Chapter 165: The Sand Ninja Defeat
After sealing the massive Chakra and life force absorbed from Shukaku into the Ten Thousand Seals Technique, Orochimaru, leveraging the small amount of Chakra he had left, used Shinobi feet to leap onto Shukaku's head, arriving before the Second Kazekage, Nagai Hōsai.
The darkness inside the stone coffin posed no obstruction to Orochimaru. Thanks to his powerful mental strength, he could see everything clearly, as if it were broad daylight.
Nagai Hōsai hung his head, entirely devoid of any life signs.
Orochimaru moved closer and lifted Nagai Hōsai's clothing to look at the One-Tails sealing formula on the Kazekage's abdomen.
The profound seal-array had dissolved into ordinary ink, staining the clothing, no longer possessing the great power capable of sealing a Tailed Beast.
Orochimaru sighed inwardly. Even though the man before him was once a Kage, commanding tens of thousands of ninja with absolute authority, in death, he possessed nothing and would eventually turn to dust.
Indeed, only eternal life and ultimate power were the highest ideals and pursuits. Orochimaru's conviction was only strengthened.
Taking a corpse-sealing scroll from his back waist pouch, Orochimaru sealed the lifeless body of the Second Kazekage within it.
Orochimaru stepped out of the stone coffin. The sudden shift in light intensity made him squint his eyes. When his vision returned, he noticed a new development on the battlefield.
The three Sand Ninja Semi-Kage powerhouses had, at some point, ceased fighting and were engaged in a tense standoff with Uchiha Kagami, Uchiha Fushō, and the three clan heads who had surrounded them: Nara Shikahira, Yamanaka Ryūji, and Akimichi Torifu.
Seeing Orochimaru emerge, Uchiha Fushō and the others immediately jumped onto Manda, surrounding Orochimaru in the center and protecting both him and Uchiha Kagami, whose Chakra was exhausted.
Orochimaru frowned slightly. He keenly sensed another Semi-Kage level aura rapidly approaching from the rear of the Sand Ninja line. He immediately warned the others: "A Sand Ninja Semi-Kage level fighter is rapidly approaching!"
Like a stone tossed into water, this news caused a ripple of alarm. Uchiha Kagami and the others' faces darkened. This situation was like escaping the tiger's den only to step into the wolf's lair.
Having just escaped the pressure of a Kage level opponent, they were now facing a dangerous scenario where two of their members were combat-ineffective, and the enemy was gaining powerful reinforcements.
Orochimaru remained unusually calm. He slowly stated, "Don't worry, the Sand Ninja shouldn't do anything to us.
They've already lost this war. The death of their Kage will deal a massive blow to their fighting morale and overall strength. If the entire Land of Wind doesn't want to be destroyed, they'll have to swallow their defeat and blood.
If they were to kill us now, an enraged Konoha would be all too willing to join the Land of Earth in carving up the Land of Wind, which has lost its only Kage level figure!"
Uchiha Kagami and the others considered Orochimaru's analysis and nodded in agreement, slightly relaxing.
Soon, the other Sand Ninja Semi-Kage reinforced arrived—a short-haired woman.
Seeing the newcomer, the three Semi-Kage powerhouses instantly found their backbone. They all bowed and called out, "Chiyo-sama!"
Orochimaru's eyes showed realization: it was the elder Chiyo.
But in the next instant, Orochimaru's gaze sharpened. He knew that as an elder who would protect Sunagakure for decades in the future, this woman, who possessed a strength and wisdom that many men lacked, was absolutely not to be underestimated.
Indeed, within five minutes, Chiyo had learned the majority of the battle's developments from the three Sand Ninja Semi-Kage. A flicker of grief crossed her face, but it vanished instantly, replaced by a composed and grave expression.
Chiyo nodded to the three Sand Ninja Semi-Kage. Already aware of the current state of Orochimaru and the others, she stopped tactfully outside their safety perimeter and spoke a phrase that Orochimaru hadn't entirely anticipated: "I am an acting elder of Sunagakure. The Konoha ninja truly live up to their reputation. Please inform Hiruzen-san that the Sand Ninja concede defeat in this Second Great Shinobi War!"
What swift decision-making. Orochimaru immediately calmed down, secretly holding Chiyo in higher regard.
If the roles were reversed, Orochimaru felt he couldn't have done better than this woman.
She understood precisely how to use the limited chips she held to gain the greatest benefit, minimizing the impact and loss that the Kazekage's death would bring to the Land of Wind.
Chiyo was perfectly clear-headed and controlled her emotions well, fighting for the maximum interest of her nation.
With a composed attitude, she continued, "Our Sand Ninja will immediately retreat home and will promptly gather and deliver war reparations. We hope that our Sand Ninja and Konoha can soon turn the sword into a plowshare and renew our friendship!"
Orochimaru gave a cold smile but couldn't help but inwardly praise her.
Though they had been fighting brutally moments ago, for the sake of national interest, they could—just as they were doing now—switch immediately to discussing renewing their friendship. As for the sacrificed low-ranking ninja and the civilians affected by the war, they were merely casualties of war. That was the reality of conflict, and in the "strong-eat-weak" world of ninja, this was merely a "game" between the powerful.
Orochimaru grew more cautious. He knew that after the polite formalities, there would be something substantial to discuss.
Indeed, Chiyo's next words brought relief to Uchiha Kagami and the others. Having noted their reaction, she immediately spoke with sharp clarity: "Now that the war can be considered over, our Land of Wind has suffered devastating losses. We hope our friends in Konoha can return our One-Tails to our nation!
After all, we are one of the Five Great Nations.
If we, having lost our Kage level powerhouse, were to lose our Tailed Beast weapon as well, we would inevitably be invaded by other nations, whose strength would be greatly boosted upon annexing us.
Surely, this is a situation the Land of Fire—which is still facing the invasion from the Land of Water—would not wish to see!"
Orochimaru's eyes were filled with faint killing intent. In those few short sentences, Chiyo demonstrated powerful tactics, including the enticement of war reparations, a subtle threat to Orochimaru and the others' lives, and the undeniable fact that the Land of Fire would suffer if the Land of Wind was destroyed.
Crucially, every word was grounded in reality. Chiyo's demeanor was professional, and the hypothetical situations she presented were backed by sufficient reasons.
Finally, after careful consideration, Uchiha Kagami and Orochimaru had no choice but to agree and accept the terms. As for the specifics of the surrender agreement and war reparations, those details were for Konoha's leadership to handle later.
The fact that the Sand Ninja side conceded so abruptly was a pleasant surprise to Uchiha Kagami and the others.
Orochimaru, lingering behind, took a long look at Chiyo, who was walking toward the stone coffin, preparing to reseal Shukaku and take it away. He then dispersed Manda, turned, and walked away.
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