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Kumogakure, Raikage Office.
At this moment, everyone in the office, including Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki who was temporarily acting as Raikage, was diligently busy with their work.
Or rather, at this moment when the Ninja on the front lines were fighting to the death, this was all they, as support personnel, could do.
However, even so, under the pressure of the Konoha army, bad news from the front lines continued to pour into this office one after another.
"Nii-sama, the F3 defense line, where the Third Legion is located, has been breached. Lord Inoue is leading his troops to gather the scattered forces."
"Nii-sama, the Konoha vanguard led by Sakumo Hatake has approached Yutan Town, and is only 1,500 kilometers from the Village."
"Nii-sama, Minato Namikaze's unit…"
"Nii-sama…"
These intelligence reports, like a tide, flooded into Yugito Nii's ears within a few short days, as she watched the front-line troops continuously retreat along the originally constructed second and third defense lines.
The chain reaction this brought was not just losses in personnel, supplies, and food; the damage it caused to the invisible morale was the greatest.
Currently, the entire Kumogakure was in a state of panic, and everywhere one could hear civilians discussing the possible consequences of the war's failure, complaining that the Third Raikage should not have started this war, and the preparations for dispersal being made by wealthy merchants and Ninja families—ever since Yugito Nii had made a harsh statement to several high-ranking officials, declaring that even if the Village were scattered, they would continue to resist, it was unknown whether they would resist or not, but some high-ranking officials were indeed preparing for the possibility of the Village being scattered.
In reality, there was no other way.
Sawara Kiri's battle achievements were simply too impressive.
First, he killed Rasa, then Shukaku, and then the Third Raikage—in just one war, all the tough battles were fought by him. In less than a year, the reputation of 'Second God of Shinobi' had even begun to subtly spread throughout the Ninja World.
What kind of deterrence was this?
Yugito Nii could understand their actions, but the survival of the Village rested on her, and as the acting Raikage, she could not understand, nor could she allow the Village to truly fall apart like this.
When she saw the last message, she noticed that the Konoha vanguard led by Minato Namikaze had already approached within 1,400 kilometers of Kumogakure.
Seeing this message, Yugito Nii leaned back in her seat and stared blankly for a long time.
Finally, she let out a long sigh.
Like a condemned person who had finally received their death sentence, the heart that had been in her throat finally sank heavily, falling to the bottom.
"Give the order."
"Yes."
A Cloud Ninja in the office immediately responded.
Yugito Nii's voice was calm: "Order the Chakra Cannon Scientific Research Team to immediately calibrate and position the cannon according to existing and subsequent intelligence, prepare for launch, and await orders."
"Yes."
Hearing this, everyone present finally showed some excitement.
The constant bad news from the front lines in recent days had not only tormented Yugito Nii but also these loyal Cloud Ninja.
Now, hearing that Nii-sama was finally preparing to use the Village's trump card, they suddenly felt a surge of confidence, and even the force with which they clenched their fists seemed to increase.
As he quickly turned and left the room, he did not notice the increasingly desolate expression on Yugito Nii's weary face.
The Chakra Cannon could only be fired a maximum of two times.
After these two cannon shots were fired, what kind of outcome would they face?
Yugito Nii knew very well in her heart.
It was just that ordinary people did not see as far as she did.
Front line, Minato Namikaze's unit.
This vanguard unit, consisting of only a few dozen people, had been on a forced march for nearly ten days and was already exhausted.
However, the retreating Cloud invaders, like a treasure, firmly attracted this unit to keep moving forward.
Not only the Ninja in the unit, but even Minato himself regarded these people as his confidence to continue standing alongside Kiri-kun.
However, tonight's night march was less than halfway complete when all the sensory Ninja in the reconnaissance squad, including Minato himself, reported detecting abnormal Chakra reactions, yet the Hyuga Ninja had not found corresponding signals within a ten-kilometer radius. This contradictory military intelligence made Minato Namikaze himself somewhat hesitant.
Just as he was thinking about whether to report this unusual situation to Sakumo Hatake's headquarters in the rear.
One of the sensory Jonin suddenly raised his head, looking utterly astonished at the distant horizon, his body involuntarily trembling, and then he suddenly howled behind him:
"Detecting an ultra-large-capacity Chakra reaction approaching!"
