The Eight-Tails was still negotiable, but the Nine-Tails was completely out of the question. Forget Black Zetsu and Nagato—even if Madara Uchiha came himself, Hikaru would only have two words for him: No way!!!
"..." The Four Kage were instantly left speechless by Hikaru. They could see that he simply did not want to waste any more words on them. No matter how much they pestered him, they would only be wasting their breath.
When I kindly warned you before, every last one of you thought I was crazy. You thought I was too timid, that I was overestimating the Akatsuki Organization, and you even isolated me and pushed me to the sidelines? Go on, then. Keep struggling. I'm not sticking around.
Having gained nothing from Hikaru, they could only leave first. After all, there was still a mountain of messes waiting for them to handle.
News that the Allied Forces of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Akatsuki Organization quickly spread, throwing the entire world into an uproar.
On top of that, news that Akatsuki had officially declared war on the Five Great Shinobi Villages also leaked out. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for things not to become lively.
Bringing their wounded and their dead with them, the people of the Five Great Shinobi Villages swiftly left the Land of Rain and returned to their own villages. A new round of discussions and negotiations was about to begin. This was no longer some minor skirmish—they were getting serious now.
On the front-line battlefield, the shinobi armies of Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure all withdrew swiftly, returning to their respective villages to prepare for war.
Hikaru also returned to Konoha with Konoha's transport convoy. The Third Hokage sought him out immediately.