bioinnovel Chapter 504 Signing of the Ceasefire Agreement
Chapter 504 Signing of the Ceasefire Agreement
The collision between the orange Susanoo and the Four-Tails shook the grassland, carving out several deep furrows in the ground, and rubble and lava intertwined in the air to form a ferocious rain curtain.
Uchiha Mitsuhide controlled Susanoo, constantly swinging his blade to parry, but fine beads of cold sweat had already seeped from his forehead, and his scarlet Mangekyou Sharingan was slightly stinging from the continuous high-intensity operation.
He gritted his teeth, his mind becoming increasingly clear.
Although the 60-meter-long Susanoo could withstand the Four-Tails' attacks, it was never able to gain the upper hand.
The Four-Tails' tailed beast chakra was inexhaustible. Every claw swing and tailed beast spit was accompanied by earth-shattering power. Although Susanoo's armor was hard, it also showed fine cracks under repeated impacts. The Uchiha Sanfeng's eye power and chakra were consumed at an alarming rate.
"At this rate, we'll be worn down sooner or later!" A resolute look flashed in Uchiha Mitsunori's eyes, and his chakra suddenly surged, almost breaking through the shackles of his physical body.
He held nothing back, pouring all the chakra within him into his Mangekyou Sharingan, and roared, "Susanoo... give it to me... grow bigger!"
His crimson pupils instantly blazed like the sun, and the orange Susanoo radiated a dazzling aura as chakra surged into his body like a tidal wave. His body, originally over 60 meters tall, grew at a visible speed, and the giant blade in his hand also grew longer and wider, until Han finally reached an astonishing height of 80 meters.
An 80-meter-tall orange Susanoo stood on the grassland, like a giant looking down on ants, its aura of power much stronger than before. The Four-Tails subconsciously stopped moving, a trace of fear flashing in its crimson eyes, and it nervously pawed at the ground.
Uchiha Mitsumine slowly raised his hand as he controlled the giant Susanoo, and the giant blade, carrying immense force, slashed down fiercely at the Four-Tails.
The speed and power of this attack were completely different from before. The wind howled and formed visible air blades, forcing the four tails to hastily raise their claws to block.
"Bang...!"
The giant blade collided with the four tails' claws, creating a deafening roar.
The four-tailed creature's massive body was actually forced to its knees by this attack, its knees slamming into the ground, raising clouds of dust and rubble, and the rocks under its claws instantly shattered into dust.
It let out a painful roar, its crimson fur stood on end, and a deep, bone-revealing wound appeared on its chest, from which gushing hot blood stained a large area of wasteland red.
"Suppress them...!"
Uchiha Mitsumine let out a low shout, giving the Four-Tails no chance to catch its breath.
Susanoo bent down, its thick arms gripping the Four-Tails' neck tightly, slamming its massive body hard onto the ground.
The four tails struggled frantically, whipping their tail fins against Susanoo's armor, but could only leave shallow white marks, unable to break free at all.
The giant blade in Susanoo's hand was then pressed against the Four-Tails' head, the cold chakra blade against its skin. With just a little more force, its head could be severed.
The Four-Tails' struggles gradually weakened, the ferocity in its eyes was replaced by fear, and it let out a low whimper. Its tailed beast chakra also began to become disordered and dissipate, showing faint signs of reverting to its tailed beast form.
Uchiha Sanfeng did not pursue the enemy to the bitter end. He slightly loosened his control over Susanoo, but still maintained a suppressive posture. His scarlet eyes were fixed on the battlefield in mid-air, keeping an eye on the movements of Uchiha Fugaku and Onoki.
At this moment, the battle in mid-air also reached its climax.
Fugaku Uchiha's green Susanoo was agile, and his longsword strikes were sharp, but he could not break through Onoki's earth-style defense.
Onoki flew through the air, occasionally using Dust Release: Detachment of the Primordial World, forcing Uchiha Fugaku to dodge repeatedly, and several marks left by Dust Release were left on the green Susanoo's armor.
When Onoki caught sight of the Four-Tails being completely suppressed by the eighty-meter Susanoo below, utterly powerless to resist, his aged face instantly turned grave, a hint of fear and helplessness flashing in his eyes. He knew in his heart that the Four-Tails was one of the core fighting forces of Iwagakure, and now that it was being crushed by the younger generation of Konoha, the morale of the Iwagakure army had plummeted. Continuing to fight would only increase casualties, and might even lead to the annihilation of the entire army.
Seizing an opening, Fugaku manipulated his green Susanoo to swing its sword straight at Onoki's face, the blade whistling through the air, seemingly about to strike. But Onoki suddenly raised his hand and shouted sharply, "Stop! I call a halt to the fight!"
He quickly formed hand seals, and an Earth Release barrier instantly appeared in front of him, barely blocking the attack. He retreated several meters, his tone tinged with resentment yet also resolute: "Uchiha Fugaku, let's call a truce for today. Our Iwagakure village is willing to negotiate with Konoha to discuss a ceasefire!"
Fugaku Uchiha paused, his green Susanoo's longsword hovering in mid-air. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, which quickly turned into calm.
He turned to look at the three Uchiha peaks below, who were in control of the overall situation, and then glanced at the low morale of the Iwagakure army. He slowly nodded: "Alright."
