I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

Chapter 110 The Powerful Minato!

The day after the Konoha Crush plan ended, the lights in the Hokage's office stayed on from early morning until late at night.

The ruins were still smoking, the rubble on the streets had not yet been cleared, and the medical tents were crowded with the wounded.

Minato sat behind his desk, three documents spread out in front of him: casualty statistics, a list of losses, and a negotiation outline drafted overnight. He rubbed his temples, picked up his teacup; the tea had gone cold.

A knock came at the door, and an Anbu member entered to report: "Lord Hokage, Mei Terumi, an envoy from Kirigakure, requests a meeting."

"Please let her in." Minato put down his teacup and straightened the collar of his Hokage robe.

Mei Terumi walked into the office. She had changed out of the dark blue kimono she wore during the battle and was now wearing a gray formal suit. Her long brown hair was tied up, and her emerald green eyes revealed no emotion.

Chojuro followed behind her, with Hiramekarei on his back, head down, not daring to look at Minato.

"Sit down." Minato gestured to the chair opposite him without standing up.

Mei Terumi sat down opposite him, with Chojuro standing behind her.

Two cups of tea were brought over by the ANBU, but Mei Terumi did not touch them.

"Hokage, I deeply regret Konoha's loss." Her voice was calm. "As per our previous agreement, as long as I help Konoha defeat Orochimaru, the Executioner's Blade will be returned to Kirigakure."

Minato looked at Mei Terumi, wondering how this woman could say such shameless things so matter-of-factly.

A battle took place within the Four Purple Flame Formation.

Mei Terumi didn't even throw out a kunai.

At most, they confronted Orochimaru for a period of time while they were sealing the First, Second, and Third Hokage.

Seeing that Minato remained silent and kept staring at him.

Mei Terumi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is Konoha going to back out?"

Minato leaned back in his chair, looking at her.

"An agreement is an agreement, but whether or not we actually put in the effort, we both know the truth."

Minato didn't want to get involved with Mei Terumi in this matter anymore.

Because there are still many things in Konoha that he needs to handle.

Mei Terumi paused for a moment, then leaned forward, placing her hands crossed on the table. "Hokage, state your terms."

Minato didn't answer immediately. He picked up the glass of cold tea, took a sip, put the glass down, picked up the pen on the table, wrote a few words on a blank sheet of paper, and pushed it over.

"It's not a difficult thing at all; in fact, it's a good thing for Kirigakure."

"First, Kirigakure will open its ports, allowing Konoha merchant ships to dock, and tariffs will be halved. Second, Kirigakure promises not to pursue Zabuza and Haku; these two will have nothing to do with Kirigakure from now on."

Mei Terumi looked at the words on the paper, her brows twitching slightly.

With the port open, Konoha's merchant ships can sail directly to Kirigakure, and the Land of Fire's products will conquer the Land of Water's market through maritime trade.

Halving tariffs is a significant blow to the fiscal revenue of Wuyin.

However, trade is reciprocal; the Land of Fire's food, clothing, and supplies can make up for the Land of Water's needs.

And the aquatic products of the Land of Water also found a stable market.

As for Zabuza and Haku—as long as the Executioner's Blade can be retrieved, the two rogue ninjas aren't that important. But Minato's conditions were clearly stated: no pursuit, meaning Kirigakure had officially abandoned any attempt to hold these two rogue ninjas accountable.

"The port is open, but tariffs will not be reduced," Mei Terumi said.

"Tariffs will be reduced by at least 30%." Minato's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the table. "There's no room for negotiation."

Mei Terumi stared at him for a long time, then tapped her fingers lightly on the table twice.

Chojuro stood behind him, not daring to utter a sound.

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, biting her nails, a conflicted look flashing across her face.

The volume of trade after the port opened was predictable.

Thirty percent of that is pure, hard cash.

Moreover, she disliked Minato's domineering attitude.

But circumstances are beyond our control.

This is the best solution we can get right now.

Shuimen calmly picked up his teacup without urging him.

"I'm taking the Executioner's Blade with me now." Mei Terumi stood up and stretched out her hand.

Minato squeezed her hand briefly, then immediately released it. "Sign the agreement, and the knife will be handed over. The Anbu will escort it to the border."

Mei Terumi withdrew her hand and straightened her collar.

She glanced at the still-smoke-filled Konoha village outside the window, then at the thick stack of casualty reports on Minato's desk. "Hokage, you're much more difficult to deal with than the Third Hokage."

In the following days, Konoha Village entered the post-war cleanup phase.

The ruins were dug up inch by inch, wooden planks were used to support the remaining walls, and charred beams were dragged away.

The ninjas took off their armor, put on cloth clothes, and worked with the villagers to move rubble and clean the streets.

The wounded in the medical tents were transferred to the newly built temporary wards in batches. Lin had been working for two days and two nights without closing her eyes. She took a nap by the medicine shelf, still holding a bandage in her hand.

Sakura Haruno followed behind the medical team, washing gauze and carrying medicine trays. Her hands were cracked from being soaked in disinfectant.

