"Impossible. We cannot accept those terms."
Inside the conference room of the Hokage Building, the air had grown heavy.
Representatives of Konoha, led by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat across from the envoys of Kumogakure. The talks had already gone on for a long time, but neither side had taken a single real step back.
Unlike the Land of Wind, which had suffered devastating losses and no longer had the strength to continue fighting, Kumogakure still retained most of its fighting power even after the Third Raikage had been captured.
Because of that, their attitude was far more forceful.
Kumogakure was a village that worshiped strength. Its shinobi were united, stubborn, and unwilling to lower their heads easily. After confirming that Kizaru was not currently in Konoha, the Cloud delegation deliberately hardened its stance, trying to reduce their losses as much as possible.
The elder leading the Kumogakure mission understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's personality well.
The Third Hokage disliked war.
He preferred maintaining the balance of the shinobi world—one great power at the center, with the other villages still existing around it.
And Kumogakure had one more card to play.
The Two-Tails, which had originally been assigned to their village by the First Hokage, had been taken by Konoha's Kizaru.
Using those two points, the Cloud envoys acted almost shamelessly throughout the negotiations.
Their logic was simple.
Konoha had already taken their Two-Tails. Asking for compensation and ransom on top of that was going too far.
If Konoha wanted compensation, then the Two-Tails had to be returned.
If Konoha wanted to keep the Two-Tails, then Kumogakure would not pay anything, and Konoha had to release the imprisoned Third Raikage.
In other words, Kumogakure gave Konoha two choices.
Either Kumogakure paid compensation, and Konoha returned the tailed beast.
Or Kumogakure gave up the tailed beast, paid nothing, and Konoha released the Third Raikage.
Naturally, Konoha's upper ranks, led by Sarutobi Hiruzen, could not accept conditions that were almost the same as demanding everything for free.
The Two-Tails had already gotten along surprisingly well with Kizaru. In future wars, a free tailed beast with full intelligence and the ability to communicate would hold enormous strategic value.
More importantly, Hiruzen understood Kizaru's personality.
If the village forcibly took the Two-Tails away from him and handed it back to Kumogakure, then between Konoha and Kumogakure, Hiruzen suspected only one side would remain standing.
Although he disliked war and preferred preserving the current order, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still in his prime.
He was not yet the old Hokage who would one day hesitate at every step.
He was not afraid of war.
"Kumogakure…"
Before Hiruzen could speak, Danzo opened his mouth first.
His voice was cold, like a blade hidden in the dark.
"Do you still wish to continue fighting?"
The Cloud envoys looked toward him.
Danzo's one visible eye narrowed.
"If that is what you want, Konoha will accompany you."
The words were blunt and merciless.
After working together for many years, Danzo understood Hiruzen's position very well. Hiruzen was the Hokage. Once he spoke, his words would become Konoha's final stance.
So Danzo stepped forward instead.
He became Konoha's hard edge.
The elder of Kumogakure turned his gaze back toward Hiruzen.
"Third Hokage, is this Konoha's answer?"
His voice was calm, but there was pressure hidden inside it.
"Is Konoha trying to use its current strength to dominate the entire shinobi world?"
The elder's expression darkened slightly.
"If that is the case, then I believe Kumogakure will not be the only village unwilling to accept it. The other great villages will not simply bow their heads either."
He placed the accusation on the table with practiced skill.
It was not only an argument. It was a warning.
The Cloud elder had confidence for a reason.
Before entering these negotiations, he had already contacted the envoys of the other two nations in secret and received a certain degree of support.
Sunagakure, which had deep hatred toward Konoha, naturally did not wish to see Konoha benefit too much.
Even Iwagakure, which had recently shown goodwill and formed an alliance with Konoha, did not truly want Konoha to become even stronger after receiving massive reparations.
Their current alliance and submission were only temporary.
They were avoiding Konoha's sharpest blade.
Every major village understood that.
The birth of a monster like Kizaru had changed the balance of the shinobi world. His speed, destructive power, and unpredictable combat style had turned Konoha—already the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages—into something close to untouchable.
They knew they could not win now.
