Lately, Fukuyama had been in an exceptionally good mood.
When he heard that his son had actually accepted Minato's invitation to form a team, he almost jumped up in joy.
That kid, he was really grown up!
He already knew how to let go of his pride and helped share his father's burdens.
In the shinobi world, the bond between teammates is sometimes even stronger than blood relations. After all, they spend years fighting side by side, putting their lives on the line together, it was hard not to become close. And although Shin had never said it out loud, Fukuyama could tell: Shin had always been training Minato to the standards of a future Hokage.
With this bond between his son and Minato, even if the Uchiha clan didn't rise to great glory in the future, it would at least be assured peace and stability.
"It seems you really scared Hanzō this time," Orochimaru said with a laugh as he sipped his tea. "After voluntarily pulling back his defenses, there hasn't been a single movement from him."
"Not quite," Shin shook his head. "I didn't use my full strength, but Hanzō was also holding back. He deliberately fought me to a draw. In truth, he didn't even use half his strength."
"Oh? Why would he do that?" Orochimaru asked, puzzled.
"He doesn't want to fight anymore," Shin explained, "so he's looking for a way to withdraw that others will accept. This war turned out completely different from what he expected."
"In his original plan, he intended to profit from the conflict, gradually eating away at neighboring lands, and using the war to build momentum to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Five Great Ninja Villages."
"But what he didn't expect was that the war would be so one-sided from the start. In a short time, Ame suffered massive losses."
"Although he later personally stepped in to stabilize the situation and even engaged us in a prolonged tug-of-war, Ame always bore the heavier cost."
"The level of attrition is something he can no longer afford, so he doesn't want to continue fighting Konoha."
"But after so many brutal battles between both sides, especially Ame's ninja, who are already bloodthirsty, even if Hanzō has absolute authority there, suddenly declaring a ceasefire would be hard for his people to accept."
"So he deliberately fought me to a draw in front of both armies. This way, he could use me to intimidate and justify a strategic retreat. As for when a formal ceasefire will happen, that depends on how we give him a way out."
"And I assume you've already prepared that way out?" Orochimaru said with a smirk.
"But of course," Shin said, pulling out a vial of medicine from his sleeve and handing it to Orochimaru. "I've prepared three ways out for him. This is the first one."
"An antidote?" Orochimaru asked, curious. "Didn't Ame already know about the antidote? How can it still serve as Hanzō's way out?"
"This is a new antidote," Shin explained.
"Hanzō's poison is indeed powerful. The antidotes I previously made could neutralize the toxin, but they worked slowly, patients still needed at least three days of treatment afterward to recover. But this new version works much faster. If injected immediately upon poisoning, the patient won't even need to go to the hospital."
"Impressive," Orochimaru said, genuinely impressed.
"And the second way out?" Fukuyama, who had been listening nearby, now asked with interest.
"That would be me," Shin said with a smile.
"Didn't you already fight him?" Fukuyama asked.
"The one who fought him was an anonymous ninja from the Uchiha clan. What does that have to do with me?" he replied, turning to Orochimaru. "So I'll need you, as the commander, to personally order me to go intimidate him again."
"Understood," Orochimaru nodded.
As for why Shin didn't just kill Hanzō, the group had discussed that before.
Their final conclusion: Hanzō must not be killed, at least not yet.
Because the true nature of war… was to bring benefit to one's country.
If killing Hanzō meant they could annex all of Ame, then of course it would be worth it. But would the other hidden villages allow that?
Although Iwa was severely weakened during the First Great Ninja War, they had already recovered quite a bit.
If Hanzō died, would Iwa be content to let Konoha claim that juicy prize?
It was entirely possible they'd seize the chance to make a move while Konoha is locked in battle with Suna.
The same went for Kumo. Even though they promised not to go to war with Konoha for the next two years, in the face of overwhelming profit, what value did a verbal pact really have?
Unless Konoha was fully prepared to fight multiple great ninja villages at once, maintaining the status quo was the safest option.
But if Hanzō was killed and Konoha gained nothing in return, what was the point of killing him?
It would be better to use him as a means of stabilizing relations with Iwa and Kumo.
Hanzō didn't want to keep fighting anyway, so seizing this chance to end the war would be ideal.
"What's the third step you've prepared?" Orochimaru asked.
Shin grinned slyly. "Didn't Hanzō want to attack the Land of Iron?"
"Haha, you're wicked, diverting trouble eastward like that!"
"How is that my problem?" Shin said innocently. "Hanzō has wanted to attack the Land of Iron for a while now. It's just that ever since the war with Konoha started, he hasn't had the freedom to act."
"After the ceasefire, in order to shift internal tensions and give the angry Ame ninja an outlet for their fury, choosing to attack the Land of Iron would be entirely his own decision. As for us in Konoha, we'll be too preoccupied with our drawn-out war against Suna to intervene. How could we possibly be blamed for that?"
"Alright, since you've already made up your mind, I'll get things arranged," Orochimaru said.
Then, as if remembering something, Shin teased, "This move of yours goes directly against Hiruzen's orders. Aren't you afraid he'll be mad at you?"
"Haha!" Orochimaru burst out laughing. "I've heard about what's going on in Konoha lately. He's been actively campaigning on my behalf. If I'm the one to bring an end to the right flank of the war, he'll be thrilled and make a big show of it. A little disobedience? He won't care at all."
"Haha, then you'd better be ready, once you're back, he'll probably start grooming you as the next Hokage."
Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth and said playfully, "Then you'd better give Tsunade a heads-up. I just might be her rival this time."
"I don't care what games you two play," Shin said with a warning. "Just don't delay the progress of my research when you get back."
The moment research was mentioned, Orochimaru's expression changed, a little irritated. "Do you know how long it's been delayed already? He never gives me a moment's peace. Why is it so hard to just focus on research in peace?"
---
The next day, Shin appeared just outside Ame's military camp, boldly and without any attempt to hide.
After announcing himself at the camp's entrance, he specifically asked to see Hanzō. When the Ame ninja saw Shin, they all gnashed their teeth in fury.
This man was the single biggest reason Ame had been forced into such a passive state.
Originally, Hanzō's poison had been an unstoppable killing weapon.
But this man created an antidote that drastically reduced the fatality rate among Konoha's poisoned ninjas. And with his identity as the most skilled medical-nin in the shinobi world, as long as a comrade didn't die immediately on the battlefield, he could treat them and have them back in fighting shape in no time.
With Konoha's losses decreasing and their recovery rate increasing, while Ame suffered steady attrition, the tide of war naturally turned against them.
Even so, the fact that Ame held out for half a year under these conditions was something they could still take pride in.