Snowflakes, as large as goose feathers, swirled in the cold wind, drifting past Ai's face. The Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village stood bare-chested, his muscular frame resembling iron, completely unaffected by the freezing weather. However, he was far from being in good shape.

His left arm was broken, two or three ribs fractured, his internal organs badly injured, and a large burn covered his right calf. His chakra was nearly depleted, and even the military rations pills were losing their effect... But the most despairing part was that the enemy still appeared to be in complete control.

How could he be this strong? Ai felt a chill deep in his heart.

He had completely underestimated Uchiha Sougen's power. It was understandable to struggle against Susanoo, but when Sougen deactivated it, Ai thought it was an opening. Yet, even without Susanoo, Sougen still crushed them as if it were child's play.

And what was more,

Ai could tell,

Sougen wasn't even using his full strength. It was like he was toying with them the whole time.

"Can't hold on any longer? I thought I could enjoy this a bit more! What a shame!"

Sougen waved the fan in his left hand, sending a surge of scorching flames toward a Hidden Cloud ninja attempting a sneak attack from the bushes, burning him and the surrounding trees to ash. With a casual swing of the Flame Fan in his right hand, he absorbed a lightning attack from another direction and instantly transformed it into a storm, blasting the attacker back, leaving him half-dead.

With just two fans,

Sougen turned the battlefield into a one-sided massacre. Even the Fourth Raikage suffered a heavy loss. Ai's left arm was broken due to Sougen's special technique, Uchiha Reflection, which reflected his own attack back at him. Thankfully, it didn't result in amputation, and with enough time, it might heal.

The burn on his right leg,

That was the work of the Banana Palm Fan.

This fan could control all five chakra natures without the need for hand signs. If Ai weren't so fast in his reactions and movements, he might have been reduced to ashes.

"The Banana Palm Fan, why is it in your hands?"

Ai glared at the fan in Sougen's hand, his mind racing.

The Uchiha Fan was one thing—it rightfully belonged to the Uchiha clan—but the Banana Palm Fan... One of the Six Path's tools, it originally belonged to the Hidden Cloud Village. However, due to a rebellion sparked by the village's two brightest stars, four of the five tools were lost, with only the Amber Purifying Pot remaining.

Now that the Banana Palm Fan was in Sougen's hands,

Did that mean he had acquired the other tools as well?

"Huh? Is that really your focus right now? Shouldn't you be more concerned about... the bigger picture? Even if you don't care about that, aren't you worried about your own life?" Sougen spoke leisurely, clearly at ease. He had every reason to be. Thanks to a more efficient communication system, he already knew that Shisui had successfully taken down the Hidden Cloud command center. The war was on the brink of ending, and the final step seemed effortless.

"The Banana Palm Fan is a treasure of the Hidden Cloud Village. It belongs to us."

Ai's voice was low, seething with anger.

"Haha! Are you trying to reason with me now?" Sougen laughed. "It's impressive you can say that with a straight face. Have you forgotten how your Hidden Cloud tried to steal the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki and the Byakugan? I have to admire that thick skin."

Ai remained unfazed by the mockery, showing no hint of shame.

"That thick skin...," Sougen clicked his tongue. Shaking his head, he swung the fan toward the ground. The earth deformed instantly, twisting like water, forming a vortex of mud. From the churned-up soil, a few bloody bones could be seen.

"Forget it. Talking to you about this is a waste of time. In any case, it now belongs to the Uchiha clan." Sougen waved the Banana Palm Fan again. "Raikage, let's stop with the pointless talk. If I were you, I'd start thinking about what price you'll have to pay to calm Konoha's anger. Look, that hawk is probably here with a message for you!"

Sougen stopped advancing and watched the majestic eagle circling above. Ai whistled, and the bird dove from the sky, landing steadily on his raised right arm. The eagle opened its beak, dropping a small wax pellet the size of a quail egg into Ai's hand.

As soon as the eagle delivered its message, It vanished with a poof.

Ai cracked open the wax pellet, revealing a small note covered in tiny writing. He scanned the contents quickly, and his already grim expression darkened even further. His mood was clear—furious and defeated.

"Useless! All of them, useless!"

His heart throbbed with pain. The incompetence of his subordinates and his own failures had filled him with rage, making him feel like his blood was boiling. For a moment, he thought about risking it all in a final fight against Sougen. But reason quickly regained control, and he realized that as Raikage,

He could lead the charge but could not act recklessly.

"Everyone, stand down!"

His angry shout echoed through the snowstorm.

The Hidden Cloud ninjas lurking nearby were all shocked. However, Raikage's orders were absolute. No matter their doubts, they could only suppress them and obey.

After calling off the meaningless ambush,

Ai, filled with exhaustion, looked directly at Sougen and asked, "What do you want?"

"Surrender. Compensation."

Sougen's reply was just as blunt.

"Surrender is an option, but what about compensation... are we talking money or supplies?" The command center had been taken by Konoha, and it was clear this war couldn't go on any longer. If they forced the fight, Konoha wouldn't come out unscathed, but the Cloud Ninjas would definitely suffer more.

At this point, surrender was the best way out.

