— — — — — —
"Huh?"
Renzo looked genuinely surprised as he dug at his ear with a finger, then without warning, bam—he sent Cee flying with a kick.
In the next instant, he flashed forward, stomped on Cee's head, and crouched down, staring coldly into his eyes. "Didn't I already say it? If you're the one who starts the war, you better be ready to get torn apart on the battlefield."
"Once war begins, stopping it isn't up to you. The right to end it belongs to the winner."
"In fact, everything that belongs to the loser is up for grabs by the victor. That's just the way things work."
"And right now, I'm the one winning. So tell me—why the hell should I, the victor, take orders from you, the loser?"
"Where do you get the nerve to think this war ends just because you say so?"
"You've really got some nerve."
"All the past Ninja World Wars—when didn't they start because some other village made the first move?"
"And you Kumo guys have always been the worst. The most aggressive, the most ambitious."
"Now that you're losing, now that you're getting crushed, suddenly you want to surrender? Just like that?"
"You think the world works that way?"
"You want all the benefits with none of the consequences? Who the hell do you think you are?"
Cee was left speechless. He couldn't argue back.
But that didn't stop him from glaring daggers at Renzo, burning his face into memory like he wanted to carve it into his bones.
"What do you want?" he finally asked, gritting his teeth. "What will it take for you to let our Raikage go? What will it take to end this war?"
He quickly shoved aside his hatred, trying to calm the storm raging inside him. Now wasn't the time for anger. It wouldn't solve anything.
Saving the Raikage and Killer Bee was the priority.
Renzo had made it crystal clear: the power to end this war rested solely in his hands.
Which meant—he wasn't planning to end it anytime soon.
The Third Raikage was barely clinging to life, and Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, had been captured.
As the strategist for the Raikage, Cee knew this was no time for pride or impulsiveness. The only option now was to negotiate a ceasefire—fast.
He needed to get the Raikage and Bee back alive.
"Heh…"
Renzo chuckled softly. "Now you're talking like someone in the military."
He finally pulled his foot off Cee's head. Only when Cee stood up did Renzo speak again.
"Tell your village to send a negotiation team to the Konoha camp ASAP."
"When they get here, we'll talk terms."
"As for the Raikage and Killer Bee, I'm taking them back with me—for now."
"But don't worry. I'll make sure they stay alive."
"Whether they get returned to you later… well, that'll depend on how smart your side wants to be. Heh."
And with that, Renzo didn't give Cee a chance to respond. He turned and walked off toward the Konoha side.
As he passed by the unconscious Raikage, he waved his hand—pulling him from the ground like a carrot out of dirt. The Raikage's body floated behind him, hovering silently through the air as Renzo headed back to camp.
Cee opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something—but in the end, he could only clench his fists and remain silent.
He could feel how serious the Raikage's injuries were.
But thankfully, Renzo had tossed out a couple of healing spells earlier, so the old man wasn't dead yet.
Cee thought to himself bitterly, "The Raikage's wounds are too severe. Probably only that Uchiha Renzo or Konoha's Lady Tsunade can save him now. Letting them take him might actually be the best option."
At least he'll be safe… for now.
"I need to get back to the village immediately—to negotiate reparations and ransom terms with the elders and even the Daimyō."
There was no getting around that.
Just from Renzo's attitude alone, it was obvious that 'Konoha's not the same anymore.'
Back when Sarutobi Hiruzen was in charge, they weren't this ruthless.
Cee sighed heavily. "Why did you die, Danzo? Why did you retire, Third Hokage…?"
"Idiots… Why didn't you just kill that damn Uchiha when you had the chance?"
— — —
Konoha Camp
"Uchiha Renzo!!!"
"You damn genius!!"
"Long live Lord Renzo!!"
"He won! We all won!!!"
"Hell yeah!!!"
"Finally!!"
"Hahaha~"
The moment Renzo returned to camp carrying the unconscious Raikage, the entire Konoha side erupted in cheers.
