“Is this the Land of Iron? The place where those two villages are negotiating peace?”
“Yes, Lord Troy,” a few Cloud ninja nodded their heads.
“Why have we come so quickly? It feels like I haven’t lived enough yet.”
Troy sighed, looking somewhat desolate.
“Well, let’s enjoy the scenery. These might be the last days of our lives.”
“Lord Troy, there’s no need to be so pessimistic. You’re a Magnet Release user. On the battlefield, those Konoha scum couldn’t handle you.”
A Cloud ninja behind him couldn’t help but speak up, trying to lift the morale that Troy’s words had dampened.
“There’s Mist ninja involved too, aren’t there?”
Troy responded curtly, not even acknowledging the encouragement.
“Naoki managed to take down the Yellow Flash. How could I possibly hope to win against him?”
“Does that mean, Lord, that despite this doomed mission, you’re choosing to stay?”
The Cloud ninja sighed helplessly, facing their demoralized leader.
“How could we leave?”
Troy shook his head.
“This is the place where the whole world’s eyes are fixed on. We can’t just leave. We must use our deaths to show the world Cloud’s stance on Konoha.”
“Besides, what if… just what if we manage to catch a big fish?”
Troy took a few more steps, then suddenly laughed heartily.
“Since we’ve accepted this mission of certain death, we might as well think positively.”
“You know your history. Five Kage once met here and established the ninja village system.”
“Who knows, maybe Naoki, with his growing ambition, chose this place to force Konoha to acknowledge its first defeat, and this might be the beginning of another glorious history.”
“And then, everyone will remember that at the start of that history, I, Troy, was the last to stand against it.”
“No way, Lord.”
Troy frowned and turned.
“What do you mean?”
The Cloud ninjas exchanged glances and then resolutely said, “We want to be part of history too!”
They laughed, removing their headbands, and joined the flow of people in the Land of Iron.
“Is this our first defeat, Hiruzen?”
The Fire Daimyo shook his fan, sounding deeply reflective.
“In the past, we always came here to claim our victories.”
“Yes,” Hiruzen replied sullenly.
“Remember this day of shame, Hiruzen. Though peace is coming, I will not cut military funding.”
“If another war breaks out, you must restore our honor.”
The Fire Daimyo closed his fan, speaking sternly.
“Yes, Daimyo-sama. I will.”
Hiruzen nodded solemnly, inwardly relieved. This was the first good news he’d heard in days.
“Let’s go.”
The Daimyo shook his head, stepping down from the carriage.
Led by the Land of Iron guards, they arrived at a venue that seemed to mimic the setting of the First Hokage’s meeting intentionally.
Despite his age, Hiruzen, who had never shown weakness, felt an unexpected hesitation when he saw the familiar surroundings.
Jiraiya immediately noticed, falling a few steps behind the Daimyo and feeling sorrowful for his old teacher.
“Hang in there, sensei.”
“Of course.”
Hiruzen straightened, shaking off his melancholy.
“The First Hokage stood here, distributing Tailed Beasts. Now, I, as the defeated, must negotiate peace. It’s painful.”
“But if we let those Mist brats look down on us and cause more losses to Konoha, that would be something the First Hokage and my teacher would scold me for.”
“Let’s go, Jiraiya, Kakashi.”
With his words, the Third Hokage regained his composure, exuding his authority once more.
Soon, they reached their destination.
There, three Mist ninjas and the Water Daimyo were already seated.
It’s my first time seeing this Naoki.
Hiruzen murmured, his eyes evaluating Naoki, who met his gaze with equal scrutiny.
Their eyes met—one was calm and steady, the other fiery and inscrutable.
What kind of person is he?
Hiruzen wondered, assessing the young Mizukage.
As the Third Hokage, he had judged countless people and was skilled at reading intentions, but Naoki was a mystery.
Equally perplexing were the other Mist ninja.
To Naoki’s left sat the old, frail Third Mizukage, whose decrepit aura made Hiruzen believe the rumors of his manipulation by the Sharingan.
To Naoki’s right stood a short, distinct ninja, Yagura.
He had turned against the Third Mizukage during Naoki’s coup, eventually allowing Naoki’s forces to enter the Hidden Mist.
A ninja personally promoted by the Third Mizukage choosing neutrality was surprising enough, but then turning against his benefactor?
It’s incomprehensible.
Settling into his seat, Hiruzen watched the Mist delegation, his killing intent growing.
This unpredictable force could become an even greater threat than the Cloud.
“Everyone, let’s begin.”
The Land of Iron representative announced, seeing all were seated.
Hiruzen refocused his mind.
The Water Daimyo stood, joining the Fire Daimyo at one side of the table.
In matters of war, their words held little weight; the final decisions rested with the ninja.
It’s starting.
Watching the Water Daimyo, Naoki tapped his fingers and spoke.
“Hiruzen, you look old.”
“Does Konoha have a young successor ready to take over as I did?”
Jiraiya frowned, but Hiruzen laughed, countering.
“Does the Hidden Mist have anyone else capable of leading?”
“We have plenty of potential leaders, Hiruzen.”
Naoki crossed his hands under his chin, his posture disrespectful.
“Who will Konoha’s future rely on?”
“Besides this White Fang Kakashi who fought me before, who else is there?”
Kakashi lowered his head.
“That’s not for you to worry about.”
Hiruzen’s calm response belied his evasiveness, putting him at a disadvantage in their first exchange.
“Let’s get to the real matters.”
Jiraiya interjected, breaking the tension.
“Such as discussing the peace terms.”
“Very well.”
Naoki straightened, becoming serious.
“Yagura, present our terms.”
Yagura stepped forward, presenting the documents for negotiation.
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