Inside the new Kumogakure encampment in the Land of Hot Springs, the Fourth Raikage stormed back from the battlefield, murderous aura still clinging to him, and sank heavily into his reinforced chair.
"Mabui, has the envoy reached Konoha?"
"By the expected schedule, they should have arrived. Your letter should also have reached the Third Hokage by now."
The Fourth Raikage let out a long sigh.
"Mabui… we underestimated Konoha. With this battle, our original objectives may no longer be achievable."
Mabui fell silent, her expression equally grim.
"Raikage, the fault is mine."
"No. The fault is all of ours—especially mine. I assumed that with the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato dead, Orochimaru defected, and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki gone, Konoha's strength would've plummeted. I thought they no longer deserved the title of the strongest village in the shinobi world. Yet they're still so damned strong—especially that Uchiha Rokuro brat!"
At the mention of Uchiha Rokuro, the Fourth Raikage gritted his teeth in fury.
Ever since Killer B returned with his battle report, Kumogakure's high command knew just how terrifying Rokuro was. And after deeper investigation, they learned the truth—whether it was that Vajra Lock capable of suppressing tailed beasts, or the massive illusion woven from coordinated Uchiha dōjutsu—all of it had been created by Rokuro.
In other words, the reason Kumogakure's early strategies failed—why they kept losing ground—all traced back to him.
Yet despite his importance, Kumogakure had not identified him as a priority target before the war began—a grave intelligence failure.
"Raikage, at this point all we can do is use our remaining forces to maximize the results we've already achieved."
"You think the Third Hokage will return Yugito Nii to us?"
Mabui smiled faintly.
"I believe he will. He may even be the one to propose a ceasefire."
"A voluntary ceasefire? Impossible. We may be winning, but we've already shown our trump cards. Konoha still has strength in reserve. If anyone should propose a ceasefire, it should be us."
Mabui shook her head firmly.
"Raikage, we absolutely must not be the ones to propose peace. Doing so would signal weakness. If Konoha senses weakness, they'll counterattack with everything they have. Not only would we fail to secure our gains—we might even be forced to pay massive war reparations. Given the Land of Lightning's current finances, that would be catastrophic."
The Fourth Raikage understood… but he was exhausted.
For nearly half a month, he had been on the front lines of every battle. A village leader should not fight like a vanguard soldier—but he had. And because of his ferocity, Kumogakure's morale soared, allowing them to suppress Konoha's forces.
Without his presence, even with the Six Treasured Tools, they would've never achieved such results.
The Six Treasured Tools were powerful, yes—but their chakra consumption was monstrous. Outside of past generations of the Gold and Silver Brothers, jinchūriki, and Raikage, few could wield them more than a few times. Normal jōnin would burn out almost immediately.
Thus, in a war involving thousands, the Six Tools could only be used to eliminate enemy elites, not sweep entire armies.
"Raikage need not worry. Konoha may be stronger than us, but their strength is also their greatest weakness. Their clans are too powerful—and powerful clans desire influence. The Third Hokage is growing old, his strength waning, and he can no longer suppress them. To preserve his authority, he must suppress the clans—especially the Uchiha, who have contributed the most in this war."
The Fourth Raikage gave a sharp, mocking laugh.
"A village leader must be among the strongest. If he can no longer maintain that, he should step down. If one day my own strength begins to fade, I will retire immediately. I'll never drag down my village just to cling to power."
"Raikage's resolve is unmatched."
That resolve was why Mabui—a high-intelligence kunoichi—followed him so loyally. And she was right. In the future, the Fourth Raikage truly would retire voluntarily at barely fifty years old.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, meanwhile, clung to his seat till nearly seventy—and would've held onto it into his eighties had Orochimaru not intervened.
Which said everything.
"Because the Third Hokage must suppress the clans—especially the Uchiha—he absolutely won't let them reenter the battlefield. With no way to break the stalemate, he'll certainly choose to negotiate. And when he does, we will hold the advantage."
