A week passed quietly. The front lines were unusually calm.
Chiya stood outside the medical corps tent and, in a rare moment, tilted his head back to look at the deep blue sky.
A light breeze passed through and brought with it a brief sense of peace.
The Suna-nin had not made any move since their last assault.
Chiya figured that Sunagakure was either looking to seek peace or holding back something big.
In the distance, a Konoha messenger hawk cut across the sky and dove toward the camp.
It was a hawk from the village.
'It looks like the orders from the village have arrived.'
Chiya murmured to himself.
Not long after.
"Chiya-sama, Tsunade-sama."
A chunin walked over at a quick pace.
"Sakumo-sama is calling a meeting. He requests both of you to come."
Chiya and Tsunade, who had been reading a medical book some distance away, exchanged a glance. They then followed the chunin to Hatake Sakumo's command tent.
Inside the tent, Konoha's elite jonin had already gathered together.
Sakumo stood at the center. For once, a trace of cheer was on his face.
His gaze swept across everyone present. Then he spoke slowly.
"As of today, Sunagakure has sent representatives to deliver a peace petition to our Konoha."
The moment those words landed, a low wave of discussion rose through the tent. Excitement appeared on the faces of those present.
"They are seeking peace? No wonder things have been quiet lately!"
"A peace petition? Sunagakure has always been aggressive. For them to take the initiative and seek peace, that is truly something."
"Is the war finally going to end..."
"..."
Tsunade crossed her arms. A flicker of thought passed through her bright brown eyes.
"Sunagakure is seeking peace. What about Amegakure?"
Sakumo turned and looked at her seriously. He unrolled the scroll in his hand.
"Amegakure has also submitted a peace petition. However..."
He paused. His brow furrowed slightly.
"The conditions they put forward are rather harsh. They are demanding that Konoha compensate them for a certain amount of war losses. The higher-ups are divided on this. It has not been accepted for now."
Those present reacted in various ways upon hearing this.
"Even Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, made no such demand. What gives Amegakure the right?!"
"Is this really their attitude toward seeking peace? If we pay them compensation, then who compensates Konoha for our losses? This absolutely cannot be agreed to!"
"Amegakure has no shame at all. They started this war, and now they are the ones seeking peace, yet they still want Konoha to compensate them for their losses. I have truly lived long enough to see everything!"
"..."
Most of the ninja showed clear dissatisfaction. They had fought hard and won the war, and yet they were being asked to pay someone else compensation.
Was that not humiliating?
Chiya looked at the reactions around him. A strange flicker passed through his eyes.
'If I remember correctly, in the original story, winning a war and then paying compensation to another village was something Hiruzen actually did.'
Chiya raised his gaze and looked at Tsunade beside him, who was frowning slightly.
Tsunade sensed it and turned to look back.
Seeing the amusement in Chiya's eyes, Tsunade smiled knowingly and, without thinking, leaned slightly closer to him.
Chiya took her hand in his.
'Now that a peace petition has been sent, the ceasefire is only a matter of time.'
Whatever the case, both fronts had shown signs of seeking peace. The end of the war seemed close at hand.
Sakumo held the scroll and swept his gaze over everyone. His eyes were firm.
"Whatever happens, our task right now is to hold the front line and wait for the village's final decision. During this time, no one is to let their guard down."
Everyone answered in unison.
"Yes!"
After the meeting ended, Chiya and Tsunade walked out of the tent side by side.
"It is finally going to be over."
Tsunade let out a long breath. Some of the tension in her face had eased.
Chiya smiled faintly and looked toward the distance.
"Yes. But before we leave, I still have one thing I need to take care of."
"Something?"
Tsunade turned her head to look at him with a curious expression.
"It is those three small ones from Amegakure I told you about before. I need to go check on them."
"The war may be about to end, but their situation... may not necessarily improve."
Tsunade was quiet for a moment.
She thought of herself, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya after their battle with Hanzo.
Three small children who had appeared in the rain.
"Should I come with you?"
Chiya squeezed her hand gently, then turned and walked toward the edge of the camp.
"No need!"
At the edge of Amegakure, a worn wooden house still stood in the wind and rain.
Chiya arrived there.
He pushed open the creaking wooden door. The house was empty.
"Not here?"
He frowned slightly. His gaze swept across the room.
