With Orochimaru's escape and Jiraiya leaving Konoha to try to bring back his close friend, Konoha suddenly lost two Kage - level combat powers, which was a great blow.
Starting from the Nine - Tails incident, Konoha had suffered heavy losses. Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine - Tails jinchuriki, and many ninjas had died.
Now, Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, had defected, and Jiraiya had left Konoha to pursue Orochimaru. Apparently, only Kiyosuke and Hiruzen Sarutobi were holding up the village on the surface. It could be said that Konoha was at its weakest moment.
And at this time.
Kumogakure sent a request to sign a peace treaty.
The Third Great Ninja War was a situation where various villages besieged Konoha. With the end of their battles with Konoha, the Third Great Ninja War came to an end.
However, there was still one village that hadn't signed a peace treaty with Konoha, and that was the hot - headed Kumogakure.
They had been stationing troops on the border of the Fire Country, eyeing Konoha covetously and dragging things out. Now that they were asking to sign a peace treaty, they surely had ill intentions, but no one knew exactly what they were thinking.
However, they had also been at odds with Iwagakure for quite some time. The current Kumogakure was not as powerful as it was during the time of the Third Raikage. The war had also weakened the strength of this village.
Konoha and Kumogakure couldn't afford to fight. Stationing troops for a long time was extremely costly in terms of provisions for soldiers and horses. This led the Fourth Raikage to decide to sign a peace treaty.
Of course, few people knew what this hot - tempered person was thinking.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained calm.
Konoha had been severely damaged this time. The military advantage accumulated during the Third Great Ninja War had been weakened, reducing the gap between it and other ninja villages. With a large number of experienced ninjas killed in action, the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, Orochimaru's defection, and Jiraiya's departure, Konoha's prestige had declined again and again.
Kumogakure's sending people to sign a peace treaty meant that there would be no more war, which relieved Hiruzen Sarutobi. To show their welcome, he specifically invited Kiyosuke and the clan leaders of Konoha.
However, on that day, no one from the Hyuga clan was present.
"Mr. Fugaku, where is Mr. Hizashi?" Kiyosuke asked Fugaku Uchiha beside him, yawning.
Fugaku Uchiha said, "I heard that today is the third birthday of the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family. The whole clan is celebrating, so they didn't come."
Oh!
Kiyosuke looked over. Sure enough, the old man's face didn't look good.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite shrewd. Despite his kind - looking appearance and good reputation, it wasn't easy for someone to hold the position of Hokage for decades.
The Hyuga clan was in trouble!
During the Third Great Ninja War, the Hyuga clan had made great contributions and achieved remarkable military exploits. Their outstanding achievements had clouded their Byakugan, causing them to make the wrong choice at this special time.
Kiyosuke shook his head. He remembered something. This time, although Kumogakure was ostensibly coming to sign a peace treaty, they were actually eyeing the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan.
Among the Hyuga clan, only the main family had the Byakugan. That meant their target this time was Hinata, who was only three years old.
Shaking his head, he thought, forget it. He'd be more vigilant at night.
"They're here."
A group of dark - skinned, strong - bodied ninjas wearing Kumogakure's attire and forehead protectors arrived. These guys looked tough and arrogant. Kiyosuke snorted, and the surrounding air suddenly became scorching hot. The leader said, "As expected of the man known as the 'Blazing Lord'. With you in Konoha, it can still hold on. Hokage - sama, your Konoha truly lives up to being the victor."
"Hehe, this kid has a bit of a temper. Kiyosuke, guests from afar should be treated well. This is impolite," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.
"It's nothing. I saw they were dressed too thinly and was afraid they'd freeze," Kiyosuke said.
As he spoke, the temperature increased a few more degrees. The leader of the Kumogakure team said, "Please don't worry. Our constitutions are very good. We won't freeze. Please, Lord Kiyosuke, stop."
"Are you telling me what to do?"
Kiyosuke narrowed his eyes, and a murderous aura filled the air.
The man was left speechless. He coughed and smiled, "I wouldn't dare."
"Humph!"
The temperature dropped suddenly. The Kumogakure ninjas were sweating profusely. It was hard to tell if it was from the heat or fear...
"Alright, follow us," Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, quite satisfied with Kiyosuke giving Kumogakure a warning.
This immediately deflated Kumogakure's arrogance, giving Konoha the upper hand. In this negotiation, everything, including the right time, place, and support from the people, was in Konoha's favor.
After that, it had nothing to do with the clan leaders of Konoha.
The two sides had a friendly and cordial exchange, fully communicating their opinions and laying the foundation for the peaceful development of Konoha and Kumogakure.
Well, Kiyosuke sat in the room throughout, watching their negotiation. The Kumogakure people didn't dare to act recklessly and could only obediently sign the peace treaty with Konoha. After all, it was uncomfortable to have a killing god watching them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the peace treaty. This was a great gain, and it also resolved a major concern, making him feel much more relaxed.
He even looked at the Kumogakure ninjas with a more amiable gaze.
"Old man, is everything okay? If so, I'll go back," Kiyosuke said.
"Yeah, you've worked hard today. Go back and rest," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. Bringing Kiyosuke here was indeed the right choice.
Kiyosuke stretched. Listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi haggling with those from Kumogakure, his head was almost splitting. He might as well go have a meal and take Naruto for a walk by the way.
"Uncle Kiyosuke, I want to eat ramen!"
When he got home, Naruto, who was playing with toys, said as soon as he saw Kiyosuke come back.
Hearing this, Kiyosuke twitched the corner of his mouth. Eating ramen at such a young age, what would happen when he grew up? He regretted taking him there.
"Okay, where's your Aunt Rin?"
"Sister Rin went out. She said she'd be back later and asked me to play here alone!"
"Hey, why do you call me uncle but call Rin sister? Am I that old?"
Kiyosuke tugged at Naruto's chubby cheeks. Naruto didn't cry and said, "Because Sister Rin is beautiful!"
"Good kid, am I not handsome? I've raised you for nothing!"
"Liar! It's Aunt Mikoto!"
Although only three years old, Naruto spoke very fluently and could draw inferences.
This kid must have learned some bad habits!
"Who did you learn this from? You're so talkative!"
"From you!" Naruto said without hesitation.
"Ah, well..."
"Bad boy, learning the bad things instead of the good ones! Bah! I won't take you to eat ramen!"
"No, Uncle Kiyosuke, I was wrong!" Naruto looked at him with teary eyes, pulling at Kiyosuke's clothes. "Uncle, I want to eat ramen."
"Okay, okay. Remember to call me brother."
"Okay, Uncle Kiyosuke. Got it, Uncle Kiyosuke. No problem, Uncle Kiyosuke."
"..."
After packing up the toys, Naruto sat on Kiyosuke's shoulder and happily went to Ichiraku Ramen with him for a meal.