I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

Then, under the silent and complex gazes of a group of people, he stood up again and took out a document from his pocket, which contained all the peace terms that Yun Ting had proposed to Yun Ren.

Tsuchishiro handed it to the Fourth Raikage, A, with both hands.

The latter remained motionless, and Tsuchishiro also maintained his current posture.

a long time.

The Fourth Raikage, A, showed a clear sign of fatigue on his usually strong face.

He looked at Tsuchishiro for a long time, and finally slowly raised his arm.

As if lifting a thousand-pound jack, it struggled and reached for the document little by little.

Chapter 120 The Final Decision

Three days later, at the main tent of the Konoha army stationed on the border between the Land of Frost and the Land of Lightning.

Yun Ting, who had just received the latest intelligence from the Jashin-kage Village regarding the Jashin-kage Cult, was flipping through the scroll.

Although he had received messages from Shisui before, they were too superficial.

To this end, he specifically dispatched a Yamanaka clan ninja, who was even more skilled in intelligence interrogation, back to Yugakure.

He was equally interested in immortality and the evil god whose name he had only heard of but never seen.

"Immortality? I didn't expect it to appear so soon. I thought only Hidan had it." Yun Ting muttered to himself as he flipped through the scroll. "However, compared to Hidan, these members of the Jashin Cult are just incomplete versions."

Three days was enough time for Konoha to gain a thorough understanding of the immortality and the evil god cult.

After numerous experiments, the researchers discovered that the claim of immortality was somewhat exaggerated.

While a single fatal blow might not kill a member of the evil god cult, they still have their limits. If the injuries accumulate, they will eventually die.

Furthermore, the so-called "immortality" is not without its weaknesses; if one is beheaded, the members of the evil god cult will die instantly.

"It seems that the Jashin Cult has not fully developed the concept of immortality, and there is no trace of things like the Curse of Death Possession. It seems that Hidan will be able to possess these abilities in the future because of the Jashin Cult's forbidden technique experiments."

Yun Ting read through the list of all the members of the Evil God Cult who had been captured on the scroll, but he didn't find Hidan, which was a bit of a pity.

"Furthermore, even the members of the Evil God Cult don't know the true face of this so-called evil god? It's really quite mysterious. Also, the more devout one's faith, the more power one receives from the evil god, and it's not a power system completely different from chakra."

Yun Ting knew that before the chakra system was developed, there were many demons and monsters and unique power systems in this world, the most typical example being Sage Arts.

The latter existed long before chakra was developed.

As for the former, even the Sage of Six Paths dealt with many such cases while traveling the earth after sealing his mother.

Perhaps, that evil god is a demon like the Wraith or Zero-Tail, which was born long ago and has survived to this day.

Or perhaps, like the Grim Reaper, they are powerful beings from another dimension.

Regardless of what it is, since the other party has never truly appeared in the original work, Yun Ting can simply ignore it.

However, while we can ignore the evil god, we cannot ignore the evil god cult.

The latter doctrine, in particular, encourages believers to kill in order to please God, which is enough for Yun Ting to mark it with a big X.

Now that the Land of Hot Springs is Konoha's territory, he will not tolerate the growing power of the Evil God Cult here, causing unrest in all sectors.

So let's destroy it as soon as possible.

Previously, Shisui had captured many high-ranking members of the Jashin Cult in Yugakure. After some interrogation, he had learned a great deal about their organization, members, and hideouts. Now it was time to follow the clues and wipe them all out.

Let's leave this to Shisui; we shouldn't trouble two people with one task.

Anyway, with Konoha's overwhelming advantage over Kumo-ninja, losing one of them doesn't matter.

With this in mind, Yun Ting quickly wrote the command on a blank scroll and handed it to Yamanaka Ritsuko, who was waiting nearby, to send it out.

Not long after, Tsunade, who had just passed Ritsuko Yamanaka who was walking out, walked into the main tent with a bored look on her face. Her tone was full of complaints: "Cloud Pavilion, how much longer are we going to have to wait here? Those Cloud Ninja are dragging their feet on agreeing to peace talks. I don't know if they are sincere or not. If it doesn't work out, we might as well fight another battle."

Upon hearing this, Yun Ting shook his head and said, "At this time, provoking the Yun Ninja too much is likely to backfire. You should know that the martial arts faction within the Yun Ninja is quite powerful. Even if the Yun Ninja's higher-ups want to negotiate, it will take some time to appease the opposition within the village."

"Furthermore, the area around the Land of Fire has been quite restless lately. The Iwa ninja, Kirigakure ninja, and Suna ninja have been much more active on the border than usual. They are clearly spurred on by Konoha's great victory over Kumo ninja and want to put pressure on us."

"Those old fogies in power certainly understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'," Tsunade said with a slight smirk, unsurprised. "However, this is all they can do for now. If a major war were to break out, these forces wouldn't be able to sustain themselves for long with their current dire finances and still-recovering fighting strength. Moreover, news of the Cloud Ninja's crushing defeat has already spread throughout the entire ninja world. With you, Cloud Court, here, they don't dare to do anything. Unless we truly intend to annihilate the Cloud Ninja, at most we can only scare them."

"That being said, I still don't want to waste too much time on the Cloud Ninja unless absolutely necessary. After all, they have stood firm in the ninja world for decades; even a centipede with a hundred legs will not die easily. For Konoha, it's best to stop while we're ahead. You know, there are still many things to do back home." As he finished speaking, Yun Ting's eyes were full of profound meaning.

