"It seems that Konoha is truly in decline," remarked a group of dark-skinned, burly ninjas with gleeful smiles as they surveyed the ruins of what was once the 'top ninja village' in the shinobi world.
The forehead protectors they wore identified them as ninjas from the Cloud Village, specifically the delegation sent by the Third Raikage for negotiations.
One of them, a gray-haired ninja with muscles bulging like rocks, shook his head and crossed his arms. "To be reduced to this state by a single attack, I think the title of the top ninja village should be handed over to us, the Cloud," he said.
This speaker was Darui, a trusted subordinate of the Third Raikage and the main person in charge of the negotiations.
His words quickly gained agreement from the other Cloud ninjas.
They had long harbored resentment towards Konoha for their defeat in the Third Great Ninja War.
In their view, the only reason they lost to Konoha last time was because the Rock Village had held them back.
Otherwise, with their prowess, how could they have lost to Konoha?
Seeing Konoha in such a state after an attack by an unknown group only reinforced their belief.
They spoke without lowering their voices, almost as if they wanted everyone to hear.
This caused the Konoha ninja guiding them to flush with anger.
If not for the higher-ups' orders to avoid trouble, he would have already taught these mountain barbarians what it meant to be the top ninja village!
Seeing his reaction, Darui felt even more assured.
It seemed that Konoha was truly beset by internal and external troubles, too weak to fight back, otherwise why would they endure such insults?
Encouraged, the Cloud ninjas became even more brazen in their comments, casually pointing out how the Cloud would never have been reduced to such a state by an unknown organization.
Their careless remarks immediately stirred discontent among the local populace, who had just suffered heavy losses with many loved ones and friends sacrificed in the recent attack.
To hear such words in their presence was infuriating!
Just as the crowd was about to confront these mountain barbarians, Konoha ninjas intervened.
"Everyone, please calm down! They are the Cloud delegation. Any attack on them would escalate into a diplomatic incident. Please remain calm!"
At the urging of the Konoha ninjas, the crowd, though aggrieved, had no choice but to prioritize the bigger picture and calm down.
Seeing this, the mocking smiles on Darui and the other Cloud ninjas' faces grew even more pronounced.
This was their assessment of Konoha now: strong on the outside but weak within.
Originally, the Third Raikage had set the negotiation demands at six billion ryo and one Hyuga clan member.
But now, seeing Konoha's apparent weakness, Darui felt that the Cloud might not need to make any concessions at all...
His eyes gleamed with a wild light.
These Cloud ninjas were like a pack of wolves, ready to tear a chunk of meat from Konoha, the fat sheep, at the first opportunity.
Thus, their demeanor became even more arrogant, a stance they maintained even in the negotiation room.
Facing two conservative elders from Konoha, the Cloud delegation launched an aggressive offensive.
No matter how the elders tried to persuade them, the Cloud ninjas held firm to their demands, refusing to budge an inch.
"Ten billion ryo in reparations and two Hyuga clan members! These terms are non-negotiable!" declared Darui, standing up with no respect for the village elders, his expression filled with arrogance and disdain.
"The Raikage has given Konoha two days. If by tomorrow night Konoha does not provide a satisfactory response, the Cloud will march on Konoha!"
With that, Darui and the delegation left, ignoring the livid expressions of the Konoha elders.
"This is too much! Too much!" Even the conservative Homura Mitokado couldn't bear such arrogance, slamming the table in anger after the Cloud delegation left.
As a high-ranking member of Konoha, when had he ever been treated with such disrespect?
But after venting his frustration, he quickly calmed down.
"What do we do now?" he asked Koharu Utatane.
With the hawkish Danzo in bed, Minato Namikaze's stance unclear, and Hiruzen Sarutobi unusually silent, the responsibility fell on their shoulders.
"Given the circumstances, we must endure for the sake of the village," Koharu sighed, then her gaze turned resolute.
"Tonight, I will visit the Hyuga clan and try to persuade them to agree to the Cloud's terms."
Homura wearily rubbed his eyes. "It seems we have no other choice."
It was only after they left that Minato Namikaze, the Hokage, appeared.
He looked at a figure beside him and asked gravely, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
The figure stepped out from the shadows—it was Shisui Uchiha.
He answered Minato's question in a calm voice. "Today it's reparations, tomorrow it's land, and then the Cloud will come again. After that, the Mist, the Sand, the Rock—every village will want a piece of Konoha. By then, Konoha will be back in a precarious position, surrounded by wolves."
Shisui looked at Minato and said with absolute determination, "I will bear all the consequences. I believe that if teacher were here, he would do the same."
Minato looked at Shisui, feeling a mix of emotions.
Since Danzo's coma, Shisui had changed—cold, somber, ruthless... becoming more and more like that man.
Minato felt a bit dazed, pressing his fingers to his temples before asking seriously, "What if Senior Danzo never wakes up?"
At this, Shisui paused. He then gently gripped the short sword on his back, and a killing intent filled the room.
"If that happens, I will make everyone pay a price they cannot afford."
Meanwhile, back at the Cloud delegation's quarters, they were discussing their next moves.
"Darui, what if Konoha still refuses to agree to our terms tomorrow?" one Cloud ninja asked with concern.
Though called mountain barbarians, they weren't truly reckless. If they could get what they wanted through negotiations, they preferred to avoid war, as war meant death, something no one wanted.
Darui scoffed. "Don't worry, with those two Hokage's cowardly demeanor, just the Raikage's threat of attack will probably scare them into submission. By tomorrow noon at the latest, they will agree to our terms!"
Darui seemed quite confident, and the other Cloud ninjas felt the same.
Just then, a rustling sound was heard. The Cloud ninjas immediately went on alert, assuming combat positions.
But after waiting, Darui relaxed his furrowed brow.
"It's nothing, just a ninja rat," he said. Sure enough, a rat emerged from the sewer.
This was no ordinary rat but a specially bred ninja rat from the Cloud Village, small enough to evade most detection methods, making it an ideal messenger for information.
All the Cloud ninjas breathed a sigh of relief. Darui quickly grabbed the rat and retrieved a paper from its mouth.
The message was simple: "Shimura Danzo is severely injured and comatose, located in Room 309, third floor of Konoha Hospital."
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