Chapter 94: The Fourth Raikage Admits Defeat

The mobility of ninjas is extremely high, especially that of Cloud Ninja.

This group of ninjas, who excel at Lightning Release, are extremely fast and highly adaptable to the terrain.

Many Cloud Ninja relied on their astonishing speed to successfully break through the pursuit of the Leaf Ninja and escape from Thunder Canyon.

Yamanaka Chujiu watched the fleeing Cloud Ninja, abandoned unrealistic delusions, and ordered the Leaf Ninja to split into small squads to launch a limited pursuit.

He knew very well that after long periods of maneuvering and the subsequent battles, the Leaf Ninja were already very exhausted, and total annihilation was no longer possible.

Rather than wasting excessive stamina chasing the fleeing enemy troops, it was better to hunt down as many Cloud Ninja and Moon Ninja as possible within two hours, then consolidate the troops, clear the battlefield, and secure the fruits of victory.

As the ninja army spread out, screams, sounds of slaughter, and explosions also spread throughout the entire Thunder Canyon and the many surrounding mountains.

At this moment, the fighting within Thunder Canyon had instead ceased; the battlefield was a mess, with layers of corpses piled up on the ground, mixed with broken ninja tools and shattered armor.

The Leaf Ninja of the decoy battalion did not participate in the pursuit; they sat slumped in the canyon, exhausted, yet their faces were beaming with the smiles of victory.

Relying on a force of four thousand, they successfully defeated the combined army of four thousand Cloud Ninja and two thousand Moon Ninja, killing at least four thousand enemy ninjas, while their own casualties were only over four hundred.

Such a battle record is an unprecedented great victory in the history of the Ninja World.

Orochimaru walked to Yamanaka Chujiu's side, his golden slit pupils sweeping over the corpses on the ground, and a satisfied smile curled at the corners of his mouth: "Chujiu, well done."

"Congratulations on creating a miracle once again and achieving a glorious victory."

Yamanaka Chujiu nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Thank you, Teacher Orochimaru."

"But this is not my personal merit; it is the result of Teacher Orochimaru's leadership and the four thousand Leaf Ninja risking their lives and working together."

"However, it is still a bit of a pity."

"We achieved a huge victory, but the damage the enemy caused us is not small, and the enemy's main force has not been annihilated."

Orochimaru laughed heartily: "Cloud is a top-tier ninja village in the Ninja World; their ninja quality is extremely high, and they are not so easy to annihilate."

"Believe me, there will be no more fighting."

Yamanaka Chujiu was slightly stunned: "Will the Fourth Raikage admit defeat?"

Orochimaru nodded and said: "He will."

"The successive Raikage may seem reckless and crude, but in reality, they are all shrewd people who excel at calculation; what they are best at is assessing the situation, adjusting strategies in time, and executing them without hesitation."

"The Fourth Raikage will not launch any more battles."

Yamanaka Chujiu was somewhat persuaded, but he was still worried that the war would not end just like that.

Facts proved that Yamanaka Chujiu's worries were superfluous.

After the Cloud Ninja escaped from Thunder Canyon, a little over a thousand escaped the pursuit of the Leaf Ninja and brought the intelligence of the crushing defeat to the Fourth Raikage.

Raikage A did not choose to continue the siege, but instead ordered all ninja troops to retreat and return to Kumogakure to hold their ground and remain vigilant.

As for himself, he took the eight-tails jinchuriki Killer Bee, and the two of them left alone, following the guidance beacons left by Orochimaru, to find the hidden and resting Leaf army.

The moment they met, the Fourth Raikage said straightforwardly: "Kumogakure admits defeat; we need to restore peace with Konohagakure, and you can name your conditions, Orochimaru."

"As long as you think it is acceptable, I will accept it."

Orochimaru chuckled, turned his head to Yamanaka Chujiu and said: "Look, the war is over."

Yamanaka Chujiu shook his head helplessly: "I will go notify everyone to lift the alert."

The negotiations between Orochimaru and Raikage A went very smoothly.

It was too smooth.

Orochimaru proposed a series of compensation demands, as well as demands regarding spheres of influence in the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fields.

In all fairness, these conditions were not harsh.

Since Yamanaka Chujiu arrived at the northern front, in three months, he had cumulatively caused twelve thousand ninja casualties for Cloud.

For Kumogakure, this was an unbearable pain.

An even more fatal blow was that Kumogakure had been breached, and the reserve strength of the Land of Lightning had been weakened by nearly seventy percent.

Not only did they lack the ability to contend with Konohagakure now, but within the foreseeable twelve years, Kumogakure would not be able to recover.

They would have to exert great effort just to maintain their existing sphere of interests under the pressure of Iwagakure.

At this time, the Land of Lightning had already fallen into internal and external troubles.

The domestic Daimyo, nobles, and ninjas were in a state of panic, with no heart to continue fighting.

Internationally, Iwagakure and Kirigakure were eyeing them covetously, and signs of invasion had already appeared on the borders adjacent to the Land of Earth and the Land of Water.

The Fourth Raikage knew that he had no way out.

Continuing the war with the Leaf Ninja would inevitably lead to invasions by the other two countries, and the destruction of the Land of Lightning was imminent.

He could only choose to surrender, give up some interests, exchange them for peace between Kumogakure and Konohagakure, and concentrate his strength to deal with the probes of the two major neighboring countries.

Fortunately, Orochimaru also had no intention of continuing the war, and the conditions he offered were not harsh.

The Fourth Raikage accepted everything without hesitation and held a public signing ceremony in the Kumogakure plaza.

There was no smile on A's face, his eyes hiding humiliated grief and indignation, as he bowed before Orochimaru and signed the peace agreement.

The news of the Great Battle of Thunder Canyon and the Fourth Raikage's forced surrender spread across the entire Ninja World like a thunderclap.

All forces in the Ninja World, large and small, were shocked.

Who could have imagined that the four thousand Leaf Ninja led by Orochimaru could take down Kumogakure, consecutively defeat the combined Cloud and Moon Ninja forces several times their size, and force the powerful Kumogakure to surrender.

By virtue of this battle, Orochimaru's status far surpassed that of other Shadow-level Ninja, and his prestige in Konohagakure soared to an unprecedented height.

The person most impacted by this victory was none other than the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The "peace" policy pursued by the Third Hokage, including the advocacy of giving up interests in exchange for peace and the principle of opposing the initiation of war, had now become a joke.

And his previous wariness of Orochimaru, as well as his repeated suppression, had also become proof of his senility.

Our Konohagakure is so powerful; Lord Orochimaru, with the help of four thousand troops and the assistance of Yamanaka Chujiu, was able to directly force the Fourth Raikage to surrender.

Then why did we have to be so servile and beg the Cloud Ninja for peace before?

What?

The Third Hokage said that starting a war would cause many Konoha Ninja to die?

Ridiculous, Lord Orochimaru has already proven that not many Konoha Ninja will die at all.

Even if they die, being able to die for a great victory is something Konoha Ninja consider supreme glory!

What makes the Konoha Ninja even more dissatisfied is that Orochimaru not only achieved a brilliant victory but also secured enormous benefits for Konohagakure.

Spheres of influence have nothing to do with ordinary ninja, but the reparations from the Cloud Village are all in cash, which can be used as bonuses, pensions, and disability subsidies for Konoha Ninja.

The benefits of this victory truly reached everyone in Konohagakure.

Now, the villagers and ninja of Konohagakure have only one question: when will Lord Orochimaru become the Fifth Hokage?