Hyūga Tennin's appearance at the head of the Konoha Alliance commander—Amamiya Raizen—sent a tremor through the entire Hyūga coalition. The moment the soldiers stationed in Qishui Gorge saw them walking side by side, confusion rippled through the ranks like lightning across still water.
"Why is Lord Tennin bringing him here?" someone whispered, voice cracking. "Is this a trap?!"
Even among Raizen's own men, suspicion flared. They had fought the Hyūga too long to believe peace could be real. Several captains moved to block Raizen's path, but he only raised a hand, palm outward.
"Relax," he said quietly, voice edged with weariness. "If he wanted me dead, he'd have done it ten miles ago."
With that, he followed Tennin down into the gorge.
When the two leaders arrived, the camp erupted. Thousands of Hyūga shinobi, battle-worn and bleeding, froze where they stood. The sight of Raizen—the butcher of three thousand Hyūga—was enough to ignite every grudge at once. Rage burned in their pale eyes.
Hyūga Tennin ignored it all. "Summon the high council. To the command tent," he ordered flatly.
Raizen walked behind him through rows of tents, sensing hatred from every direction. The valley itself was small, carved into a long, twisting trench that ran like a scar between the cliffs. Fires burned low, smoke stinging the air. Even now, Qishui Gorge reeked of fear and chakra residue.
When they reached the meeting tent, every clan representative of the Hyūga coalition was already waiting—Sarutobi, Shimura, Hibiscus, and others. The air was suffocating with tension.
The moment Raizen stepped inside, the atmosphere turned to stone. Hands twitched toward weapons. If Tennin hadn't been standing beside him, he'd have been torn apart.
A man in a dark robe rose, voice dripping with frost.
"Patriarch Hyūga, why have you brought this enemy into our council?"
The speaker's crest bore a stylized hibiscus flower—Hibiscus Yoshimaru.
Before Tennin could reply, a Hyūga jōnin snapped, "Yoshimaru! Watch your tongue! You dare speak that way to the commander of the coalition!?"
Yoshimaru clicked his tongue and looked away, realizing he'd overstepped. Tennin didn't scold him; his calm alone was louder than anger.
"Enough." Tennin gestured to one of his subordinates. "Bring the others in."
The Hyūga ninja nodded and stepped out. Minutes later, orders began to circulate through the camp—commands sealed with Tennin's own crest.
All Hyūga shinobi are to cease combat immediately.
Konoha Alliance forces are to be admitted into the valley.
All noncompliant shinobi are to be restrained.
At first, the orders were met with disbelief. But when the carriers revealed the patriarch's personal seal, even the doubters fell silent.
Then came the noise.
Screams. Scuffles. The sound of steel clashing within the gorge.
Some Hyūga refused to accept surrender; others fought them to enforce it. The gorge became a storm of confusion and blood.
Inside the tent, the murmurs grew until someone snapped.
"Patriarch Hyūga, what is the meaning of this!?"
A Shimura elder stepped forward, fury shaking his voice. "Have you lost your mind?"
Tennin's eyes met his. Calm. Cold. Final.
"I have surrendered," he said. "The Hyūga coalition now joins the Konoha Alliance. The war ends today."
The tent erupted.
"You—what did you just say?!"
"You've doomed us all!"
"Hyūga Tennin, you traitor—!"
Outside, the shouting grew louder. The Hibiscus clan's section was collapsing into chaos. One of Yoshimaru's men tried to bolt from the tent, only to feel a blade strike the back of his head. He staggered, blood trickling down his neck.
Turning weakly, he saw the attacker—his own clansman.
"Why…?" he croaked.
The man's expression was torn between shame and resolve. "It's over. Lord Raizen promised mercy. The Hyūga have surrendered. If we keep fighting, we all die for nothing."
Yoshimaru tried to respond, but darkness took him first.
The Sarutobi elders exchanged looks as the truth sank in. Two-thirds of their own jōnin had already defected or accepted Raizen's terms. The fighting outside had grown faint—less resistance, fewer screams.
The eldest sighed. "So this is how it ends," he murmured. "No grand victory, no hero's fall. Just exhaustion and surrender."
He looked at Raizen. "You've won without killing the last of us. I suppose that makes you the only sane man left."
Raizen didn't answer. He simply glanced at Tennin, whose posture remained straight despite his wounds. In that moment, there was no hatred between them—only mutual understanding born of too many battles.
Outside, the final shouts faded into silence. The war that had swallowed thousands had finally choked on its own blood.
A Hyūga messenger rushed in, kneeling. "Patriarch Tennin! The gorge is secure!"
Tennin nodded slowly. "Good. Then it's over."
Raizen exhaled, stepping toward the tent's entrance. "Over, sure," he muttered, eyes glinting. "But peace doesn't mean safety."
He pushed aside the flap, walking into the pale dawn as the smoke began to clear.