Looking down at the Konoha ninja still busy hauling supplies, it was clear that stripping this town clean would take some more time.
Xuandou simply found a quiet corner, closed his eyes, focused, and sank his consciousness into his mind.
"Draw."
[D-rank reward: 40%, C-rank reward: 50%, B-rank reward: 10%]
The wheel spun, then slowly stopped.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have received a D-rank reward: a slight increase to your chakra capacity.]
Immediately afterward, a gentle surge of life energy welled up from deep within his body.
Xuandou briefly assessed himself and found that his total chakra had indeed increased.
But the increase was probably only enough to cast two or three more C-rank ninjutsu.
"My first D-rank reward, and the gap between this and the previous rewards is way too big."
Xuandou could not help frowning.
He considered it silently.
Looks like once I get back, I have to compete for the position of clan head as soon as possible and find a way to raise the clan's prosperity level.
Otherwise, with odds like these, I'm really wasting these hard-earned draws.
As he thought, the system notification sounded in his mind again:
[Ding! Main quest triggered.] [Main quest issued: Unequal treaty] [Quest description: You have already secured enormous gains in this war. Negotiate peace with Sunagakure and sign a treaty requiring Sunagakure to pay no less than five billion ryo in reparations.] [Quest reward: Draw attempts ×1.]
"Peace talks... it's about time."
Xuandou understood.
With only a few hundred ninja at his disposal, taking Sunagakure was simply unrealistic.
But how could he force them to the negotiating table?
Simple: keep hitting them until they could no longer take it.
He rose and looked down at his troops, who had largely finished looting, then ordered loudly:
"Form up! On to the next target!"
For the next five full days, Xuandou led his troops across the Land of Wind, looting twelve towns and three cities in succession.
They accomplished this despite the Land of Wind's vast, sparsely populated territory, where the ninja had to rely on the Inuzuka Clan's ninja dogs to find targets in the desert.
Meanwhile, in Sunagakure.
Inside the senior leadership's meeting room.
Two advisers sat at the head of the long table: Chiyo and Ebizo.
Farther down sat a group of jonin, including Rasa, Baki, Fuyi, and Pakura.
Iron Sand lowered his head and reported the course of the battle in a heavy voice.
Beside him lay the messenger whose legs Xuandou had crippled and whose hands he had completely destroyed. His wretched condition made many of those present frown deeply.
"...In short, for some reason, Konoha knew our attack route in advance and planted an enormous number of explosive tags. Otherwise, we would never have suffered such a crushing defeat!"
After listening, Chiyo turned to her younger brother beside her.
"You were responsible for keeping the intelligence secure. Why was it leaked?"
Ebizo sighed.
"It's too late to pursue that now."
"The Konoha ninja are currently wreaking havoc within our borders. The daimyo has already sent people to pressure us repeatedly. We must resolve this as soon as possible."
Iron Sand slammed the table in agitation.
"Give me another force of ninja! I'll defeat them!"
Rasa, the red-haired young man beside him, spoke in a grave voice.
"The daimyo has cut our funding year after year. The village already had only a limited number of ninja available to deploy. Now, we really can't spare any more troops for this war."
Everyone could see that Rasa, who wielded Magnet Release, was the strongest contender to become the next Kazekage, so his words carried considerable weight.
Finally, Chiyo said slowly:
"Then draw another five hundred from our various posts. I will lead them myself to negotiate with Konoha."
Her gaze swept across the room.
"Rasa, Pakura, you two will accompany me."
The matter was settled.
When Chiyo found Xuandou with her Sunagakure forces, the Konoha ninja were looting yet another town.
Faint cries could be heard among the shattered walls and ruins. Several Sunagakure ninja nearly blazed with fury at the sight, but Chiyo raised a hand to stop them.
She walked forward with Rasa and Pakura and spoke calmly toward the Konoha ninja.
"Please ask Uchiha Xuantou to come meet me. Chiyo of Sunagakure has come to visit."
A stir ran through the Konoha ranks. Soon, Xuandou emerged with Shisui, Hizashi Hyuga, and Shinku Yuhi.
Xuandou's gaze was immediately drawn to the kunoichi beside Chiyo.
She wore a backless, form-fitting combat outfit that accentuated her slender waist and long legs, leaving a broad expanse of skin on her back as fair as jade.
Her long, dark brown hair was tied into a practical high ponytail, with loose strands brushing her striking brows and eyes.
Most eye-catching were her impressive curves, rising and falling beneath her combat outfit, combining maturity with a spirited wildness.
It was none other than Pakura of Scorch Release.
[Ding! A kunoichi with outstanding potential has been detected.] [Name: Pakura] [Kekkei genkai: Scorch Release] [Strength: Jonin] [Overall rating: S-rank]
She's actually S-rank!
Thoughts raced through Xuandou's mind, but a smile had already spread across his face as he greeted Chiyo.
"What brings even Sunagakure's elder adviser all the way here?"
Chiyo's expression was cold, her voice holding back anger.
"I would like to ask what Konoha means by this. Two-"
"The ink on the ceasefire agreement is barely dry, yet your village has openly invaded the Land of Wind to burn, kill, and plunder."
"Uchiha Xuantou, does Konoha intend to start another great war?"
Xuandou laughed aloud as though he had heard a joke.
"Old woman Chiyo, if you've gone senile, retire already and send someone who can think straight to talk."
His smile vanished, his gaze sharpening.
"Wasn't it Sunagakure that invaded the Land of Fire first, forcing us to fight back? What, you're allowed to attack us, but we're not allowed to strike back?"
"Besides, even if Konoha does intend to start a great war, can Sunagakure still handle it?"
Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had both died at Konoha's hands, leaving her with a longstanding hatred for Konoha. Mocked to her face now, she could not help tightening her fingers slightly.
But she knew Xuandou was telling the truth.
Even if Konoha started a great war now, Sunagakure probably would not have the strength to respond.
Losing nearly a thousand ninja was a crippling blow even for a major ninja village like Sunagakure.
Training that many ninja again would require Sunagakure to spend many years recovering.
Rasa stepped half a pace forward and took over.
"Even if Sunagakure struck first, we only looted a few border towns. Yet over these five days, Konoha has plundered nearly twenty towns and cities in succession. Aren't your methods excessively cruel?"
Xuandou studied the future Fourth Kazekage and scoffed.
"How laughable. If you weren't too weak to beat Konoha, would your Sunagakure ninja have stopped after looting just a few towns?"
"Now that Konoha has beaten you into stray dogs, you come accusing us of cruelty?"
"Pah! Disgusting!"
Rasa's expression immediately darkened.
Chiyo was about to speak again, but Xuandou waved impatiently.
"Cut the crap. You came all this way to find us. What exactly do you want?"
"Spit it out. My time is valuable. Every extra town I loot is another source of income."
Anger churned in Chiyo's chest, but she still forced it down and said gravely:
"I have come to conclude a peace treaty."
"As long as Konoha withdraws its troops immediately, everything you have done in the Land of Wind... Sunagakure can let it go."