Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen repelled the Third Kazekage, the main force of Sunagakure began to retreat and shrink.
Another decisive battle took place on the southwestern edge of the Rain Kingdom.
Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade led Konoha's elite forces to hold back Hanzo of the Salamander and his elite Rain Ninjas who intended to expand their victory and plunder Konoha's remaining soldiers.
The battle was extremely brutal, with poisonous fog everywhere. Only Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were left in the entire Konoha army.
The battle lasted a whole day and night, and both sides were exhausted.
In the end, Hanzo was unable to completely defeat these three Konoha rising stars who had great coordination and amazing resilience.
Finally, after knowing that Sarutobi Hiruzen rushed to the front line to defeat the Sand Village troops, he had to stop fighting and rethink his relationship with the Fire Country.
He sheathed his sword and stepped back, standing in the mud. Looking at the three Konoha ninjas who were also covered in wounds but still standing stubbornly, a complex look flashed in his eyes.
In the end, the Rain Country lost everything in this battle.
"This battle is Konoha's victory, so I will let you go." Hanzo's voice sounded a little dull through the ventilator.
"I don't need your pity!" Jiraiya looked at Hanzo who was standing high above him and said angrily, "We can still continue to fight."
"Stop talking, Jiraiya." This was Tsunade stopping Jiraiya. The current Sannin were no match for Hanzo.
"You three are all very strong, and you were able to survive in such a situation. From now on, I, Hanzo, will call you the Three Ninjas!"
"As the price of living, each of you must bear your own honor!"
After saying that, Hanzo led the elite Rain Ninjas and retreated quickly as if blending into the rain curtain.
Jiraiya gasped, wiped the blood and rain from his face, and tried to grin but couldn't.
Hanzo bestowed upon the Three Ninjas in the future as an honor for their ability to fight against the demigods of the ninja world in their youth.
Now it is an incredible shame for them.
The three ninjas looked at each other in silence.
Konoha lost this war badly. It was defeated in the battle with the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind could only win the battle with the help of the teacher. The battle with Hanzo was lost even more miserably.
Konoha will definitely have to lick its wounds after this war.
It is worth noting that because Konoha suffered a crushing defeat in this battle, the three ninjas were not in the mood to recuperate in the cave, so Jiraiya missed Nagato and the other two at that time.
~~~~~~~~
"Lord Chichen!" An Anbu appeared instantly.
"The Tsuchikage-sama has reached the rear base through reverse summoning and is coming at full speed!"
The oppressive atmosphere in the command center was instantly ignited.
A smile finally appeared on Yamagami's tense face: "Great! Quick, get ready to welcome the Tsuchikage-sama!"
Soon, a steady sound of footsteps accompanied by a slight floating sound was heard.
The iconic short figure of the two great masters Ohnoki appeared at the door, his large Tsuchikage cloak covered with dust from the journey.
His eyes immediately locked onto Chi Chen.
"Teacher." Chi Chen bowed slightly.
"Humph, you made quite a noise, boy."
Ohnoki's voice was still hard, but the corners of his mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly, and then his face hardened again.
"I heard that you destroyed all of Konoha's wealth? You even broke the arm of the famous Konoha White Fang?"
"We are forced to do so," Chi Chen replied, looking at his teacher, "We can't let them succeed."
Ōnoki floated over to the sand table and looked at the huge blank space and the symbol representing Konoha's retreat. His red nose twitched slightly, "Well done! This battle has demonstrated the power of our Iwagakure. That old fox Danzo will probably lose everything this time."
He turned towards the mountain and said, "What are Konoha's conditions for peace? Tell me."
Shan Shang immediately reported: "The initial demand is 2 billion taels of silver in compensation, the surrender of all bases in the northern part of the Rain Country, the opening of trading ports, and the permission for our caravans to freely enter the Fire Country for trade activities.
Konoha has accepted compensation and the surrender of its stronghold, but hopes to further negotiate the terms of trade. Sarutobi Hiruzen has already set off for the Land of Rain to handle subsequent matters.
"Two billion? Humph, that's a bit of sincerity." Ohnoki's eyes flashed, "This can greatly alleviate the domestic situation. Trade is also good. We are the big winners this time."
He paused and looked at Chi Chen: "Boy, the armistice does not mean the end of the war. Konoha and Sunagakure have both suffered great losses. The war has long linked them together with hatred, which is not good for us in the future."
Chi Chen certainly knew about this situation, but it could only be eased with time. This was why he was reluctant to join the Kingdom of Earth too early at the beginning. Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished.
"Teacher, a ceasefire line can be drawn and compensation can be collected, but the cycle of hatred will not end.
Konoha suffered heavy losses, and Sunagakure was also inevitably damaged by Sarutobi Hiruzen's counterattack, and the Land of Rain was even more devastated.
The next conflict may occur in a few years or even a decade, due to resources, hatred, or the inertia of great power competition.
He pointed to the symbols on the sand table representing the three kingdoms of wind, earth, and fire, and finally his finger landed heavily on the center representing the entire ninja world.
"A mere ceasefire among our three countries cannot bring about true peace.
The Thunder Kingdom and the Water Kingdom are still watching and may even take advantage of the situation. We need a larger and more binding framework.
An opportunity for the five major countries to sit down together, jointly draw up rules, clarify boundaries, establish communication channels, and even... try limited cooperation.
We can even support the Rain Country to become a buffer zone between us."
Ohnoki's eyes suddenly sharpened: "Framework? You mean... the Five Kage Summit?"
"Yes," Chi Chen said firmly, "taking advantage of this victory, I, Iwagakure, will invite the four Kage of Fire, Wind, Thunder, and Water to hold a Five Kage Summit at the border of the three kingdoms of Earth, Fire, and Wind, or at a neutral location such as the Iron Kingdom!"
"What's the reason?" Shan Shang couldn't help but interrupt.
"Why would the other Kage, especially Konoha, who were just severely damaged by us, and Sunagakure, who might also be suffering, listen to us? And don't you know that the Raikage has a bad temper? The Water Country also pursues a policy of isolation. Will they buy into our proposal?"
Chi Chen had already prepared a plan: "They will agree, for three reasons."
"Firstly, the outcome of this battle has spread throughout the ninja world. Our Iwagakure Village has become a force that cannot be ignored. If we bring in the Fire Nation and the Wind Nation to join us in a meeting, I'm afraid the Raikage and the Mizukage themselves won't agree.
We will also ask Hanzo to join us this time. We will give him some money and can even build a factory here. Given Hanzo's feelings for the Rain Country, he will definitely be closer to us, and this way our sphere of influence will be further expanded.
We will also have a good reputation among the people. If we leak this information and say that we want to cooperate with Hanzo, they won't be able to help themselves.
Ultimately, what we are fighting for is the reputation of establishing a peaceful order. Even if we cannot achieve it in the end, we must first spread the word. All countries that want to benefit must join in."
Chi Chen's eyes became deep, "Teacher, our plan needs a peaceful external environment to continue to advance. The Five Kage Summit is a good opportunity. We can definitely add our own ideas to it. We will still make money in just a dozen years."
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