---Third POV---
Early the next morning, inside a large reception room in the Hokage building.
On both sides of the long rectangular table.
On one side sat Kisame and several negotiator-ninjas from the Kiri delegation.
On the other side were Koharu and Homura, as well as Shikaku.
And of course, the man who couldn't be ignored, Ryouma. At Hiruzen's request, he had arrived early to the reception room in the Hokage building.
Following the impromptu training given by Shikaku the previous day, he sat in his seat with a stern expression on his face.
Shikaku stood up and cleared his throat a few times.
"Ahem. Since everyone is here, let the peace talks officially begin."
As Konoha's strategist, it was naturally best for him to preside over and control the rhythm of the negotiations.
"But before we commence," he continued with a formal tone, "let me clarify that we are here as representatives of the Third Hokage, who will formally receive the delegation once terms are agreed upon."
"We understand protocol," Kisame responded evenly. "The Fourth Mizukage likewise awaits the outcome of our discussions."
As for Hiruzen, he was the Hokage of Konoha, he couldn't possibly lower his status to directly negotiate with the Kiri delegation, unless the Fourth Mizukage himself had come.
Only after everything here was finalized would the Kiri delegation have the chance to meet the Hokage, officially representing the Land of Water in signing the peace agreement.
"As the aggressors in this conflict, Kiri will naturally bear the greater burden in these negotiations," Homura stated firmly.
Kisame's jaw tightened. "Interesting perspective, considering the recent devastation of our village by your ninja."
Ryouma shifted slightly in his chair, and Kisame instantly tensed.
"...But we are here to move forward, not dwell on the past," the shark-like ninja added quickly.
Homura nodded with approval. "A wise approach. Speaking of moving forward, these are Konoha's conditions." He produced an unrolled scroll, which listed the terms they had discussed the previous night. "They reflect not only material damages but the broader impact of Kiri's aggression."
Kisame took the scroll and examined it carefully.
"This…"
Although he was mentally prepared for the negotiations to be difficult, he didn't expect Konoha's terms to be this outrageous.
Without changing expression, he passed the scroll to another Kiri jonin responsible for the negotiations.
The first condition on the scroll was that Kiri must compensate all citizens of the Land of Fire's coastal regions for damages caused since the war began.
The second condition demanded psychological compensation for the citizens affected by the war.
The third condition, again involving money, required that for the next five years, twenty percent of Kiri's mission revenue be handed over to Konoha.
These three conditions alone already amounted to an astronomical figure. And that wasn't even counting the many additional clauses that followed.
For example: acknowledging that the Seven Ninja Swords now belonged to Konoha; forbidding Kiri ninjas from entering the Land of Whirlpools; and providing humanitarian compensation and an official apology for the attempt to steal the Byakugan from the Hyūga clan during the war.
The long list landed like a heavy hammer on the Kiri delegation.
Still, their purpose here was to minimize losses for Kiri. Looking on the bright side, although Konoha's terms were harsh, that also meant the negotiation scope was broader, they had more room to maneuver.
"These are Kiri's conditions," Kisame said, handing over a scroll to Homura. "We approach these negotiations with pragmatism, recognizing the current reality while preserving our dignity as one of the Five Great Nations."
Although the reality was that Kiri was surrendering, the talks were officially considered peace negotiations, so Kiri still had the right to propose terms.
Homura took the scroll and read it carefully. After reading it through, he gave a slight nod and passed it to the others.
Kiri's terms didn't overreach like Suna had previously.
The first condition was that Ryouma reveal all space-time coordinate locations hidden within the Land of Water.
The second condition requested the return of the Third Mizukage's and other fallen Kiri ninjas' bodies. Likewise, Kiri would return the bodies of fallen Konoha ninjas from the war.
The third condition demanded the return of the Seven Ninja Swords to Kiri.
There were a few additional clauses, but overall, the terms were fairly reasonable. The rest of the time was spent with both sides haggling back and forth.
"Twenty percent is extortion, not reparation," a bald jonin argued, leaning forward. "Even ten percent would cripple our operations."
"Your operations weren't particularly effective against our forces to begin with," Koharu retorted.
The Kiri negotiator's face tightened with controlled anger. "We still eliminated numerous Konoha ninjas during this conflict."
