Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

Seeing that Shoji was able to defeat the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, in such a powerful head-on confrontation made Onoki feel that he had not made a mistake in his judgment and choice!

This is a capable, magnanimous, and resourceful young man!

With the fruits of victory secured, Onoki immediately set about arranging for a special negotiator to head towards the border with his new orders, while also spreading the news throughout the village!

This is fantastic news that everyone should celebrate!

When the ninjas and ordinary civilians who stayed behind in Iwagakure learned of this news, they, like Onoki, cheered. Although most of them did not know what benefits this victory in the war would bring to their own village, they only needed to know that their village had won a great victory and that someone had defeated the Kazekage, one of the Five Kage, on the front lines.

This is incredibly good news that the whole country is celebrating!

Inside the Uchiha clan's compound, the clansmen who received the news cheered with joy. Fugaku, Sogen, and Genran, among others, clearly understood what this meant for the village and for their Uchiha clan!

Without going into too much detail, this victory in the Ninja War was the most crucial first step for Iwagakure to take the lead in dominating the ninja world, and it was also the most important step for the Uchiha clan to show their power and gain the initial recognition of the Iwagakure ninjas!

From then on, the Uchiha clan was able to truly establish themselves in Iwagakure and become a part of the village.

This is definitely good news!

Unlike the atmosphere of extreme excitement and joy that permeated the entire village of Iwagakure, the village of Sunagakure was shrouded in a heavy, bleak gloom from the moment they were defeated. They had not expected their village to be defeated so miserably!

Furthermore, it is foreseeable that the days ahead for their own ninja village will become even more difficult.

Back at the front-line camp, none of the Sand Ninja, from the Kazekage Rasa down to the ordinary Sand Ninja, had an expression that wasn't unpleasant.

Maki, Fugi, and Yura, these mid-level Jonin of Sunagakure, all wore worried expressions. They found it difficult to describe the current situation in ordinary words. The northern fortress had not been recaptured, and their own side had suffered nearly two thousand losses of Sunagakure ninja (including those killed in battle, seriously wounded, and captured).

Even if they were able to redeem the captured Sand Ninja and rescue their seriously injured comrades, the Sand Ninja would still suffer extremely heavy losses in this local war. Not to mention that the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, who was regarded as a pillar of strength, was defeated head-on by a boy who was not even sixteen years old in front of so many people!

This is utterly devastating to the confidence of all the Sand Village ninja!

It can be said that at this moment, Sunagakure is in an unprecedentedly dire situation, a huge crisis that could lead to its complete collapse if it is not careful!

How to resolve the current situation is a huge problem facing all the Sand Village ninja!

However, in the end, it all depends on the decision of Rasa, who is the Kazekage. Rasa understands this very well. After returning to the camp, he first ordered Maki, Fugi, and others to further strengthen the security forces. After resting for a while and stabilizing his injuries, he immediately convened a high-level meeting at the front-line camp!

The time has come for a bloody decision regarding the future of our own ninja village.

In the main business.

A solemn and austere atmosphere.

At the head of the table sat Luo Sha, his face pale.

On either side below, Maki, Fugi, Yura, and several Jonin in key positions sat, each with an extremely solemn expression.

Moreover, no one dared to meet Luo Sha's gaze; the mere presence and aura emanating from him was terrifying.

They were well aware that their Kazekage had been defeated head-on, not by Onoki, but by a contemporary like Koto, and by Uchiha Shoji, a figure of considerable fame but clearly a young next-generation figure.

This is a very embarrassing result for Rasa!

These Sand Ninja dared not provoke their Kazekage at this time.

Even Maki, who is usually the most outspoken, moved his lips at this moment, but ultimately held back.

"Maki!"

It was unclear how much time had passed—it seemed like only a few minutes, yet also like an eternity. The eerie silence that persisted in the tent made one or two Sand Ninjas below somewhat restless.

In the uppermost position.

