Chiyo had full confidence in the Third Kazekage. Although she was the wife of the First Kazekage and had seniority, the position of Kazekage had always been given to the most capable.
In terms of strength, the Third Kazekage was undoubtedly the strongest among the three Kazekages so far. This was beyond doubt. As for Chiyo, the Third Kazekage held her in high regard and cared for her deeply.
"Elder Chiyo, are you injured?" The Third Kazekage landed and immediately asked about Chiyo's condition. He had not forgotten the care Chiyo had given him in the past.
Chiyo smiled and shook her head. "Thanks to the Kazekage's timely arrival, otherwise this old woman might have really been seriously injured." This was not an exaggeration.
Hanzo's individual strength was undeniable. If he had been allowed to fight Chiyo freely, she would have undoubtedly lost. Given Hanzo's temperament, Chiyo might even have died on the battlefield.
This was something the Third Kazekage could not accept. Chiyo was a genuine Kage-level combatant. Currently, Sunagakure had very few Kage-level fighters—only himself and Chiyo. Although there were two talented disciples below them, their strength was only at the level of jōnin.
Therefore, the Third Kazekage could not stand by and watch Hanzo attack Chiyo.
"Heh, it's good that you're fine. This time, seven of Elder Chiyo's Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu were destroyed. We should demand some compensation from the Land of Rain." The Third Kazekage raised his eyebrows. Sunagakure's finances would finally have some breathing room.
Afterward, Chiyo and the Third Kazekage chatted for a while. The shinobi were given time to rest, and in the afternoon, they would pressure Hanzo to sign a treaty at the city gates.
---
Under the Southern Gate of Amegakure
Hanzo snorted coldly. "Who is on duty on the city wall? Open the gates! Your leader has returned!"
At that moment, Tsunade appeared on the city wall. She looked down at Hanzo with a smile.
"Hey! Who's down there? State your name! This city has been occupied by Konoha. Please take another route!"
Tsunade naturally knew who was below—it was Hanzo. Had he become so weak in just a few days?
Hanzo's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Tsunade on the wall. What was going on? Would the Tsuchikage just stand by and watch them take Amegakure?
No, had the two villages formed an alliance? Impossible! As far as he knew, Ōnoki of the Two Scales was an extremely ambitious man. There was no way he would cooperate with Konoha.
Then what was happening? Damn it! What should he do now? With Amegakure taken in front and Sunagakure's forces chasing from behind, this was a disaster!
Hanzo's face darkened. "Does the principle that the God of Shinobi established—that Konoha never invades other nations—mean nothing?"
Tsunade shook her head. "Of course not."
Before the siege, she had been briefed by Uchiha Ryun on possible scenarios, so she was prepared to counter Hanzo's arguments.
"Then what do you mean by this? You are violating the rules Hashirama Senju set!" Hanzo was sweating profusely. In his heart, he knew that no one cared about the rules set by the dead.
But he still held onto a sliver of hope—what if the Konoha shinobi returned the city to him?
And Konoha would indeed return it, but the manner of return was another matter entirely.
"Lord Hanzo, do you remember declaring war on Konoha earlier?" Uchiha Ryun stepped onto the city wall with a smile. He wanted to see what Hanzo looked like—this humbled "Half-God of Shinobi" was a rare sight.
Hanzo frowned. This person was not in the intelligence reports.
"Who are you? Of course I remember declaring war. Now that you've occupied Amegakure, you've won! If you withdraw now, I won't hold it against you later!"
This made Uchiha Ryun laugh. "Lord Hanzo, are you joking? You were so arrogant when declaring war, yet even in defeat, you're still so domineering? Is war a game to you?"
Hearing this, Hanzo's heart sank. However, the other party had not outright refused to return Amegakure, which meant they had conditions.
"Fine. State your terms." Hanzo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was no other choice—he had lost.
"First, the Land of Rain must sign a surrender treaty.
Second, the Land of Rain must pay Konoha 300 million ryō in reparations.
Third, after the war, the Land of Rain must hand over 10% of its shinobi missions to Konoha."
Uchiha Ryun stated the terms he and Orochimaru had agreed upon. These demands were within the Land of Rain's capacity to bear, and given Hanzo's defeat by Sunagakure, he had no choice but to accept.
Hanzo trembled. Though he had expected Konoha to demand reparations, the actual amount still chilled his heart. But did he have the right to refuse? No.
With a heart full of despair, he said, "Fine. I agree. Let me in."
To his surprise, Uchiha Ryun scoffed. "Words alone mean nothing. Outside the city, our jōnin Orochimaru and 800 troops are waiting. He will sign the treaty with you. Once it's signed, we will withdraw and release your Rain shinobi to open the gates for you."
Hanzo clenched his fists. He had planned to fight his way in once the gates opened, hoping to turn the tide. But this brat and that damned girl had anticipated everything.
"Fine. Send an envoy."
As soon as he spoke, Orochimaru sent three shinobi with three copies of the treaty—one for Konoha, one for the Land of Rain, and one for Hanzo—to ensure fairness.
Hanzo gritted his teeth and signed the treaty. After Uchiha Ryun exchanged glances with the envoy and received a nod, he said, "Lord Hanzo is indeed decisive. We will release your men now. Please wait a moment."
He signaled to Tsunade, who nodded and led the troops out of Amegakure to regroup with Orochimaru and Jiraiya. About ten minutes later, Uchiha Ryun said, "Then, Lord Hanzo, until we meet again."
His body dissolved into smoke—it had been a shadow clone. Soon after, the Rain shinobi opened the gates and let Hanzo in.
Hanzo, consumed by rage, swung his sickle and killed one of the Rain shinobi on the spot. "Useless trash!" He glared at the cowering shinobi around him, then sighed. "Fine. Bury him with honors."
With a heavy heart, he walked to his home and sat down. No one dared to disturb him. Staring at the walls, he couldn't hold back his tears.
This was humiliation—utter humiliation. He had surrendered to Konoha. The war was lost.
---
Konoha Camp
The troops had reached the border of the Land of Fire. As they stepped into the country, they encountered Hiruzen Sarutobi and the main force, who were rushing to the battlefield.
Hiruzen was stunned. "Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya. why are you back? Did we lose?"
The three exchanged glances and laughed. Tsunade handed the treaty to Hiruzen, whose eyes lit up as he read it.
"We won! And forced Hanzo to sign terms of surrender!"
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