As a member of the Hokage, one dares not be a loyal subject of Konoha

He started going crazy in Chapter 93, slapping the Third Generation's face until it was bruised and battered.

Ninja world.

Outside the stronghold where the Tsuchikage and Raikage reside within the Land of Lightning.

Danzo walked out with a bewildered expression.

The outcome was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

He came here to sound him out and see if he could get a smaller compensation.

Because he assumed Konoha was the defeated party, Danzo had already prepared himself for ridicule and sarcasm even before he arrived.

Unfortunately, judging from the outcome, Iwagakure, where Onoki lived, was indeed led astray by him. Even if Danzo's original intention was to help Konoha find reinforcements, he deserved to take the blame for failing to do his job well.

So he had mentally prepared himself, and as long as Onoki's words weren't too outrageous, he would just treat the Tsuchikage as talking nonsense and endure it as much as he could.

Strangely, the meeting to confirm the truce among the three major powers went surprisingly smoothly.

Even regarding the issue of compensation, the Tsuchikage and Raikage have always believed that it can be discussed. Since the war is over, everyone should put aside their hatred and even form an alliance. The so-called compensation is just a formality. They will send a professional team to negotiate with the Hokage regarding the specific details. As for the compensation amount, they will definitely not make things difficult for the Hokage.

This is like a windfall for Konoha!

"As expected, my influence still holds true."

After pondering for a while without coming up with a solution, Danzo smiled slightly, and a proud look returned to his face.

With just a simple mission, he was able to save the village a huge amount of compensation money. Only Danzo Shimura in the entire Hidden Leaf Village could do that!

No matter how you look at it, this is a great achievement!

In a sense, this can be considered making amends for one's mistakes and achieving a merit!

Who knows, when the Fifth Hokage is chosen, that person might reappoint me to a high-ranking position in recognition of my contributions this time!

Thinking this, Danzo left the base with cheerful steps.

He planned to hurry back and tell his old friend Hiruzen Sarutobi the good news.

But Lord Danzo, who had just performed a meritorious service, was obviously unaware of this.

Just as he stepped away from the base, Onoki and Ai exchanged a glance, then couldn't help but burst into laughter. The mocking laughter sent chills down the spines of the guards standing at the gate.

After a long while, Raikage coughed and finally suppressed his smile.

"I truly overestimated Hiruzen Sarutobi. What is this? Is he subtly trying to curry favor with us?"

Konoha's tacit acceptance of being the defeated party, from their perspective, was a significant concession to the Land of Lightning. Even if it was only a nominal victory, it would still enhance the Hidden Cloud Village's influence in the ninja world.

Moreover, this time, the Hokage of the number one ninja village adopted a sufficiently humble attitude.

Not only did he acknowledge the victory of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, but in addition to reputation, he also planned to provide financial compensation. To be honest, he didn't care how much money he could get, but through this incident, he and the Tsuchikage seemed to have a better understanding of the Third Hokage's personality.

"I used to think he was very capable, but it seems I was blind."

Onoki sighed slightly, realizing he had overestimated Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Judging from the Hokage's attitude on this matter, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will definitely be able to take the lead in this negotiation with Konoha."

"At that time."

Going to negotiate as a victorious nation is different from the approach taken by the defeated nation discussed earlier.

After our defeat, our past negotiations were a show of sincerity, demonstrating that we genuinely wanted a ceasefire.

But if we are the victors, and we go there in person, that would be giving face to Konoha, and Konoha would have to show some attitude! It would also make it easier to use this as an excuse if a conflict were to break out.

Furthermore, they agreed to Danzo's request, but in return, we asked for less money. Shouldn't you also make things easier for us?

"It seems that Konoha's current situation is worse than we imagined."

Ōnoki was shrewd and calculating; he analyzed a great deal of information simply from Danzo's hesitant and uncertain tone.

"They want the war to end even more than we do!"

When people are afraid, they become weak.

Konoha is nearing its end, and they can even threaten to start another war; in short, they have enormous room to maneuver.

"I was somewhat surprised as well."

Raikage frowned.

"Based on the skirmishes I arranged at the border of the Land of Fire, as well as numerous probes, the conclusion is clear that the Hyuga clan has not suffered any serious damage."

"Moreover, as the Uchiha clan of the Konoha Guard, although they suffered heavy losses in the war, Fugaku of the Mangekyou Sharingan and Uchiha Shisui, who could influence the course of the war, are still alive. Given their ability to suppress the Tailed Beasts, they are not very afraid of the Jinchuriki of your village."

"If we continue fighting like this, we might very well be the ones who lose!"

"But the Hokage seems so lacking in confidence."

There's something wrong here!

It seems that the village is not united, and there must be internal conflicts.

Onoki and Ai exchanged a glance, seemingly having discovered a blind spot.

Ultimately, the two revised their plan from the perspective of the victorious nation.

The plan is as follows.

First, dispatch a delegation to gather information within Konoha, and then further probe the relationship between the Hyuga clan, the Uchiha clan, and the Konoha leadership to obtain firsthand intelligence.

