I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

Dealing with these members of the evil god cult, whose abilities are bizarre yet severely unbalanced, is naturally a piece of cake.

As Shisui watched the numerous Konoha ninjas who had arrived bring back the unconscious members of the Evil God Cult, his eyes were filled with anticipation.

Let me see what this so-called "immortality" and "true god" are all about.

......

Just as Shisui was dealing with the Jashin Cult and Yunting was leading a large army to the border of the Land of Lightning, the preoccupied Tsuchishiro returned to Kumogakure with Konoha's permission.

"Hijiri, you're finally back! I thought something had happened to you! You've returned just in time! With the Konoha invasion imminent, I need your experience to assist me. Although those Konoha guys won once, this is the Land of Lightning, our Cloud Ninja territory. To protect our homeland, all Cloud Ninja will never back down! Next, we must make sure they never return!"

When the Fourth Raikage A saw his capable assistant return, he was not worried about anything else. He first patted Tsuchishiro's shoulder hard with his large hand, and then, without waiting for the latter to speak, he directly took him to the newly built sand table map of the Land of Lightning, and told him about his series of policies for the Cloud Ninja without losing his fighting spirit.

While Tsuchishiro appeared to be listening attentively to the Fourth Raikage's strategy, his attention was actually mostly focused on the man himself.

As you can see, the Fourth Raikage looks no different from the previous ones, still as tough and ruthless as ever, giving people the same sense of security as always.

But as someone who had watched her grow up, Tsuchishiro knew all too well that beneath Ai's seemingly tough exterior lay a heart full of pain and self-blame.

The annihilation of the 10,000-strong Cloud Ninja army and the abandonment of the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost led Konoha to bring the flames of war to the Land of Lightning for the first time.

With all these unprecedented events happening to the Hidden Cloud Village, how could A, the Fourth Raikage and the person ultimately responsible, remain unaffected?

The reason they didn't show any weakness was simply to calm the current panicked public.

If even the Fourth Raikage cannot maintain a tough stance, how can the Cloud Ninja below muster the courage to face the current unfavorable situation, which has an even greater impact than the death of the Third Raikage?

"The Fourth Hokage, Senju Kumo-tei, possessed strength beyond imagination, which was the main reason for the Cloud Ninja's defeat in the previous war. Having learned such a heavy lesson, we must not repeat the same mistake. For now, we should regard the Fourth Hokage as Senju Hashirama, and in future wars, the Cloud Ninja must absolutely avoid direct confrontation with Konoha. Even if it means abandoning the Cloud Village, it is still better than nothing."

"After Konoha invaded the Land of Lightning, all the Cloud Ninja broke up into smaller groups and used their ninja skills to launch surprise attacks on Konoha from the flanks and rear on this battlefield that we know so well. This is the Land of Lightning, our Cloud Ninja territory. Konoha is deep in enemy territory, and we will wear them down! If one year isn't enough, then two years; if two years aren't enough, then three! We want to show Konoha that the Cloud Ninja, as tough as nails, will never give in!"

The Fourth Raikage, Aimon, announced this with an iron-blooded and loud voice.

"Never yield!"

"Even if the last Cloud Ninja dies in battle, we will never admit defeat!"

"Kill Konoha!"

The Cloud Ninja present were as if they had been injected with chicken blood, their faces full of resolute determination as if they were going to their deaths.

The Fourth Raikage, who had been observing this, nodded emphatically. He then looked at Tsuchishiro and earnestly asked this highly respected retainer, "Tsuchishiro, what do you think of this plan? If there's anything you think is inappropriate, please speak up so we can correct it in time."

"I think..." Tsuchishiro looked around at the Cloud Ninja, whose former high spirits had been replaced by a desperate struggle against a cornered enemy. He closed his eyes for a long time before slowly opening them and uttering the words he least wanted to say, but had to.

"Let's... talk it out."

Chapter 119 Everything, for the Cloud Ninja!

"Let's... talk it out."

The moment Tsuchishiro finished speaking, the entire meeting room fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone present, including the Fourth Raikage A, stared intently at Tsuchishiro, looking completely incredulous.

Who was Tsuchishiro?

He was the most trusted retainer of the Third and Fourth Raikage, and his power was second only to one person.

In particular, the Raikage and his ilk have always focused on their own training rather than dealing with political affairs. It can be said that many matters, big and small, in Kumogakure are handled by Tsuchishiro, which shows how high his reputation and status are among the Kumogakure ninja.