"It's very fast!"
"Biju Bomb… No, it's even stronger than a Biju Bomb!"
"Dodge—it's too late!"
As one of the most outstanding sensory Ninja in the entire unit, Minato Namikaze this time also clearly detected that extremely intense, meteor-like Chakra reaction.
"Up in the sky!"
Someone suddenly shouted a warning.
The next moment, everyone looked up towards the sky.
They saw that the sky, which had been somewhat dim in the early dawn, was suddenly ignited by an extremely brilliant and dazzling stream of light.
It was an arc of light, clearly showing the Earth's gravitational curve, flying in from an unknown distance of many kilometers away.
It pierced through the clouds, tore through the sky, and with a brilliance that seemed to penetrate the entire Land of Lightning, it went straight towards the direction where Minato Namikaze and the others were located.
In that instant, Minato Namikaze realized that it was coming for them.
As soon as he realized this, the arc of light began to fall from the sky. What initially looked like a streamline-like trajectory, as it approached them at an unimaginable speed, its area reflected in their vision grew larger and larger.
From the thickness of a finger, then a fist, then a palm, and then gradually covering the entire field of vision...
"Everyone, gather around me!"
Minato Namikaze's voice was unprecedentedly stern, his roar almost overpowering the sound of the brilliant light in the sky breaking through countless sound barriers as it descended towards them.
The surrounding Ninja had already prepared to evade the attack. The moment they heard the voice, they immediately and skillfully touched each other, and finally, several people placed their hands on Minato Namikaze.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Just as the brilliant light was about to fall.
Their figures suddenly vanished.
Immediately after, the brilliant light fell.
"Boom—!!!"
The greatest sound is silence, shaking heaven and earth.
After instantaneously teleporting dozens of kilometers away, everyone could still feel a very obvious tremor under their feet. The trees around them swayed violently as if dancing, and the ground beneath their feet seemed to have turned into the ripples of water they had stepped on during training when they first graduated, constantly swaying and spreading in all directions.
After a moment of stillness, the suddenly sweeping storm immediately uprooted the trees that had just been dancing. Countless gravel and branches were swept up and flew into the sky. The scorching heatwave felt as if it could scrape off their skin, carrying an unimaginable impact.
Everyone struggled to maintain a defensive posture, using Chakra to protect their exposed skin as much as possible.
Only Minato Namikaze looked up, staring directly at the spherical mass of brilliant light that had fallen to the ground, illuminating the dawn like the sun.
The extremely dense and destructive ball of Chakra light, like a Biju Bomb, engulfed the area where they had just been, creating a hot sphere that encompassed several kilometers.
The clouds in the sky seemed to have been peeled away, revealing the color of the outermost layer of the sky, subtly distorting the magnetic field and exposing a rainbow of brilliant light.
At this moment, everyone's gaze was involuntarily awestruck.
They stared blankly at this scene, like a natural disaster.
What kind of divine jutsu was this?
However, when Minato Namikaze saw this terrifying commotion, he inexplicably thought of Sawara Kiri.
'If Kiri-kun were here, even an attack of this magnitude probably wouldn't faze him in the slightest, would it?'
Unconsciously, that intense feeling of powerlessness seemed to engulf his entire soul.
Where did this attack come from?
Which Cloud Ninja possessed such strength?
Unfortunately, no matter what Minato was thinking at this moment, this outcome was already a foregone conclusion. As the vanguard unit, they had to immediately report this situation to prevent the main force in the rear from directly confronting such an attack.
"Two people stay with me to investigate the situation!"
"Everyone else, retreat."
The power of this single cannon shot alone caused the entire Konoha advancing force to halt for a full three days along the line 1,400 kilometers away.
Everyone in the Raikage Office cheered for this remarkable achievement, and many front-line Ninja were inspired by it, gaining unprecedented courage to continue setting up the third and fourth defense lines around this area.
Only Yugito Nii herself sat quietly at her desk, with her hands clasped together.
After a long while, she slowly got up and left the office.
Outside the office door, Ay and C had been waiting for a long time, as if they had long anticipated that she would choose to leave at this time.