Second, contact the daimyo of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth, and ask the daimyo of the Land of Fire to personally go to Konoha to act as a witness to the peace talks. Ideally, the daimyo of the Land of Fire should personally preside over the peace talks.

Third, secretly contact the Hokage to test Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude, find out if he has violated the law regarding the leakage of his bloodline limit, and whether there is a possibility of cooperation. If the other party is willing to compromise, it is not impossible to make concessions on compensation.

After much deliberation, the Tsuchikage and Raikage finally identified three main directions and then began to work on arranging the dispatch of the envoy delegation.

As their actions grew larger, news of an impending truce between the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Fire spread throughout the ninja world.

This is not good news for some people.

Among them was Sunagakure, a village that lacked the resources to participate in the war but was delighted by their head-on clashes.

According to rumors, after hearing the news of the peace talks between the three great nations, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, flew into a rage in his office and secretly summoned the elders, seemingly to make some arrangements.

However, whether it is authentic or not remains to be seen.

The Land of Fire.

Leaf.

This time, Danzo, who returned as a hero, did not have the Third Hokage and everyone waiting for him at the village entrance. Instead, he rushed straight to the Hokage Building and reported all his gains in one go.

With that, his mission was successfully completed, and Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief.

Danzo's safe return to the village signifies that the peace between the three great ninja villages was not merely a verbal agreement in a letter, but a genuine agreement reached through actual negotiations, thus possessing authority and authenticity!

Now, it's time to pass this message down to the lower levels!

Danzo even brought back more favorable news, suggesting that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had made significant concessions on the issue of compensation.

This is a genuine achievement!

While it might not secure his position as Hokage, if he handles this matter well, a safe retirement is not a problem at all.

It can also greatly enhance one's influence in deciding who will become the next Hokage!

There are many different opinions in the village about who should be the Fifth Hokage. If possible, Hiruzen Sarutobi would like to choose a Hokage who is obedient, similar to the Fourth Hokage.

And if we're lucky, what if a miracle really happens?

"Gentlemen, peace has arrived!"

Having finally gotten a chance to shine, Sarutobi seemed a little eager.

After urgently summoning a group of high-ranking officials and the clan leaders of Konoha, the former Hokage in the meeting room announced the arrival of peace.

Below, the representatives of various ethnic groups fell silent.

A silence began to spread.

The expected cheers did not materialize; instead, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

The people's eyes did not reflect ecstatic joy; their numb emotions contained only the relief of surviving a catastrophe and the lingering fear of war.

In a corner of the conference room, Tsunade leaned silently against Hinata Hyuga, her eyes closed in slight pain. Her mind was filled with images of the faces she had failed to save this time. Hyuga Hyuga, the clan leader, did not speak, but simply held her hand, offering silent comfort.

In fact, just minutes before, when they suddenly received the news that Sarutobi had summoned them for a meeting, their nerves immediately tightened. Many of them even thought that because of the recent news about peace, they had become complacent and given the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of them.

After all, the Tsuchikage and Raikage had done this before, deliberately releasing news of peace talks and then escalating their efforts to catch someone off guard.

Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi has truly announced the arrival of peace, they feel as if they are in a dream, and for a moment they are still in a daze.

Many people who were tense suddenly relaxed, and a bitter look appeared on their numb faces. Many others secretly shed tears, thinking of their brothers and sisters who died yesterday.

Even Fugaku, unusually, didn't put on airs; he simply leaned back in his chair and sighed. Their only attitude towards war now was one of awe.

Evenly matched battles always turn out to be this brutal.

Only a one-sided crushing victory can make people enjoy it.

As Hyuga Hiroko watched all this, his grip on Tsunade tightened considerably.

Fortunately, compared to a year ago, he has completely mastered the power of the Tenseigan, and the connection with the Golden Wheel Tenseigan has become much closer. He is not far from completely mastering it.

He was one of the few people qualified to lead his people in war, but no one like Hashirama Senju stood up to stop him in that era.

After a long while, the tense atmosphere in the meeting room slowly returned to normal, and the numb emotions were gradually replaced by joy.

Remembering the deceased can be done later.

Now, it's time to savor the joy of surviving a disaster.

At least they're still alive!

As long as you're alive, life goes on.

"In short, thanks to my tireless efforts, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth have agreed to a truce and will soon send an envoy to Konoha to discuss a peace and alliance."

Seeing the changes in everyone's emotions, Sarutobi smiled slightly and habitually gave himself credit.

Without him.

Anyway, no one knows that the other side proposed the peace talks first, so what's wrong with him just subtly shifting the focus and emphasizing his own efforts?

"There's another piece of good news."

The Third Hokage waved to the door, calling in his old buddy, the great contributor who had long been kicked out of the high-level meetings.

Danzo Shimura!

When they saw him appear, everyone's expression turned grim.

Everyone knows why Konoha is having such a difficult time in this war!

If Danzo hadn't intervened, how could Kumogakure have allowed so many of their people to die in this war?

But Danzo is Danzo after all.

Even though everyone was looking at him with resentment, he stood there unmoved, his face still calm and his heart still pounding, and he even tidied his makeup.

"After my arduous journey to the Land of Lightning, I have received definite news that the Raikage and Tsuchikage have agreed to reduce the war reparations related to this peace talks to a level that Konoha can afford."

