The tragic night raid on the border of the Land of Rain was like a blood-stained pebble cast onto a war chessboard that was nearing its end.
The news that Hanzou had, almost single-handedly, crushed a major Konoha camp, severely wounded the top power of its new generation, and caused heavy casualties among Konoha Ninja swept through the warring parties like a hurricane.
For Amegakure, it was a brilliant yet tragic final counterattack that dealt a massive blow to Konoha's morale and proved once again to the world that the "Demigod's" reputation was no empty boast.
However, this could not reverse the massive gap in overall national strength and military power between Amegakure and the alliance of the Three Great Nations.
Under the relentless advance of the alliance, the core area of the Hidden Rain Village was already in a precarious state, with scarce resources and depleted troops; defeat was only a matter of time.
Hanzou knew this better than anyone.
The success of the raid had won Amegakure one last chance for negotiation.
He needed to use the window of opportunity—while Konoha was reeling from its heavy losses and the other two nations might be having subtle second thoughts—to initiate peace talks as quickly as possible.
Soon, Hanzou sent a clear intent to surrender to Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure through secret channels, along with relatively moderate ceasefire conditions.
Amegakure admitted defeat and promised not to initiate attacks on the Three Great Nations, while also opening up some border trade rights. However, they demanded to maintain the independent status and existing political structure of the Hidden Rain Village, as well as ensure their core military forces would not be disbanded.
When the news reached Konoha, the atmosphere in the Hokage Office was so heavy it felt palpable.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the detailed battle reports sent back from the front lines.
His face turned ashen, especially regarding the parts about the camp massacre, the crushing defeat of the Sannin, and the shocking casualty numbers; the pipe in his hand remained still for a long time.
Anger and wariness of Hanzou's ruthless methods intertwined in his heart.
"Surrender?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was low and suppressed, crackling with sparks of anger.
"They slaughtered so many of our brave Konoha Ninja and severely wounded my disciples... and now they want to brush it all aside with a single surrender document? There's no such cheap deal in this world! I will make Amegakure pay an even more agonizing price!"
He was inclined to reject these overly lenient surrender conditions, advocating for continued military pressure and even considering joining forces with Sunagakure to impose harsher punishment on Amegakure.
At the very least, Hanzou himself had to pay a corresponding price, and more substantial justice had to be sought for the victims.
However, just as the Konoha higher-ups were debating this fiercely, pressure from the other two Great Nations arrived one after another with unexpected speed and intensity.
First was Iwagakure.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, a shrewd politician, scented the opportunity brought by the changing situation almost immediately.
He sent a clear warning to Konoha through diplomatic channels.
The Hidden Rain Village was located at the junction of the three nations of Earth, Fire, and Wind; its very existence served a certain value as a buffer.
If Konoha insisted on completely destroying Amegakure's current system and excessively weakening Hanzou, it could lead to a power vacuum in the region, triggering new instability.
Iwagakure expressed concern for regional stability and hinted that if Konoha persisted in its course, Iwagakure would have to reassess its own position and might even consider providing necessary humanitarian support to the struggling Amegakure to maintain the balance.
This was practically a naked threat.
If Konoha fought to the end, Iwagakure might support Amegakure secretly or even openly, complicating the war.
Immediately following that, the attitude of the Hidden Cloud Village was even more surprising.
Kumogakure, which had originally been watching from the sidelines and developing quietly during this war, now spoke up.
The Third Raikage expressed concern that Konoha might take extreme actions out of a desire for revenge, disrupting the post-war peace structure.
Kumogakure hoped all parties would exercise restraint and resolve the issues through negotiation.
If Konoha did not accept Amegakure's surrender, Kumogakure might join forces with Iwagakure to intervene.
The two major Ninja Villages launched their challenges almost simultaneously; although they hadn't formally allied, the pressure they created was immense.
Konoha had just suffered a crushing defeat, its elites were damaged, and morale was low; if it had to face a potentially united Iwagakure and Kumogakure, along with a cornered Amegakure, the situation would be extremely dangerous.
Inside the Hokage Office, the debate reached a fever pitch.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe, letting the pungent smoke swirl in his lungs.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the Advisors with their varying expressions before finally landing on the bandage-eyed Danzo, his voice tinged with weariness.
"The war has reached this point, and Amegakure's defeat is certain. Hanzou's final counterattack, though it caused us heavy casualties, cannot change the outcome of the war."
"Continuing the fight will do nothing but increase casualties and drive Amegakure completely into a corner, potentially prompting Hanzou to take even more desperate actions, or... giving Iwagakure and Kumogakure an excuse for direct intervention."
He paused, took another deep drag from his pipe, and struggled to keep his tone steady.
"Accepting the surrender certainly means we cannot impose harsher punishment on Hanzou himself. However, we can end this war immediately, obtain actual reparations and conditions, let the children on the front lines come home, and allow the Village to recover and rebuild."
"This is... the choice to obtain the greatest and most certain benefits at the smallest cost."
"Absurd! Hiruzen, you are bowing to terror and threats!"
Danzo Shimura slammed his cane onto the ground, his voice raspy, a cold flame burning in his single eye.
He took a step forward, his presence overwhelming.
"Iwagakure increasing troops? Kumogakure threats? So what? This is exactly the proof that they are lacking confidence and don't dare to truly start a full-scale war. They just want to use intimidation to gain benefits and stop us from achieving total victory!"
"If we show even the slightest weakness now, it will truly invite their greed and probing. Konoha is not yet so weak as to be at the mercy of others."
"We should immediately mobilize troops, increase the intensity of our strikes against Amegakure, and even consider using more drastic measures to completely crush Hanzou, showing everyone with thunderous force the price of provoking Konoha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious.
"Enough, Danzo! You are truly being too extreme!"
"Continuing the war now will only cause irreversible losses to both sides, and we cannot gamble on whether Kumogakure and Iwagakure truly intend to go to war with us."
His tone became unquestionable.
"My mind is made up. In the name of the Hokage, Konoha accepts the peace talks with Amegakure. The front lines will shift to a defensive posture, and a negotiation team will be formed this very day."
"Danzo, your Root needs to ensure intelligence security during the negotiations and monitor all movements from Iwagakure and Kumogakure. This is the most beneficial course of action for the Village right now."
Seeing that Danzo wanted to say more, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke directly.
"Enough, Danzo. I am the Hokage."
Danzo's single eye stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi, the muscles beneath his bandages twitching slightly. Finally, he let out a cold snort and fell silent, but the coldness and resentment in his eyes clearly showed that he would never let this matter rest.
"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"
*Bang!*
The scene repeated itself.
Hiruzen Sarutobi ultimately exercised his authority as Hokage and suppressed Danzo's opposition.
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808