He also wanted to know where Danzo had gone during the battle, since he hadn't seen him at all.
He's probably hiding somewhere again. But Hiruzen Sarutobi Danzo n't do anything about Danzo, since he still needs Danzo and has to do dirty things for him.
Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not pursue the matter further, but rather stopped there.
"I'm ready to surrender now; there's no point in continuing the fight."
Hiruzen Sarutobi then spoke at the conference.
Upon hearing this, the clan leaders and Konoha High Command in the assembly hall fell silent.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was right; continuing the fight would not benefit Konoha at all, and would only increase the number of meaningless casualties.
"But Teacher Sarutobi, Minato negotiated with Kumogakure last time, offering to cede half of the Land of Land of Fire. Can Kumogakure agree to that condition?"
Jiraiya then spoke up.
Ceding half of the land is too high a price to pay.
Moreover, this isn't something Hiruzen Sarutobi can decide alone; ceding so much land requires the consent of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
The last cession of land had already greatly displeased the Land of Fire Daimyo, and this time, ceding half of it might provoke him to cut off Konoha's economic lifeline in a fit of anger.
"But there's nothing we can do now. We've already used the Nine-Tails, and it's been kidnapped. We have no trump cards left. If we continue fighting, we'll only end up destroying Konoha as well."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's hair had turned even whiter.
He's clearly in his fifties now, but he looks almost as old as he did at the beginning of the original story.
After all, he has suffered too many setbacks over the years; it's impossible for him not to age rapidly.
"Hmph, there was actually another way, but it's all because of the stubbornness and arrogance of some people that we've ended up like this."
Danzo then became sarcastic and unsettling, his target undoubtedly being Hiruzen Sarutobi.
" Danzo, what do you mean by that?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned, his Chakra, Kage Level expert, bursting forth.
Facing his former partner, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to have regained his Shinobi Hero demeanor.
Seeing this, Danzo sneered.
"Don't forget Teacher Tobirama's forbidden technique. If possible, we can summon the Lord First Hokage and Teacher Tobirama. With that, how could we not conquer Kumogakure?"
"But some people insisted on urgently suspending that Ninjutsu experiment, so who can be blamed for that?"
Danzo said irritably.
Of course, Danzo was referring to the forbidden technique, the Impure World Reincarnation.
Invented by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, it can summon the dead.
If we could summon Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, with his protection, how dare the Kumogakure invade?
However, this Ninjutsu requires using a living person's body as a vessel for the soul of the deceased, and then summoning the soul of the deceased from the Pure Land the Underworld to the mortal world.
The soul of the deceased is allowed to attach itself to a container, and the body of the living is covered with dust, thus transforming it into the appearance of the deceased in life.
Such rules were too cruel, so Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped the experiment early on.
" Danzo, what do you mean by this? That Ninjutsu was so cruel, it was only natural for Teacher Sarutobi to stop it."
Jiraiya couldn't stand it anymore; he discovered that Danzo was like a mad dog, biting anyone in sight.
Now they're even attacking their own teacher; that's really going too far.
"Yes, you're absolutely right, Jiraiya. That's why we've fallen to this state. If things continue like this, Konoha might be destroyed."
Danzo sneered, his tone full of sarcasm.
"Damn it! Danzo, you bastard!"
Jiraiya was furious and wanted to rush up and Danzo, but he was stopped by the others.
"I'm not going to argue with you anymore. If we really agree to the Kumogakure's conditions this time, some of you might lose your Hokage positions!"
After that, Danzo got tired of arguing with Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He was certain that if Konoha dared to cede so much land, Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely step down.
That's good too. Now I can take the stage and start researching all sorts of forbidden techniques. Sooner or later, I'll be able to defeat the Kumogakure.
Danzo kept Danzo in his mind, thinking that he might even be credited with the title of " Strongest Hokage " in the future, and he couldn't help but laugh.
Danzo then left the conference with his Root members.
As for Hiruzen Sarutobi wanting to surrender, let him be. Anyway, if we lose the war, he'll be the one to blame for all the territory we have to cede.