Not only them, but Ay also stood there at some point, quietly looking at him.
After so long since his father's death, this young man had gradually adjusted his mindset and understood the situation.
Unlike the lower-ranking Kumogakure Ninja, as a select few of the upper echelon who were privy to information, they knew very well what Yugito Nii needed to do after that cannon shot landed.
"Nii-sama, I will go with you as well."
Ay stood there, as imposing as his father despite his youth.
Yugito Nii, however, merely smiled gently at him: "Ay, you are the man destined to inherit the name of the Fourth Raikage."
"Some burdens are enough for us old folks to bear."
"Nii-sama."
Ay was startled by the words, then suddenly gritted his teeth.
Yugito Nii, however, did not linger, taking a thick scroll and leaving the Raikage Building with I and Ev.
A few days later, his figure arrived at the front lines of the Konoha and Kumogakure conflict, amidst the cheers of the Cloud Ninja.
As an example, Sakumo Hatake naturally could not show weakness.
At the same time, it was also because only he and Minato, working together, could stop the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
However, this time, Yugito Nii had no intention of fighting them, her voice steady: "Let's go, take me to Konoha."
"This war, it's time for it to end."
The moment they heard that voice, whether it was the cheers of the Cloud Ninja behind him or the hostility of the Konoha Ninja in front, seemed to pause for an instant, all looking at her.
Yugito Nii's expression remained resolute.
For the Village, she was willing to give everything.
This was not an empty promise.
"Thud!"
A dark forehead hit the floor of the Hokage Office with an extremely loud sound, almost shattering the newly laid marble tiles.
The voice, faintly tinged with a sob, was so mournful it was almost piercing:
"Please, Lords, spare us Kumogakure!"
The few people who had been standing by, having summoned the Sannin and Sahara Kiri to sit together in the Hokage Office, now looked at her pitiful, wailing appearance and exchanged glances.
Jiraiya, whose skin was relatively thinner, scratched his cheek somewhat unnaturally.
She was crying too miserably.
Previously, when they heard that the Two-Tails Jinchuriki herself was leading two high-ranking Kumogakure Ninja to Konoha to submit a surrender document, they had expected a difficult tug-of-war.
After all, not long ago, Kumogakure had just revealed a large-scale Chakra weapon capable of ultra-long-range attacks over a thousand kilometers. If Minato Namikaze hadn't been on the front lines at the time, heavy losses would have been inevitable, and the Konoha high command even thought that Kumogakure had developed some biochemical monster that surpassed the Tailed Beasts.
In addition, although Kumogakure suffered a crushing defeat on the front lines, its overall strength remained undiminished, and it even had the capacity to deploy defenses on the sea towards Iwagakure, indicating no shortage of manpower.
At such a time, Kumogakure submitted a surrender document to Konoha.
Moreover, the one making this gesture was the rumored perfect Jinchuriki who could control the Two-Tails.
This action itself carried the implication of a conservative ceasefire.
If the front lines continued to fight, even if victory was still destined, the losses suffered by Konoha would certainly not be small—who knew how far that special large-scale weapon could reach? And could it be moved?
For this, Jiraiya had already dispatched three or four rounds of spies to infiltrate Kumogakure.
He had yet to receive any news.
The result was good; the other party immediately adopted such a low posture upon entering.
"Crying? Crying also counts as time."
Only Orochimaru remained cold-faced, unhesitatingly playing the villain: "Kumogakure initiated the war and invaded Konoha, and now you don't want to fight, so you just stop?"
"Do you really think we Konoha Ninja are made of mud?"
Sakumo Hatake and Minato Namikaze behind him also looked awkward, moving a little further away.
To ensure that the Two-Tails Jinchuriki would not cause trouble within the Land of Fire, they followed her all the way back, and their impression of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki was quite good: resolute and decisive.
They never expected such a scene upon entering.
"All faults lie with that scoundrel, the Third Raikage!" Yugito Nii's voice was mournful, "I hope you all know that many of us Cloud Ninja also do not wish to continue the war, but the Third Raikage held absolute power and acted unilaterally. Numerous attempts at persuasion failed, leading to this outcome."
"Now that the Third Raikage has met his end, Kumogakure has naturally returned to the hands of the people."
