They all shouted in unison.
Everyone firmly believed that under Qingshan Liuyun's leadership, they would achieve final victory.
---
"Bang! Those people from Kirigakure are such useless trash!"
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Cloud Village, after receiving news that Aoyama Ryūun had defeated Kirigakure, the three Raikage were dumbfounded.
Qingshan Liuyun had been gone for only a few days, and Kirigakure was already defeated.
Are these people putting on a performance? At least hold out for a day or two.
Although they were shocked, it was still understandable. After all, Aoyama Ryūun had fought their Hidden Cloud Village alone for an entire year.
The Third Raikage, unable to contain his fury, slammed his fist onto the table.
The Raikage's assistant, standing at the side, could only watch helplessly.
"Lord Raikage, now Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure have all been defeated. Only our Cloud Village remains!"
He looked at the Third Raikage with a pleading expression.
Silence fell over the meeting room.
Everyone understood that with only their village left, defeating Konoha was absolutely impossible.
Especially since Konoha had Aoyama Ryūun — "the Golden Lion."
If the war continued, they would eventually be crushed by reinforcements from Qingshan Liuyun and forced to surrender.
The only other option was to surrender immediately.
"…"
Unwilling. Furious. Humiliated.
Not only was the Third Raikage unwilling, but every ninja in the room wore the same resentful expression.
They had been beaten senseless throughout the entire Third Shinobi World War. How could they possibly feel satisfied?
On top of that, the war had drained an enormous amount of their resources.
Not only had they gained nothing, but they were now being pushed to the edge of surrender.
"Boom!"
Thinking about it made the Third Raikage slam his fist down again.
This time, the table finally shattered.
But everyone's eyes were on him, waiting for his orders.
"Gather every ninja we have! Before that Golden Lion sends reinforcements, we attack Konoha directly!"
Once Aoyama Ryūun arrives, he could single‑handedly crush an entire hidden village.
There would be no reason to continue fighting.
So the Third Raikage decided to strike before Ryūun could appear.
A full‑scale assault.
"Damn it! Even if we lose, we can't let Konoha win easily!"
Surrender? Impossible.
"Yes!"
No one objected. Even the Raikage's assistant remained quiet now.
This was humiliating — being terrified of a single man.
A bitter feeling spread through the room.
The Cloud Village, full of proud warriors, had never felt so stifled.
---
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
On the battlefield, lightning and flames clashed violently.
The smell of smoke and scorched earth filled the air.
Everywhere, ninjas exchanged ninjutsu.
"Have these brutes from Kumogakure gone insane?!"
Seeing the Eight‑Tails Gyūki and the Two‑Tails Matatabi fully transform into their tailed‑beast forms and rampage across the battlefield, Jiraiya was stunned.
What was this?
They had just finished celebrating the defeat of Kirigakure and Sunagakure…
And in the next moment, Kumogakure launched an all‑out assault.
Was it really this sudden?
"We're the ones who should be frustrated, aren't we?"
Beside Jiraiya stood Tsunade and Orochimaru, who had just arrived after finishing the Sunagakure campaign.
Rolling her eyes, Tsunade muttered:
"I came here to see Liu Yun. How did this suddenly turn into another battle?"
"Well…"
Jiraiya knew that was indeed her intention, but she didn't need to state it so bluntly.
That hurt his pride a bit.
Finally, Orochimaru spoke, voice calm and cold:
"Enough talking. Let's deal with these Cloud ninjas first."
"Mm."
---
"ROAR! ROAR!"
Facing the transformed Two‑Tails and Eight‑Tails, even the shockwaves from their roars were deadly. Ordinary ninjas couldn't withstand them at all.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Even the simplest movements of a tailed beast caused catastrophic destruction.
There was a reason they were called the ultimate weapons of war.
"What monsters…"
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru had already moved to intercept the tailed beasts.
Jiraiya glanced at the two beside him and suddenly chuckled.
"Come to think of it, it's been a while since the three of us Sannin worked together."
Ever since their battle against Hanzo of the Salamander, the Legendary Sannin rarely fought as a trio.
"Shut up."
"Idiot."
Jiraiya's smile vanished as Tsunade and Orochimaru shot him cold replies.
If he didn't know their personalities so well, he'd think they were bullying him on purpose.
Enough chatter. The three Sannin formed hand seals simultaneously.
"Ninja Art — Summoning Technique!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three pillars of smoke burst upward.
Gamabunta.
Katsuyu.
Manda.
All three appeared on the field at once.
"Orochimaru… didn't I tell you not to summon me unless it was absolutely necessary? This time, I want five hundred sacrifices!"
Among the Sannin's summons, Orochimaru's was by far the most troublesome.
Arrogant, demanding, violent.
"No wonder I felt irritated today… turns out I had to see you again, you filthy snake!"
Gamabunta puffed on his pipe, answering Manda with equal hostility.
Gamabunta and Manda had never gotten along.
Every encounter ended in an argument.
"What did you say, you stinking toad? Want to die?"
"I'd love to see who dies first!"
Neither had any intention of backing down. If one struck, the other would respond instantly.
In the end, Katsuyu intervened — as always.
"Alright, you two. Enough. This is a battlefield. Let's focus."
"Tch."
Although still dissatisfied, both Gamabunta and Manda stopped arguing.
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