"Once the Kazekage falls, the army loses its spine," Chen Xing said calmly.
"Advance."
With that order, Chen Xing moved first.
He flashed straight into the retreating Sand forces. Behind him, Celestial Shadow ninja followed without hesitation.
Protected by the Peacock King's overwhelming chakra avatar, Chen Xing tore through the battlefield. Sand ninja attacks—whether ninjutsu or weapons—could not pierce his defenses. Combined with Red See and the summoned giant beasts, the battlefield became a one-sided slaughter.
This was not a battle.
It was suppression by absolute power.
Even Celestial Shadow ninja who had followed Chen Xing out of necessity were shaken. This was the first time many of them had witnessed true Kage-level combat. Some began to realize they were no longer part of a minor village—but a force rapidly rising in the shinobi world.
Within two hours, Sand's forces collapsed completely.
Had the Sand troops not split into multiple retreating columns, not a single unit would have escaped.
With chakra expenditure reaching its limit, Chen Xing dismissed the summoned beasts. Red See withdrew them back to the mountain stronghold. Chen Xing then announced the end of the battle and personally escorted the captured Fourth Kazekage back to Wild City.
---
The cost was devastating.
In less than a month of war, Sunagakure lost over three thousand ninja—most of them elites. For a village whose total military strength barely exceeded ten thousand, this was a crippling blow.
Unless Sunagakure was willing to abandon its position among the Five Great Villages entirely, it had no choice but to negotiate.
Days later, news spread like wildfire through the shinobi world:
The Fourth Kazekage had been captured alive.
Thousands of Sand ninja had been annihilated.
The leader responsible—Celestial Shadow's Peacock King, Chen Xing.
The reaction was seismic.
Even the Third Hokage reportedly sighed after reading the intelligence report:
"A terrifying boy… Good thing Konoha didn't provoke him."
As a veteran Kage, he knew what this meant. Defeating a Kazekage was one thing—capturing one alive, commanding multiple giant summons, and maintaining massive chakra reserves afterward was another entirely.
In raw battlefield dominance, even he could not claim certainty against Chen Xing.
---
Nearly half a month later, the news still echoed.
Even villages ignorant of Celestial Shadow's origins now knew its name. A newly risen power had crushed Sunagakure head-on—and used it as a stepping stone.
Yet all eyes soon turned to another force: Iwagakure.
Would the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, move?
Many expected retaliation or suppression. Even the Fourth Raikage watched closely.
But nothing happened.
Iwagakure stood down. Mobilized units quietly disbanded.
This puzzled everyone—including Chen Xing.
Summer Star voiced the concern directly.
"Why hasn't the Third Tsuchikage acted? This doesn't fit his usual decisiveness."
Chen Xing shook his head.
"Ōnoki is cautious to the extreme. He survived the era of the First Tsuchikage. He won't act unless the cost is certain—and right now, the losses would be too high."
He paused.
"And if Iwagakure hesitates, Kumogakure won't rush in either."
---
Meanwhile, another crisis erupted.
Iwagakure – Tsuchikage's Office
"What did you say?"
Ōnoki slammed his hand onto the desk, eyes blazing.
"Deidara has defected?!"
"Yes," the ANBU reported calmly. "He was seen leaving the Land of Earth with unknown accomplices."
Ōnoki's fury was unmistakable.
"I allowed him freedom because I trusted him. And this is how he repays the village?"
After a long silence, he said coldly:
"List him as a missing-nin. Pursue without exception."
---
At the same time—
Sunagakure – Council Chamber
The atmosphere was heavy.
Hai, one of the village's elder founders, finally spoke.
"This matter has dragged on long enough. The Kazekage's life is at stake."
The elders exchanged glances.
Reluctantly, one spoke.
"If we continue the war, Sunagakure will collapse."
Another added bitterly,
"This defeat… is real. Whether we like it or not."
Hai nodded slowly.
"Then it's decided. I will personally negotiate with Celestial Shadow."
His gaze hardened.
"No matter the terms—we accept them."
---