Sunagakure Surrenders

"Bad news! Konoha's people are here again!"

"So many Explosive Tags!"

"Quick! Get more people over here to defend!"

"I don't want to die yet..."

A vast chorus of panicked shouts shook the heavens.

In an instant,

Chiyo's expression changed drastically as she sat lost in thought inside the main tent. She hurriedly called for the elders and rushed out of the tent with them. Looking up, they saw dozens of Star Clan ninja carrying Konoha Jonin on their backs, continuously raining Explosive Tags down upon their position.

The sight made Sunagakure's higher-ups grit their teeth in fury, but an irresistible fear also took root deep within them.

They were like ghosts that refused to go away!

They had endured Konoha's repeated air raids only last night. Before the Sand ninja had even had time to recover, Konoha's forces had come again!

Were these Konoha ninja determined to wipe them out completely?

"Elder Chiyo, please make a decision quickly!"

As countless Explosive Tags, guided by kunai, came crashing down over their heads, every member of the Elder Council turned to Chiyo, waiting to hear her decision.

Even the Sand ninja fleeing for their lives forgot to run as they looked toward Sunagakure's leaders at the center of the camp.

With the Fifth Kazekage yet to be chosen, Chiyo and the elders held the greatest authority in all of Sunagakure.

Whether to fight or surrender depended entirely on a single word from them.

Chiyo's gaze flickered, and cold sweat already covered her brow. She turned to look at the Konoha ninja wreaking havoc above Sunagakure, then at the Sand ninja who had suffered grievous casualties.

She nodded weakly and rasped, "Surrender to Konoha..."

At last, the weight in the elders' hearts lifted. The moment Chiyo nodded, several old men waved toward the sky and shouted:

"Friends from Konoha, Sunagakure surrenders! Please stop attacking!"

In the sky, the Konoha ninja who had been busily throwing Explosive Tags froze mid-motion at those words.

Along with the Star ninja carrying them, they were all stunned, wondering whether they had heard wrong.

Sunagakure had surrendered?

In other words, the war between Konoha and Sunagakure had lasted only a week, and Konoha had already won?

"Hey, did we hear that wrong just now?" a flying Star ninja asked a clansman beside him.

"No. Those old Sand ninja said they wanted to surrender to us!" The Star ninja beside him was brimming with excitement.

The Konoha Jonin leading the group also smiled as he instructed the ninja who had come with him, "One team will remain here and land somewhere on the ground. If Sunagakure tries to attack us again, take to the air immediately!"

"I'll return at once to report this to Lord Hokage!"

"Got it!" The others nodded one after another.

The Jonin smiled faintly and said to the Star ninja beneath him, "Brother, sorry to trouble you. We need to return to camp immediately."

The Star Clan ninja quickly nodded.

His mind was still dwelling on Tobirama Senju's words before the battle.

Combining Hoshigakure's Mysterious Peacock Method with Explosive Tags could actually create such devastating power on the battlefield. Why had the Star ninja never thought of that?

On second thought, even if they had, a small ninja village like theirs could never have afforded such massive Explosive Tag consumption.

As expected of the Hokage. Even in strategy, he far surpassed others!

But now they were part of Konoha too. Thinking of that filled him with pride, and even his flying speed increased.

Sunagakure had surrendered!

At first, most Konoha ninja could not believe the news. After all, the majority of them had not even personally gone to the battlefield to face the Sand ninja head-on. Besides, only seven days had passed since the war began.

Winning against Sunagakure in seven days? Anyone could tell that was impossible.

But when Chiyo and Sunagakure's Elder Council personally came to their army camp, they had no choice but to believe it.

Only then did everyone realize that the Sand ninja had truly surrendered!

Inside Tobirama Senju's tent.

Chiyo and the two oldest Sunagakure elders sat across from the round table. Tobirama Senju sat directly opposite them, with Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake seated on either side of him.

Chiyo carefully studied Tobirama Senju, wanting to see what changes the First Hokage's younger brother had undergone after being revived.