Surrender

Koharu, Homura, and Danzō said nothing, only able to nod with expressions full of frustration and resignation.

Today, Luo Lei's strength and skill are far beyond our control. There is no alternative, no way to oppose him.

The only thing they can do is comply with what he wants. At the very least, they cannot afford to become his enemies. They must maintain a superficial peace; otherwise, with Luo Lei's ruthless attitude, he could crush them all without a second thought.

"If Tsunade doesn't agree, we could try to persuade Kushina Uzumaki."

Koharu hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, "With the power Luo Lei has now, the Nine Tails mean nothing to him. If we can get Kushina's support, we might have a slight hope of containing him."

"No way!"

Hiruzen slammed the table, his voice full of fury. "The union of Minato and Kushina is the best for our village! I won't sacrifice that for anything in the world!"

"Minato is useless!"

Homura spat in disdain. "We invested so much in him, and yet he was completely overshadowed by Luo Lei... What a waste!"

Koharu nodded, "We had high hopes for Minato, but look at us now. This war is about to end, and he hasn't made any significant impact. It's disappointing."

"Even so, I believe in Minato!"

Hiruzen's eyes burned with unshakable determination. "The rise of Luo Lei was something we could never have predicted. But, aside from Minato, I don't see anyone else capable of balancing Luo Lei's power. Minato is our hidden card, and he will remain so."

"Kushina, as the jinchūriki of the Nine Tails, is also our trump card. We cannot allow Luo Lei to control her. And as for Tsunade, I will personally speak with her."

Homura frowned and let out a sarcastic laugh. "And what if Luo Lei doesn't like older women? Tsunade is no longer a young girl, after all."

"Enough nonsense!" Hiruzen waved his hand angrily, his face flushed with frustration. "Are we really going to discuss Luo Lei's preferences now? We will do what we must! If Tsunade is our best option, then we will try with her, no matter what he prefers!"

With evident weariness in his words, he added, "All right, let's drop this topic. In the coming days, we will call all the ninjas of Konoha and prepare to give Luo Lei a hero's welcome."

"Understood!"

They nodded without saying anything else, but their gazes remained filled with unease.

Knock

Knock

Suddenly, a knock on the door resounded.

An Anbu entered with excitement and spoke respectfully, "Hokage-sama! We have just received peace invitations from the Kazekage, Raikage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage."

"What...?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen, who had previously looked defeated, straightened up abruptly. "Do you mean that Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure have invited us to peace talks?"

"Yes!"

The Anbu ninja's eyes shone with excitement.

"Excellent! The Four Great Villages have surrendered..."

Those who had been filled with hopelessness suddenly seemed revitalized. Koharu couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh. "We've done it! Konoha is the ultimate victor of this war. From now on, we remain the number one ninja village in the world."

The mood quickly changed. They had regained the confidence they so desperately needed. In front of Luo Lei, they had to be cautious, but with the Four Great Villages defeated, they could act with authority and claim what was rightfully theirs without hesitation.

"But... the Fourth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, mentioned that she is the wife of Luo Lei-sama and hopes that Hokage-sama will be lenient with Kirigakure," the Anbu added cautiously. "Otherwise... the consequences will be very severe."

"..."

Hiruzen, who had seemed in good spirits until that moment, froze.

The faces of the others also darkened, their recently recovered hopes seemed to waver once more.

Just when they had decided to strike hard outward, a new threat emerged—an engagement with Kirigakure.

It was an awkward and frustrating situation, and the feeling of helplessness settled in the room once again.

"Sigh..." Hiruzen took a deep breath and gestured with his hand, "All right, I see. You may leave."

The Anbu bowed and left the room silently, leaving the high-ranking officials behind.

"Cough..."

As soon as the Anbu left, Hiruzen coughed violently, spitting up blood as he collapsed in his chair, the tension finally taking its toll on his body.

"Hiruzen!"

Koharu, Homura, and Danzō quickly stood up, approaching him with genuine concern.

"I'm... fine." Wiping the blood from the corner of his lips, Hiruzen said seriously, "Today's meeting is over. I need to rest and clear my mind."

"Understood..." The three nodded and left the room in silence, their somber expressions reflecting the gravity of the situation.

"Luo Lei... I didn't expect even your woman to threaten me."

After the room was empty, he clenched his fists and muttered to himself, "If it weren't for the peace and stability of the village, as a ninja, I would have fought you fearlessly to the death. But now, to maintain the overall situation, I will keep yielding... until the day I can bear it no more."

________

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