As soon as he finished speaking, Onoki was the first to gather his chakra, the Earth Release barrier dissipated, and his figure slowly descended to the front of the Iwagakure formation.
He raised his hand to signal, and although the Iwagakure ninjas were unwilling, they immediately stopped their attack and retreated in unison. They quickly returned to their own camp, their hands still clenched tightly around their ninja tools, watching the Konoha side warily.
The Konoha ninjas also tacitly stopped their pursuit and, at the signal of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Sanpo, gradually retreated and re-formed their ranks.
The cheers and shouts of battle gradually subsided, leaving only the whistling of the wind across the wasteland and the heavy breathing of the ninjas on both sides.
Uchiha Mitsuhide slowly retracted the giant blade from his eighty-meter Susanoo, but still maintained a suppressive posture until the Four-Tails completely deactivated its tailed beast transformation. Old Purple, covered in wounds, collapsed to the ground and was quickly dragged back to his camp by the Iwagakure ninjas. Only then did he gradually restrain his chakra.
The aura surrounding Susanoo gradually dimmed, eventually dissipating into countless chakra fragments in the air.
Uchiha Mitsunori staggered, bracing himself on the ground with one hand, breathing heavily. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead and dripped onto the gravel-strewn ground.
The stinging pain in the Mangekyou Sharingan intensified, and his vision became slightly blurred, clearly a consequence of overexerting his pupil power.
In this battle, the Uchiha Mitsurugi upheld Konoha's morale and gained absolute initiative for the subsequent negotiations.
Fugaku Uchiha slowly walked to the side of Mitsuru Uchiha. Looking at his weak appearance, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, including recognition of his junior and a bit of displeasure at being overshadowed.
But he didn't say much in the end, only saying in a deep voice: "Rest for a while, then prepare for negotiations."
Uchiha Mitsunori nodded slightly, leaned against a nearby rock, and began to slowly recover his depleted chakra.
Negotiations quickly began in the center of the battlefield, with each side sending three key representatives to confront each other.
The Konoha side was led by Fugaku Uchiha. Although the three Uchiha peaks were still pale, they stood upright to one side, their aura undiminished.
On the Iwagakure side, Ōnoki was at the core, with Kōtō and Rōshi following closely behind, their eyes warily scanning the Konoha members.
The wind on the grassland swept across the pebbles, making the negotiations all the more somber.
Uchiha Mitsunori spoke first, his voice carrying the firmness of a young man: "Onoki, your Iwagakure village has repeatedly crossed the border to provoke us, causing casualties among Konoha ninja and disrupting the peace of the border. We demand that Iwagakure village pay 300 billion ryo in war damages to compensate Konoha for its losses."
Onoki's aged face instantly tightened, clearly extremely dissatisfied with the offer: "300 billion ryo? That's utterly absurd! Iwagakure is constantly at war; we simply can't afford that much money! You're deliberately making things difficult for us!"
Uchiha Mitsunori had already anticipated the Land of Earth's stance, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "I never said that Iwagakure should bear this burden alone. You can apply for this money from the Daimyo of the Land of Earth. 300 billion ryo is nothing but a drop in the ocean for the Land of Earth, which has accumulated wealth over the years. The Daimyo will not be stingy with this amount of money in order to quell the war and preserve Iwagakure as a pillar of our fighting force."
Onoki remained silent for a moment, a struggle flashing in his eyes, but he still refused to compromise: "Even so, 300 billion ryo is too much! Iwagakure's maximum acceptable amount is only 200 billion ryo. Any more than that, I'd rather restart the war than agree to it!"
Just as the two sides were at an impasse, Uchiha Fugaku stopped Uchiha Mitsunori from speaking again, and looked directly at Onoki: "There's no need to argue anymore. One price, 250 billion ryo. This is the final concession Konoha can make, not a penny less."
Onoki's eyes flickered as he quickly made a mental calculation.
Finally, he stomped his foot angrily and said in a deep voice, "Fine! It's settled at 250 billion ryo! But Konoha must guarantee that after receiving the compensation, it will not pursue Iwagakure's previous transgression, and both sides will sign a three-year ceasefire agreement!"
Fugaku Uchiha nodded slightly: "Agreed. The agreement will be drafted by both parties later and will take effect upon signature."
As the negotiations came to an end, a hint of mockery flashed in Uchiha Mitsunori's eyes: "Uchiha Fugaku really is a fool."
In the afternoon, several figures sped over from the direction of the Iwagakure camp. Leading them were Onoki and Kyoto, with a huge scroll behind Kyoto.
Upon arriving at the negotiation location, Onoki raised his hand to signal the Iwagakure ninja behind him to stop, and stepped forward alone, his face showing a hint of restrained solemnity.
He formed hand seals and gently channeled chakra into the scroll. With a soft "whoosh," stacks of brand-new banknotes poured out like a tide, neatly piled on the ground, quickly forming a mountain of money half a person's height.
Fugaku Uchiha glanced at the mountain of money before him, then turned and gestured to the Kurama clan.
A few minutes later, the Kurama clan chief stopped his abacus: "Clan chief Fugaku, the 250 billion ryo is complete, not a penny less."
Next, Fugaku Uchiha and Onoki each picked up a pen and ink, signed their names on the drafted ceasefire agreement, and pressed their red seals.
"The Third Shinobi World War was ultimately put on hold between Konoha and Iwagakure..."