Surrender

"The Five-Tails...! Why the hell is there a Bijū here?!" exclaimed the Raikage, stunned as he looked at the roaring Five-Tails.

Sakumo's face was even more tense. "The Five-Tails is right behind our troops! If it attacks, we'll suffer massive casualties!"

"What...?" Shikaku was also completely shocked.

"This is my pet. What do you think? Not bad, right?" Chen said with satisfaction in his voice, watching everyone's reaction with a smug smile.

Although the Five-Tails might not be much help in an actual battle, its deterrent effect was undeniable. The reaction of Shikaku and the others made it clear that Chen had achieved the impact he wanted.

Picking up Konan, he jumped, landing on the head of the Five-Tails. From there, his figure seemed to dominate the battlefield.

"Five-Tails, launch a Bijūdama!" he ordered in a cold voice.

Kokuō, the Five-Tails, let out a growl of annoyance but didn't dare disobey Chen's order. It gathered chakra in its snout, forming an enormous rotating energy bomb.

The sphere of energy shrank to a more concentrated size, and then Kokuō swallowed it to spit it out in a straight line.

Boom!

The Bijūdama was fired toward the Cloud ninjas, moving so quickly that it caused a sonic boom.

"THIS IS BAD!" shouted the Raikage, his eyes widening in horror at the direction of the attack.

It was clear they were the target. Knowing the destructive power of a Bijūdama, he knew that if the attack reached its target, all his men would die.

Without hesitation, he threw himself in front, colliding head-on with the energy blast.

Boom!

After a tense confrontation, he managed to stop the Bijūdama, but the cost was evident.

The explosion caused many casualties among the Cloud ninjas who were closest, and the Raikage fell to the ground, exhausted and injured.

If he had been at his peak, he could have resisted the impact better. But now, badly wounded from the previous fight with the rock giant, he barely managed to stop the attack, holding on only through sheer willpower.

"Chen Hyuga... You're despicable! Why don't you keep your word?!" A shouted, running toward his father to lift him from the ground.

Chen yawned. "Do you really trust your enemy's word? I have to say you're really naive. Besides, I didn't make any attack. It was my pet that did it," he said with a sneer that made A clench his fists in fury.

"H-How the hell could the Five-Tails be your pet?" the Raikage pushed A, struggling to stand up.

He stood in the middle of the battlefield with great difficulty, his legs trembling under his weight, but his eyes still firm.

"Why should I tell you?" Chen yawned again, sitting on the back of the Five-Tails, looking bored.

The Raikage's face darkened even more. He was caught in a dilemma.

If he chose to continue attacking, Chen would always be there, ready to intervene. If he retreated, he would also have to be on guard, fearing an attack from behind by Chen at any moment.

"SURRENDER! Do you really think you, Kumogakure, can continue with this? Surrendering is your best option," Chen said indifferently.

The Raikage remained silent, clenching his teeth. He didn't want to surrender like this. Surrender wasn't just a simple word, it was admitting defeat.

Surrendering meant losing, and losers would have to pay a heavy price to Konoha. He wasn't willing to accept it so easily.

He clenched his fists as he looked at Chen, his pride preventing him from giving in. No one would choose to surrender as long as they could stand, as long as they had the possibility to fight a little longer.

Watching the stubborn Raikage, Chen murmured with disdain, "People who can't accept reality are the stupidest. Knowing there's no chance of victory, why not minimize losses and retreat? I don't know if you're too greedy or just a complete idiot."

Sighing, he spoke aloud, "I'll give you two options: surrender... or die here and now."

"You want us to surrender?! That's an illusion! Do you think my comrades died for nothing?!" A shouted, his eyes filled with tears of anger, his body trembling as he shouted.

Looking at him with disdain, "Do you really think raising your voice makes you more important? Life or death, you choose!" Chen said mercilessly.

The Raikage looked at him, who seemed completely indifferent, and an ironic smile appeared on his face.

He knew that, seeing Chen's current stance, they had no other choice. Choosing not to surrender and then fighting to the end with Chen was simply impossible. The losses would be greater than surrender itself.