And Mabui was right.
At that same moment, in the Hokage's office, a fierce argument exploded.
"You want to propose peace? Are you insane, Hiruzen?! If you surrender now, what about the ninjas who died? Are you trying to repeat your failures from the Third Shinobi War?!"
Shimura Danzō roared, pointing accusingly at Hiruzen. The Third Hokage's face darkened.
"If we don't negotiate, what then? Ōnoki—whom you invited—has contributed nothing. Our front lines keep losing ground. Continuing will cost more lives. I'm doing this for the village, for the bigger picture!"
"Temporary setbacks mean nothing! The Land of Fire is the strongest of the Great Nations! Even if it becomes a war of attrition, we'll outlast the Land of Lightning!"
Hiruzen slammed his desk.
"You forget the consequences of the Third Shinobi War? If we continue, the other nations will join in—and their target will be us, the strongest. Can the Land of Fire withstand an assault from all four nations?"
Danzō seethed.
"Fine. I won't interfere with the negotiations. But hand over the Two-Tails jinchūriki to me—I'll turn her into Konoha's ultimate weapon!"
"Impossible. The return of their jinchūriki is Kumogakure's condition for peace. Without her, negotiations will collapse. Drop this, Danzō."
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
"I am the Hokage!"
Classic line delivered, Danzō stormed out. Koharu and Homura said nothing—masters of staying neutral, which was why they still appeared in Hiruzen's final memories… while Danzō did not.
Likewise, Danzō's own dying memories were filled only with Hiruzen.
Truly a tragic loyalty.
Soon after, Uchiha Shisui arrived, immediately requesting Hiruzen to allow Rokuro back into the war.
"Hokage, Rokuro's sealing techniques counter jinchūriki perfectly. With him, the stalemate will break. Please let him fight."
Shisui's sense of urgency came partly from himself—and partly from the shifting mindset of Uchiha Itachi.
If Itachi, the clan heir, wavered, Shisui's long-term plan would collapse.
But
"Shisui… I have decided. We will pursue peace with Kumogakure. This war is over."
"Eh?! Peace?! But—"
Shisui froze.
Inside, his first reaction was:
"This is ridiculous…"
But he would never say such a thing to the Hokage he revered.
Hiruzen continued, voice heavy:
"If we continue fighting, we risk triggering the Fourth Shinobi World War. To prevent the entire world from plunging into chaos, I must negotiate first. Can you understand that?"
Shisui's eyes watered with admiration.
"Hokage… you are the only one who sees the whole shinobi world. I doubted for a moment—but now I understand. War only creates hatred. The Fourth Great War must never happen."
"Good. Shisui… continue serving as the bridge between the Uchiha and the village. I trust you."
"I'll do everything I can!"
Moved yet again, Shisui returned to the Uchiha compound and relayed everything to Itachi—expecting him to be just as touched.
But
"Peace? And we initiate it? What about our comrades who died? What about the innocent civilians in the Land of Hot Springs—who were dragged into this war and killed? Will the Land of Lightning compensate them? Even if they do… the dead can't come back!"
Itachi grew more agitated the more he spoke. In that moment, Rokuro's words resurfaced in his mind:
"Dignity lies at the edge of the blade; truth lies at the range of the cannons."
"Itachi," Shisui said sternly,
"War only breeds hatred. The Hokage is choosing peace for the greater good. He isn't wrong."
Watching Shisui lecture him so solemnly, Itachi suddenly felt… distant from him.
Even a little disgusted.
And just as Mabui predicted—Hiruzen made a decision that served his own authority at the cost of the village.
He returned Yugito Nii to Kumogakure and voluntarily sent envoys to negotiate peace.
What cannot be won on the battlefield will never be gained at the negotiation table.
Because Kumogakure held the advantage in war, they held the advantage in peace.
Konoha could only try to minimize its losses.
