Orochimaru's eyes flickered, and he said:
"Our side's new weapon reserves are declining, and the enemy has also encountered a crisis of trust. Going forward, will the enemy unite, split, or cease fighting? How should we respond?"
"War is like an experiment with many variables. To achieve a perfect result, we must constantly adjust..."
Tsunade waved her hand impatiently, not wanting to hear Orochimaru's lamentation, but she felt a sense of urgency in her heart.
Finally...
She had a reasonable excuse to contact Aomi.
Just as Tsunade was about to say something, Aomi appeared at the entrance of the camp, wearing a gentle smile as he looked at her:
"Long time no see, Tsunade-sensei!"
Tsunade blinked forcefully, unconsciously running towards Aomi quickly, only realizing halfway that such behavior was a bit strange for a teacher. She awkwardly slowed her steps but still arrived quickly in front of Aomi, examining him closely.
"Aomi, why are you here!"
"Aomi-kun, I was just about to contact you..."
Orochimaru, disregarding the tense atmosphere, squeezed past Tsunade, causing her to glare at him, but pretended not to notice as he approached Aomi: "Regarding the application of the Tobirama series weapons, I was just about to ask for your instructions."
Aomi nodded: "Do you have the latest battle reports? Let me take a look."
Orochimaru picked up a briefing and handed it to Aomi: "The battle is going well, but the problem is that our forces are still too few..."
"Moreover, the Hidden Cloud still has hidden weapons; having witnessed our Tobirama series ninja tools, they brought out the Six Paths Sage's Treasure Tools, making it a fair contest with us."
Aomi quickly read through, noting that, with the advantage of new weapons and aerial combat, the Hidden Cloud Battlefield could achieve a casualty ratio of nearly 1:4.
For a village possessing two Jinchuriki, a powerful Third Raikage, and highly skilled individual warriors, Konoha managed to achieve this result by deploying just a fifth of its forces, which was indeed commendable.
Aomi, after all, stood alone.
"Do you have concrete intelligence on the Six Paths Treasure Tools?"
Aomi recalled his Sword of Totsuka and Yata Mirror, wondering how these Susanoo Divine Artifacts would fare against those Six Paths Treasure Tools.
"Yes, we do."
Orochimaru showcased his outstanding intelligence abilities: "According to ancient records, Hidden Cloud used the Palm Leaf Fan and Amber Purification Bottle."
"The Palm Leaf Fan is capable of unleashing intense bombardment with five Chakra attributes, easily killing a Jonin, and its Wind Release can resist the erosion of Tobirama No.2's Poisonous Fog."
"The Amber Purification Bottle seemingly has strong sealing capabilities; the Third Raikage used this bottle to absorb some of Tobirama No.1's Black Flame, preventing us from expanding our gains in the last war."
"Hidden Cloud's treasure tools also include the Golden Cloth Rope, Red Gourd, and Seven-Star Sword, but they haven't been used yet, so we don't have detailed intelligence."
Aomi knowingly nodded.
This Hidden Cloud Village truly had deep roots, possessing as many as five Six Paths Treasure Tools, and in the original timeline, they even developed a Chakra Cannon, showing respect for scientific research.
If the reincarnates of the Six Paths Sage, Indra, and Asura had not existed, perhaps under natural competition conditions, Hidden Cloud would have been most likely to become the ultimate winner among the Five Great Hidden Villages, as it's the only village without any traitorous ninja joining the Akatsuki.
Their governance may not be excellent, but among the short statures, they still stood out as the best...
"Based on this casualty ratio, even if we annihilate the enemy completely, Konoha wouldn't be left with many ninjas..."
Aomi tapped on the table:
"We can target the enemy's lower and middle ranks as primary targets, and the enemy's leaders could do the same, especially when they have the advantage in numbers."
"Eliminating the living force is something a Kage can understand."
Orochimaru nodded. He didn't care much about the hundreds of Konoha ninjas who died or were injured; this was just a part of war.
Yet Aomi's next words sent a shiver down even his cold blood:
"Orochimaru, in your opinion, what is the definition of peace?"
Aomi gazed at the intelligence in his hand with some distress, saying: "Based on this casualty ratio, assuming Konoha is left with only a few hundred people, and the other Hidden Villages are also annihilated, does that count as welcoming peace?"
