Chiyo had faith in the Third Kazekage. Although she was the wife of the First Kazekage and had been around for a long time, the Kazekage had always been chosen based on ability.
Judging by the first two generations, the Third Kazekage was indeed the strongest Kazekage. There was no doubt about that. He also greatly valued and cared for Chiyo.
"Elder Chiyo, are you hurt?" The Third Kazekage had barely landed before asking about her injuries. He hadn't forgotten how she had looked after him in the past.
Chiyo smiled and shook her head. "I have Lord Kazekage to thank for arriving in time. Otherwise, this old woman might really have suffered serious injuries." She wasn't exaggerating.
Salamander Hanzo was no weakling. If he had been allowed to keep fighting Chiyo, she would have lost! And given his temperament, she might even have died on the battlefield!
That was something the Third Kazekage couldn't accept. Chiyo was a bona fide Kage Level fighter, and Sunagakure had very few fighters at that level. There were only him and Chiyo. They had two talented disciples coming up behind them, but those two were only jonin.
So the Third Kazekage couldn't just stand by and let Hanzo attack Chiyo.
"Heh, glad you're all right. Seven of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets were damaged this time, so we'll have to demand a hefty compensation payment from the Land of Rain." The Third Kazekage raised an eyebrow. Sunagakure's finances could finally get some breathing room.
Chiyo and the Third Kazekage chatted for a while. The ninjas would rest for the time being, and that afternoon they would pressure Salamander Hanzo into signing a treaty outside the city gates!
Outside the South Gate
Salamander Hanzo snorted. "Who's on duty atop the gate tower? Open the gates! Your leader has returned!"
Just then, Tsunade suddenly appeared atop the gate tower. With a smile, she looked down at Salamander Hanzo. "Hey! Who's that down there? State your name! This city has been occupied by Konoha. Please take another route!"
Tsunade knew perfectly well who was below. Wasn't that Salamander Hanzo? They hadn't seen each other for a few days, and he'd gotten this pathetic?
Salamander Hanzo's eyes widened as he stared at Tsunade atop the gate tower, unable to believe what he was seeing. What was going on? Would the Tsuchikage really stand by and do nothing? Would he just let them take Yuji?
No, had the two villages formed an alliance? That couldn't be right! As far as he knew, Ōnoki of Both Scales was an extremely ambitious man. How could he possibly cooperate with Konoha?
Then what was going on? Damn it! What was he supposed to do now? Yuji had been taken, and Sunagakure's pursuers were behind him. Damn it!
Salamander Hanzo's expression darkened. "So the God of Shinobi's claim that Konoha would never occupy another country's territory was a lie?"
Tsunade shook her head. "Of course not." Before the attack, Uchiha Xiao had told her what might happen, so she was ready with an answer for Salamander Hanzo.
"Then what do you mean by this? You've violated the rules Senju Hashirama laid down!" Salamander Hanzo was sweating profusely. Rules laid down by a dead man—who would care about those? That was what he thought.
Still, he couldn't help hoping that perhaps Konoha Ninja would give the city back to him.
And Konoha would indeed give it back to him. The question was how.
"Lord Hanzo, do you remember declaring war on Konoha?" Uchiha Xiao said as he stepped onto the gate tower with a smile. He wanted to see what Salamander Hanzo looked like. A bedraggled Demigod of the Shinobi World was a rare sight!
Salamander Hanzo frowned. This man wasn't in the intelligence reports. "Who are you? I remember declaring war. You've occupied Yuji, and you've won! If you withdraw from Yuji now, I won't hold it against you afterward!"
Uchiha Xiao laughed at that. "Lord Hanzo, are you making fun of me? You were so high and mighty when you declared war, and now that you've lost, you're still acting so grand? Do you think war is child's play?"
At Uchiha Xiao's words, Salamander Hanzo's heart sank. But the other side hadn't refused to return Yuji, which meant they had conditions!
"Right, you have a point. Then state your conditions!" Salamander Hanzo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had no choice. He had lost!
"First, the Land of Rain must sign a surrender agreement!
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 ten percent of its ninja missions to Konoha!"
Uchiha Xiao had discussed the compensation with Lord Orochimaru beforehand. The amount was within the Land of Rain's means, and under these circumstances—after being defeated by the Sand Ninja—Salamander Hanzo had no choice but to accept the terms.
Salamander Hanzo shuddered. He had expected Konoha to demand compensation, but when he heard the amount, his heart sank. Did he have the right to refuse? No!
His heart utterly desolate, he said, "Fine, I agree. Let me in!"
Uchiha Xiao sneered. "A verbal promise means nothing. Lord Orochimaru and eight hundred troops are outside the city. He'll sign the agreement with you. Once it's signed, we'll withdraw our troops. Then we'll release your Rain Ninja and have them open the gates for you!"
Salamander Hanzo clenched his fists. He had planned to wait until the gates opened, then fight his way in. That might have changed the outcome after all. But that brat and that girl had actually planned for everything!
"Fine. Send out an envoy!" As soon as he spoke, Lord Orochimaru sent three ninjas forward with three copies of the treaty. There was one for Konoha, one for the Land of Rain, and one for Hanzo, ensuring the agreement was fair.
Salamander Hanzo gritted his teeth as he signed the treaty. Uchiha Xiao exchanged a glance with the envoy, who nodded. Only then did Xiao say, "Lord Hanzo really is a straightforward man. We'll release your people now. Please wait a moment!"
Then he gave Tsunade a look. She nodded and led her troops away from Yuji to join Jiraiya and Orochimaru. About ten minutes later, Uchiha Xiao said, "Until we meet again, Lord Hanzo!"
Uchiha Xiao's figure turned into a cloud of smoke and vanished. It had been a clone! The Rain Ninja then opened the gates and let Salamander Hanzo inside.
Salamander Hanzo was burning with rage. He killed a Rain Ninja with a single slash of his scythe, then cursed, "A bunch of useless fools!" He snorted and looked at the cowardly ninjas around him. Remembering the treaty he had just signed, he sighed. "Forget it. I had such high hopes for him!"
Then he trudged home in a daze and sat down. No one dared disturb him. As he stared at the walls of his home, tears welled in his eyes.
Humiliation. Utter humiliation! He had surrendered to Konoha. This battle was lost!
Meanwhile, the Konoha troops
They had already reached the border of the Land of Fire. After crossing into the country, they met Sarutobi Hiruzen and the main force, who were on their way to the battlefield.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at them in surprise. "Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya—why are you back? Did you lose?"
The three exchanged glances and broke into smiles. Tsunade then handed the treaty to Sarutobi Hiruzen. His eyes lit up, and he drew in a sharp breath. "You won! And you even made Salamander Hanzo sign terms of defeat!"