Tsunade, oblivious to the situation, continued enthusiastically, "If that's the case, we should put some pressure on the Cloud Ninja. How about giving me some manpower—not too many—to take them around the Land of Lightning and remind them to face reality?

Tsunade was clearly itching to try it, which is why she made such a suggestion.

However, it's not impossible, since it's not a large-scale invasion.

After thinking it over for a while, just as Yun Ting was about to nod in agreement, Yamanaka Ritsuko, who had just left, suddenly returned with a new piece of information.

Yun Ting took it, opened it, and smiled immediately. Then he said to Tsunade:

"I'm sorry, Tsunade, it seems your suggestion can't be implemented."

"The Cloud Ninja have formally sued for peace!"

......

For Tsuchida, persuading the Cloud Ninja to sue for peace was much more difficult than he had imagined.

Even though he had explained the situation to the higher-ups of the Cloud Ninja with reason, he overlooked the unwavering stance of the stubborn ones.

For three whole days, the meeting room was filled with intense arguments.

He himself was the one who spoke the most frequently and loudest.

Even so, although he managed to persuade some people to join his camp, there were still far more people who continued to oppose him despite the harsh realities.

There's no way around it; the martial arts faction is just too deeply entrenched among the Cloud Ninja.

Otherwise, the incident where Kinkaku and Ginkaku led a group of elite Jonin to assassinate the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage wouldn't have happened back then.

Didn't they know that the Cloud Ninja were no longer capable of fighting?

They knew it, but they still did it anyway, and many people even supported them.

It's important to know that the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage are not to be underestimated, both in terms of their strength and the forces around them.

However, Golden Horn and Silver Horn ultimately succeeded, not only because of their own strength, but also because of the powerful martial arts faction that supported them.

Otherwise, where did all those elite Jonin who followed their brothers come from?

Although the Cloud Ninja suffered heavy losses in the previous battle with Konoha, there are still quite a few remaining martial arts factions.

Even the Todai would find it difficult to overpower these people.

In the end, the decision could only be left to the Fourth Raikage, A.

During these three days, Ai remained silent after receiving the document outlining Yun Ting's terms for the peace talks. He either listened to the arguments between the two groups around him or looked at the various shocking conditions proposed by Yun Ting.

Finally, Tsuchishiro spoke to him, saying, "Lord Raikage, it's getting late. If we delay any longer, Konoha will lose patience. You must make the final decision."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Raikage, A, finally took action.

He shook the document in his hand, looked at Tsuchishiro, and said with an unexpectedly calm expression, "Tsuchishiro, do you know how much the Cloud Ninja will suffer once we sign this treaty?"

Tsuchishiro replied earnestly, “Even the greatest loss is worthwhile. As long as we are still here, we will eventually return to our peak. But if we do not compromise now, then even if the Cloud Ninja still exists, it will forever be removed from the grand stage of the ninja world. The Five Great Nations will become the Four Great Nations, is that what the Cloud Ninja, who are unwilling to compromise, want to see? Besides, it's not like we can't negotiate the terms. We can reduce them a little if we can. So, Raikage-sama, please consider this carefully!”

The Fourth Raikage, A, remained silent, only tapping his thick fingers repeatedly on the table.

Winter...winter...winter...

As they awaited the final answer, Tsuchishiro and the others felt their hearts pound with tension, accompanied by the pounding of the drum.

In comparison, the die-hards were more relaxed.

They knew that the Fourth Raikage was always tough and domineering, and that it was impossible for him to agree to such a request.

However, this time it took them quite a surprise.

This was because the Fourth Raikage had actually agreed to peace talks.

"Tsuchishiro, send a message to Konoha and say that we are willing to negotiate."

In an instant, the entire meeting room fell silent, followed by a violent outburst from the die-hards:

"Lord Raikage, you've got it backwards! How can you sue for peace with Konoha?"

"How could Lord Raikage say such a thing!"

"Raikage..."

"Shut up, all of you!"

A piercing shriek suddenly rang out, and the Fourth Raikage, A, whose body was enveloped in intense Lightning Release chakra, abruptly stood up, glaring murderously at the group that had been shouting the loudest:

"I am the Raikage! My decisions are final. If you disagree, you can try to overthrow me like Kinkaku and Ginkaku did. I'm waiting for you! If you don't dare, then shut up now!"

Instantly, no one dared to utter a sound.

Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage, A, turned his gaze back to Tsuchishiro and said, word by word, "Go do it."

Tsuchishiro nodded silently.

Although things went as he wished, he felt no joy, but rather a sense of helplessness.

Who would be willing to sign such a humiliating treaty?

Just like the Fourth Raikage in front of him, he was unwilling from the bottom of his heart.

Although he was an incredibly powerful ninja, he was also the Kage of a village.

As the Raikage, he bears a heavy responsibility for the Cloud Village, the village, and the Land of Lightning. This forces him to abandon his dignity and go against his own will to face the humiliating reality he is in.

This was undoubtedly a deep torment for the person who had always had a fiery temper.

This also made Tsuchishiro, who had watched the other grow up and knew their personality very well, very sad.

after all,

Everything is for the greater good!

Chapter 121 Peace Talks Begin

In the border region between the Land of Thunder and the Land of Frost, there is a place called Rainbow Valley.

It was named for the colorful clouds that often appeared in the mornings and evenings, and it was once a popular tourist destination for people from both countries.