Terms of Defeat

Chiyo held a deep 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 previous two leaders, the Third Kazekage was undeniably the strongest to hold the title, a fact beyond dispute. Furthermore, he held Chiyo in high regard and showed her great concern.

"Elder Chiyo, are you injured?" The Third Kazekage landed and immediately inquired about her 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 might have truly suffered a grave injury this time." This was no exaggeration.

Salamander Hanzo's individual strength was formidable. Had he been left to continue fighting Chiyo, she would have undoubtedly been defeated. Given the nature of the Salamander, 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 let Hanzo continue his assault on Chiyo.

"Heh, I am glad you are unharmed. Since seven of Elder Chiyo's Chikamatsu Ten Puppets were destroyed, we must demand some compensation from the Land of Rain." The Third Kazekage raised an eyebrow; Sunagakure's treasury might finally see some relief.

Afterward, Chiyo and the Third Kazekage chatted for a while. This period allowed the ninjas to rest, as they intended to force Salamander Hanzo to sign a treaty beneath the city walls that afternoon.

At the south gate.

Salamander Hanzo snorted, "Who is on duty atop the gatehouse? Open the gate! Your leader has returned!"

Just then, Tsunade's figure suddenly appeared on the ramparts. She looked down at Salamander Hanzo with a smile. "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; wasn't this Salamander Hanzo? How had he become so pathetic after only a few days?

Salamander Hanzo's eyes widened. He stared at Tsunade on the ramparts in disbelief. What on earth was happening? Would the Tsuchikage really sit idly by and watch them take Yuji?

No, that couldn't be right. Had the two villages formed an alliance? Impossible! As far as he knew, Onoki was an extremely ambitious fellow; how could he possibly cooperate with Konoha?

Then what was going on? Damn it! What was he to do now? Yuji had been seized, and there were Suna pursuers at his back. Damn it all!

Salamander Hanzo'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 not." She had been informed of the potential situation by Uchiha Xiao before the siege, which allowed her to respond to Salamander Hanzo with ease.

"Then what do you mean by this? You are violating the rules originally established by Senju Hashirama!" Cold sweat streamed down Salamander Hanzo's face. He thought to himself that no one truly cared about the rules of the dead.

However, he still harbored a glimmer of hope. What if the Konoha ninjas returned it to him?

Konoha would naturally return it, but how they did so was another matter entirely.

"Lord Hanzo, do you remember declaring war on my Konoha?" Uchiha Xiao walked onto the ramparts and smiled. He wanted to see what the Demigod of the Shinobi World looked like; this disheveled legend was a rare sight indeed.

Salamander Hanzo frowned; his intelligence reports contained no mention of this person. "Who are you? I remember the declaration of war, of course. Now that you have occupied Yuji, you have won! If you withdraw from Yuji now, I will not pursue this matter further!"

Uchiha Xiao laughed at these words. "Lord Hanzo, are you joking? You were so arrogant when you declared war, yet now that you have been defeated, you remain so high and mighty? Is war nothing but a child's game to you?"

Hearing Uchiha Xiao's words, Salamander Hanzo's heart sank. However, since the other party had not refused to return the city, it meant they had conditions!

"Very well, you have a point. State your terms!" Salamander Hanzo 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 our side three hundred million ryo in silver as compensation.

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

Uchiha Xiao stated the compensation figures he had discussed with Orochimaru. These were within the Land of Rain's capacity to pay, and given their defeat by the Suna ninjas, Salamander Hanzo had no choice but to agree.

Salamander Hanzo trembled. Although he had anticipated that Konoha would demand compensation, his heart still turned cold when he heard the price. But did he have the right to refuse? No!

With a deadened heart, he said, "Fine, I agree. Let me in!"

To his surprise, Uchiha Xiao scoffed. "Empty words are not enough. Our Jonin, Orochimaru, and 800 troops are outside the city. He will sign the treaty with you. Once signed, we will withdraw our troops, and then we will release your Rain Ninjas so they can open the gates for you."

Salamander Hanzo clenched his fists. He had intended to kill his way in once the gates were opened, hoping to change the outcome, but this brat and that woman had calculated everything!

"Fine, send your envoy!" As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru dispatched three ninjas carrying three copies of the treaty—one for Konoha, one for the Land of Rain, and one for Hanzo—to ensure fairness.

Salamander Hanzo gritted his teeth and signed the treaty. After Uchiha Xiao exchanged a look with the envoy and received a nod, he said, "Lord Hanzo is truly a straightforward man. We will release your people now; please wait a moment, Lord Hanzo!"

He then signaled to Tsunade, who nodded and led the soldiers away from Yuji to rendezvous with Jiraiya and Orochimaru. About ten minutes later, Uchiha Xiao said, "Then, Lord Hanzo, until we meet again!"

Uchiha Xiao's figure dissolved into a puff of smoke—it had been a shadow clone! Shortly after, the Rain Ninjas opened the city gates and let Salamander Hanzo inside.

Burning with rage, Salamander Hanzo struck down a Rain Ninja with his scythe and cursed, "A bunch of trash!" He snorted and looked at the cowering ninjas around him. Remembering the treaty he had just signed, he sighed and muttered, "Forget it, let us hope for the best."

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 side of the Konoha forces.

They had reached the border of the Land of Fire. Upon crossing into their territory, they encountered Sarutobi Hiruzen and the main army, who were rushing toward the battlefield.

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused in surprise. "Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, why have you returned? Were you defeated?"

The three exchanged glances and laughed in unison. Tsunade then handed the treaty to Sarutobi Hiruzen. His eyes lit up, and he gasped, "You won! And you even made Salamander Hanzo sign terms of surrender!"