Chapter 235: The End of the War
"Sarutobi… are you truly that trusting of Yechen?"
Danzo asked slowly, his sharp gaze fixed on the Hokage.
He watched Hiruzen carefully, trying to determine whether the man was merely pretending to be calm. Perhaps Sarutobi had already made secret preparations behind the scenes.
But after observing for a moment, Danzo realized something surprising.
Hiruzen had made no preparations at all.
Not even the smallest precaution.
Danzo frowned.
Was the Hokage really so confident about a man like Yechen?
To Danzo, Ragnar was a potential time bomb—someone powerful enough to shake the entire village if he ever lost control.
And yet Sarutobi showed no fear.
"Danzo," Hiruzen said calmly, "relationships between people are built on sincerity, not suspicion."
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"You judge Yechen too harshly. Try seeing things from his perspective."
Danzo scoffed softly but said nothing.
Hiruzen continued.
"Do you know why our village is called Konoha?"
"It represents the bonds between shinobi."
He gestured lightly with the pipe in his hand.
"Instead of plotting against each other, we should strengthen those bonds."
"And besides…"
Hiruzen looked directly at Danzo.
"Yechen has never done anything harmful to Konoha."
"I understand the concerns you mentioned."
"But as Hokage, I cannot make decisions based on personal suspicion."
Danzo's expression darkened slightly.
"So you're saying I'm unfit to be Hokage?" he asked coldly.
Hiruzen laughed softly.
"You're thinking too much."
He waved the question aside.
"That decision was made by our teacher—the Second Hokage."
Danzo fell silent for a moment.
Finally he nodded slowly.
"I respect the teacher's decision."
"But I will continue to watch Yechen."
His voice turned colder.
"And one day, I will prove that my concerns are justified."
He turned toward the door.
"Don't worry. I won't provoke him without reason."
With that, Danzo left the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen remained alone in the room.
The door closed quietly behind him.
For a long time, he did not move.
Danzo's concerns were not entirely unfounded.
Yechen's rise had been too fast.
Too unexpected.
Even the Hokage could not fully predict what kind of future awaited such a person.
As the leader of the village, Hiruzen was responsible for Konoha's safety.
But acting too harshly toward someone like Yechen could easily destroy the trust between them.
And in the shinobi world, trust—bonds—were everything.
If Konoha wanted Yechen to continue protecting the village, those bonds had to remain strong.
Danzo's methods were too extreme.
They would only drive Yechen away.
Hiruzen sighed and took several deep puffs from his pipe.
Danzo had successfully ruined his good mood.
The Land of Rain
Meanwhile, the negotiations between the four nations had officially concluded.
Two agreements were signed.
The first was an armistice and peace treaty.
Konoha, the Rain Country, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind all agreed to cease hostilities. For a long period of time, none of the four nations would invade or attack one another.
The Second Shinobi War had finally ended.
The second agreement concerned the leasing of Rain Country territory.
The northern region of the Rain Country would be leased to the Land of Earth.
The southern region would be leased to the Land of Wind.
Both nations would pay annual rent to the Rain Country in exchange for agricultural use of the land.
Naturally, Hanzo accepted the arrangement gladly.
Receiving payment while maintaining full sovereignty over the territory was an excellent deal.
The agreement also contained a critical clause.
If the Land of Earth or the Land of Wind failed to pay rent according to the contract, the Rain Country reserved the right to destroy the farmland.
In simpler terms…
Hanzo could poison the land.
Once poisoned, the crops would be ruined completely.
An entire year of agricultural production would vanish instantly.
For the Wind and Earth nations, the risk was far too great.
They would never gamble with something so important.
Fortunately for them, the rent itself was not a significant burden.
In addition to the land lease, Konoha proposed another initiative.
A trade hub would be established in the Rain Country.
Using Rain as the central location, the four nations could conduct trade and economic exchanges.
Improving relations through commerce would stabilize the region and benefit everyone.
This idea also came from Ragnar.
In this era, most nations solved resource shortages through war.
If they lacked farmland or supplies, they simply seized them from others.
The Second Shinobi War itself had proven that reality.
But Ragnar believed there was another path.
Trade.
Cooperation.
Mutual benefit.
Of course, Ragnar himself understood that such peace might not last forever.
History was full of future conflicts.
The Third Shinobi War.
The Fourth Shinobi War.
The Moon catastrophe.
The arrival of the alien Otsutsuki clan.
The world would not remain peaceful forever.
But for now…
The Second Shinobi War had ended.
And the entire ninja world remembered one name above all others.
Konoha's Rakshasa — Yechen.
During this war, his reputation had spread across all five great nations.
Some people were already comparing him with the strongest Kage-level shinobi alive.
For someone so young, it was an astonishing honor.
Many believed the coming decade would belong to him.
The era of Konoha's Rakshasa.
Preparing to Leave
With the war officially over, the Konoha army began withdrawing from the Rain Country.
Shinobi units left in batches.
Iwagakure and Sunagakure forces did the same.
Within half a month, all foreign troops would be gone.
Ragnar deliberately remained in the final group.
There was something he wanted to do before leaving.
He wanted to see three people.
The three students he had once taken in within the Rain Country.
The last time he searched for them, he had found nothing.
The thought had bothered him ever since.
Hatake Sakumo departed with the second-to-last group of shinobi.
Jiraiya left with him, along with Namikaze Minato and Senju Nawaki.
Now only a small number of Konoha shinobi remained behind.
Tsunade.
Orochimaru.
And several members of the Hyuga clan.
The once-busy Konoha camp had become quiet and nearly empty.
Ragnar stood outside, gazing toward the distant Rain Country.
"Ye-kun."
A familiar voice suddenly spoke behind him.
Orochimaru appeared silently, his pale face carrying a faint smile.
"You've been staring toward the Rain Country a lot lately."
"Is something troubling you?"
Ragnar did not answer the question.
Instead, he asked,
"You haven't left yet?"
Orochimaru chuckled.
"Neither have you."
Ragnar finally spoke.
"I accepted three students here in the Rain Country."
"I'm not sure what happened to them after the war."
"I want to see them before leaving."
Just then—
Another voice joined the conversation.
"You have students?"
Tsunade walked over with a surprised expression.
"You never mentioned that before."
After all, during most of their time in the Rain Country, she and Ragnar had been working together constantly.
It was difficult to imagine when he had found time to teach anyone.
"Before I rescued you," Ragnar replied calmly.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"Rakshasa-kun's students…"
He smiled faintly.
"I would very much like to meet them."
Tsunade nodded immediately.
"Before we leave, let's go see them together."
Ragnar glanced at Orochimaru briefly.
Taking Tsunade along was not a problem.
But Orochimaru…
If he discovered the Rinnegan in Nagato's eyes…
That could become a very dangerous situation.
End of Chapter
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