"After all, if only your own people survive and all enemies are dead, does that count as eternal peace?"
Orochimaru, thinking about that scenario...
Aomi's words could be interpreted as suggesting that once everyone was dead, there would be no more wars.
Even Orochimaru, accustomed to conducting human experiments, thought Aomi's idea was a bit too extreme...
"This...shouldn't count, right?"
Orochimaru tentatively said, staring at Aomi's serious expression, feeling a bit anxious.
Indeed, the combination of Uchiha and Senju Tobirama always seemed to produce strange effects!
Aomi, who was evidently so gentle, scoring full marks in the Will of Fire, now started thinking about blowing up the entire Ninja World in such a short time...
Orochimaru had feelings for Konoha; even though he initiated the plan to destroy Konoha in the original timeline, it was only to set the wheels spinning again, tearing apart the stagnant village structure with extreme actions.
But it wasn't to the extent of wiping out Konoha and the other Hidden Villages...
Aomi's eyes seemed genuinely focused on contemplating this issue!
Orochimaru was quite worried. This was the perfect body he had his eyes on; the old man Senju Tobirama better not lead Aomi's thoughts astray, skewing them towards self-destruction!
Thinking along these lines, Orochimaru desperately wanted to end the war quickly and help Aomi get Senju Tobirama out of his mind...
Of course, after that, he would replace Senju Tobirama.
And it wasn't just Orochimaru who wanted Senju Tobirama to leave Aomi's mind.
Tsunade's expression twisted...
The Aomi she knew was the sun who'd make her a warm bowl of chicken soup when competing for bells in class division!
Ever since Aomi erupted with Senju Tobirama's Chakra, although his power soared, he suddenly took control of Konoha's Dark Root, and now his thoughts had become extreme!
"Second Grandfather, you're always saying the Uchiha Clan is inherently evil, but I think you're the..."
Tsunade complained in her heart, recalling what Uzumaki Mito had once told her — "Use Fuinjutsu to throw your Second Grandfather out like trash!"
Tsunade wanted to raise this matter urgently.
"Aomi, this doesn't count as peace, with me beside you, we can take it one step at a time." With a bold gesture, Tsunade held Aomi's hand, looking at him with concern.
"Scientifically speaking, this would be called extinction, not peace...," Orochimaru commented with a fair appraisal: "Of course, we can flexibly redefine peace, but I do not support doing so."
Rarely, Tsunade and Orochimaru stood united on one front.
Meanwhile, the often criticized Senju Tobirama also furrowed his brows at this moment—was it the Uchiha Clan's demonic possession again?
What should be done...
Especially during wartime, when death and blood further intensify emotions, leaving the Uchiha in an unstable state.
"In a few words, it's difficult to persuade Aomi..."
Senju Tobirama pondered: "According to Orochimaru, the battle has reached a relatively stable turning point, and Aomi, in order to protect Konoha, has not yet completely dealt with the Ancient Uchiha Chakra within him, so he shouldn't continue fighting."
"I must find a way to divert Aomi's attention..."
What way could that be?
Senju Tobirama thought of Jiraiya, the grand-student who had been busy almost all his life because of prophecies...
Perhaps letting Aomi listen to the prophecies and pay a visit to the various Holy Lands while studying the Uchiha Stele together would work?
After all, what harm could the stele left by the Six Paths Sage cause?
Although Uchiha Madara defected after reading it, that was no meaningful evidence; in Senju Tobirama's view, it was just an excuse for internal strife from Uchiha Madara.
To achieve peace, do we really need to battle one's own brother to life or death?
Don't be ridiculous...
Senju Tobirama saw many ancient writings, where most of the Six Paths Sage's talks about the "Ninja Sect" were obsolete notions of mutual understanding.
Even though Senju Tobirama greatly despised these, they unexpectedly suited Aomi now.
Moreover, after visiting the Holy Lands, Aomi could try to learn Sage Mode, though there's no certainty he could, but mastering Natural Energy requires a peaceful mindset, which could help calm Aomi down...
A flicker flashed in Senju Tobirama's eyes, and he slowly began to speak:
"Aomi, listen to me..."