Late summer. Waves of hot wind rolled through the air, making people long for a cool place to rest. If you had an old-fashioned ice pop, it would be even better.
At Konoha Square, two chairs sat neatly on either side of an ordinary rectangular table.
On one side sat a young man, eating his ice pop with obvious satisfaction.
Across from him, Mabui—whose naturally dark skin only deepened under the blazing sun—was already drenched in sweat. Lifting her head with effort to face the boy across from her, she gritted her teeth.
The one leading the negotiations wasn't the Hokage.
It was that devil who had wielded a massive sword in the Hokage's office earlier!
Now, that sword rested in the hands of the white-haired man behind him. At the white-haired man's side stood several others whose presence left Mabui even more uneasy.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was easy enough to recognize.
But the rest—if she wasn't mistaken—were members of the Night Owl Team.
The Hokage himself… standing behind someone else?
And further back stood Konoha's entire council.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. The two advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane—Koharu's recently reattached arm visible at her side.
And, of course, Danzō Shimura.
The atmosphere was unnervingly strange.
Konoha's highest authorities stood lined up in the background—while that boy sat comfortably across from her, eating his ice pop.
Was this really Konoha?
Mabui licked her dry lips. Honestly, she wanted to ask if this was their idea of hospitality.
At the very least, shouldn't they have offered her one too?
Truthfully, Hakken felt a bit helpless himself.
Until a moment ago, he had thought when Minato said, "I'll stand behind you," it was simply meant to give him courage and confidence.
Who could have guessed he meant it literally—and that he'd push him to the front of the negotiation table in front of everyone?
What a setup.
Sensei…
Casting a sideways glance full of quiet reproach at Minato's encouraging smile, Hakken sighed softly.
The Kumogakure delegation was already seated.
At this point, there was no way to make Minato sit back down.
The negotiations had already begun.
As for those old fossils standing in the back, Hakken hadn't even noticed them at first.
After all, this matter had little to do with them—unless, of course, they'd come to watch him make a fool of himself and maybe claw back some of their lost power.
That kind of thinking wasn't hard to figure out.
Danzō's Root hadn't truly been disbanded, though its operations were clearly less brazen than before.
The Third Hokage had probably come hoping to share some of the credit, maybe lend a hand and get his name on the wall.
And the two advisors?
He hadn't expected them to show their faces here.
Ever since Minato had promoted a new generation of Konoha officials, they'd likely been dissatisfied with their loss of influence—and were now looking for an opportunity to climb back into relevance.
Well then.
If they came with that mindset and weren't invited, they could stand there quietly.
The chairs were for the negotiators only.
"Hakken Yoru, I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon."
Taking a deep breath, Mabui finally spoke. The air between them was heavy, but the negotiations had to move forward.
At this point, she still didn't know whether the Raikage was alive or dead. Officially, the purpose of this meeting was to discuss peace and bring an end to the border conflicts—but in truth, every word and move from here on out would be a test.
Gritting her teeth, Mabui decided to forget about asking Hakken for an ice pop and instead pulled out a scroll.
The contents were clear—this was Kumogakure's greatest concession, prepared long before their arrival in Konoha.
She tossed the scroll across the table toward him, her expression stern.
"Since you're the one in charge, I won't waste time with pleasantries," she said coldly. "These are the terms Kumogakure is offering for a ceasefire. If you can—"
Clack.
Before she could finish, Hakken flicked the scroll aside without even looking at it.
Mabui froze for a moment, then fury boiled up inside her.
An insult.
A blatant insult!
How could a member of the negotiation team act so recklessly, so irresponsibly?
"Hakken Yoru, this is not how Konoha should—"
Swish!
A flash of steel cut through the air.
The sharp gleam of a blade stopped Homura Mitokado mid-sentence, his face stiff with terror. The sword's tip hovered less than a hair's breadth from his throat. He could smell the iron tang of blood on the blade as if it were already there.
"You should be grateful I'm in the middle of a negotiation," Hakken said coolly, taking another bite of his ice pop. "Otherwise, your head would've been rolling by now."
With a snap of his fingers, the Zanpakutō moved as if alive, returning smoothly to its place—its tip plunging straight into the ground beside him.
Sword control? No—this was something deeper.
Everyone watching trembled, startled by the sudden display.
"Either shut your mouth," Hakken said flatly. "Don't let me hear another word out of you. Not even a breath—certainly not a fart."
"Or leave. Or die. Your choice."
Without glancing back, he turned his focus to Mabui once again.
He hadn't been bluffing. If not for the presence of outsiders, Homura's head would already be rolling across the plaza.
Family matters weren't to be aired in public—that was the logic.
But he swore to himself: if that old man so much as opened his mouth again, he would make good on his threat.
"Minato."
The Third Hokage frowned slightly behind them, as if he wanted to speak.
"Lord Third," Minato said quietly, shaking his head, "Hakken has full authority over this. I trust him."
The message was clear.
Like Hakken, Minato hadn't expected the elders to show up uninvited. Their presence had been irritating enough—yet they still couldn't keep quiet. Would it really kill them to stand silently for once?
I trust him.
Because he was his disciple.
Watching the young man's figure at the table, Minato nodded faintly.
That composure—that decisiveness—was the mark of a true leader.
That earlier swing of the blade had made even Minato tense for a moment; he'd genuinely thought Hakken would follow through.
He didn't like Homura either, but as one of the Hokage's advisors, killing him in front of foreign delegates would do irreparable damage to Hakken's reputation.
There would be plenty of time to deal with them after the talks were over. For now, restraint was the wiser move.
Minato's lips curved slightly. His student had grown.
That—was the bearing of a Kage.
"Alright, Mabui."
Hakken dropped what was left of his ice pop and snapped his fingers at Itachi.
At once, Itachi stepped forward and calmly unfurled a map across the table. The border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning was clearly marked.
"I'm not the type to play games," Hakken said. "So let's be direct—the Raikage was captured by me and Minato-sensei."
Mabui's breath hitched.
"If you want to bring him back, that's fine."
Hakken rose from his seat, lifting the great sword once again. He stepped onto the table, his shadow falling across the map.
Then, under Mabui's wide, trembling eyes, he drove the Zanpakutō straight into a marked location.
His voice was calm but cold enough to freeze the air.
"This land—belongs to Konoha."
He was demanding the Land of Lightning cede territory.
Insane. Completely insane!
Did he even understand what that meant?
Mabui's entire body trembled as she pointed a shaking finger at him, struggling to breathe.
"What did you just say? Repeat that!"
Hakken arched an eyebrow, smirking. "Deaf, are you?"
He pushed the blade forward another inch.
"This land—belongs to Konoha!"
"And remember this—Konoha. Not the Land of Fire."