The Raikage clenched his teeth, but in his heart, he already knew the answer.

"We, Kumogakure... surrender," he sighed in a heavy voice.

At that moment, the once imposing and powerful Raikage seemed to have aged in an instant. His posture, once firm and unyielding, now was that of a defeated man, his shoulders drooping under the weight of a collapsing world.

"FATHER! We're just going to surrender like this?! And the revenge for our fallen brothers?! Are we just going to forget about them?!" A shouted, his eyes filled with tears. Seeing his father, the strongest man he knew, surrender like this broke his heart.

"Sigh, A..." the Raikage let out a deep sigh, one that seemed to contain the full weight of the losses they had suffered.

Then, he looked at his son sternly. "A, as the Kage of the village, I have the responsibility to look at the bigger picture. I must think about what remains..."

A lowered his head, his fists trembling with restrained rage. He knew that his father's words were true; the situation was clear as day.

If Chen decided to attack again, they would have no chance of defending themselves. Surrendering was the only sensible option... but the bitterness in his chest did not dissipate.

They had sacrificed so much, they had gone out with the hope of victory, and now they were returning empty-handed, leaving most of their comrades behind.

All the Cloud ninjas lowered their heads, their expressions reflecting a mixture of relief and deep, heartbreaking confusion. They had fought bravely, with everything they had, and now the end felt empty, as if all their effort had been in vain.

On the other hand, in the Konoha side, the initial surprise at the surrender of the Cloud ninjas soon turned into an explosion of jubilation. "We did it!" some shouted, smiles and cries of victory were heard from them.

Arms were raised in triumph, and some even cried out of pure emotion. Tears of relief, of release, tears for those who were no longer there to celebrate with them.

This conflict, which had lasted for over a year, had made them hate the war. None of them wanted to keep seeing how their comrades, who laughed by their side one moment, fell into eternal sleep the next.

Although they yearned for rewards and were willing to fight for them, they also abhorred war. Human nature was contradictory, as ambitious as it was fearful. They sought power, but feared losing what was most dear.

Now that the Cloud ninjas had surrendered, even Sakumo, who had always maintained a severe expression, allowed a tired smile to form on his face.

Continuing the fight against Kumogakure, especially facing the Raikage, had exhausted him more than anyone on the battlefield. Every strike he gave, every time the Raikage got up again, the pressure on his shoulders increased.

Seeing Kumogakure surrender was like having a yoke lifted from his shoulders, and finally, he could relax, even if just a little.

After the Raikage's surrender, the Cloud ninjas withdrew with the few comrades they had left.

The next day, they presented the surrender agreement to Konoha.

Looking at the surrender agreement presented by Kumogakure, Sakumo frowned.

Although Kumogakure had surrendered, they showed no intention of adequately compensating Konoha.

The proposed compensation was barely tens of millions of Ryō, an absurd figure that didn't even cover a small fraction of the damages and losses they had suffered.

It was an insult, a mockery to all those who had died.

"These Cloud ninjas are damn shameless! We can't let them return to their village just like that! What if they decide to start another war?" Yi said, enraged.

"How dare they do this even after losing?"

The Cloud ninjas had made it clear that if their agreement wasn't accepted, they wouldn't hesitate to go back to war. It was the limit. A loser who still had the nerve to threaten. With what face could they make such a statement?

"If they go back to war again, don't count on me," Chen said, looking at the surrender agreement with disdain before turning around. "I've already done you a favor by making Kumogakure surrender. If you're going to fight again for your own interests, find someone else. I'm not your babysitter."

He had already done his part, had been the force that tipped the balance and forced Kumogakure to yield. But if Konoha was going to seek more conflict out of ambition, he wouldn't be there to support them.

________

Time: If you're craving more (and I know you are!), I have just what you need. On my Patreon, you'll find exclusive chapters. Join our community and be the first to discover what happens next!

👉 [patreon.com/Athome790]

Your support fuels me. Thank you for the support! 💖