However, this very second-in-command of Kumogakure actually brought up a topic that no one wanted to mention, or rather, was ashamed to mention.

Peace talks?

That sounds nice, but isn't it just surrendering?

How could the Cloud Ninja, who were used to being tough, accept this?

This is not like the peace treaties signed in the past, where no effort was made and some benefits were even gained.

With the Konoha army approaching, unless the enemy is foolish, if they truly want to quell this war, they will undoubtedly face exorbitant demands from the enemy.

You must know that since the founding of Kumogakure, when has it ever bowed down to the enemy in such a humiliating way?

Even during the First Shinobi World War, when the Second Raikage advocated for an equal peace treaty with the Second Hokage, he was overthrown by the militant faction in the Cloud Ninja, who were very dissatisfied with him.

If peace talks are truly desired now, it means paying a much higher price to Konoha than during the Second Raikage's time. If the Cloud Ninja were to learn of this, one can imagine the uproar it would cause.

Therefore, whether the current leaders of the Cloud Ninja are unwilling or afraid, no one has taken the initiative to propose peace talks.

But now, it is the head of the Toshiro clan who has spoken out.

Without any hesitation, after a brief silence, before the Fourth Raikage A could say anything, a barrage of fierce rebukes from the other Cloud Ninjas quickly descended upon Tsuchishiro.

"Negotiations at this critical juncture? Doesn't that mean surrender? Tsuchishiro, are you trying to demoralize our Cloud Ninja?"

"The Yunren have never knelt and surrendered! They certainly won't do so in our hands!"

"Tsuchishiro, are you scared of Konoha? You actually said something that is completely different from your usual self."

"Hmph! Anyone who didn't know better would think you were transformed from someone else, Tsuchishiro!"

"I heard before that you, Tsuchishiro, were captured by Konoha. Now it seems that you were released by Konoha to act as an envoy and persuade us to surrender in order to save your life?"

"The Cloud Ninja have never known death but to stand tall! Keep going, and victory will surely be ours!"

"Tsuchishiro, you have really disappointed us!"

"..."

In an instant, an overwhelming barrage of accusations engulfed Tudai.

Disappointment, confusion, surprise, anger and other emotions were constantly focused on him.

Tsuchishiro endured it all expressionlessly, without uttering a word or making a move.

After a long while, the Fourth Raikage, A, raised his hand to signal everyone to stop.

Then, in the ensuing silence, he looked with a complex expression at the important figure before him, who was both a mentor and a friend, and spoke for the first time:

"Tsuchishiro, why did you say that?"

At this point, Tsuchishiro finally made a move.

He slowly raised his head, and even in the face of the crowd's insults, he remained as unyielding as a rock, saying, "Lord Raikage, everything I said was for the good of the Cloud Ninja!"

"What a joke! So-called peace talks for the good of the Cloud Ninja? You're trying to break the backbone of the Cloud Ninja!"

"I think you're Hijishiro, a spy sent by Konoha!"

"If you really want what's best for Yunren, then you should..."

"enough!"

Upon hearing Tsuchishiro's words, the Cloud Ninja high-ranking members present couldn't help but mock him. However, before they could say more than a few words, they were interrupted by A's angry roar.

A massive amount of chakra, comparable to that of a tailed beast, erupted violently within the conference room.

The Fourth Raikage, Ai, coldly swept his tiger-like eyes over the crowd. Seeing that the room had quieted down again, he looked at Tsuchishiro once more, his voice as calm as the calm before a volcanic eruption, and said to him without any fluctuation in his tone, "Continue speaking. As the Raikage, Nobuomi, you have the right to express your opinion."

As someone who had watched the Fourth Raikage grow up, Tsuchishiro naturally understood that if he couldn't give a clear answer, he would definitely be in trouble, even though he had a very deep friendship with the former.

However, he did not regret what he had just said, because the Cloud Ninja really could not afford to waste any more time.

Tsuchishiro surveyed the Fourth Raikage and the surrounding Cloud Ninja high-ranking officials, then spoke: "Raikage-sama, and everyone else, do you know how many Cloud Ninja prisoners are currently in Konoha's hands? Four thousand! And the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, the two most important Tailed Beast weapons of the Cloud Ninja, have also fallen into Konoha's grasp! If we continue the war with Konoha, what will happen to these people who are so important to the village? When will they be able to return? Will they even be able to return? Have you thought about that?"

silence.

Utter silence.

