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Seeing Chen leave, the camp fell into an awkward silence. If Chen did nothing more, could they really defeat the Cloud ninjas?

"Sakumo-san, you are the commander here. It's up to you to decide whether we accept their surrender or not," said the Nara Patriarch.

Everyone looked at Sakumo, waiting for him to give an answer.

"Yes, you are the leader here. Whatever you decide, we will support you."

Everyone gave Sakumo the chance to make the decision. After all, he was the Commander on this battlefield, and the responsibility rested on his shoulders.

Sakumo remained silent, his thoughts racing as he weighed the options.

After a long, tense silence, he finally said, "Let the Hokage decide this. We can't make such a crucial decision here and now."

After he finished speaking, everyone nodded. It wasn't what they hoped for, but they couldn't deny the logic behind his words.

Shortly after, Sakumo quickly communicated the news to Hiruzen Sarutobi, waiting for the Hokage's decision.

But none of this had anything to do with Chen. At that moment, Chen had already left the battlefield and appeared in Takigakure, the Hidden Waterfall Village.

The purpose of his visit was clear: the Seven-Tails. At that precise moment, Chen was standing over the dying body of the Seven-Tails.

"You're weak!" Chen exclaimed disdainfully as he took the chakra he wanted. Then, he pulled Konan's hand and left without another word.

Now he only needed the chakra of the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails.

Once he gathered the chakra of all nine Bijū, he could finally summon Shen Long... Oh no, he could attempt to obtain the chakra of the Ten-Tails.

…

"WHAT...? Chen killed three thousand Kumogakure ninjas? Now the Cloud ninjas are about to surrender, and the Five-Tails has become his pet...?" said Ōnoki, jumping to his feet.

His already ruddy face turned even redder with rage. "That bastard took our Bijū!" His voice trembled with fury, as if his heart was about to fail from frustration.

The faces of the Third Kazekage and Hanzō also darkened. The news wasn't easy to digest.

"What should we do now? The Cloud ninjas have surrendered; what path will we take...?" asked Hanzō, looking at Ōnoki and the Kazekage.

"Hanzo, damn you! You're also the leader of a village, stop asking obvious questions and start giving answers!" Ōnoki roared.

"What are you talking about? Are you implying I don't think?" Hanzō replied, narrowing his eyes as he grabbed the large scythe resting by his side and stood up.

The atmosphere in the room grew stifling, their auras clashing with overwhelming force.

"Enough! If you want to fight, do it when this war is over, but now focus on the bigger picture," intervened the Kazekage, standing up and placing himself between Ōnoki and Hanzō.

"We're in this together, whether we like it or not. If you two fight here, our fragile alliance will break, and that will mean our defeat."

If it weren't for the unbearable pressure from Konoha, he wouldn't have tried to stop them. Even if Ōnoki and Hanzō were mad, he normally wouldn't care about a fight, but now was not the time. Not when their enemies were lurking, ready to crush them.

"For the Kazekage's sake, I'll let it slide this time," Ōnoki growled, though the disdain in his voice was evident. "But make no mistake, Hanzo. Just because you're called a 'demigod' doesn't mean anything to me. You're still just the leader of a small village, nothing more."

Others might fear Hanzō, but he was not one of them. To him, Hanzō was nothing but a minor obstacle.

"You...!" Hanzō raised his scythe in a blind fury, ready to strike, but the Kazekage, with quick reflexes, stopped him.

He stood between them, his gaze that of someone determined to restore order at all costs.

"This is our headquarters, not a place for you to fight like spoiled children! The situation is too serious for you two to kill each other."

Hanzō slammed the table forcefully, his voice resonating like thunder. "I know you look down on me! I know you see me as the leader of a small village! But I'm sick of your damn arrogant looks!"

He was tired.

These two men, who were supposed to be his allies, had never shown him the slightest respect. Before him, they always presented themselves with that arrogant attitude, looking at him as if he were inferior.

But Hanzō was not going to allow himself to be humiliated any longer.

"What the hell are you talking about?! I swear I'll take my ninjas and wipe your village off the map!" Ōnoki roared, his face reddened with anger.

"Oh? You're going to destroy my village with your mighty ninjas? Ha! Why don't you take them to face Chen Hyuga first? Let's see if you have the guts!" Hanzō sneered, his tone dripping with mockery.

"Hanzo, that's enough! Don't cross the line!" intervened the Kazekage, trying to calm the situation before things spiraled even further out of control.

"The line? What line, Kazekage? You've crossed it long ago," Hanzō responded with a cold smile. "I'm taking my ninjas and leaving here. Let's see who dares to stop me," he said as a defiant spark crossed his eyes.

He was not someone to be taken lightly. He was known as the demigod of the ninja world, and the poison emanating from his body made him untouchable for most.

"Hanzo, are you serious?" asked the Kazekage, his face tensing. He knew that if Hanzō left, the situation would become even more precarious.

"Yes, Kazekage, I'm very serious," Hanzō replied firmly. "The current situation is unsustainable. The Hidden Rain Village has no need to be cannon fodder for you. Enough of these useless sacrifices."

Every time a battle began, the Rain ninjas were the first to be sent to the front line. Hanzō had endured that injustice for too long, only because he still saw a glimmer of hope for victory.

But now, that hope was dead, and his ninjas needed to withdraw before they lost everything. Preserving their strength was the only sensible decision.

Without another word, he turned and left, head held high and without a single doubt.

No one dared to stop him.

Ōnoki's threats about destroying Amegakure were nothing more than the empty words of an enraged man. If it were really so easy to destroy Amegakure, they would never have formed an alliance with Hanzō in the first place.

The news of Amegakure's withdrawal quickly reached Konoha. Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was still undecided, immediately accepted Kumogakure's surrender, allowing Sakumo to take advantage of the opportunity to move quickly to the Rain Country battlefield and put an end to the war once and for all.

Shortly after, Hiruzen sent Orochimaru and Jiraiya along with a thousand ninjas to attack Amegakure. Hanzō had abandoned the alliance, and Hiruzen wasn't going to let him get away with it so easily.

He had no intention of completely destroying the Rain Village, but he wanted Hanzō to surrender and pay fair compensation for the war.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen also organized a direct attack against the Rock and Sand ninjas. With Konoha now on the offensive, Ōnoki and the Kazekage had no choice but to avoid direct confrontation for the time being.

The withdrawal of the Rain ninjas had been a devastating blow to both of them. First, because it hit their morale like a sledgehammer; second, because it significantly weakened their forces.

Chen had decimated too many of their ninjas in previous confrontations, and now the two villages combined barely equaled Konoha's forces in number. Moreover, the Konoha ninjas who had been fighting against Kumogakure would soon be freed up due to Kumogakure's surrender and were expected to arrive at the Rain Country battlefield within days.

When Ōnoki and the Kazekage received this news, the stress hit them so hard it seemed like their hair had turned whiter overnight.

"What do we do now...? Are you going to surrender...?" asked the Kazekage with an expression full of bitterness.

Ōnoki looked at him with disdain. "Surrender? Not in your dreams! Don't talk nonsense, Kazekage! Konoha will never let us go just like that. Their losses have been immense, and if we surrender, they'll demand compensation we could never pay," he replied, his voice trembling with fury.

Then, he crossed his arms, looking at the Kazekage with severe eyes. "I'm not trying to humiliate you, Kazekage, but you need to accept reality. Your village doesn't have the resources to cover Konoha's insatiable greed. Neither you nor I could afford what they will demand."

The Kazekage remained silent. He knew that Ōnoki was right. His Wind Country, despite being the largest in terms of size, was poor and lacked economic resources.

________

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