Naruto was pinned to the hospital bed by Kakashi. He had just had the stitches removed from his leg wound when he secretly slipped out to help move bricks, but was caught by Sakura Haruno and had it re-bandaged.

Sasuke's cursed seal did not activate, but Kakashi made him stay in the hospital for observation. He sat by the window, watching the busy crowd outside, without saying a word.

Gaara had already been taken back to Sunagakure by Kankuro and Temari. Before leaving, he looked back at Konoha.

Several new names have appeared in front of the memorial stone.

Minato stood before the monument, his Hokage hat tucked under his arm, the wind ruffling his blond hair. He didn't speak, stood there for a long time, then bent down and placed a bunch of white chrysanthemums before the monument.

Then he silently turned and left.

Five days after the Konoha Crush plan ended, the Sunagakure delegation arrived in Konoha.

Leading the group was Ebizo, an elder of Sunagakure, with gray hair and a face etched with deep wrinkles. He was Chiyo's younger brother and held a very high position in Sunagakure.

Two Jonin, a man and a woman, followed behind Ebizo, both with injuries on their faces.

When the three entered the Hokage's office, Minato was reviewing documents and did not stand up.

"Please sit down."

Ebizo sat down, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. Two Jonin stood behind him, but no one sat down. The office was quiet for a moment before Minato looked up at them.

"Hokage," Ebizo's voice was hoarse, "the Fourth Kazekage was killed by Orochimaru, and the order to attack Konoha was given by Orochimaru in the name of the Kazekage. Sunagakure was unaware of this beforehand and had no intention of being an enemy. I apologize to Konoha on behalf of Sunagakure."

Shuimen leaned back in his chair, saying that an apology alone was not enough after so many people had died.

When did the Fourth Kazekage die?

"One week before the Chunin Exams."

Ebizo paused for a moment, then added, "It was my sister... Chiyo who first sensed something was wrong. By the time she confirmed it, Orochimaru had already launched his attack. The Sunagakure ninjas in Konoha all stopped fighting after receiving the retreat signal, offering no resistance."

Minato stared at him, his gaze like a knife.

He opened the drawer, took out a document, and pushed it in front of Ebizo.

"Konoha suffered 320 deaths and over 500 injuries. More than 200 houses were destroyed, and the reconstruction cost is in the hundreds of millions. You say you were unaware of the situation, and I believe you. Konoha accepts the apology from Sunagakure."

"But you must bear the consequences of Konoha's losses."

Ebizo did not refute. Before coming, Chiyo had said that Ichisui was not the Third Hokage, and that one should not expect him to give up reparations for the sake of so-called peace. "Sunagakure is willing to pay reparations."

"Fifty million taels," Minato announced. "To be paid in three installments."

Ebizo's eyebrows twitched. Fifty million ryo, a quarter of Sunagakure's annual revenue, and Chiyo's bottom line was sixty million. He breathed a sigh of relief and didn't haggle any further.

"Can."

Minato flicked his right hand on the table, and the ANBU brought over a second document.

Ebizo took it and saw that it read "Food Trade Agreement". He looked up at Minato, not understanding what it meant.

Sunagakure is facing a food shortage, as crops cannot be grown on the land of the Land of Wind, and the village relies entirely on imports for food. If Konoha were to cut off their food supply, Sunagakure would not recover for several years, and post-war reconstruction would be out of the question.

"Konoha will export grain to Sunagakure at a price 10% lower than the market price. A fixed quota will be set for each year for three consecutive years." Minato's voice was not loud, but every word was clear.

Ebizo's pupils contracted slightly. He remained silent for a long time before placing the documents back on the table with both hands. "Hokage-sama, Sunagakure accepts."

His voice was no longer steady; it trembled slightly.

These are sweet dates from Konoha.

Among the five great nations, Sunagakure and Konoha have always been allies.

The reason is simple: Konoha Village has food, something that Sunagakure Village cannot do without!

Minato picked up a pen, signed the agreement, and stamped it with the Hokage seal. Ebizo also signed. The two exchanged agreements, with Minato returning the Sunagakure copy.

"The first batch of grain will be shipped out within a month."

Ebizo stood up and bowed deeply. "Hokage-sama, Sunagakure will never forget Konoha's kindness."

"No favors are needed." Minato also stood up. "As long as Sunagakure doesn't start a war, Konoha won't make things difficult for you."

The foundation of an alliance lies in equality and mutual benefit between the two countries.

Ebizo didn't say anything more and left with the two Jonin.

Silence returned to the office. Shuimen sat back in his chair, stacked the compensation agreement and the grain trade agreement together, and locked them in the drawer.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He took every penny he was entitled to and gave every penny he was entitled to.

This is far better than the hypocritical "peace" achieved through endless concessions like those of the third generation.

He opened his eyes and picked up the pen on the table.

There are still many documents to approve.

The setting sun shone brightly outside the window, illuminating the Hokage Rock. Minato Namikaze's portrait was on the far right, his golden hair gleaming warmly in the sunset.