When news of the ceasefire reached the village, reactions varied.
The Uchiha and Hyūga clans were furious—they had held the advantage earlier, only for Hiruzen to throw it away.
The Inuzuka and Aburame clans remained neutral—they had no real influence on war outcomes anyway.
The Nara-Akimichi-Yamanaka "Ino–Shika–Chō" trio had mixed feelings.
On one hand, they were grateful—because with Yugito Nii's return, those sealed inside the Amber Purifying Pot were released, including Akimichi Chōza.
But on the other hand, negotiating now ruined their chance to redeem themselves after being blamed for the earlier debacle.
If the war ended here, they would forever carry the stain of "losing Konoha the war."
At the Uchiha household
Rokuro's family of three also heard the news, once again validating his foresight.
"Rokuro, you were right again. The Hokage is returning the Two-Tails… and he's initiating peace talks. Isn't this the same as announcing Konoha lost?"
Uchiha Izumi was indignant.
She hadn't even gotten onto the battlefield—yet the village had lost anyway.
How could she not be frustrated?
"This is just the beginning. Watch—Konoha will keep making concessions. I'd bet the Land of Hot Springs will be split in half. And this war won't end cleanly."
Izumi and Uchiha Ashikaga exchanged looks—they knew he was right.
The Land of Lightning had already occupied most of the country. They would never give it back—and would probably demand more.
"I contacted Granny Cat through Ninja Cats earlier. She said Kumogakure started this war because years of massive military spending pushed the Land of Lightning into a deficit. In other words, this war was never about revenge. It was about money, manpower, and resources."
Izumi gritted her teeth.
"All this death… just for money?"
"What else? People love to pretend war comes from hatred. Wrong. Hatred doesn't cause wars. Political and economic interests cause wars.
As long as political issues remain unresolved, wars are unavoidable."
Izumi, thinking of Shisui, hesitated.
"But Shisui always says that if people just understood each other, war can be avoided."
Rokuro laughed.
"He needs to read more books. Let me give you a simple example.
Someone hasn't eaten in days and is about to starve to death. His neighbor, meanwhile, has so much food he can't finish it.
Do you really think the starving man will quietly die? Or will he pick up a weapon and take the food?"
Izumi frowned.
"Can't he work? Or beg?"
"What if there's no work? And no one gives him food?"
"Then… he'll rob them. He has to survive."
Rokuro clapped lightly.
"Exactly. That's how most wars start. Survival pressures, resource imbalance, political conflict. Hatred is a result, not a cause."
He then unfolded a map and pointed at the Land of Hot Springs.
"It lies between the Lands of Fire and Lightning, acting as a buffer zone. The Land of Lightning will not give up what they have already taken—they'll demand even more.
Konoha, however, needs the buffer.
In the end, the country will be split.
Two-thirds to Lightning.
One-third remains Hot Springs.
Konoha gets nothing."
Izumi and Ashikaga stared at the map.
It was infuriating… but they didn't see any way for reality to unfold differently.
"Such a great advantage… wasted. Truly: one incompetent general exhausts an entire army."
Rokuro waved dismissively.
"Who cares? We already know what kind of person Sarutobi Hiruzen is. This is normal for him.
We focus on ourselves.
As for the future… someone will deal with him."
During the negotiation window, almost every Uchiha willing to receive the Qi-Sea Seal inoculation visited Rokuro. He successfully collected over five hundred genetic samples—far more than the Hyūga's.
Once inoculation stopped, the family resumed gene optimization and white mouse cultivation.
Two months later
Konoha and Kumogakure officially signed the peace treaty, finally ending the months-long war.
And just as Rokuro had predicted, the contents of the treaty unfolded exactly as he had foreseen:
Two-thirds of the Land of Hot Springs was ceded to the Land of Lightning,
while the remaining one-third retained its independence as a much smaller "Land of Hot Springs," serving as a buffer zone between Fire and Lightning.
