When "peace" is on the table… Everyone knows it comes with a price.
Hokage Office Building.
Inside a large conference room—
Seated around the long table, on one side, was Konoha.
At the head sat the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
To his left—
Danzō Shimura.
To his right—
Orochimaru, one of the Sannin.
The rest were clan heads:
Uchiha Fugaku.
Hyūga Hiashi.
Nara Shikaku.
And others.
Behind them stood several ANBU—
including Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui.
…
Out of "respect" for the Hidden Cloud delegation—
Konoha had even given them the main seat.
…
"Savages from the mountains… no sense of time whatsoever," Danzō sneered coldly.
The delegation was ten minutes late.
If not for Hiruzen's insistence—
he would've already walked out.
…
"Danzō-sama, at your age, you should be careful not to anger yourself too much," Orochimaru said with a thin smile.
Danzō snorted heavily.
…
"For guests who have traveled far, we should show patience," Hiruzen said, frowning slightly.
The two fell silent—
though their eyes flickered with their own calculations.
…
Then—
footsteps echoed outside.
…
A towering man—nearly two meters tall, muscular, with a thick beard—
walked in.
Behind him—
members of the Hidden Cloud delegation.
Including Samui.
And Darui.
…
Without hesitation—
the delegation leader, Odai—
took the main seat.
…
Strictly speaking—
Hiruzen, as Hokage, didn't need to attend personally.
The Fourth Raikage wasn't even here.
But—
to show sincerity—
he had come himself.
And even brought Danzō and Orochimaru.
…
"Apologies for the delay," Odai laughed loudly.
A deliberate show of dominance.
…
Then—
he went straight to the point.
…
"Hokage-sama, Kumogakure has always loved peace."
"This visit—"
"is made with the utmost sincerity to establish a peace treaty with Konoha."
"We hope to discuss details and resolve historical issues."
…
The moment he finished—
several Konoha leaders rolled their eyes internally.
Among the Five Great Villages—
Kumo loved war the most.
They had instigated countless conflicts.
During the Third Great Ninja War—
if not for Minato restraining the Fourth Raikage and Killer B—
the war might have dragged on indefinitely.
…
Peace-loving?
What a joke.
…
Hiruzen maintained a polite smile.
"Konoha shares the same wish."
…
"Hahaha! Good!"
Odai clapped his hands lightly.
"Then let's begin."
…
He spoke—
as if he were the host.
The Konoha side felt displeased—
but before the meeting, Hiruzen had already warned them:
No provoking the delegation.
So—
they remained silent.
…
Fugaku, in particular—
looked completely at ease.
Sipping tea.
Refilling his cup.
Enjoying himself.
…
"We have three primary conditions," Odai said.
"First: Konoha must withdraw its outposts in the Land of Hot Water by fifty miles."
"Second: All Kumogakure prisoners from the Third Great Ninja War must be returned."
"Third: Konoha's fertile lands produce abundant food."
"For the next five years—"
"You will provide Kumogakure with 400,000 jin of grain annually."
…
Silence.
…
Then—
shock.
And anger.
…
This wasn't a peace treaty.
This was—
terms of surrender.
…
Even Hiruzen—
the so-called pacifist—
frowned deeply.
…
This—
was their "sincerity"?
…
He spoke calmly.
"Some matters can be negotiated."
"But your conditions are too harsh."
"We cannot accept them fully."
…
"First: The outposts can withdraw ten miles. No more."
…
The Land of Hot Water—
lay between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
If Konoha withdrew fifty miles—
they would lose all surveillance over Kumo.
Ten miles—
was the limit.
…
"Second: Non-threatening prisoners may be returned."
"In exchange, Kumo must return captured Konoha shinobi—one for one."
…
"As for the third—"
"We can provide 100,000 jin of grain as humanitarian aid."
…
Odai frowned immediately.
"100,000?"
"That barely feeds 250 people for a year."
"Hokage-sama, Konoha is rich in resources. Isn't that too little?"
"Our village lies in the mountains. Conditions are harsh."
"Can't you give more?"
…
The tone—
was almost shameless.
…
After a brief pause—
Hiruzen said,
"200,000."
…
"Lord Hokage, you—" Danzō began.
Hiruzen raised a hand.
Silencing him.
…
Danzō sneered internally.
Fool.
Feeding your enemy.
Peace treaties—
were nothing but paper.
Kumo could tear them apart anytime.
Yet Hiruzen—
placed his hopes on them.
Naive.
…
Konoha had fertile land—
but also a large population.
Giving away 200,000 jin—
meant some villagers might go hungry this winter.
But Hiruzen believed—
as long as peace was maintained—
it was worth it.
…
Next—
Konoha presented its own conditions.
…
Surprisingly—
Kumo accepted many of them without resistance.
No shouting.
No table-slamming.
The negotiations—
went smoothly.
…
Too smoothly.
…
Because from the beginning—
their real goal—
was the Byakugan.
…
As the meeting neared its end—
Odai suddenly spoke again.
…
"Hokage-sama, recently, one of our delegation members was assaulted by a Konoha shinobi."
"We hope justice will be served."
…
Hiruzen raised a brow.
"Do you know who it was?"
…
Odai smiled coldly.
"An Uchiha boy."
"Uchiha Kai."
…
Instantly—
every gaze in the room—
turned toward Fugaku.
…
Some—
even showed faint amusement.
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