Chapter 316

Sixth Raikage’s face was grim.

He had been thrilled when he first became the Sixth Raikage, but after fully understanding the current state of the Hidden Cloud Village, his face could no longer muster a smile.

There was no way out.

Anyone who knew they were inheriting a mess, a village on the verge of collapse, would naturally feel terrible.

Especially when he thought he might be the last Raikage, that the Hidden Cloud might end under his watch—he instantly felt the urge to quit right then and there.

Fuck.

Why was he so unlucky?

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Not only was Sixth Raikage’s face grim; the faces of everyone in the room were equally dark.

Obviously.

Everyone knows their own situation.

As the absolute top leadership of the Hidden Cloud, they knew better than anyone how dire things had become—could a single word like “terrible” even begin to describe it?

In fact, since the founding of the Hidden Cloud, even at its weakest point in history, it had been a hundred times better than it was now—more than that.

But there was no choice.

The situation had sunk this low; besides accepting it, they had to consider their escape routes.

What should they do?

Join the Alliance, or join Konoha?

The meeting room fell into dead silence at first, then erupted into chaos moments later.

“I believe we should join Konoha!”

“Oppose! If we join Konoha, the Hidden Cloud’s name disappears!”

“The world is ruled by survival of the fittest—even if we join the Alliance, we can’t guarantee the other three hidden villages won’t strike us.”

“If we’re going to sell the Hidden Cloud anyway, why not get the best price?”

“I support joining Konoha, because Konoha is the strongest.”

“Though Konoha has a bit of wolfish ambition, it’s still overwhelmingly powerful now—especially if the Hidden Cloud joins, I don’t believe the other three hidden villages will last much longer.”

"I also support joining Konoha. If we join now, our treatment will be top-tier—certainly better than the other three hidden villages." [87] After saying this.

“I oppose!”

“Lips gone, teeth feel the cold, everyone! Even the other three hidden villages, for their own survival, wouldn’t swallow the Hidden Cloud!”

“Oppose? Can Itachi guarantee that? What right do Itachi have to guarantee it?”

“I also oppose joining the Alliance—even with the Hidden Cloud included, who can guarantee the four-village Alliance can stand against Konoha now?”

“I support joining Konoha!”

“Don’t forget that though the ninja world is in chaos, Konoha has never been shaken by it—even the Akatsuki couldn’t touch Konoha.”

“All of us have fought the Akatsuki—we know well that even they fear Konoha. That alone proves how strong Konoha is.”

“Oppose!”

“Support!”

“...”

The entire meeting room exploded into noise.

Everyone had their reasons, but no one could convince another.

As for Sixth Raikage, seated at the head, he seemed almost oblivious to the market-like chaos—even yawned slightly.

How to choose?

To be honest, deep down, he leaned toward joining Konoha.

The reason? Simple.

Though he was reluctant to give up the prestige of being Raikage of the Hidden Cloud, when he realized the village’s fate was beyond saving, he had to prioritize the future survival of the Yuzuki clan.

After all, the survival of the clan mattered more than the village!

Of course.

He had not yet revealed his preference, sitting calmly as the room erupted in debate.

After a long while, he slammed his hand on the table.

“Enough! Stop arguing!”

“It’s clear we can’t reach consensus—let’s vote by majority rule.”

“Those in favor of joining Konoha, raise your hands!”

Sixth Raikage spoke calmly, sealing the decision.

At his words, Konoha’s spies immediately raised their hands, influencing some genuine Hidden Cloud ninja as well.

Then.

Seeing the vote had surpassed half, the opposition raised their hands without hesitation.

Yes!

Though they had all opposed joining Konoha moments ago, once they saw the majority, they raised their hands anyway.

The reason? Simple.

The vote had already passed—joining Konoha was certain. If they didn’t raise their hands now, they’d be subtly targeted once inside Konoha.

No one would be that foolish.

After all, they had families, relatives, friends behind them...

Even if they didn’t care for themselves, they had to do this!

Finally.

The once-noisy meeting room saw every single person raise their hand in unison.

Seeing this, Sixth Raikage couldn’t help but sigh helplessly.

He now fully understood: everyone had lost hope in the Hidden Cloud—even its own people believed it couldn’t survive.

Frustrating?

Extremely.

After all, the Yuzuki clan held a unique position in the Hidden Cloud—akin to Konoha’s Senju, later the Sarutobi, and now the Uchiha.

Had there been even the slightest chance, he would never have considered joining Konoha.

But likewise.

Once he accepted there was no hope left, he ultimately chose the posture most favorable to his clan’s survival.

Taking a deep breath, Sixth Raikage raised his hand.

“Good. Unanimous approval!”

“Then there’s no need to argue further—the final decision is made: join Konoha!”

“Of course.”

“This must remain secret for now—if it leaks, I fear the Hidden Stone, Hidden Mist, and Hidden Sand will block us—or even launch a joint assassination!”

“Those three villages would rather kill us than let us join Konoha.”

“Next, four tasks.”

“First: Send a secret envoy team to Konoha to negotiate and secure as many benefits as possible for our joining.”

“Second: The Jounin Corps leads all departments to secretly inventory and begin preliminary reassignments—prepare the Hidden Cloud’s civilians in batches for evacuation, ready to scatter into Konoha the moment negotiations conclude.”

“Evacuation priority: ninja clans, ninja families, then ordinary civilians.”

“Third: The Anbu leads all ninja in preparing to protect civilians during evacuation.”

“Fourth: The Jounin Corps dispatches another envoy team to temporarily stabilize the Hidden Sand, Hidden Mist, and Hidden Stone—buy us time and mask our movements.”

“That’s it. Everyone, move quickly.”

“But everything must be done in secret—if it leaks, the Hidden Cloud is finished.”

“That’s all for now. Meeting adjourned!”

After saying that.

Sixth Raikage said nothing else and immediately left the meeting room.

He did not head to the Raikage’s office, but went straight toward the Yuzuki clan.

Obviously.

Since the decision to join Konoha had been made, his role as Sixth Raikage was meaningless.

Now, what mattered most was returning to his clan, informing the elders, and preparing in advance for the transition into Konoha.