Danzo's upper garments had been completely shredded, revealing a body covered in scars, as if it were forged from stone.
His words were as sharp as a winter gale, sending a chill through the hearts of those who heard them.
He stood there, like a majestic wolf king.
Even though his gaze was level, it carried a subtle but undeniable sense of dominance, as if he were looking down on his enemies.
"Surrender to Konoha and withdraw from the Land of Fire. This war can end here."
Danzo's voice was cold and absolute as he declared the conditions for peace.
To be honest, with Ōnoki's interference, he wasn't completely certain that he could finish off the gravely wounded Third Raikage.
After all, while his Mangekyō ability, "Amatsukami," could temporarily reverse fate and suppress his injuries—
Its duration was limited.
And although his injuries had been mitigated, his chakra reserves were heavily depleted after such an intense battle.
The chakra he had stolen from the Three-Tails and Nine-Tails was nearly exhausted.
Continuing the fight any longer would be detrimental to both him and Konoha.
Thus, he had to end the war as quickly as possible.
Of course, if the Third Raikage insisted on fighting to the death, Danzo would have no choice but to respond in kind.
However, despite the Raikage's rough and brash appearance, he was far from foolish.
In reality, he was a shrewd strategist, though he rarely showed it.
Thus, under the watchful gazes of both Danzo and Ōnoki—
He suddenly burst into boisterous laughter.
"Hahahahaha…!"
Looking straight at Danzo, he spoke:
"Shimura Danzo, I acknowledge your strength. You have earned my respect—your power is no less than mine!"
"But Kumogakure will NEVER surrender! And the Raikage of Kumogakure will NEVER bow down!"
Clutching his severed arm, he continued:
"I will remember today's humiliation."
"I will lead my forces to retreat… But one day in the future, I will return to defeat you!"
His speech sounded grand and resolute, but in reality, it boiled down to a simple message—
"Surrendering is impossible. That would be out of character for me as the Raikage."
"But I also don't want to keep fighting. I'll withdraw my forces, but Konoha better not pursue us!"
Danzo understood exactly what he meant.
Ōnoki, of course, understood as well—
And he immediately erupted in anger.
"You old bastard, Raikage! You have no honor!"
"If you just hold out a little longer, Konoha will be defeated!"
"There's no way Danzo can use such a terrifying Mangekyō ability without a price!"
"If we just keep pressing forward, he will fall—without a doubt!"
Ōnoki's desperate persuasion fell on deaf ears.
Maybe he was right—perhaps Danzo was at his limit.
But so what?
Wasn't he at his limit too?
As long as Danzo was alive, Ōnoki would remain wary and hesitant to act against him.
But if Danzo died, did anyone really think Ōnoki would just let the Third Raikage walk away?
As for honor and trust?
Ōnoki, the so-called "Both Scales", had no right to lecture others about keeping their word.
To him, everything was negotiable, including something as abstract as trust.
Thus, the Third Raikage ignored Ōnoki's protests and turned back to Danzo:
"Lord Danzo, what do you say?"
He needed a clear answer.
A guarantee that Konoha would not pursue the retreating Kumogakure forces.
At his words, Danzo slowly plunged his blade into the ground and spoke:
"Kumogakure must immediately release Kakashi and Ryoma. Additionally, you will withdraw all forces from the Land of Fire and the Land of Fields. If you agree to these terms—"
"Then I will let this end here."
After all, the direct cause of this war had been those two individuals.
As the leader of Root, Danzo could never abandon his subordinates.
As for withdrawing from the Land of Fields, that was simply the price Kumogakure had to pay for their defeat.
It wasn't that Danzo didn't want to negotiate for more benefits on Konoha's behalf—
But the reality of the situation didn't allow it.
Konoha had also suffered heavy losses in this war.
If they wanted to extract more gains, they needed to focus their efforts on a single enemy.
If the Third Raikage was smart, he would realize that Konoha's next target would be Iwagakure.
"Fine. I hope you keep your word."
The Third Raikage agreed to the terms.
Danzo gave a slight nod.
"I hope you do the same."
The Raikage stared intensely at Danzo's face, as if engraving his image into his memory.
"Hmph. I will repay this debt of vengeance another day."
Leaving behind those parting words, he transformed into a flash of lightning and vanished.
Only Ōnoki, with a darkened expression, remained.
Without Kumogakure's support, Iwagakure alone was no match for Konoha.
Not only had they suffered massive casualties, but they had even lost a Tailed Beast.
The sheer magnitude of their defeat made even the hardened Tsuchikage feel uneasy.
But regardless of his frustrations, with Kumogakure retreating, the war was now unwinnable.
Ōnoki looked down at Danzo, whose expression remained calm—
And in the end, he resisted the temptation to attack.
Without saying a word, he turned around and left, heading toward the other battlefields.
Danzo narrowed his eyes as he watched Ōnoki's retreating figure.
Blood still trickled from the corner of his eye.
Ōnoki had noticed this, of course—
But he had no idea what Danzo's true abilities were.