Luo Shana finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage!"

Maki, who was already prepared, immediately stood up and bowed to Luo Sha at the head of the table.

"First, send someone to transport more medical supplies from the village, and prioritize the return of the wounded from the camp to the village. Also, send someone to deliver the relevant message to Elder Chiyo and Elder Ebizo, and earnestly request the two elders to come out and take charge. The responsibility for the defeat in this war lies solely with me, and this must be made clear to the two elders!"

As Luo Sha finished speaking these seemingly gentle and calm words...

The expressions of the Sand Village Jonin below, including Maki, Fugi, and Yura, all changed.

237. Luo Sha Admits Defeat

"Lord Kazekage, this is..."

As Rosa's most trusted confidant in the camp, Maki looked somewhat anxious and tried to say something.

But before he could finish speaking...

"Do as I say, Machi!"

That was interrupted by Luo Sha's gentle wave of his hand.

When Maki met the deep gaze of his Kazekage, his heart trembled, and he could only bow silently and respond.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage, I understand!"

Fugi and Yura exchanged bewildered glances. Even a couple of Sand Ninja showed a strange expression on their faces. Rasa seemed to notice, yet also seemed not to, maintaining a calm demeanor as if he hadn't said those words, or perhaps he simply hadn't realized what they meant.

"Yura, you are now in charge of the defense of the front line. Abandon all forward outposts and focus on the defense of the rear. Just make sure the Iwa ninja don't advance any further. Be sure to exercise restraint!"

Defeat means that one's side has completely lost the initiative in the war. It is already a remarkable achievement to be able to hold this line of defense. Rasa does not think that his ninja village has the right to advance even half a step!

"Yes, Lord Kazekage!"

Yura, who was originally in charge of the village's defenses, was well aware of this. As soon as Rasa finished speaking, he immediately stood up, bowed in the direction of Rasa, and replied.

"Ok!"

After slowly nodding, Luo Sha turned his gaze to Fu Yi beside him. A hint of resentment, anger, and frustration flickered in the depths of his eyes, but it all turned into a low, helpless sigh. He spoke as if he were using all his strength: "Fu Yi, go to the northern fortress yourself and meet with that Lord Huangtu. Ask him for a ceasefire!"

As it landed, even though they were mentally prepared, the dozen or so Sand Village ninja present, including Maki, Fugi, and Yura, were all shaken. To put it nicely, it was a demand for a ceasefire; to put it bluntly, it was an admission of defeat. Since the outbreak of the First Shinobi World War, their Sand Village had never won even a single war!

Every time, it was the Sand Village that suffered defeat!

One of the Five Great Ninja Villages is like a joke.

Now, facing the local forces of Iwagakure, Sunagakure is unable to win even with almost all their strength. This is undoubtedly a great tragedy, making the Sunagakure leaders feel like they are all clowns!

Humiliation, resentment, and unwillingness filled the hearts of these Sand Village Jonin at this moment, but no matter how unacceptable it was, they could only submit to the current reality.

They can no longer hold out in the battle against Sunagakure!

After his lips trembled slightly, Fu Yi bowed deeply and replied in a slightly trembling voice, "Yes, Lord Fengying!"

Admitting defeat means relinquishing the last vestige of theoretical dominance, which will put Sunagakure at a significant disadvantage in subsequent negotiations. But as the defeated party, what right do they have to demand more? Unless they can steel themselves to launch another attack, which is clearly impossible.

Sunagakure had no choice but to make this choice 'from the heart'.

At this moment, Rasa's heart was filled with anger and regret. He was angry at the ruthlessness of the Iwa ninja and regretted his own decision. If he had been more clear-headed and cut his losses in time, at least he wouldn't be in such a terrible situation, all because of his so-called pride.

This caused the village to pay such a high price.

Rasa had already foreseen the public opinion surrounding his own ninja village after returning to the village, which could potentially shake his position as Kazekage to some extent.