He spotted a paper crane sitting on the wooden table.
Chiya picked up the paper crane and moved quickly to search the surrounding area.
About five li away, a river caught the golden shimmer of light across its surface.
Konan crouched in the shallows. Her slender fingers lightly stirred the water. A thin sheet of paper hovered in her palm as she carefully guided a school of fish toward the bank.
"Just a little closer..."
She murmured softly. Her blue-violet short hair swayed gently in the breeze.
Yahiko stood beside her. His hands gripped a crude wooden fish spear. His eyes were fixed hard on the fish moving through the water, and fine beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.
"Now!"
He drove the spear down hard. It cut across the surface of the water and sent up a spray, but it only struck the empty riverbed.
"Missed again!"
Yahiko scratched his head in frustration and turned to look at Nagato.
"Nagato, how are you doing over there?"
Nagato stood a short distance away. His red hair hung over his eyes. He shook his head slightly.
"The fish... are too quick."
Konan sighed, put the paper sheet away, and picked up a bamboo basket.
"It looks like we will not be having fish tonight either."
At that moment, a rustling sound came from the trees in the distance.
Nagato snapped his head up. A flash of alertness crossed his Rinnegan.
"Someone is here!"
Yahiko and Konan immediately tensed up and stared toward the direction of the sound.
Five Iwagakure ninja stepped out from the undergrowth. They wore earth-brown ninja uniforms and Iwagakure headbands. Their eyes carried contempt and greed.
"Hey, kids. What are you doing here?"
The lead Iwa-nin grinned, his gaze lingering on Konan for a moment, especially on the traces of chakra still visible in her palm.
"Chakra? Are you ninja from Amegakure?"
Another Iwa-nin narrowed his eyes. His tone shifted and became dangerous.
Yahiko instinctively stepped in front of Konan and Nagato. He forced himself to look calm.
"We are just catching fish here. We are not ninja!"
"Ha, liar!"
The lead Iwa-nin gave a cold laugh and suddenly raised his hands to form seals.
"Earth Style, Rock Spear Jutsu!"
Several sharp stone spikes burst up from the ground and drove straight toward the three of them!
"Watch out!"
Nagato shoved Yahiko and Konan aside but was grazed on his arm by a spike. Blood immediately seeped through.
"Nagato!"
Konan cried out. She was about to step forward when another Iwa-nin closed in on her instantly and grabbed her by the throat.
"Do not move!"
The Iwa-nin grinned viciously. The sharp edge of a kunai pressed against the underside of her throat.
"Move again and I will cut your throat!"
Yahiko roared and charged forward with his fish spear. He was kicked to the ground by an Iwa-nin and then had his chest stomped down hard.
"With only this much ability, you still dare to resist?"
The Iwa-nin sneered, pressing down harder with his foot. Yahiko curled in on himself in pain.
Nagato struggled to get up, but a Water Style jutsu released by another Iwa-nin sent him flying. He slammed hard into the rocks at the river's edge and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
A faint light seemed to flicker briefly within the Rinnegan hidden beneath his red hair.
"Ha ha ha, you little Amegakure brats are truly pathetically weak! Now I ask, and you answer!"
"Where are the ninja outposts near your village? And where do you store your food?"
Fear flashed through Konan's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by stubbornness.
"Let us go!"
"Still got some backbone?"
The Iwa-nin gave a cold laugh. The kunai in his hand pressed slightly harder and drew a thin line of blood across her pale neck.
At that critical moment.
"Swish!"
A dark blur flashed past. The lead Iwa-nin felt a sudden cold at his wrist, and then a wave of searing pain hit him.
"Aaahh!" He screamed and stumbled back. He looked down. His wrist had been cut off clean at the base. Blood gushed out.
"Who?!"
The other Iwa-nin went pale with shock and spun around.
Chiya's figure slowly came into view. His crimson Sharingan gave off a cold light in the evening sun.
In his hand, a blood-dripping kunai hung slowly downward.
"Bullying children. How impressive of you."
His voice was low.
The Iwa-nin's expressions changed sharply.
"Sharingan?! A Konoha Uchiha!"
"Run!"
One of them shouted and turned to flee.
Chiya's figure vanished in an instant.
The next second, he had appeared behind that Iwa-nin. The kunai drove precisely into the back of his heart.
"Trying to run? Too bad... too late."
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