"Alright, Jiraiya, let's ignore him and discuss important matters first. I'm going to talk to Yeyue Ziyun about surrendering."
Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer wanted to deal with Danzo.
0 ··Requesting flowers· ·
After all, Danzo was right. If he had hardened his heart and agreed to research the Impure World Reincarnation back then, the outcome might have been very different.
But it's too late to say anything now; we can only try to stabilize Kumogakure first.
As long as Konoha is preserved, we can research the Impure World Reincarnation. If we can summon Hashirama Senju, wiping out the entire Kumogakure wouldn't be a problem.
"I have decided to surrender. Does anyone have any different opinions?"
After looking around, Hiruzen Sarutobi found that none of the clan leaders or the Konoha High Command had any objections.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, he did not want to surrender, but if he continued to fight, the outcome would be the same, so this was the best option at the moment.
"Alright, since everyone agrees, I'll go negotiate. Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo, the three of you will come with me to the Kumogakure camp this time and serve as my guards."
Hiruzen Sarutobi then pointed out three guards who were with him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi then led the three to the Kumogakure camp.
"Everyone in Konoha, have you really thought this through? Are you sure you want to surrender to Kumogakure?"
Upon seeing the four people who had arrived, Ziyun spoke in an unfriendly tone, as if he were reprimanding his subordinates.
Jiraiya Hatake Sakumo were so angry they were practically grinding their teeth, but they still had to put on a smiling face.
Isn't Hiruzen Sarutobi the same?
Only Minato Namikaze remained expressionless; he even thought this scene was quite good, considering how much they would later mistreat his son.
" Fourth Lord Raikage, we've made our decision. However, regarding the conditions, could you please consider negotiating them? After all, the cost is too high, and my decision alone isn't enough; we also need the Land of Fire Daimyo's approval."
Hiruzen Sarutobi Ziyun used honorifics when addressing Ziyun, and Ziyun felt as if he had swallowed a fly.
However, when you're under someone's roof, you can only bow your head.
We've endured immense injustices, so what's a little more?
Fortunately, that's just Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality; he's very tolerant. Even if Ziyun shits on his head, Hiruzen Sarutobi can still tolerate it.
" Third Hokage, please take a good look at your current situation."
"The destruction of Konoha is entirely up to me. You have no right to bargain. The only reason I'm keeping Konoha alive is because Kumogakure doesn't have enough manpower to even rule the entire Land of Fire."
"If one day Kumogakure has enough manpower, Konoha's lifespan will come to an end, understand?"
Ziyun was practically talking to Hiruzen Sarutobi through his nostrils.
"Damn it!! That's outrageous."
Being insulted like this to their faces, Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo were both furious, and their fists clenched.
To say that Konoha's destruction is solely up to the other party is tantamount to saying, "I'm sparing your life only because it's still useful," which is utterly insulting.
But they could only vent this anger inside; they dared not express it.
Because what Ziyun said is indeed the truth, an indisputable truth.
Konoha and Kumogakure had absolutely no chance of fighting back. Even with the Nine-Tails, the strongest of the Tailed Beast, they were still utterly defeated.
To be honest, they were also curious as to why the Kumogakure didn't launch a full-scale attack on the Konoha, and now they know the reason.
That could be considered a stroke of luck.
"I'll give you two choices: either agree to my terms, or continue the war until all the Konoha Ninja are wiped out. The choice is yours."
Ziyun said calmly that he loved giving others choices.
"Alright, I'll choose one! But you must promise that Kumogakure will never again invade Konoha!"
"We can't let it be like when this war started, where they took our supplies and then turned their backs on us."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth, as if making a firm decision, and said...
"Heh, you'll have to ask your Konoha's supplies advisor. A large portion of the supplies we received from Kumogakure are unusable. Aren't you just making a fool of Kumogakure?"
" Third Hokage, if you were in such a situation, what would you do? You'd definitely act like we would, right?"
Ziyun patted Hiruzen Sarutobi on the shoulder, just like an elder patting a junior.
"He doesn't even blush when he tells such a lie."
Tsunade and Mikoto, who were standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch any longer.
" Lord Raikage is right."
Hiruzen Sarutobi could only nod.