"Which is why we're discussing peace terms rather than surrender terms," Shikaku responded calmly.
How do political leaders do this all day? Ryouma shifted in his seat, growing increasingly uncomfortable. I'd rather be fighting a dozen jonin than sitting through another hour of percentage negotiations.
In reality, none of the major ninja villages, Konoha, Kiri, or even Suna, truly lacked funding, backed as they were by the five great nations.
Suna only became impoverished after repeatedly losing in wars, which led the Daimyō of the Land of Wind to cut its funding. On top of that, many people in the Land of Wind had lost faith in Suna's capabilities and preferred to assign their missions to the neighboring Konoha instead. That was what eventually left Suna so broke it could barely function.
So for Kiri, the reparations demanded by Konoha weren't entirely unacceptable, after all, the bill would be paid by the Daimyō of the Land of Water.
The only exception was the third clause, 20% commission on missions, which was a direct hit to Kiri's own finances.
And 20% was simply too much as the bald jonin stated. While they knew it wasn't meant to be the final figure, the fact that Konoha started negotiations that high showed that their bottom line wouldn't be low either.
In the end, thanks to the Kiri delegation's efforts, it was bargained down to 8% over five years.
In truth, Hiruzen had initially told them that settling at 5% would already be a good deal. But perhaps, due to the invisible pressure coming from Ryouma seated beside them…
The bald jonin, emboldened by their success in reducing the commission percentage, leaned forward aggressively.
But when he tried to push further below 8%, Ryouma let out a light cough to clear his throat.
That small action immediately silenced him, and he didn't speak up again..
Nice! Shikaku shot Ryouma a look of approval.
But in reality, Ryouma's throat had simply gone dry.
Didn't mean to interrupt anything, he thought with mild embarrassment. Now I can't ask for water without looking like I'm making some kind of power play.
Speaking of which, he was surprised that in such a moment, where there was clear credit to be earned, Danzō hadn't shown up.
Honestly, wasn't this kind of dirty work always his specialty?
Something was off.
Unsettled, he activated his Rikugan fully, surveying all of Konoha's status at once.
The world around him shifted, his perception expanding beyond the confined meeting room, beyond the Hokage building, stretching across the entirety of Konoha.
---
Deep beneath Konoha's streets, in a labyrinth of metal tunnels known only to a select few, a dozen masked Root shinobi knelt on one knee. The air was stale and cold, illuminated by harsh white lighting, fitting for an organization that officially didn't exist.
Standing in front of them was an elderly man leaning on a cane, none other than the person Ryouma had been wondering about: Danzō.
At that moment, a Root ninja appeared instantly at Danzō's side.
"Danzō-sama, the peace talks have already begun."
"Who represents Konoha?" Danzō asked, his visible eye narrowing.
"The elders, Shikaku, and Ryouma," the ninja reported.
Upon hearing this, Danzō narrowed his eyes and spoke to the Root shinobi below.
"Ryouma," he repeated. "Of course Hiruzen would use him as a deterrent. He is far too naive. There's no such thing as peace talks. Kiri must bow beneath Konoha's power."
"Kisame is one of Kiri's strongest. If he returns to rebuild their forces, we'll face this threat again within a decade. Hiruzen only sees today, but I see tomorrow. Now, go and kill all the Kiri people staying in the village inn. Make it look like an accident, nothing that points to Konoha."
As he gave the order, Root ninjas instantly moved out.
Unlike Suna, which was backed by the Land of Wind, the Wind Daimyō would accept Konoha crippling Suna, but never destroying it outright.
If Konoha actually showed signs of trying to wipe Suna out, the Fire Daimyō, who was related to the Wind Daimyō, would start putting political pressure on Konoha.
Besides, the deserts of the Land of Wind weren't exactly attractive to Konoha in the first place. But the Land of Water was different.
Isolated overseas, it often didn't even maintain regular relations with the other great nations.
Even if Konoha started a war of extermination, the Fire Daimyō likely wouldn't interfere too much, at most, he might develop some wariness toward Konoha for destroying a fellow great nation.
Danzō didn't care about any of that.
As long as something benefited Konoha, he would pursue it, no matter how insane it seemed.