The fighting stopped.
Uchiha Ran hadn't expected it either—he and Orochimaru had only just arrived at the border not long ago, and yet Konoha and Iwagakure had already reached a ceasefire agreement.
When the news came, Ran was inside Orochimaru's temporary laboratory, helping with cellular research.
The Star Stone—now stripped of the Ten-Tails chakra—was nothing more than a meteorite that emitted mild radiation and could store chakra. A few days after losing the Ten-Tails chakra, even that radiation began to fade.
Orochimaru quickly lost interest.
The radiation boost to chakra was mediocre at best, and once the stone became an ordinary meteorite, it held no research value for him anymore. After discussing it with Ran, Orochimaru arranged for the meteorite to be sent to the Land of Iron, planning to have it reforged into a short blade and several kunai.
I'll give one of those kunai to Natsuhoshi, Ran thought quietly.
Recently, Orochimaru had fully shifted his focus to cellular research.
He truly couldn't stand staying at the border any longer. The lack of equipment and materials made any meaningful progress on Hashirama-cell research impossible.
The only upside was that the border had provided him with plenty of "experimental materials."
Border duty itself was dull.
As Iwa's infiltrating ninja were captured one after another by Konoha, Iwagakure convened an emergency meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage himself.
The theme sounded grand—"Seizing new opportunities and forging new development."
In reality, Ōnoki was deeply dissatisfied with the results of the previous "special military operation" against Sunagakure, as well as the border pressure campaign against Konoha. Both failures dealt a heavy blow to Iwa's pro-war faction.
The elders seized the chance to pressure him.
But Ōnoki was a veteran.
Relying on his authority and a carefully laid-out follow-up strategy, he managed to silence all dissent.
This border operation had cost Iwagakure many ninja—but it also forced them to recognize a harsh truth:
Konoha was far stronger than expected.
Its reconnaissance and counter-infiltration capabilities were terrifyingly efficient. One village alone simply couldn't contend with Konoha head-on.
The optimal solution, in Ōnoki's eyes, was clear:
Send an envoy to Konoha to negotiate a non-aggression pact, buy time to accumulate strength in secret, and quietly stir other nations into opposing Konoha.
War was never just frontal clashes.
It was a struggle of intelligence, information, and patience.
This failed border operation was, to Ōnoki, a large-scale intelligence probe. And the conclusion was obvious—
Now was not the time to fight Konoha.
Interestingly enough, the envoy sent to Konoha was Ōnoki's own son, Kitsuchi.
When Kitsuchi reached the border, he encountered the Uchiha Special Operations Unit.
What he hadn't expected was that his father's entire plan had been thwarted… by an Uchiha who still looked like a teenager.
As expected of Konoha. As expected of the Uchiha, Kitsuchi thought to himself.
Iwagakure alone can't stand against this village.
Following protocol, Kitsuchi explained that internal rebellion had broken out within Iwagakure. Many rogue Iwa ninja had crossed into the Land of Fire on their own initiative, causing the Third Tsuchikage no small amount of distress.
Ōnoki believed these actions damaged the peace between Iwagakure and Konoha.
Thus, he had sent Kitsuchi to formally request the signing of a permanent non-aggression pact between the two villages.
Whether Konoha truly believed this excuse didn't matter.
What mattered was whether Konoha was prepared for war.
If not, signing the pact would benefit both sides' "peaceful development."
This was far beyond Ran's authority.
So he immediately arranged for messengers to relay the information back to Konoha.
As for Orochimaru—
The moment he heard talk of some "ridiculous treaty," he packed up and returned to Konoha without hesitation.
When it came to slacking off and disappearing at critical moments, Orochimaru was a true master.
Ran, meanwhile, stayed at the border with the other eight members of the Uchiha Special Operations Unit, awaiting instructions.
During this time, Ran never once ran into Hyūga Hizashi.
Apparently, after arriving at the border, Hizashi had devoted himself entirely to searching for hidden spies—without taking a single day off.
A true workhorse.
According to Uncle Tahiko, Hizashi was surprisingly easy to get along with, unlike the usual tense relationship between the Hyūga and the Uchiha.
A few days later, orders finally arrived from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Uchiha Ran and the Special Operations Unit were to escort Kitsuchi and his two subordinates back to Konoha.
"Your Third Hokage suddenly has a very… peaceful perspective," Kitsuchi said with a smile as they traveled.
"For nations as large as ours, peace is the most important thing, Ran-kun."
Ran gave a noncommittal response.
Iwagakure would never truly give up. This ceasefire was nothing more than a temporary pause.
He had already prepared himself for long-term border deployment—yet Ōnoki had accurately grasped Hiruzen's mindset.
If that was the case, the newly formed Uchiha Special Operations Unit likely wouldn't get many chances to train at the border.
Ran doubted the Third Hokage would feel comfortable leaving several powerful Uchiha stationed there for too long.
"Actually," Kitsuchi added along the way,
"I have another request that I hope to receive your Hokage's support on."
"Oh?" Ran glanced at him. "Please, go on."
"I've heard Konoha has a tradition of hosting joint Chūnin Exams," Kitsuchi said.
"Iwagakure would like to participate this time—and do it on a grand scale."
"We propose inviting the other three great nations as well. This way, we showcase the strength of the Five Great Villages, while confining conflicts to the level of Chūnin—avoiding large-scale wars between nations."
It sounded reasonable.
But Ran wasn't naïve enough to swallow it whole.
If the timeline didn't change, the Third Great Ninja War would still happen.
Whether to accept Iwagakure's proposal for a joint Chūnin Exam was ultimately Hiruzen's decision.
Ōnoki's abacus was rattling loudly.
Truth be told, when compared to Danzō, Ōnoki wasn't much better—just more decisive, with fewer internal constraints.
Their pace was fast.
In less than two days, they arrived at the gates of Konoha.
As usual, Ran greeted the two unbeatable Konoha gate guardians, then escorted Kitsuchi straight toward the Hokage Tower—
To personally report to the Third Hokage.
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