"Looks like we've met someone in charge."
Akihara Kagura's gaze noticed Chiyo on a building, controlling a wooden figure, stepping towards them as the ground of The Hidden Sand Village trembled continuously!
"That guy..."
Chiyo looked at the wooden figure approaching, her heart trembling, yet she stubbornly attempted to muster the courage to fight, suddenly pulling out her Puppet Scroll!
"Still want to fight?"
Akihara Kagura watched Chiyo with great interest and took the initiative to remind her: "As long as Lady Tsunade gives one order, everyone in The Hidden Sand Village will be buried here. If you're the only survivor, you might not even have enough time left in your life to bury them..."
"..."
Tsunade's eye twitched.
Hearing Akihara Kagura's words, Tsunade felt like some kind of villain, yet couldn't exactly find any fault in it...
"Tsunade!"
Chiyo immediately ignored Akihara Kagura, looked at Tsunade with forced composure, unwilling to lose her dignity: "What exactly does Konoha want? We've already agreed to negotiate with Konoha..."
"No negotiations."
While secretly absorbing chakra, Akihara Kagura answered on behalf of his nearby supervisor: "What The Hidden Sand Village must do is surrender unconditionally and await Konoha's disposal!"
"Do not push your luck..."
Chiyo stubbornly bit her remaining teeth.
"Lady Chiyo."
Akihara Kagura frowned, looking slightly puzzled at Chiyo: "Are you too old and have little time left, so you want to take everyone from The Hidden Sand Village with you?"
"..."
Tsunade's vision darkened for a moment.
Akihara Kagura's attitude towards others might have been too aggressive!
However, Chiyo had no choice but to accept this hardline stance. The elderly woman looked unwillingly at The Hidden Sand Village, where all the ninjas were tied to trees, unable to resist.
"We... agree."
Chiyo could only close her eyes.
Everyone in The Hidden Sand Village was under the enemy's control. What right did she have to negotiate terms with them? She was already old, just enduring humiliation...
"I could commit suicide to atone with Konoha..."
Chiyo took a deep breath and looked at all the Hidden Sand Ninja around her: "I just hope you'll spare these young children..."
"That is not up to you!"
Akihara Kagura interrupted Chiyo, saying: "Lady Chiyo, immediately have The Hidden Sand Village announce to the world of ninja a surrender to Konoha, and as for you, come with us immediately back to Konoha to sign an unconditional surrender agreement. Everything else can be discussed later..."
"Konoha won't carry out too much killing..."
Tsunade tried to reassure her old rival, Chiyo.
"Young lady, this time..."
Chiyo stared at Tsunade atop the wooden figure, feeling a bit stifled.
"Do I need to remind you!"
Akihara Kagura immediately interrupted Chiyo's disrespectful address, coldly reminding: "Standing before you is the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, Lady Tsunade, show some respect, or I will immediately kill everyone from The Hidden Sand Village!"
"..."
Tsunade sighed deeply.
The expression of the newly appointed Hokage became subtly odd.
It seemed as though she understood more clearly why her teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, always heavily relied on Shimura Danzo and the Root division. The existence of that department was extremely beneficial to a Hokage...
There was no need for her as Hokage to forcefully argue with others, because the Root members would voluntarily uphold the dignity of the Hokage and help the Hokage handle some inconvenient matters.
Although they could be a bit extreme at times...
However, compared to what that department had done, a little extremity was nothing, so it's no wonder that Teacher Sarutobi and Shimura Danzo often argued, yet still insisted on keeping Danzo as Hokage Assistant.
The Root...
Truly a sharp blade in external politics!
"Alright."
Tsunade patted Akihara Kagura's shoulder, her gaze softening towards Chiyo. The victor had already climbed to greater heights, and there was no longer a need to press with harsh words.
"Lady Chiyo."
Tsunade noticed Chiyo's somewhat uneasy expression, voluntarily saying: "We indeed need you to come back with us once, because Konoha's ninja are waiting for us to bring back a representative from The Hidden Sand Village to discuss matters following The Hidden Sand Village's surrender."
That exact statement was pure nonsense.
In Konoha Village's meeting room, discussions concerning the war were still ongoing.
However, Tsunade was someone with a sense of politics, not some naive young girl, and lying didn't bother her, nor did losing face in front of her subordinates.
"..."
Akihara Kagura's gaze towards Tsunade held a subtle eeriness.
This Fifth Hokage... is also quite the expert!
"By the way, the ninja from The Hidden Mist Village have already surrendered."
Tsunade nonchalantly frightened her old adversary, watching Chiyo's shocked face: "Currently, The Hidden Mist Village's surrendering representative is also in Konoha, and that representative is also female, so we can properly discuss the post-war matters..."
"I see..."
Chiyo felt as if she aged a few more years.
If Konoha and The Hidden Mist Village were still at war, Chiyo might have been considering bringing up that The Hidden Sand Village could become an ally with Konoha to jointly strike The Hidden Mist Village during the discussions...
But...
Now it seemed...
Konoha had already prepared everything.
Within Konoha Village.
Konoha hadn't actually prepared anything.
The people in the meeting room were still waiting for Tsunade to return, waiting to discuss how to fight the war with the new Hokage.
The ninja mobilization order had not yet been issued, weapons and equipment were not even ready, and forming the ninja into an army hadn't even begun...
The village strategist Nara Shikaku hadn't even had the chance to make a plan, but it seemed the plan had already been disrupted, leaving the Konoha strategist somewhat bewildered...
Perhaps...
The only thing they had achieved...
Was informing everyone in the village that Konoha was going to war.
As the people in the meeting room were still waiting, three figures appeared inside, and Akihara Kagura used the Flying Thunder God technique to bring Tsunade and Chiyo back.
"This is..."
Nara Shikaku looked at the elderly woman that Akihara Kagura and Tsunade brought back, somewhat shocked: "Is that really Lady Chiyo from The Hidden Sand Village?"
"Yes."
Tsunade returned to the village, specifically noting the time in the meeting room: "At four o'clock in the afternoon, during the succession ceremony, I declared war on The Hidden Sand Village and The Hidden Mist Village..."
"Now, at three in the morning, I announce the end of Konoha's war against The Hidden Sand Village and The Hidden Mist Village. Both have surrendered to Konoha, and the representatives to sign the surrender agreements have all arrived in Konoha..."
"In short."
"Ladies and gentlemen, the war is over."
"..."
Everyone present was somewhat caught off guard.
"Pfft..."
A Jonin who was sipping tea spat it out, feeling that the world was somewhat absurd: "Did the war really end in less than twelve hours? Did Lady Tsunade really declare war?"
Isn't this just ridiculous?
Because during the afternoon's succession ceremony, Tsunade had declared war on The Hidden Sand Village and The Hidden Mist Village, many in the village were rather displeased with the newly appointed Fifth Hokage!
Yet...
In less than twelve hours...
The Hidden Sand Village and The Hidden Mist Village announced unconditional surrender.
"It seems..."
"As if nothing had ever happened..."
Kakashi Hatake found himself questioning reality, staring at the meeting room ceiling.