Dodai walked up to the Fourth Raikage and bowed.
"Lord Raikage..."
"I was the one who led the surrender..."
"I'm willing to accept whatever punishment you give me..."
The Fourth Raikage's expression shifted through a jumble of emotions, but in the end, it settled into calm.
In that moment, the young Raikage, who had held the position for less than two years, had grown considerably.
He patted Dodai on the shoulder, his face betraying no joy or anger.
"You did the right thing, Dodai..."
"We can't fight anymore in this situation. Protecting our shinobi was the right call..."
"I'm the one who failed as Raikage..."
"I led you into defeat."
The Fourth Raikage glanced over the number of Cloud Ninja and quickly understood what had happened.
Sarutobi Hiruzen must have overwhelmed Killer B with blinding speed. The battle had likely ended before the shinobi below even got a chance to engage.
For the Cloud Ninja, already demoralized by the attack on their homeland, it was a devastating blow.
Even if Dodai had organized one last counterattack, it would only have been like moths flying into a flame.
Against a group of top fighters in their prime, led by Sarutobi Hiruzen, it would have been nothing but a suicide charge.
Worse, it might have tried Sarutobi Hiruzen's patience and driven him to vent his anger by slaughtering every last Cloud Ninja.
And the Fourth Raikage wasn't wrong.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had thought the same thing. Having come from Blue Star in his previous life, he naturally had a degree of faith in civilized conduct.
A bloodless victory was always best; there was no need to let his subordinates suffer unnecessary casualties.
And the more Cloud Ninja he captured, the higher he could raise his demands later.
But if the Cloud Ninja refused