"The people of Kumogakure are also human; why would they want to fight a senseless war?"
"You can tell those words to the Konoha Ninja who have already died." Orochimaru's voice was calm, but tinged with coldness as soon as he spoke, "Until Kumogakure is completely annihilated and this Village is shattered, Konoha's military might will not cease."
"If all four great nations were like the Land of Lightning, fighting when they pleased and stopping when they pleased, would Konoha ever have a moment of peace?"
Jiraiya's eyes immediately widened at the words, looking at him in astonishment—are our war objectives really set this high?
But soon, noticing Tsunade and Sahara Kiri's calm expressions, he understood.
Ask for a high price, then negotiate down.
This was to force Kumogakure to reveal its true assets.
"I know that these words cannot sway your resolve, nor can they bring back the countless lives of Konoha Ninja. Precisely for this reason, I have brought you Kumogakure's sincerity."
Yugito Nii said, taking down the thick scroll from behind her.
"This contains all the Ninjutsu and secret research stored within Kumogakure."
At the words, everyone present's gaze instantly solidified, staring intently at the scroll in her hand.
For Ninja, inheritance is more precious than life itself.
If Konoha Ninja also knew what Kumogakure knew, what threat would they still pose to Konoha?
At this moment, even Sahara Kiri, standing far away, clearly detected Jiraiya's faintly heavy breathing.
Indeed.
Jiraiya, the professional good cop, quickly spoke up: "Orochimaru, show mercy where you can. Didn't Nii-sama also say it? Many people in Kumogakure don't want to fight."
"If we add this scroll, along with six hundred miles of land and ports south of the Land of Lightning, and the protection rights over the Land of Hot Water, then it's not entirely out of the question."
Good heavens.
Sahara Kiri, just a second ago, thought Jiraiya was playing the good cop.
He never expected him to demand even more exaggerated terms than Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's eye twitched, and his golden snake-like eyes darted at Jiraiya, seemingly indicating something.
Only then did Jiraiya realize he might have accidentally asked for too much, and he gave an awkward laugh.
Yugito Nii knelt there, scanned the few people, and finally fixed her gaze on the expressionless Sahara Kiri, remaining silent for a long time.
You might as well just disband Kumogakure.
At such a time, it was Tsunade who had to mediate: "Ahem, the battlefield is merely about life and death. If Nii-sama only has this much sincerity, then please return."
"Even if a few of us can make the decision, we cannot suppress the raging anger of the Konoha Ninja."
"If war breaks out again, do not say you were not warned."
Although these words still sounded very firm, they actually gave Yugito a way out, just that the conditions needed to be increased.
Yugito Nii took a deep breath, speaking as calmly as possible:
"You may not know this."
"Over the years, the reason why Kumogakure has consistently produced powerful perfect Jinchuriki is because there is a secret realm within the Land of Lightning, called the Waterfall of Truth."
"This secret realm allows the Jinchuriki and the Tailed Beast to face their true selves together, enabling them to reach an understanding and thus achieve perfect control."
"Aside from these secret Ninjutsu, Kumogakure is also willing to offer the location of this place."
Everyone present was stunned at the words.
They were still young, and their experience in the Ninja World was relatively short, so it was understandable that they hadn't heard of many hidden secrets.
When Yugito Nii revealed this matter, they didn't know what others thought, but Minato Namikaze's eyes immediately lit up with an extremely bright light.
Kushina might not have to suffer anymore?
"Ports, land, and that special weapon—you haven't mentioned any of it. What good is merely the ability to subdue a Tailed Beast?" Orochimaru's voice remained calm, "Without Kumogakure, we can also control the Nine-Tails."
"Please know, Orochimaru, that my Kumogakure still has an army of thirty thousand, countless ordinary people willing to resist invaders, and endless wealth and hired Ninja!"
Yugito Nii's voice suddenly hardened: "Does Konoha truly want to push Kumogakure to a dead end?"
This back-and-forth had finally touched upon Kumogakure's vague bottom line.
However, the Sannin were not discouraged by this.
The negotiations had only truly begun now.
A week later.
The news of Kumogakure submitting a surrender document to Konoha spread throughout the entire Ninja World.
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