This is a topic that neither the Fourth Raikage nor the high-ranking members of the Cloud Ninja were willing to discuss.

With such a large number of hostages in Konoha's hands, it's impossible for them not to be worried, to the point that they have to be extremely cautious in everything they do next.

"Does Konoha dare to defy the law and kill prisoners? As long as we defeat Konoha in the upcoming battles, these people will eventually be able to return." Finally, a high-ranking Cloud Ninja said in a low voice, unwilling to give up.

"Defeat? How?" This time, Tsuchishiro, unlike before, retorted sharply, "I'm not afraid to admit it, but I'm truly terrified of Konoha. The current Fourth Hokage is a reincarnation of Hashirama Senju; he alone killed two to three thousand Cloud Ninja. How can the Cloud Ninja possibly defeat such a terrifying figure? Not to mention Tsunade, Minato Namikaze, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Shisui Uchiha—all figures whose strength is in no way inferior to a Kage. In my opinion, Konoha's current strength is far greater than it was decades ago. So, tell me, how do you defeat Konoha like this?"

"Even if we can't win head-on, as we decided before, we can break up into smaller groups and engage in small-scale skirmishes with Konoha. On our home turf, we should be able to wear them down until they give up," a high-ranking Cloud Ninja retorted, unaware that his words carried a hint of unease.

"Can we outlast them? Do you really think so?" Tsuchishiro looked at everyone with disappointment and shook his head. "Konoha has the support of the Land of Fire, which ranks first in national strength. If they really want to drag this out, how long can we hold out when we lose the Cloud Village's base and have no income?"

"Even if Konoha is worn down and forced to retreat, all that will be left for us is a huge mess. The Land of Lightning's economy, ravaged by war, will be severely damaged, the Hidden Cloud Village will be extensively destroyed, and the Cloud Ninja will suffer even greater losses. At that point, it will be questionable whether the Land of Lightning can still retain its title as one of the Five Great Nations, and whether the Hidden Cloud Village can still be called one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. It's even possible that as soon as Konoha leaves, new enemies will arrive to take advantage of the weakened Cloud Ninja. For example, the Iwa Ninja, their Tsuchigakure Onoki loves to do this kind of thing!"

At this point, no one else came forward to refute it.

Even the expressions of the group, including the Fourth Raikage, turned extremely ugly after hearing Tsuchishiro's speech.

They never imagined that the plan they had painstakingly devised would sound so inadequate in Tsuchishiro's words.

However, if this plan is carried out, then the consequences that Tsuchidaro mentioned could very well become a reality.

So what should we do next?

Could it be that, as Tsuchishiro said, they are seeking peace with Konoha?

This is a reality that is absolutely unacceptable to most of the Cloud Ninja, who are mostly martial arts enthusiasts.

The atmosphere was extremely oppressive at that moment.

Seeing this, Tsuchishiro sighed deeply. If there was any possibility, he would not want the Cloud Ninja to lower their proud heads.

But now, forced by circumstances, for the sake of the future of Kumogakure, he must stand up and awaken everyone.

This is why he didn't refuse when Yun Ting let him go back to deliver a message.

The difference is just too big!

All he can do now is to stop the losses for Yunren in time.

Even if he is condemned as a traitor by the Yunren, he will grit his teeth and continue.

Once all this is done, there's no problem with him resigning, stepping down, or even committing suicide to atone for his sins.

Everything, for the Cloud Ninja!

A resolute glint flashed in Tsuchishiro's eyes as he continued, "We must admit that we, the Cloud Ninja, have suffered a crushing defeat in our battle against Konoha. What we must do now is not to squander our already limited resources for the sake of so-called pride, but to cut our losses! The sooner we bring back the four thousand captured ninja and the two Jinchuriki, the sooner the Cloud Ninja can recover. Continuing to fight Konoha will only result in the greatest losses for us. Therefore, no matter the cost, let's negotiate with Konoha!"

"To be honest, I was indeed captured by Konoha. The reason I returned was at Konoha's behest, because the Fourth Hokage, Senju Kumo-tei, was also interested in peace talks. Although their proposed peace terms were extremely harsh, compared to the immense weakness of Kumo-nin in the future, it was all worth it."

"Furthermore, since I proposed the peace talks, I will bear all the blame and criticism from the village."

"Everyone, don't hesitate any longer. For the Cloud Ninja right now, this is the only best option."

After speaking, Tsuchishiro bowed deeply to everyone present.