Chapter 387: Where is the Demeanor of a Great Power?
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Toroi's expression change drastically, and he hurriedly retreated two steps back.
'Wait, brother, I've bled for the Village, I've performed meritorious service for the Village. Even if I really were a foreigner, don't treat me like one!'
'Pushing me out to be the sacrificial lamb right now, isn't that just sending me to my death?'
Toroi felt a wave of bitterness in his heart.
He was indeed an Elite Jonin of Hidden Cloud Village, and he was indeed loyal to the Village.
But loyalty did not equate to mindless suicide.
If the Raikage-sama were still here, if there were even a glimmer of hope in the situation, he would be willing to follow the Raikage-sama into battle, even if it meant dying on the battlefield.
But what was the situation now?
The other side didn't even want to kill the people here.
Shouting 'loyalty' and 'Long Live Hidden Cloud Village' while rushing forward to fight to the death now was completely meaningless suicide.
He was willing to risk his life for Hidden Cloud Village, but he was absolutely unwilling to be such worthless cannon fodder.
Furthermore, what if he got hot-headed, rushed up, and got insta-killed, only for his colleagues behind him to see things were going south and surrender immediately...?
Wouldn't he have died for nothing then?
Dying without value, he might even be mocked as a fool by those who surrendered later!
The shrewd Toroi would never take such a losing deal!
"You... You guys..."
The Scarred Jonin watched as Toroi also backed down, trembling with rage. He pointed a shaking finger at Dodai and Toroi, finally squeezing a few words through his teeth:
"You cowards from Sunagakure!"
He seemed to want to provoke Toroi with his words, but Toroi simply turned his head away, pretending not to hear.
Seeing that his provocation was useless, the Scarred Jonin's grief and despair finally reached their peak. He suddenly drew the long blade from his waist, held it high, and let out a final, hoarse cry to all the silent or retreating colleagues around him:
"We are Ninjas of Hidden Cloud Village! None of us fear death!"
"Don't forget, our families are right behind us, we have no way to retreat! For our families, for Hidden Cloud Village, fight to the end!"
His cry echoed in the silent night sky, carrying a tragic sense of resolve.
However, the response he received was an even heavier, dead silence.
Many Ninjas lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
A questioning voice even came from the crowd:
"Um, Senior Ito, aren't you an orphan? Where are these 'families behind you' coming from?"
"Cough, cough..."
Another voice sounded cautiously.
"I heard... that Hidden Leaf Village's Sixth Hokage really never touches civilians..."
Another whispered: "I heard they even give food to the elderly in the Village and provide jobs and such..."
"Our families shouldn't be touched, right?"
"It just so happens my brother has no talent for being a Ninja and can only do odd jobs in Hidden Cloud Village... If the Sixth Hokage comes, maybe he could get a proper job to make a living... and I wouldn't have to worry every day about not returning from a mission..."
As they spoke, some people began to put down their weapons.
In the battle just now, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Hikari had countless opportunities to kill them if they wanted to, yet they were still alive.
The opponent had proven through actions that Hidden Leaf Village truly did not want to massacre the Ninjas of Hidden Cloud Village. So, if they didn't surrender now, were they just waiting to die in a moment?
Respected Hokage-sama, I am a law-abiding citizen, please come in!
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"Hidden Cloud Village surrendered this quickly?"
On the cliffside, Hidan's eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with disbelief and deep disdain!
Shouldering his triple-bladed scythe, he pointed at the Hidden Cloud Village Ninjas below who were kneeling in a large group with no sign of further resistance, his voice rising in shock:
"Where is the demeanor of a great power in this!"
"Where are the hard-boiled men of the Land of Lightning?"
"They're surrendering at a speed no different from those weaklings in the Land of Hot Springs who only know how to soak in hot springs! Bakayaro!"
Hidan's words were full of disappointment and mockery toward Hidden Cloud Village's "spinelessness."
In his twisted values, he would rather see Hidden Cloud Village's blood flow like a river and everyone die on the battlefield as a grand sacrifice of death, rather than see this "pathetic" collective surrender.
He had originally been looking forward to the Eight-Tails going berserk, looking forward to a world-shaking Tailed Beast battle, so he could have the chance to rush down and slaughter to his heart's content, collecting more blood for Lord Jashin.
And the result?
The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, was punching the air like an idiot and was then easily stuffed into a coffin.
The entire resistance of Hidden Cloud Village was like a popped balloon, deflating with a 'pfft'!
This made Hidan feel extremely disappointed and dissatisfied.
However, facing Hidan's complaints and eagerness, Sasori, who was on the side, coldly threw a bucket of cold water on him:
"In that case, you'll be the one to deal with that Uzumaki Naruto?"
Sasori, controlling Hiruko, turned his head slightly toward Hidan.
The meaning in his words was clear: if you think you're so capable, go ahead, don't just stand there making sarcastic remarks.
As someone who had once used 'Performance of a Hundred Puppets' to destroy a small nation, Sasori knew all too well how difficult it was to completely crush—and especially to make a hidden Village surrender quickly.
Even small hidden Villages were difficult to conquer quickly due to factors like small territory, few resources, cohesion, or sheer bloodlust.
Let alone a place like Hidden Cloud Village, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, known for its militarism and toughness?
Normally, even if the top combatant was defeated, the remaining Ninjas should rely on the Village's complex terrain and fortifications to engage in fierce urban combat and guerrilla warfare. Even if they all died in the end, they would cause massive casualties and trouble for the invaders.
That was the defensive posture a great hidden Village should have.
But everything happening below completely subverted common sense.
Based on the intelligence they just observed and the scattered information Black Zetsu had provided before, Sasori's danger assessment of those two young people below had been raised to the highest level.
"Based on known intelligence, those two fellows: one has mastered Wood Release and the Flying Thunder God; the other is an Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan. Other intelligence can't be gathered just by looking at this battle; Zetsu is still the expert when it comes to gathering information."
"The power and nuisance of Wood Release need no explanation. The Flying Thunder God is the most difficult Space-Time Ninjutsu to deal with."
"As for the Mangekyo Sharingan..."
Sasori paused, his tone seemingly undergoing a subtle change.
"Whether all possessors of the Mangekyo Sharingan are strong, I'm not sure."
He added, his voice carrying a rare hint of solemnity.
"But Uchiha Itachi is very strong. If any of you think you can definitely win against Uchiha Itachi, you can try fighting that female Uchiha."
These words silenced Hidan and caused the eyes of Kisame and Deidara, who had been silent, to twitch slightly.
Uchiha Itachi was indeed a powerful person.
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