Chapter 114: Rain and Surrender

Even as the forces of Iwagakure retreated from the borders of the Land of Rain, Tsuchikage Ōnoki's mind refused to rest.

"Should we consider joint operations with Kumogakure?" he mused, frowning beneath the misty veil of drizzle. "If we allied to develop a countermeasure against Konoha's group teleportation… it might be our only hope."

Until that problem was solved, he felt like he was walking beneath a stolen sword—ready to fall, to erase his village, his legacy, everything. One technique, and all of Iwagakure could be struck down.

Then another thought struck him—Kumogakure's sealed transport technique. The Heavenly Transfer Technique used to move goods across vast distances…

"If we can get our hands on it, study it—maybe we can reverse-engineer a defense against Konoha's Flying Thunder God network."

Ōnoki's eyes gleamed for a moment. But he clenched his fists. Kumogakure would never share such a technique freely. They were not allies—yet.

"Let them suffer first. Let them experience Uchiha Gin for themselves. Then, when their pride is broken, they'll be willing to talk."

Kirigakure didn't even cross his mind. The blood-stained history, the lack of sophisticated ninjutsu research… they were a poor candidate. No use at all.

Meanwhile, Gin stood beneath the dark skies at the gates of Amegakure.

He faced the nervous remnants of Ame's shinobi, his presence unwavering.

"Stand down," Gin said calmly, his voice low but clear. "You've seen the battle. Do you really think you're stronger than Iwa's shinobi?"

He stepped forward, lightning flickering at his fingertips.

"Don't waste your lives. Surrender. Or are you still waiting for Hanzō?"

The crowd stirred.

Then, Gin pulled a scroll from his cloak and unsealed it with a snap of chakra. The body of Hanzō of the Salamander appeared with a thud at his feet—lifeless and cold.

Shock rippled through the Amegakure ranks.

"H–Hanzō-sama?!"

"No… that's impossible!"

"He was a god to us… How could he fall so easily?!"

The disbelief in their eyes gave way to a quiet horror. The realization set in. Their warlord was dead. And the 2,000 Ame ninja who had marched out with him… had never returned.

"Can we verify the body?" one jōnin asked cautiously.

Gin nodded without hesitation. "Of course."

Convincing the remaining Ame forces to surrender without battle would be ideal. He could claim their resources, impose reparations, and turn their remnants into a support force for Konoha.

The jōnin stepped forward, examined the corpse, and paled.

"It's him. There's no mistake."

He stood, bowing his head in defeat, eyes filled with sorrow and fear.

"I'll return to the village and speak with the other leaders. One more thing… the 2,000 ninja who left with Hanzō-sama… what became of them?"

"They're all dead," Gin answered coldly, his tone devoid of sympathy.

The jōnin's heart sank. But there was no time to mourn—not yet.

"…Understood. I'll return shortly with our decision."

Gin gave a faint nod and sealed Hanzō's body back into the scroll.

No need to return the corpse. Not when it could serve as valuable research material—or even be resurrected later through the Impure World Reincarnation. Why waste it?

Within the walls of Amegakure, the jōnin relayed the news.

"Yes… it's Hanzō-sama," he confirmed. "And… all 2,000 of our comrades are gone."

Gasps and cries rippled through the courtyard.

"I saw Uchiha Gin annihilate over 1,500 Iwa shinobi with a single lightning technique," one shinobi muttered, his voice shaking. "Compared to them, we're even less durable. We rely on Water Release—not the defenses Iwa has. If we resist, we'll all die."

A heavy silence followed.

Then one spoke, then another:

"We should surrender."

"I agree."

"It's the only way."

The decision was made quickly. The remaining Ame jōnin led the last of their ninja to the gates and presented their surrender to Konoha.

Gin, satisfied, delegated the aftermath to Jiraiya, Nara Shikayama, and others: they would handle the extraction of resources, compensation negotiations, and formal treaties.

His job here was done.

He turned to Kushina, Mikoto, and the rest of his close group.

They wandered through the streets of Amegakure under the unrelenting drizzle.

"Tch! Always raining here," Kushina grumbled, holding an umbrella with both hands. "So gloomy… Gin, can we go back to Konoha soon? I hate this weather. My whole body feels gross."

She pouted, clearly fed up.

"If I hadn't snuck off recently to vacation in the Pirate World, I'd have lost my mind," she added under her breath.

"It really is heavy," Mikoto agreed. "A little rain is nice sometimes, but when it's constant—it starts to feel oppressive. Like it seeps into your soul."

Gin nodded thoughtfully. "The warfront is stabilizing. Suna's forces are crippled, the Kazekage is dead. Iwa's retreated. Ame just surrendered. We're not needed here anymore."

He paused, then smiled faintly.

"I'll speak with Tsunade. Maybe we can leave early."

Kushina's eyes lit up. Without waiting, she grabbed Gin's hand and dragged him toward Tsunade.

They found her deep in negotiations with the remaining Ame leadership. Kushina huffed and waited impatiently. Thirty minutes later, the talks concluded, and Tsunade passed control of the situation to Shikayama.

"Tsunade!" Kushina called out. "Can we leave now? Please? The weather here is just depressing!"

Tsunade chuckled, flicking Kushina on the forehead. "Already can't stand it? You haven't even experienced the worst of what missions throw at you."

She turned to Gin.

"You've shown terrifying power in front of Konoha's army," she said seriously. "What do the numbers look like? How many of them are ready for contract binding?"

"At present, around half are qualified," Gin replied. "The rest are close."

"Excellent," Tsunade's eyes gleamed. "Then don't delay—start formalizing contracts with them. If we want unity, this is how we achieve it."

Gin shook his head.

"Too risky. A mass contract event will attract too much attention—especially from Black Zetsu and the White Zetsu clones I've sensed nearby. Some are even hiding inside Ame."

Tsunade's expression darkened. She activated her Sensory Field.

"…You're right. Dozens of White Zetsu… and Black Zetsu is roughly five kilometers from the city."

"Exactly," Gin nodded. "We wait. Once I return to Konoha and take office as Hokage, we can move carefully. Summon shinobi in groups. By then, the rest will have reached the appropriate level."

Tsunade exhaled slowly.

"Agreed. But we can't let those things hang around forever. Their presence is disgusting—and dangerous."

Gin's eyes narrowed.

"They won't last much longer. Once I'm Hokage, we'll find time to deal with them—and Uchiha Madara behind them. I won't allow him to keep destabilizing things. If he keeps whispering in the ears of Kumogakure or Kirigakure, we'll have more wars on our hands."

He paused.

"Konoha needs peace. Reform. Rapid development. We can't have that while Madara's still manipulating events from the shadows."

Mikoto's brow lifted slightly. "Are you planning to take him down?"

Gin's tone turned sardonic.

"Of course. And when I do… maybe I'll use Impure World Reincarnation to bring him back and make him work for us."

"Maybe even revive Hashirama-sama while we're at it," Tsunade added with a half-smile. "That would give us another top-tier fighter."

"Why not?" Gin smirked. "If we're rewriting history—might as well write it in our favor."