Based on internal and external priorities, the existence of the Akatsuki was a key reason Hanzo wanted out of the war.
Ensuring the Hidden Rain maintained absolute suppression over its own country was more important to Hanzo than war profits.
Besides, as things stood, Hanzo wasn't gaining anything from the Great War anyway.
If his own backyard wasn't stable, there was no point in fighting a global conflict.
At this stage, the Akatsuki under Yahiko's leadership was a growing trend, but still only a threat to the Rain.
The Akatsuki had shown no intent to attack the village; Hanzo calling them insurgents wasn't accurate yet.
Every member of the Akatsuki still wore a Hidden Rain forehead protector, after all.
Hanzo's plan to eliminate them was currently just a concept, not a reality.
As for the condition he proposed to Danzo, it was merely a safety net.
He would likely only ask Konoha for help if he found himself truly unable to resolve the Akatsuki issue alone.
Given Hanzo's cautious nature, this request was nothing more than an insurance policy.
Danzo, the scheming old man, agreed to the condition in principle.
He would report the situation to the Hokage later to seek formal approval.
In truth, even if the Hokage disagreed, Danzo could still agree to it privately.
He would simply have to carry it out more discreetly.
Danzo possessed a force that belonged strictly to him, which he could deploy at will.
Doing things behind the Hokage's back was something he had done before without any form of guilt.
Danzo firmly believed in one singular viewpoint:
"Everything I do is for the sake of Konoha."
While nominally restricted by the Hokage, the existence of Root gave Danzo actual autonomy.
It was precisely the collusion between these two old foxes that would eventually turn a virtuous youth into a villain.
Hagoromo, however, was in no position to stop their alliance.
Even if he had the power to break their agreement, it likely wouldn't matter.
Nagato's path was being manipulated by masterminds from behind the scenes; his fall to darkness was an inevitable.
Hagoromo witnessed the entire shady transaction between the two old men, but he remained a mere spectator.
The negotiations didn't even last half an hour.
Once the basic agreement was reached, Danzo chose to leave the Land of Rain immediately.
The two sides would continue to have contact to discuss the finer details later.
For now, the surrender of the Hidden Rain was a settled matter.
As for when Hanzo would call in the favor from Konoha? Only heaven knew.
It likely wouldn't be anytime soon.
Even if Hanzo wanted the Akatsuki dealt with immediately, Danzo wouldn't send men right away.
First, if he helped Hanzo too quickly, Hanzo might regret the peace treaty and restart the war.
Hanzo's character was as worse as Danzo's; anyone who trusted his word was a true fool.
Second, Danzo secretly wanted the Land of Rain to stay chaotic for a while.
He hoped the internal strife would continue to weaken the Hidden Rain's military strength.
This wasn't just speculation about Danzo's psyche; it was almost a statistical certainty.
If Hanzo ended up getting killed in the civil unrest... the thought was actually somewhat exciting.
The squad withdrew from the Land of Rain much faster than they had entered.
Once they crossed back into the Land of Fire, Hagoromo's squad and Danzo's trio separated quickly.
They each had their own subsequent tasks to attend to.
None of the four members of Hagoromo's squad wanted to stay near someone as cold as Danzo.
Whether Danzo's policies were right or wrong, one had to admit the man commanded a certain grim respect.
However, he was not the type of person who could ever inspire warmth or closeness.
He could never be a Hokage like the Third or the Fourth.
Later, Hagoromo's squad returned to the Stone front and gave a detailed report to Jiraiya.
After that, the matter was out of their hands.
Hagoromo didn't know how the high command debated the issue.
But a month later, news broke that Konoha and the Rain had officially signed a peace and alliance treaty.
After one peace, another peace had arrived.
While this wasn't as impactful as the surrender of the Hidden Sand, it was another victory for Konoha.
Having defeated both the Sand and the Rain in succession, the Third War felt like it was nearing a win.
Morale among Konoha's ninjas soared, and talk of a quick victory began to spread everywhere.
But war is never that simple.
To Konoha, the Hidden Rain was something of a chicken rib—unpleasant to deal with, but not worth much trouble.
Despite the declared peace, there was very little actual change on the front lines besides a morale boost.
The most direct sign was that Konoha didn't adjust its strategy or deployment at all.
The intensity of the battles against the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud remained high.
The three-way free-for-all continued, with wins and losses traded on all sides.
No single village could claim an advantage yet.
Hagoromo's squad was converted from a reconnaissance unit back into a combat unit.
Their primary opponents shifted toward the Hidden Cloud.
Following the two victories, the Cloud's offensive against the Leaf had suddenly intensified.
Konoha was forced to reinforce that front once again.
In this environment, Squad Hagoromo fought for an entire year.
During this year, Hagoromo's strength as a ninja grew rapidly.
This was reflected in his physical development and the steady increase of his chakra reserves.
Regrettably, a year of growth didn't change his appearance much.
He still possessed a face that looked like a 3:7 mix between a prince and a princess.
Skin is skin; he didn't expect his looks to undergo any fundamental transformation.
Given the strength of the Cloud and the intensity of the fighting, Hagoromo expected to stay on this front until the end.
However, during a period of squad rest, he suddenly received an extremely urgent mission.
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This was supposed to be in an author's note in early chapter but i missed it, His appearance is that of Arslan from The heroic tale of Arslan.