Senju Haruto withdrew from his inner world, noticing subtle changes in his zanpakutō.
After subduing the Titan of the Other Land and the Thunder Dragon, Haruto had finally obtained a true zanpakutō.
Of course, even a true zanpakutō remains in its sealed state most of the time. Only upon releasing its shikai would it fully transform.
"Has it already gotten dark?"
Glancing outside the window, Haruto decided to rest and conserve his energy for tomorrow's meeting.
That night passed without further incident. Haruto slept soundly until morning. After enjoying a breakfast rich in the flavors of the Land of Iron, he set out with the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, toward the meeting hall.
Hiruzen was dressed formally.
No matter the cause of this matter, he knew well that today's talks would determine the future relations between Konohagakure and Kumogakure.
Even though this was not their first time forming an alliance, Hiruzen still hoped for a favorable outcome.
"Lord Hokage."
Mifune, the samurai leader of the Land of Iron, was already prepared early in the morning.
If war broke out between the Leaf and the Cloud, his lands could easily become a battlefield — something he wished to avoid.
To ensure the meeting went smoothly, Mifune brought along Chōsuke and Rikaku as well.
"Lord Mifune," Hiruzen greeted with a smile as they walked side by side toward the conference room.
"Forgive me for being blunt," Mifune said in a low voice.
Before the meeting had even been confirmed, he had already learned of the incident's cause through various channels:
The Leaf and the Cloud had been preparing to sign an alliance treaty, ending hostilities and embracing peace.
To show sincerity, the Cloud had even sent a high-ranking shinobi leader to Konoha.
But that leader, a man of great standing in Kumogakure, had died there.
To the Cloud, this was not only a great loss, but also a humiliation.
The Raikage flew into a rage, declaring that even if it meant reigniting war, he would demand justice for the fallen leader.
"If Konoha is willing to yield and take responsibility, I will do everything in my power to make this alliance happen," Mifune continued, shaking his head slightly.
"The Land of Iron has always stayed neutral in shinobi affairs, but we understand well the pain war brings.
Sometimes, swallowing one's pride isn't shameful — it's for the sake of a better tomorrow."
Hiruzen hadn't expected Mifune to speak in such a way; he'd thought the man would remain completely impartial.
But it made sense — only a neutral party could give such a candid assessment.
Since the Third Great Shinobi War, both Konoha and the Cloud had pursued recovery, though their paths diverged.
Especially after the Night of the Nine-Tails' Attack — the death of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, along with countless shinobi, had been a grievous blow to the Leaf.
The Cloud, under the Fourth Raikage's leadership, had quickly recovered from the loss of the Third Raikage, even raising two perfect jinchūriki in the process.
Mifune, who deeply respected Hiruzen, found his sympathies leaning toward helping the Leaf through this crisis.
In his mind, if Hiruzen would simply show a little weakness, he could help reforge the alliance treaty.
Peace was the most important goal.
Before long, the two sides arrived at the conference room. The Raikage, A, was already in his seat.
Haruto's gaze swept over the room. Besides C and Yugito, Darui stood behind the Raikage, looking as uninterested as ever.
When Haruto and Hiruzen entered, both C and Yugito turned their attention toward them — especially C, who immediately grew wary at the sight of Haruto.
"Raikage," Hiruzen greeted warmly, sitting down and placing his Hokage hat on the table.
As the host, Mifune took the central seat.
But A wasn't in the mood for pleasantries — he folded his arms and gave a dismissive snort in response to Hiruzen's greeting.
Haruto and Yamanaka Kaze quietly stood behind Hiruzen.
"I believe everyone here knows why we've gathered, so—" Mifune began, trying to ease the tension.
But he was immediately interrupted by the Fourth Raikage.
"The leader who came to Konoha held a position second only to mine, yet he died there — while carrying the responsibility of forming our alliance."
A's voice cut through the air, his tone accusing Hiruzen of incompetence.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, if you want this alliance, you'd better show sincerity. Where is the killer?"
Bam!
A's palm slammed onto the table, his imposing aura making it clear that if the culprit wasn't handed over, there was no point in continuing talks.
Behind him, Darui still looked disinterested, but C and Yugito were entirely serious.
Regardless of the leader's purpose in visiting Konoha, the fact remained — he was dead.
The Cloud clearly held the advantage in this matter.
In truth, A's intentions were obvious. No matter how tightly Konoha kept the matter under wraps, he knew the killer was from the Hyūga clan.
As clan head, Hyūga Hiashi naturally bore responsibility.
Handing over Hiashi's body, in A's mind, was only reasonable.
"If Konoha can't show that level of sincerity, there's nothing left for us to discuss," A declared, leaning back and locking eyes with Hiruzen.
The Leaf was no longer the dominant power it had been during the Third Great War. If they clashed now, other villages might seize the chance to join in.
If Hiruzen wasn't senile yet, he should know the truth: yielding was his only choice. His only way out.
In other words, this wasn't truly a negotiation — it was an opportunity for the Cloud to claim spoils of war.
If they obtained the secret of the Byakugan, their military strength would soar.
As the neutral host, Mifune remained silent — almost as if he, too, supported the Raikage's demands.
In his view, it was a simple choice: Konoha's peace on one side, the killer of the Cloud's leader on the other.
Hiruzen, a seasoned Hokage, surely understood the stakes.
The Land of Iron's ability to stay detached came from making the "right" choice in such matters.
But just as everyone expected Hiruzen to compromise—
From behind him, Senju Haruto spoke softly:
"If we're talking about responsibility, shouldn't we first address Kumogakure's attempt to abduct Hinata?"