So they lowered their heads.
But lowering their heads did not mean surrendering their future.
As long as they endured, there would still be hope.
Even if this generation could not see that hope, the next one might.
The elders and leaders of the other villages understood survival. Patience, compromise, and temporary weakness were all tools a village could use.
But there was one condition.
Konoha could not be allowed to continue growing without restraint.
They could accept Konoha's current strength.
They could not accept Konoha becoming even stronger.
That was the quiet understanding reached between the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning.
Because of that, Kumogakure dared to act so forcefully during the negotiations.
Faced with such an accusation, Hiruzen naturally could not acknowledge it.
"Konoha has upheld the Will of Fire since the First Hokage's era," Hiruzen said calmly. "We have never sought to dominate the shinobi world. Nor do we intend to rob or bully other villages."
When he said the word "rob," his gaze shifted meaningfully toward the Cloud elder.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kumogakure was infamous for stealing secret techniques and bloodline limits from smaller villages and clans.
The Cloud elder's expression did not change.
"In that case," he said, "please return the Two-Tails. It was entrusted to Kumogakure by Lord First Hokage himself."
He invoked Hashirama's name without hesitation.
Danzo let out a cold laugh.
"You want the Two-Tails?"
His voice carried open mockery.
"Fine. I will call my nephew back and have him speak with you personally."
The First Hokage was already dead. To Konoha, he was a symbol.
But Kizaru was alive.
And in Danzo's eyes, that child was the next god of shinobi.
The moment Danzo mentioned Kizaru, several members of the Kumogakure delegation stiffened slightly.
The memory of that golden figure attacking their village was still fresh in their minds.
That terrible speed.
That lazy voice.
That light that fell from the sky like punishment.
Even the elder's expression changed for an instant before he forced it back under control.
"So now Konoha is ruled by a ten-year-old child?"
He looked at Hiruzen.
"Third Hokage, is that what you are saying?"
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
"Kizaru is my heir. He will become the Fourth Hokage one day."
His tone remained calm.
"For certain important matters, I allow him to give his opinion."
The Cloud elder's intention was obvious. He wanted to drive a wedge between Hiruzen and Kizaru, or between Hiruzen and Danzo.
But Hiruzen did not give him that chance.
Danzo's eye sharpened.
"That ten-year-old child captured your Third Raikage alive not long ago."
His voice dropped lower.
"If even your Raikage lost to a child, perhaps Kumogakure should choose its words more carefully."
The faces of the Cloud envoys darkened.
One middle-aged jōnin suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Watch your mouth!"
His chakra flared with anger.
"Are you insulting Lord Raikage?!"
Danzo did not even flinch.
"Insulting him?"
A thin smile appeared on his face.
"I merely stated what happened."
The jōnin gritted his teeth.
"Konoha must have used some despicable method to trap Lord Raikage!"
Danzo's voice turned icy.
"A mere Third Raikage is not worth such effort."
"You—!"
"Tetsutarō. Sit down."
The Cloud elder's voice cut through the room.
At nearly the same time, Hiruzen also spoke.
"Danzo."
Both sides fell silent.
The middle-aged jōnin named Tetsutarō clenched his fists for a moment before sitting back down unwillingly.
Danzo leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable, but the faint amusement in his eye was impossible to miss.
The Cloud delegation's faces looked terrible.
The room sank into silence again.
After a while, Hiruzen glanced at the clock on the wall.
"That is enough for today."
The Cloud elder understood that continuing would bring no result. He slowly nodded.
"Very well."
The meeting ended there.
Under the escort of Konoha ANBU, the Kumogakure delegation stood up and left the conference room.
Only after confirming that they had left the Hokage Building did Hiruzen lower his pipe.
Smoke drifted faintly through the room.
For a moment, neither he nor Danzo spoke.
Then Hiruzen finally said, "Danzo."
Danzo glanced at him.
"Call Kizaru back."
A slow smile appeared on Danzo's face.
"Hiruzen…"
His voice carried rare satisfaction.
"I was thinking the same thing."
The two old friends looked at each other.
Then, almost at the same time, they laughed.
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