iwagakure ninjas retreated from the battlefield in the Land of Lightning, everyone assumed Iwagakure had conceded defeat.

The natural next step would be negotiations with the Cloud Village to determine reparations—how much blood Cloud Village could extract from Iwagakure.

Even the Cloud Village thought the same.

Since Iwagakure had withdrawn its forces, it was clear they had admitted failure. All that was left was for the envoys to arrive for talks.

But as time passed, and the Third Raikage grew impatient, there was still no sign of an envoy from Iwagakure.

"What is Ōnoki planning?" Tsunade asked, frowning in confusion. "He ordered the withdrawal of troops and pulled all Iwagakure ninjas out of the Land of Lightning. So why hasn't he sent envoys for negotiations? What's the point of withdrawing troops, then?"

"Maybe..." Shinki began, seemingly piecing together Ōnoki's strategy.

"What?" Tsunade asked, her curiosity piqued.

Shinki speculated, "I think Iwagakure realized they couldn't win the war. But rather than admitting defeat, they've used Roshi's capture as an excuse to withdraw all their forces to the Land of Earth."

"And then?" Tsunade blinked.

"And then... that's it. Iwagakure pulled back its troops but never admitted defeat. Without admitting defeat, there's no need to send an envoy for negotiations. It's as simple as that."

Tsunade stared in disbelief.

"Can you even do that?"

Under normal circumstances, withdrawing troops was as good as conceding. But Ōnoki's approach defied expectations.

By withdrawing his forces and doing nothing further—no envoy, no negotiations—he essentially said, I'm leaving, but I'm not admitting defeat. And since I haven't admitted defeat, your Cloud Village isn't the winner either.

It was a bold, almost rogue move.

And it left the Cloud Village with no way to respond.

Tsunade was floored by the audacity of Ōnoki's strategy.

"Isn't Ōnoki worried that the Third Raikage will get angry and retaliate by attacking the Land of Earth?"

This kind of tactic was bound to provoke anyone, and the Third Raikage was not known for his patience.

Shinki chuckled at Ōnoki's cleverness. "If Iwagakure dares to pull this off, they're clearly confident the Cloud Village won't launch a large-scale invasion. The logistics of attacking the Land of Earth are too challenging for the Cloud Village. Ōnoki knows this and will exploit it by targeting their supply lines if they push too hard."

If Ōnoki intercepted their logistics, there would be little the Cloud Village could do.

Tsunade couldn't help but mutter, "But what if the Third Raikage decides to keep the Four-Tails?"

Shinki leaned back on the sofa, adjusting his posture.

"That's exactly where Ōnoki's brilliance lies. He knows that neither the Sand Village nor the Mist Village will allow the Cloud Village to keep the Four-Tails. And in the end, even Konoha will oppose it, despite being their ally."

Ōnoki's plan was simple: stall for time, wear down the Cloud Village's patience, and eventually negotiate to minimize losses while securing the return of the tailed beast.

Tsunade sighed. "This guy... what a move. It's a good thing the Sand Village didn't pull something like this, or the Third Hokage would've been driven mad."

Of course, Ōnoki could pull this off because of Iwagakure's positioning and resources. The Sand Village didn't have such leverage.

For the Cloud Village, attacking the Land of Earth was logistically taxing, but Konoha could easily target the Land of Wind. If the Sand Village tried to use the same tactics, Konoha could retaliate swiftly and decisively.

Ōnoki could afford to play this game. The Third Kazekage couldn't.

If the Sand Village tried, Konoha wouldn't hesitate to crush them, regardless of excuses.

Meanwhile, in the Cloud Village, the Third Raikage was seething.

After Ōnoki withdrew his forces, the Third Raikage made it clear that Iwagakure's envoys would be harshly dealt with during negotiations. But when no envoys came, his threats turned into empty words.

For a leader as proud as the Third Raikage, this was intolerable.

Not only had Ōnoki insulted him by refusing to admit defeat, but he'd also left the Third Raikage in an embarrassing position.

Now, the Cloud Village was stuck: they couldn't claim victory, nor could they retaliate effectively without suffering significant losses.

"When will your plan start?" Tsunade asked, remembering that Shinki had mentioned inviting all the villages to Konoha to expose Uchiha Madara's conspiracy after the war.

"Not yet," Shinki replied with a smile. "There's no rush. Right now, it's more fun to watch the drama between Iwagakure and the Cloud Village. Let's wait until their squabble dies down."

Tsunade stared at him. "You're seriously just watching for fun?"

Shinki smirked. "Why not? It's their problem, not ours. There's no reason Konoha can't enjoy being a spectator for once."