That battle had been intense—absolutely thrilling.
In the eyes of these ninja, Renzo was now nothing short of a legend. His prestige had soared to an all-time high.
"All right, everyone!" Renzo called out. "Start searching for any surviving allies right away!"
"Once we've gathered everyone, we head back!"
"This war is over—and we won!"
Renzo's voice rang out as he addressed the group.
Without hesitation, everyone sprang into action.
Some focused on rescuing injured comrades. Others carefully gathered the fallen, preparing to return their bodies to camp. There, they'd be organized, given proper rites, and cremated.
Eventually, the ashes would be brought back to Konoha and laid to rest in the village cemetery.
Their names would be etched onto the memorial stone, remembered forever as heroes of Konoha—honored by generations to come.
"Oi! Is the Third Raikage still alive?"
Once the situation settled down and most people were busy with their tasks, Jiraiya approached Renzo. Glancing at the floating figure of the Raikage nearby, he asked quietly.
Renzo nodded. "He was this close to dying."
"But I pulled him back from the brink. Barely kept him alive."
"Still, his body's completely wrecked. His strength is gone. Even his mind may never fully recover. I doubt he'll ever be fearless again."
"So handing him back to Kumo won't be a problem. In fact, we might even get a hefty payout in return."
Don't be fooled into thinking he only suffered head trauma and lost his fingers.
Both arms were shattered. His nerves, organs—everything took massive damage.
Could Renzo have healed him completely?
Sure. But why would he do that? Why waste resources helping the enemy?
Exactly—he wouldn't.
"Hm." Jiraiya nodded in understanding. "Honestly, that's for the best. As long as he's alive—even if he's a vegetable—it avoids turning this into a full-blown blood feud. Stops Kumo from going crazy and chasing revenge."
Jiraiya, after all, still carried some of the Third Hokage's pacifist ideals.
But Renzo just gave a half-smile and shook his head. "You're too naive. With how bad things have gotten? The ninja world has already torn itself apart in three wars. The grudge was sealed ages ago."
"And besides—keeping the Raikage alive? That actually benefits both the Kumo and Konoha."
Renzo wasn't the type to worry about making enemies.
If he were, he wouldn't have almost killed the Raikage even after Cee was begging for surrender.
"Oh?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"You probably have no idea where the Third Raikage came from just now, do you?"
Renzo looked at him with a sly grin.
Jiraiya frowned slightly. "Now that you mention it… no, I don't. He just kind of showed up out of nowhere. I assumed it was the Kumo's 'Heavenly Transfer Technique,' right?"
Jiraiya did know a bit about it.
Unlike Konoha's Flying Thunder God, which could teleport people safely, Kumo's technique was crude and dangerous—meant mostly for objects.
Transporting a living person through it? That usually shredded them into pieces.
Only someone with a body as tough as a monster could survive it.
And the Third Raikage definitely qualified.
"Exactly," Renzo nodded. "Now, try guessing where he was sent from?"
"Uh…" Jiraiya sighed. "Well, if you're asking me that way, then clearly it wasn't just from Kumo. Sounds like he was somewhere... unusual."
"Alright, no more guessing," Renzo said with a chuckle. "He was in Iwagakure territory."
"He brought thousands of Kumo shinobi with him, took advantage of Ōnoki and the Iwa forces being tied up on the front lines against us, and launched a surprise assault on the Land of Earth's rear lines."
"They blitzed through over a dozen towns."
"Looted everything of value. Stripped the place clean and sent it all back to Kumo."
"Now tell me—after Ōnoki finds out his home territory got ransacked while he was away at war, what do you think he'll do to any Kumo shinobi still left inside Earth Country?"
"And once he hears that Kumo not only lost the war with us, but also had their Third Raikage and even the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki captured…"
"Don't you think he might take the chance to return the favor? March an army and hit the Land of Lightning right back—with interest?"
After all, the Land of Earth took a huge hit this time.
.
.
.