For all he knew, this could be yet another trap set against him.
Thus, he chose the safest course of action—
A tactical retreat.
Using the threat of Dust Release, he ensured his army's safe withdrawal.
---
As Ōnoki disappeared into the distance, a tiny Katsuyu slowly crawled onto Danzo's shoulder.
"Lord Danzo, your condition doesn't look good. Would you like me to heal you?"
The soft, gentle voice of Katsuyu held immense respect, completely devoid of any sage-like arrogance.
"No need to trouble yourself. But I do need you to relay a message to the other battlefields."
"Tell them..."
"We have won."
---
"We have won."
When Danzo's message, delivered through Katsuyu, reached the other battlefronts, the reactions were varied.
---
"Heh. That old man really took on two Kage alone and won?"
Jiraiya's face, marked with red Sage Mode patterns, showed disbelief.
His physical capabilities had been greatly enhanced by Senjutsu Chakra—
Yet even he found this hard to believe.
Defeating two Kage single-handedly?
That sounded like a myth.
The only time Jiraiya had ever heard of such a feat was in the legends of the First Hokage.
---
On the other side of the battlefield, Killer B, the Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, also looked stunned.
"Impossible! How could Uncle Raikage lose?"
He spoke within his mental space, addressing the Eight-Tails.
The Tailed Beast agreed.
A battle between Kage-level shinobi was completely different from normal ninja fights.
Each Kage was a seasoned warrior, an elite honed through countless battles.
Victory wasn't something that could be achieved through luck alone.
"This could be an enemy ploy to shake your resolve, B. Stay calm."
Hearing the Eight-Tails' warning, Killer B nodded seriously.
"Hachibi! Those Konoha bastards are truly insidious!"
Beneath his sunglasses, Killer B's eyes flashed with anger.
"Since that's the case, let's take them down with our strongest move, Hachibi!"
"Got it."
The Eight-Tails responded immediately.
Then, working together seamlessly, the two began to form a massive, pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb in the beast's mouth.
A terrifying aura descended upon the battlefield.
After years of training and perfecting their coordination, Killer B and the Eight-Tails had developed various forms of the Tailed Beast Bomb.
By adjusting the amount of chakra infused, they could control the bomb's speed and power.
For example, a smaller, rapid-fire version—the Continuous Tailed Beast Bombs.
Or the standard version, which required longer charge time but delivered immense destructive power.
Right now, they were charging a compact, high-speed variant—
A Mini Tailed Beast Bomb!
Its condensation speed was so fast that most people wouldn't even have time to react.
Just like now.
Jiraiya had barely prepared to interrupt the attack when—
The bomb was already fully formed and fired like a cannonball!
Fortunately, Konoha had someone who was recognized as the fastest shinobi in the world.
Namikaze Minato appeared just in time, summoning a Flying Thunder God Formula mid-air, successfully teleporting the bomb away.
"BOOM!"
A blinding explosion erupted in the distance.
Killer B's expression turned fierce.
"You blocked it once—can you block it a hundred times?"
He clenched his fist tightly.
"Hachibi, ramp it up! Let's show them Kumogakure's true strength!"
"Understood!"
The duo continued their coordinated assault, preparing to launch another Tailed Beast Bomb.
Just before they could fire—
A burly figure suddenly appeared beside them—
The Fourth Raikage, A!
"Killer B, stop!"
Hearing his brother's command, Killer B immediately halted and turned to him with confusion.
"What's wrong, bro?"
He asked, puzzled.
The Fourth Raikage glared at him and angrily snapped:
"Are you an idiot?! Didn't you see the old man's signal?!"
Hearing this, Killer B quickly looked into the distance.
Sure enough—
Bolts of lightning were repeatedly striking from the sky.
This was Kumogakure's official retreat signal!
"We're retreating?"
Killer B was momentarily stunned.
The Fourth Raikage, however, had already figured it out. His voice was deep and serious:
"Something must have happened to the old man. Either way, we need to retreat immediately!"
"Understood."
With a clear command, Killer B abandoned the fight and moved swiftly to cover Kumogakure's retreat.
—
Seeing the enemy forces withdrawing in large numbers, Minato—who had just teleported back to Jiraiya's side—felt a wave of relief and excitement.
"It looks like Lord Danzo has won."
His expression was elated.
The small Katsuyu clone that had been attached to him was destroyed by the Fourth Raikage earlier, so he hadn't received Danzo's victory message.
But given the enemy's movements, it was obvious what had happened.
It wasn't just Minato who figured it out—
The Konoha squads battling Kumogakure also realized something.
Battle reports could be falsified—
But shifting battle lines never lie.
Kumogakure's voluntary retreat spoke volumes.
In that moment—
Konoha's morale soared to new heights!
All the shinobi couldn't help but shout in unison:
"Glory to Konoha!"
"Glory to Lord Danzo!"
"Konoha will be victorious!"
"Lord Danzo will be victorious!!!"
_
This Danzo Is Weird 460 advanced chapters: (5-10 ch updates everyday)
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