Only after Ōnoki had flown away did everyone gather again.
None of them looked pleased. Konoha had been sweeping aside all opposition, only for Ōnoki to stop them here.
"Ōnoki's getting more cautious by the day," Takigawa said. "He won't give us the slightest chance to get close."
The others nodded. Ōnoki had stayed high in the air precisely because he feared entering the Mangekyo Sharingan's attack range.
"Exactly. Ōnoki is the only one left who can hold Iwagakure together, so of course he's careful. He probably showed up this time to keep Konoha from forcing Iwagakure to surrender its gains.
"Dust Release is a real problem. The Hokage already promised Sunagakure a portion of the gains from Iwagakure, but it looks like collecting them won't be easy," Hatake Sakumo said.
The others nodded without comment. Takigawa and the other five had little interest in Sunagakure's share. They gave no thought to a Ninja Village that had already surrendered.
The next morning, news came from the Land of Birds: Ōnoki had arrived in person and used Dust Release to disintegrate the Sunagakure Camp, inflicting heavy losses.
Pakura led the remaining Sunagakure forces back to the Land of Wind. With that, the Shinobi World War ended after just three months.
Konoha had subdued the Four Great Ninja Villages single-handedly. The news sent the entire Shinobi World into an uproar. At the start of the war, no one had believed Konoha could win.
That it had happened so quickly made the victory even harder to believe.
In the Land of the Moon, Uchiha Jin welcomed a negotiating delegation from the Land of Fire. It included the Finance Minister from the Capital, Orochimaru, and Nara Shikaku.
They sat facing one another inside the Land of Fire's tent.
"Lord Hokage, the Land of Water