Defeat Clause

Chiyo held great respect for the Third Kazekage. Although she was the wife of the First Kazekage and possessed immense seniority, the position of Kazekage had always been reserved for the most capable.

When considering the strength of the Third Kazekage in comparison to his two predecessors, he was undoubtedly the strongest to hold the title. This was a point beyond dispute, and in turn, the Third Kazekage held Chiyo in high regard and showed her great concern.

"Elder Chiyo, are you uninjured?" Upon landing, the Third Kazekage immediately inquired about Chiyo's condition; he had not forgotten the guidance she had once provided him.

Chiyo smiled and shook her head. "Thanks to your timely arrival, Kazekage-sama, otherwise I truly might have suffered a grave injury this time." This was no exaggeration on her part.

Salamander Hanzō possessed formidable individual strength. Had he been left to continue his assault on Chiyo, she would have undoubtedly been defeated. Given Hanzō's nature, Chiyo might even have perished on the battlefield.

This was something the Third Kazekage could not accept. Chiyo was a genuine Kage-level combatant, and Sunagakure currently possessed too few of such caliber—only himself and Chiyo. While there were two talented disciples below them, their strength was still only that of Jonin.

Therefore, the Third Kazekage could not sit idly by and allow Hanzō to continue his offensive against Chiyo.

"Heh, it is good that you are unharmed. Elder Chiyo, since seven of your Chikamatsu Ten Puppets were destroyed, we must demand proper compensation from the Land of Rain." The Third Kazekage raised an eyebrow; at the very least, Sunagakure's treasury might finally see some relief.

Chiyo and the Third Kazekage chatted for a while longer. They allowed the ninja time to rest, for by the afternoon, they intended to force Salamander Hanzō to sign a treaty beneath the city walls.

Beneath the South Gate.

Salamander Hanzō snorted coldly. "Who is on duty atop the gatehouse? Open the gate! Your leader has returned!"

Just then, Tsunade's figure suddenly appeared atop the ramparts. She looked down at Salamander Hanzō with a smirk. "Hey! Who is that down there? State your name! This city has been occupied by Konoha, so please take another route!"

Tsunade naturally knew who was below; was this not Salamander Hanzō? How had he fallen so far in just a few days?

Salamander Hanzō's eyes widened. He stared at Tsunade in disbelief. What on earth was happening? Would the Tsuchikage really sit by and do nothing? Would he watch them take Rainy Clearing?

No, had the two villages formed an alliance? That was impossible! As far as he knew, Ōnoki of Both Scales was an incredibly ambitious man; how could he possibly cooperate with Konoha?

Then what was going on? Damn it! What was he to do now? Rainy Clearing had been seized, and he had the Suna forces pursuing him from behind. Dammit!

Salamander Hanzō's expression turned grim. "Could it be that the principle the God of Shinobi spoke of—that Konoha never occupies the territory of other nations—is a lie?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Naturally, it is not." Uchiha Kō had informed her of the potential situation before the siege, which allowed her to respond to Salamander Hanzō with ease.

"Then what is the meaning of this? You are violating the rules established by Senju Hashirama!" Cold sweat streamed down Salamander Hanzō's face. He believed in his heart that no one cared about the rules of a dead man.

However, he still harbored a sliver of hope. What if the Konoha ninja were willing to return it to him?

Konoha would naturally return it, but the terms of that return were a different matter entirely.

"Hanzō-dono, do you remember declaring war on my Konoha?" Uchiha Kō walked onto the ramparts and smiled. He wanted to see what Salamander Hanzō looked like; this bedraggled demigod of the ninja world was a rare sight indeed!

Salamander Hanzō frowned; his intelligence reports contained no mention of this person. "Who are you? I naturally remember the declaration of war. You have occupied Rainy Clearing, so you have won! If you withdraw from Rainy Clearing now, I will not pursue this matter further!"

Uchiha Kō laughed at these words. "Hanzō-sama, are you joking? How is it that you were so arrogant when declaring war, yet you remain so high and mighty now that you have been defeated? Is war nothing more than a child's game to you?"

Hearing Uchiha Kō's words, Salamander Hanzō's heart sank. However, the fact that the other party did not refuse to return Rainy Clearing meant they had conditions!

"Very well, you have a point. State your conditions!" Salamander Hanzō closed his eyes and took a breath. There was no help for it; he was the one who had lost.

"First, the Land of Rain must sign a formal letter of surrender!

Second, the Land of Rain must pay us three hundred million ryo in silver as compensation.

Third, after the war, the Land of Rain must hand over 10% of its ninja missions to our Konoha!"

Uchiha Kō stated the compensation amount he and Orochimaru had calculated. These figures were within the limits of what the Land of Rain could bear, and given that he had been defeated by the Suna ninja, Salamander Hanzō had no choice but to agree.

Salamander Hanzō trembled. Although he had anticipated that Konoha would demand compensation, his heart still turned cold when he heard the price. Yet, did he have the right to refuse? He did not!

With a heart full of despair, he said, "Very well, I agree. Let me in!"

To his surprise, Uchiha Kō sneered. "Empty words are worth nothing. Our Jonin, Orochimaru-sama, and 800 troops are outside the city. He will sign the contract with you. Once signed, we will withdraw our troops, and then you may release your Rain Ninja to open the gates for you!"

Salamander Hanzō clenched his fists. He had intended to wait for the gates to open and then slaughter his way in, hoping to change the outcome, but this brat and that girl had accounted for everything!

"Fine, send your envoy!" As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru dispatched three ninja carrying three scrolls. There were three copies in total: one for Konoha, one for the Land of Rain, and one for Hanzō, ensuring the fairness of the contract.

Salamander Hanzō gritted his teeth and signed the contract. After Uchiha Kō exchanged a glance with the envoy and received a nod, he said, "Hanzō-sama is indeed a straightforward man. We will release your people now; please wait a moment, Hanzō-sama!"

He then signaled to Tsunade. Tsunade nodded and led the soldiers away from Rainy Clearing to rendezvous with Jiraiya and Orochimaru. About ten minutes later, Uchiha Kō said, "Then, Hanzō-sama, until we meet again!"

Uchiha Kō's figure dissolved into a puff of smoke; it had been a shadow clone! Shortly after, the Rain Ninja opened the city gates and let Salamander Hanzō inside.

Salamander Hanzō, burning with rage, struck down a Rain Ninja with his scythe and cursed, "A bunch of trash!" He snorted coldly at the cowering ninja around him, remembered the contract he had just signed, and sighed. "Forget it, give him a proper burial!"

He then walked toward his home in a daze and sat down. No one dared to disturb him. As he stared at the walls of his home, he could not help but shed tears.

Humiliation—naked, utter humiliation! He had now surrendered to Konoha; this battle was a total defeat!

On the other side, the Konoha forces.

They had reached the border of the Land of Fire. Upon crossing into the territory, they encountered Sarutobi Hiruzen and the main army, who were just arriving at the front lines.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned. "Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, why have you returned? Have you been defeated?"

The three looked at each other and laughed in unison. Tsunade then handed the contract to Sarutobi Hiruzen. Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes lit up, and he gasped, "You won! And you even made Salamander Hanzō sign terms of surrender!"