But just like in this world, there's no going back.

Luo Sha could only break his blood fangs and force himself to swallow them.

"Okay, that's settled then. If there's nothing else, you may leave now!"

After arranging these most important matters, Luo Sha's expression also became much gloomy, as if he had no strength left, and he waved his hand lightly.

"yes..."

Maki, Yura, Fugi, and the others below could only stand up, bow, and silently retreat from the main tent, leaving only Rasa inside with a complex expression on his face.

He was considering what the right choice should be for himself and for the future of Sunagakure.

But no matter what, we must prioritize getting through the current crisis.

Rasa did not believe that Iwagakure or the Third Tsuchikage would let Sunagakure off so easily.

I just hope things don't get too bad...

Luo Sha gave a bitter smile, lay down, and thought bitterly to himself.

The situation was already out of control, a dire situation where they were 100% at the mercy of others, but Sunagakure had no choice but to grit their teeth and move forward. It could be said that at this moment, both Iwa and Sunagakure were very clear about their own and each other's predicament, and their general objectives had been locked in. The specifics depended on the actions taken in the upcoming negotiations.

Huang Tu's side had obviously received the message from his father in advance and was waiting for the arrival of professionals in the fortress. They were not surprised by Fu Yi's act of 'begging for surrender' on behalf of Luo Sha in the northern fortress.

Indeed, from the perspective of the Iwa ninja, represented by Huang Tu, this was a blatant act of surrender. Unlike in the Third Shinobi World War, where the Iwa ninja only killed the Third Raikage and some Kumo ninja, while losing two or three thousand troops, this time the Iwa ninja completely overwhelmed and defeated the Suna ninja in both quality and quantity!

Not to mention that Luo Sha was severely injured and defeated by Jiang Si!

The fact that the northern fortress was captured and the casualty ratio between rock and sand was reduced to one to four is enough to illustrate the problem!

It wasn't very deliberate, but it did reveal a hint of arrogance, which clearly made Fu Yi, who came to make the 'negotiation' request, very uncomfortable. But no matter how angry they were, they had to hold back; now was not the time for them to be resentful.

They have absolutely no right to be angry.

The two sides reached a tentative agreement.

The smell of gunpowder from the war seemed to fade considerably at that moment.

But many people are well aware that if the Iwa ninja don't get what they want in the upcoming negotiations...

It is not impossible for war to break out again.

This is why Rosa still emphasizes that his own side must remain highly vigilant in defense!

Admitting defeat is not unconditional surrender. Some interests may be ceded, but if they involve the core bottom line of Sunagakure, Rasa will not actually back down!

Some things are a matter of life and death for the village!

Although I don't think the Iwa ninja would be so ruthless, it's still necessary to be on the safe side in advance!

238. The Arrival of Negotiations

Moreover, at this time, Rasa also received news that the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Leaf Village had clashed again on the border. This made Rasa curse the Fourth Raikage A and the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi for being such idiots, while at the same time he had to prepare for the worst.

Who knows if the Iwa ninja might have any further ulterior motives amidst the conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure? This isn't just Rasa being overly pessimistic; there's a real possibility of it. Maki, Fushigi, and Yura are all on edge.

On one hand, preparations are being made for negotiations and discussions.

They still showed no sign of letting their guard down.

Rasa gritted his teeth and continued to send nearly a thousand Sand Ninja from the southern and eastern border regions to the front lines in order to prevent any unexpected situations. However, it was clear that the Iwa Ninja did not do the thing that Rasa least wanted to see.

Not to mention that Onoki knew that the conflict between Kumogakure and Konoha was currently just a minor skirmish, with the combined number of ninjas gathered in the border region not even reaching three thousand. Even if a large-scale conflict were to break out, Onoki would not push his luck and pressure Sunagakure at this time. As mentioned before, Onoki, as the most experienced Kage in the ninja world, had a sensitivity and judgment of the situation far exceeding that of ordinary people!