Chapter 0087: Major Victory, Deal Sealed!

Chapter 0087: Major Victory, Deal Sealed!

Whoa!

I stopped dead in my tracks, staring in disbelief at what had just unfolded. That move—they really went all out. 'That was one hell of a play! Seamless, perfectly timed... I couldn’t have pulled that off in my wildest dreams! How many times did they practice that before this battle?’

Beside me, Tsunade-sensei narrowed her eyes, muttering, “I can’t believe they’d make a move now... We really underestimated those old veterans.”

Seriously, Sensei? If you hadn’t dragged me along, I wouldn’t have even been in this mess! We’re out here capturing tailed beasts, after all!

I held back my urge to blurt out something snarky and cautiously asked instead, “Sensei… aren’t you going to chase after them?”

She looked at me and scoffed. “Aren’t you faster than me?”

I made a show of pointing to the pacifier I’d been chewing on, trying to look pitiful. “I’m out of chakra,” I mumbled. “Just… recharging.”

She sighed, the black markings on her face gradually fading as she came out of her release. “Same here. Even if I did catch up, I couldn’t hold them off alone.”

She was right, of course. You can’t just chase down someone at Kage-level who’s set on escaping unless you’re fast like Sensei… or me.

“So… what’s the plan?” I scratched my head, curious about her next move.

“We wait for Shikaku and the others to return. Then, at dawn, we launch a full assault on the Sand,” she said, deep in thought. “This should be the final battle.”

I nodded, figuring this was the best way forward. No point risking it when we could play it safe and still win.

Although the main Konoha base was still standing, we’d lost half our supplies and provisions. We couldn’t afford to drag this out. Plus, after the thrashing they just took, the Sand’s morale was hanging by a thread.

'If we don’t take advantage of this, it’d be a waste,' I thought, a little smile forming. It was time to end things.

Kikyō Mountain

At the edge of the Land of Wind, where it met the Land of Rivers, Konoha and the Sand faced off in what I’d hoped would be a good fight. But instead of going in stealthy like usual, we charged in, our whole army pouring down on the Sand like an avalanche. Unsurprisingly, they sent troops to intercept.

The problem? This wasn’t much of a “battle” at all.

To anyone watching, it’d be obvious this wasn’t a fair fight. Konoha’s forces were plowing through them, and it wasn’t a back-and-forth kind of brawl. It was one-sided, like a slaughter. When Konoha’s war machine fired up, the Sand finally got a taste of what made us the largest, most powerful village.

With me and Tsunade-sensei at the head, breaking through their ranks, every formation they threw at us crumbled like paper. No defense could hold under sheer force.

And, to be honest, the Sand were pretty much spent. They’d thrown in everyone they had left, even rookies my age, barely trained enough to hold a kunai straight. Against us, they didn’t stand a chance.

So, we kept advancing, wave after wave, barely breaking a sweat. It was… easy. Almost too easy.

Then, finally—

“It ends here.”

I looked up to see the Fourth Kazekage himself, wearing his official robes and wide-brimmed hat, stepping onto the field. Tsunade-sensei signaled to halt the fight, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

Seeing him here, dressed in full regalia, could only mean one thing: the Sand’s leaders had accepted defeat. They were here to negotiate.

And Konoha wasn’t about to wipe them out completely. Trying to destroy an entire village? We’d lose too much in the process, and it’d be pointless. It was all about balance. After all, this wasn’t just a two-village fight; everyone was involved. If Konoha wiped out the Sand, it’d free up Stone Village’s troops to focus solely on us. That’d only spiral into an endless mess for everyone.

So, yeah, we all played by the same unspoken rules. We needed the Sand to bend, not break.

Seeing the Kazekage accept terms meant the war between Konoha and the Sand was finally ending. Now, it was time for peace treaties, alliance agreements, and all the other formalities.

As the leader of the Western Front, Tsunade-sensei was fully authorized to negotiate for Konoha. With her status and reputation, no one would question her ability to speak on the Hokage’s behalf.

The negotiations dragged on in the Sand’s camp for nearly two hours. Arguments broke out more than once, but eventually, they reached a deal everyone could live with.

When Sensei finally stepped out of the tent looking satisfied, I felt my shoulders drop with relief.

It wasn’t the enemy camp that had me on edge. No, it was the intense gaze boring into me from across the camp. Pakura. I could feel her eyes on me, sharp and unyielding, making it impossible to relax. I tried to ignore her, but man, she made it hard.