The old man, leaning on his cane, slammed the table again after finishing his words, clearly displeased that everyone else present seemed unmoved.
"Enough, Zangren."
"You're old enough by now, yet your temper is as fiery as ever. Sit down before we talk."
Ebizō looked at the cane-leaning old man and spoke with a gentle smile.
Zangren shot a fierce glare at the rest of the assembly, then sat back down.
"Regarding this matter, I ask all of you to reach a decision as soon as possible. Tomorrow is the final deadline set by the Hidden Mist Village."
Matsuri, seated not far away, fell silent for a moment before speaking in a flat, even tone.
"What final deadline?!"
"That bunch in the Hidden Mist is just forcing our hand so they have a pretext, then they can wipe us out while they're at it!"
"Pressuring us to surrender is the same as forcing us to fight them!"
The surrender demanded by the Hidden Mist Village was naturally nothing like the previous ninja wars, where a few resource concessions would settle things. No — just like the Hidden Leaf Village before them, they were being asked to vanish entirely from the ninja world.
Passionate, furious voices rose one after another inside the meeting hall, the argument growing louder and more heated by the moment.
Watching the scene before him, Ebizō's already-aged face seemed to grow even older. He let out a deep sigh.
He knew their Sunagakure had lost — lost utterly and completely.
No matter how fiercely these high-ranking officials argued, no matter how indignant they performed, none of it changed the fundamental reality.
The war hadn't even begun, and most of the people in this room had already accepted certain defeat. Sunagakure had no hope left.
The true nature of the situation — how could a room full of crafty old veterans not understand it?
But they carried on like this simply to save face, unwilling to be the first to say it aloud.
Ebizō's lips twisted into a bitter smile. If these old fools cared about saving face, then he would have to be the one to swallow his pride. With that thought, he was about to speak.
Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, who had been sitting silently at the front the entire time, suddenly spoke:
"If we can't agree on a plan, then we surrender. We submit to the Hidden Mist Village."
Gaara's voice was not loud — in the clamor of the meeting hall, it was easily drowned out by the other voices. Yet the instant those words left his lips, the entire room fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone in the meeting hall stopped, their gazes turning faintly toward Gaara. No one spoke in agreement, and no one spoke in refusal.
Gaara seemed unconcerned after he finished speaking. He paid no mind to the atmosphere in the room, rose to his feet, and walked toward the exit.
Click.
The sound of the meeting hall door closing echoed through the chamber.
"So this is the answer you all wanted?!"
The veins on Zangren's wrists bulged as he fixed a burning stare on everyone present, his voice low and sharp.
"Zangren, you're in no position to talk — you didn't object either, did you?"
A dark, low chuckle came from one side, making Zangren's breathing quicken involuntarily.
"Enough. This pointless bickering serves no purpose. Someone had to take the lead on this. As Kazekage, it is Gaara's responsibility."
"Sunagakure was already the weakest among the remaining villages. If we truly fought the Hidden Mist to the death, it would accomplish nothing beyond massive casualties."
"That's right. Not long ago, I received intelligence that Yugito of Kumogakure and Fū of Takigakure have each left the Land of Water and returned to their respective villages. Their tailed beasts have been removed from their bodies."
"That means the Hidden Mist Village has already mastered a secret technique capable of separating a Jinchuriki from their Tailed Beast. But that's not the most important part — what matters is that the Hidden Mist can effortlessly field four Tailed Beasts on the battlefield!"
"That's right — what do we have? We have nothing! Even the First Mizukage, Yuto, alone is more than we could ever handle!"
Unwilling acceptance was written on every face in the room. But unwilling as they were, what could they do?
"Forget it. Let it be."
Ebizō suddenly broke into a fit of coughing. He waved a hand dismissively, then rose and left the meeting hall with a quiet, forlorn air.
I'm sorry, sister. This era has ultimately taken a direction nobody could have foreseen…
Land of Lightning.
Kumogakure, the Raikage's Office.
Not long after the Sunagakure leadership chose to surrender, Kumogakure received intelligence of the decision.
After all, the two villages had already been planning to cooperate. Now that Sunagakure had surrendered, Kumogakure found itself in an awkward position. Fortunately, since Uchiha Madara had not made any move, they had not yet taken action.
"Those are all the reports we've received."
After Mabui finished reading the intelligence aloud, she gazed quietly at the Fourth Raikage, A, seated before her.
Regarding how things had unfolded, once Mabui realized Uchiha Madara was making no move, she had already foreseen this outcome.
Without top-tier fighters on the level of Uchiha Madara and Yuto, the war's final outcome had been sealed long ago. This was no longer a problem that could be solved by numbers alone.
Moreover, after the Hidden Mist Village conquered the Hidden Leaf Village, aside from eliminating the ninja who resisted, they committed no unnecessary killings against the civilian population — or even against those who surrendered.
Even the Hidden Leaf's Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, was not killed. Instead, she was given an appropriate position.