But everyone knew this so-called buffer zone was now little more than a formality.
In the past, aside from the sea separating Fire and Lightning, there had been two land buffers:
the Land of the Moon and the Land of Hot Springs.
Now that two-thirds of Hot Springs had been swallowed by the Land of Lightning, it was effectively the same as building a military base right beside the Land of Fire.
Once the opportunity arrived, the Land of Lightning could easily march across the last scraps of Hot Springs territory and launch a direct invasion into the Land of Fire's heartland.
To prevent such a scenario, the Land of Fire would now be forced to station even more shinobi along its borders, which—naturally—would drastically increase its long-term military expenses.
As for the Land of Lightning, although this war didn't fully achieve their original objectives, devouring most of the Land of Hot Springs was more than enough to ease their financial crisis.
At the very least, they could maintain high military spending for several more years.
And when the funds inevitably ran dry again?
Did they even need to think about it?
They would simply start another war.
The Land of Lightning had made a massive profit.
Konoha, on the other hand, had suffered devastating losses:
their buffer zone was cut down by more than half, the cost of war fell entirely on them, and—adding insult to injury—Ōnoki actually had the audacity to turn around and demand money from Konoha.
"Ōnoki is demanding compensation from us? Has he finally gone senile from old age?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly snapped.
Konoha had already been forced into a disadvantageous peace negotiation with Kumogakure, surrendering multiple interests.
And now Ōnoki dared to sponge off of them?
Of course he was furious.
"Where's Danzō? Tell him to inform Ōnoki that Konoha does not owe him a single ryō!"
Mitokado Homura stroked his beard uneasily.
"Hiruzen… ever since the negotiations began, Danzō hasn't left the Foundation headquarters. I'm afraid… this matter might—"
"Unbelievable! One minor setback and he folds? He's becoming more useless with age. Homura, I'm putting you in charge of this. Iwagakure put in no effort during this alliance—they are one of the main reasons we lost this war. We're already being generous by not demanding compensation from them, and yet they dare to ask us for money? Throw their envoys out!"
Homura sighed and accepted the task.
It wasn't Iwagakure that troubled him—what troubled him was the internal situation within the village.
"Hiruzen… the other clans aren't raising much fuss yet. The real issue is the Hyūga.
During the mission to cut off the Land of Lightning's supply lines, they lost four clansmen—four Byakugan. They recovered three… but the last one is rumored to have been transplanted into the bodyguard of the Fourth Raikage.
Hyūga Hizashi is furious. He's demanding we retrieve it immediately."
Hiruzen slammed the table, but Homura hurriedly continued:
"I know it's nearly impossible… but after this war, the Hyūga have grown extremely close to the Uchiha.
If that lost Byakugan falls into Uchiha hands… I fear—"
Hiruzen's expression changed instantly.
As he aged, he had spent the past several years desperately trying to elevate non-clan shinobi while suppressing the old noble clans.
In an ordinary feudal kingdom, such a method would've been correct—perhaps even the path to strengthening the state.
Unfortunately, this was the shinobi world.
A noble bloodline wasn't just a symbol of status—it was a guarantee of power.
Thus, his policy of uplifting civilian shinobi was fundamentally meaningless.
One of Hiruzen's primary methods of suppressing the clans was to divide them, ensuring they never grew too close—especially the Uchiha and the Hyūga.
These two were the keys.
And yet, after this war, the two great clans had begun drawing closer.
This was the last thing Hiruzen wanted to see.
He inhaled sharply.
"Tell Hizashi that the village will personally take responsibility for recovering that Byakugan.
Assure him: Konoha will never let its heroes shed blood and tears both."
END OF CHAPTER
(Some chapters in patreon are double chapters)
3 IN 1 - BE A MEMBER, GET 3 ONGOING STORIES!!
35 CHAPTERS AHEAD!!
Forbidden Java Jutsu - MrBehringer's Secret
👉 patreon.com/MrBehringer