On the way back to Sunagakure, Rasa's expression was rather unpleasant, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
His appearance was noticed by Ebizo, who said, " Rasa, are you wondering why we didn't discuss the surrender with you, the Kazekage, but instead had your sister make the decision on her own?"
Seeing that Ebizo had seen through his thoughts, Rasa no longer hesitated and nodded in admission, " Elder Ebizo, that is indeed what I was thinking."
After all, in Rasa's eyes, he was the Kazekage, the one who made the decisions for Sunagakure. Why wasn't he informed beforehand about such a big matter as surrendering? Instead, Chiyo made the Kazekage on her own. What was the point of his position as Kazekage then?
"Your sister is doing this for your own good. You've only been the Kazekage for a short time, and you're already surrendering on behalf of Sunagakure. This will be a major blow to your reputation. Now that your sister is surrendering on behalf of Sunagakure, it will preserve your dignity Kazekage. Anyway, your sister is planning to retire, so a little bit of face is of little importance to her."
After Ebizo said that, Rasa finally understood Chiyo's good intentions. He felt ashamed that he had been questioning Chiyo. "I'm sorry, I misunderstood Elder Chiyo."
"Alright, that's enough for this matter. We still have a lot to do, not just the surrender agreement and reparations, but also how to explain our defeat to the daimyo and request that he try not to reduce his support for us."
For Chiyo, whether Rasa misunderstood or not was unimportant; what she was considering now was how to negotiate with Konoha and persuade the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to continue supporting Sunagakure.
Rasa lost the will to speak. The thought of all the things that would need to be done after the defeat made him feel an invisible pressure on his shoulders.
The days ahead for Sunagakure are probably numbered.
Before long, Kōki feat of fighting four opponents single-handedly spread throughout the Shinobi World along with the defeat of Sunagakure.
Even those small countries have gained a considerable understanding of Kōki.
Meanwhile, in a small tavern in the Land of Hot Water, many people were discussing Kōki's achievements.
"Hey, you've all heard, right Sunagakure was defeated." A ninja from Yugakure said to his companions with a surprised expression.
His companions, however, seemed unsurprised by the news of Sunagakure's defeat. Instead, they said with a hint of pride, "Wasn't Sunagakure's defeat obvious? I told you before that with Wood Release, Konoha would have no trouble dealing with Sunagakure. See, now my words have been proven true."
Clearly, his companion was quite pleased with his ability to deduce the outcome of a war between major powers.
"Do you know that Sunagakure mobilized three Kage Level shinobi plus a Tailed Beast to besiege that Wood Release user?"
Upon hearing this news, the ninjas present were instantly stunned, their hands, which were reaching for food, froze in mid-air.
This information clearly shocked the Sunagakure ninja in their seats. One of them couldn't help but shout, "What? Has Sunagakure gone mad? Using four Kage Level or higher ninja to besiege Wood Release user? No wonder Sunagakure lost! Gathering the entire village's strength just to deal with a Wood Release, it's no wonder they lost!"
The ninja who spoke seemed to despise Sunagakure's decision, his tone filled with sarcasm.
However, one of the ninja from the Hot Springs faction quite agreed with Sunagakure's decision. He smugly addressed the person who had previously mocked Sunagakure, saying, "So you're short-sighted. Those great nations are truly farsighted. They want to Wood Release user in the bud before they grow up, to prevent Konoha from becoming the sole power. Ōkawa, is that Wood Release guy doomed?"
Just as they were talking animatedly, a blonde woman with a little girl was having dinner not far away. When she heard that four Kage Level fighters were besieging Kōki, the blonde woman paused in her drink, and her previously nonchalant expression turned serious.
Hearing his teammate's words, the ninja named Ōkawa couldn't help but chuckle, "Then you're all wrong. That Wood Release user not only didn't die under the siege, but instead unleashed incredible power, using Wood Release secret technique to summon a wooden giant the size of a Tailed Beast and a Wood Dragon of the same size. He directly thrashed the Tailed Beast and the Kage Level ninja who were attacking him. It's said that he even made the One-Tail Beast scream in pain."
His words stunned his companions, who stared in disbelief. They couldn't help but wonder if they had misheard. Four Kage Level fighters against one Wood Release, and they couldn't win? Was he joking?
Immediately, some people expressed doubt about Tang Ōkawa's words.
" Ōkawa, you've got it backwards, haven't you? How could we lose if there were four of us against one? Are you deliberately messing with us?"
"Exactly! How could you say something so outrageous? Do you think we're as brainless as you to believe such bizarre news? Even if you said the Wood Release user escaped the Sunagakure's encirclement, that would be more believable. You actually dared to say that a team of Kage Level fighters was defeated by Wood Release."
His companion's suspicions infuriated Ōkawa, who immediately retorted, "Damn it, who do you think I Ōkawa? Would I tell you fake news? Yes, this news is indeed outrageous, and I was shocked when I first heard it, but after repeatedly verifying it, I found that the information is true. Besides, you can find out this by asking anyone on the black market. Would I lie to you with information that everyone has confirmed? Would I be that stupid?"
When Ōkawa's companions heard his confident words, they looked at Ōkawa other in bewilderment. Could Ōkawa really be telling the truth?
Did something really happen on the battlefield in Sunagakure?
Seeing his companions still looking skeptical, Ōkawa slammed his fist on the table in anger, then patted his chest and vowed, "Everything I just said is true. If there's a single lie, may I die a horrible death!"
Hearing Ōkawa make such a vicious oath, his companions finally believed him.
Despite their belief, it didn't stop them from being shocked by Kōki's strength. One of the ninjas muttered involuntarily, "I remember when we received the news about Wood Release Wood Release, it said that the user was a kid who wasn't even ten years old. Does that mean that a kid under ten years old already has the strength to defeat four powerful individuals? Isn't this kid the number one genius in the Shinobi World? No, that's not right. He can't even be called a genius anymore; he's the number one monster in the Shinobi World."
His words immediately made the surrounding ninjas realize that Kōki was not even ten years old.
"Yeah, now that you mention it, I just remembered that the user of Wood Release is still a kid under ten years old. When this guy grows up, won't Konoha just dominate the world?"
"From now on, Konoha will probably really be the only one in power."
Just as the group of ninjas were filled with emotion, the blonde woman not far away stood up. She barely touched the food on the table before walking out of the tavern. Her expression was somewhat complicated, as if she wanted to know something.
Seeing the blonde woman get up and leave, the girl opposite her immediately followed, calling out as she went, "Sir, wait for me!"