It wasn't just about other concerns—the pressure Uchiha Sōngen brought on him was suffocating. If they completely enraged Konoha... he wasn't afraid to die, but he didn't want to see the village destroyed. If things escalated that far, he'd have no face to meet his father in the afterlife.

"We can negotiate the details later. For now, I think it's best to end this war. The longer we drag this out, the heavier the losses on both sides, and the more compensation you'll have to pay."

Ai stood silent for a few seconds, then turned around.

With his back to Sōngen, he wasn't worried about being attacked. He quickly summoned all the ninjas who had been lurking in the shadows and rapidly issued orders—commands to cease fire and retreat. These orders were swiftly relayed through the Cloud Ninja command center, which had already been taken by Shisui.

On the land of the Land of Hot Water, the flames of war gradually died down. Falling snowflakes snuffed out the burning fires, momentarily covering the scarred land. But with the resilience of the Shinobi World, it was only a matter of time before this land returned to its former beauty.

...

"Why didn't you make a move?"

In the forest, a man wearing a mask and a black cloak sat on a tree branch. Next to him, a strange creature resembling a Venus flytrap with a face of dual colors emerged from the tree trunk. In a gloomy voice, it asked, "You just let such a great opportunity slip by, Obito!"

"Are you blind? What opportunity?"

Uchiha Obito glared at the plant creature.

"Uchiha Sōngen never really fought seriously from start to finish. These Cloud Ninjas were no match for him, not even Raikage could force him to reveal his trump cards. If he wanted to, he could easily wipe out these Cloud Ninjas. The way he dragged it out... I think he's baiting."

It was obvious who the 'fish' was.

Black Zetsu couldn't argue with Obito's reasoning.

Still, he felt it was a shame to miss this chance. Who knew when another opportunity to deal with Uchiha Sōngen would come up? What troubled him even more was that he saw a reflection of Uchiha Madara in Sōngen.

Uchiha Sōngen now had a commanding presence, unconsciously resembling Madara in his prime.

He might even seem more invincible than Madara. After all, Madara was unfortunate enough to face Hashirama Senju and never achieved total dominance, while Sōngen appeared to have no one in the current Shinobi World who could defeat him.

Nagato still hadn't fully mastered the Rinnegan's power.

If they confronted Uchiha Sōngen prematurely, it could lead to unpredictable consequences. Those Rinnegan eyes were key to the plan. To put it bluntly, Obito and Nagato were expendable if necessary, but the Rinnegan couldn't be lost.

That's why Black Zetsu had never intended for Nagato to take on Uchiha Sōngen directly.

If Uchiha Sōngen reached the same level of power as Madara, he would undoubtedly become a significant obstacle to their plans. Once the tailed beast collection plan started, they would be at odds with the entire Shinobi World, and a confrontation with Sōngen was inevitable.

However, after losing once, Obito would find it difficult to defeat Sōngen. Even though Sōngen was baiting this time, Obito had Kamui. As long as he didn't engage in a direct fight of ocular powers with Sōngen, he could escape if necessary.

But Obito lacked even the courage to launch a surprise attack. He watched the entire battle without making a move, which was disappointing.

"So what's the plan now? Uchiha Sōngen will become a huge problem in the future!"

Black Zetsu asked.

"Just because we can't deal with him now doesn't mean we won't be able to later. Once Nagato fully masters the Rinnegan, we'll have a chance. Worst case, we can always have Nagato use the Rinne Rebirth technique. Isn't that what you want anyway?"

Obito coldly looked at Black Zetsu.

That damn creature was left behind by Madara to watch him. Not only did it monitor his every move, but it was also obsessed with reviving Madara. Obito didn't particularly care about reviving Madara; the Eye of the Moon Plan didn't necessarily need Madara to be executed.

He could do it himself.

Even though Sōngen had humiliated him, Obito didn't feel like Sōngen had beaten him so thoroughly that he lost his nerve. He simply believed Sōngen was baiting, and striking impulsively would yield no benefits. Worse, it might reveal something to Sōngen.

There was still plenty of time.

The timing of the plan depended on when Nagato fully mastered the Rinnegan's power, and the Akatsuki organization was still in a development phase. Now wasn't the time to take on the Five Great Nations head-on, so there was no rush. A good hunter's most essential trait is patience.

And life is unpredictable.

Who's to say the Uchiha clan won't face internal strife in the future? Sōngen's ocular powers might be formidable, but even he might not escape the risk of blindness. By the time the plan begins, Sōngen could already be blind.

That was the ideal outcome, but Obito wasn't counting on Sōngen's self-destruction. Teaming up with Nagato was their plan, and reviving Madara was a backup option. If necessary, he wouldn't hesitate to revive Madara.

"Alright, let's go. Nothing else to see here."

Obito blinked, and the space around him warped, pulling him into another dimension. The tree branch, now free from his weight, trembled lightly, causing a thin layer of snow to fall from the leaves.

"Sōngen... What a headache!"

The plant creature swayed in the cold wind, and Black Zetsu let out a sigh of frustration. It took one last look at the quieting forest before sinking back into the tree trunk and disappearing.