Through these various conciliatory policies, it was only to be expected that Sunagakure, unable to withstand the pressure, would choose to surrender.
Faced with this outcome, Mabui sighed, a sudden wave of sorrow rising in her heart.
After listening to Mabui's report, the Fourth Raikage's face contorted with undisguised fury. He raised his arm to slam the desk before him — but halfway through the motion, he pulled it back.
"Why?!"
"We had such a strong position, and now it's turned into this absurd mess! What on earth is Uchiha Madara thinking? This was the perfect opportunity for him!"
The Fourth Raikage's voice was thick with suppressed rage.
This whole affair left the Fourth Raikage utterly unable to make sense of it.
Mabui could fully understand the Raikage's feelings at this moment, because she too found the situation baffling.
Now Sunagakure had chosen to surrender.
After the Hidden Mist Village absorbed both the Hidden Leaf Village and Sunagakure, there was no remaining force in the entire ninja world capable of resisting them.
Uchiha Madara's current inaction was, in essence, strengthening the enemy.
"Behind every absurd turn of events, there often lies a deeper reason."
"The reason Uchiha Madara has made no move so far is simply that we do not understand the hidden cause behind it."
"This may, in fact, be a good thing for everyone. Because I have a feeling — if we learned that deeper truth, the entire ninja world would truly despair."
After a moment of silence, Mabui spoke slowly.
"Is that so."
The Fourth Raikage gave a bitter laugh. His normally resolute face bore a rare trace of dejection.
Following the Sunagakure leadership's decision to surrender, there was some internal dispute within the village — but it was swiftly suppressed.
At the same time, Sunagakure's formal instrument of surrender was delivered.
This left the Hidden Mist side, who had been itching for a fight and sharpening their blades, feeling as though they had thrown a punch at empty air. They had expected Sunagakure to crumble under the pressure, but they had never imagined they would simply surrender outright.
For a time, the entire ninja world was shaken. At the same time, most of the Hidden Mist's ninja felt as though they had strength with nowhere to spend it. Even Terumi Mei and the other high-ranking officials were rendered speechless.
Since the other side had already chosen to surrender, there was naturally no question of sending forces to attack.
The Hidden Mist Village swiftly adjusted its strategy and began dispatching ninja to take over Sunagakure. The Sunagakure leadership, of course, dared not offer the slightest resistance — and even went so far as to actively cooperate.
There were, of course, some Suna ninja who refused to yield even in death and launched attacks in an attempt to pressure the village leadership. But in the end, they were all killed or suppressed. It accomplished nothing whatsoever.
Leaf Year 63, July 1st.
Sunagakure was formally absorbed into the Hidden Mist Village. Sunagakure, which had stood for over sixty years since its founding in the Warring States period, was officially no more.
At the same time, all of Sunagakure's leadership — including Kazekage Gaara, every jounin, and their families — were relocated to the Hidden Mist Second Village.
The total number came to nearly four hundred. It took one full month to complete the relocation.
Leaf Year 63, August 3rd. After discussions between Yuto, Terumi Mei, and the Hidden Mist leadership:
At the former Sunagakure site:
The Land of Wind Administrative Office was established, primarily to handle all affairs relating to ninja and civilians in the region.
The Land of Wind Genin Ninja Academy was established, accepting any student within the Land of Wind who wished to become a ninja. The program ran five years, and graduates would officially receive the rank of genin.
The original Hidden Mist Village Ninja Academy was simultaneously and formally renamed the Land of Water Genin Ninja Academy, operating under the same system.
Following swiftly after:
Within the Land of Fire, the Land of Fire Chunin Ninja Academy and the Land of Fire Jounin Ninja Academy were established, with programs of three years and four years respectively.
All graduated genin who wished to become chunin were required to attend the Land of Fire Chunin Ninja Academy. Only after completing the full three years and officially graduating would they receive the chunin title.
The Land of Fire Jounin Ninja Academy operated on the same principle!
Gaara was appointed as the first advisor of the Land of Wind Administrative Office. Momochi Zabuza was appointed principal of the Land of Wind Genin Ninja Academy, his term also set at five years.
After five years, the positions of advisor and principal would be rotated. No one was to hold the same appointment in the same location for more than ten years.
[
Dear Readers,
I need your help. My financial situation is critical, and I can't continue without support.
Despite this, I'm still posting 5 chapters daily across all my fictions because I love what I do and don't want to stop—but I can't sustain this alone.
Support Tiers:
Adventurer ($3/month): 20 chapters ahead + 150 chapters/month across all fics
Warrior ($7/month): 40 chapters ahead + 150 chapters/month
Immortal ($10/month - Best Value): 60 chapters ahead + character images/visuals + bonus content + 150 chapters/month
Important: Subscribe through your browser (not Apple App) to avoid 30% extra fees and 2-3 month payment delays.
Even $3 helps immensely. If you can't subscribe, please share my work with someone who might enjoy it.
Thank you for reading and considering support.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]