"Furthermore, they promised that after the peace talks, Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure would become allies and would not refuse Konoha's invitations to the Chunin Exams in the future."

This means they've given us both substance and appearance!

It was Danzo himself who fought for it!

As everyone knows, every village has its own pride. Just like in the original story, it's not like if Konoha holds the Chunin Exams, they will definitely come to participate. Coming is a sign of respect, acknowledging the authority of this exam. Even he himself didn't expect the Tsuchikage and Raikage to be so respectful.

Once the alliance is established, the three parties will jointly hold the Chunin Exams. The scale of the exams will likely be unprecedented. When people talk about it, won't the person who made this happen gain prestige?

"You've worked hard. Danzo deserves a lot of credit this time, so..."

Sarutobi picked up the conversation, clearly satisfied with Danzo's performance.

But just as he was about to move on to the next topic, discussing how to receive the delegation in a way that would showcase the grandeur of Konoha's number one ninja village, an untimely voice arrived.

"I have a question for the Hokage."

Following everyone's gaze, people saw the person who had spoken.

Hyuga Himaru, the current head of the Hyuga clan!

This is a remarkable clan. At the beginning of the war, they were able to hold off the Hidden Cloud Village single-handedly. It is even rumored that the chasm that still exists today was just a casual strike from them, making them truly powerful.

To their surprise, the Hyuga clan behaved rather moderately in the subsequent war, and they were rarely seen active in the village. They became reclusive and did not go out much, which was completely different from the high-profile and arrogant Uchiha clan.

"Chief Richeng, please speak."

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and calmly stared at the other party. As the Hokage, he was quite dissatisfied with this subordinate who interrupted him, but he couldn't do anything about it.

He vowed that once he found an opportunity to target the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan, who loved to show off, he would not hold back!

But thinking is one thing, doing is another. For now, he must play the role of a highly respected Hokage.

"Now that the war is over, I'd like to know who the victors and the vanquished were?"

Hinata Hijiro leans back tactically.

"From what I just heard from you and Lord Danzo, you're admitting that Konoha is the loser? And you're even planning to pay them compensation?"

Yup!

Why should we pay compensation to the other party?

The brutal war has claimed the lives of many of them. If they were to admit defeat now, wouldn't their brothers and sisters have died in vain?

They were disgusted by the war, did not want it to continue, and wanted to seize this opportunity to negotiate.

To be suddenly the defeated party and have to compensate the other side is incredibly frustrating.

"There are no winners in this war; everyone is a loser. I am merely facilitating peace talks. I do not see anything wrong with paying a price to quell the war."

Sarutobi's expression darkened slightly as he delivered the prepared statement.

Moreover, that's what he thinks, and he doesn't see anything wrong with it.

"According to Clan Chief Hijiri, does this mean I shouldn't facilitate peace talks and should continue the war? That a decisive victory is necessary? Who will be responsible for the deaths then? Or does Clan Chief Hijiri intend to personally lead the Hyuga clan in a desperate fight for Konoha?"

As expected of a third-generation leader, his sharp wit and incisiveness in internal affairs skyrocketed, instantly turning the tables and even winning the approval of many people with his words.

The war cannot continue. Thinking about it carefully, Naruto's words seem to be right.

but.

"sure."

The clan leader directly agrees, but if I agree, do you dare to go crazy with me?

If his family had that kind of guts, pigs could fly!

Chief Hyuga nodded calmly. "As long as none of you here object, I am ready to lead the Hyuga clan to fight to the very end and determine a victor."

"Brother! Don't be impulsive!"

Thinking that Hyuga Hiroki had gone mad, Fugaku quickly shook his head at him, secretly cursing that Hyuga clan leader was even more extreme than him, an Uchiha.

"Forget it, Chief Richeng, the war was finally over."

"Yes, Chief Hyuga, we know that the Hyuga clan is incredibly brave, but there's no need for us to continue sacrificing ourselves."

"It's just some compensation; there's no need to get so worked up."

"The village can't withstand any more turmoil. Chief Richeng, you must prioritize the greater good."

"."

Sure enough.

The surrounding area was filled with voices of persuasion, while the Third Hokage's face was ashen. He wanted to agree in public and let Hyuga go to his death, but the problem was not so simple. He had to consider whether doing so would provoke Iwagakure and Kumogakure again.

He couldn't reignite the war that was almost extinguished unless he explicitly told the Tsuchikage and Raikage that it was the Hyuga's own decision, that Konoha wouldn't provide support, and that they should just wipe them out.

There's even a possibility of a worse outcome. What if, after he agrees, the Hyuga clan defectes and attacks Konoha instead? Since the Hyuga clan's territory is on the outermost edge, there won't be enough time to control their families. And if they also manage to seduce the Uchiha, how can the war be fought? The only reason Konoha still has some bargaining power is because these two clans still have some strength.

Simply put, the Third Hokage felt that Hinata Hiroki knew this all along, which is why he stood up and acted arrogantly. What was frustrating was that he had no points to refute it, which made him feel very stifled.

He's such a hypocrite, pretending to be innocent. He'll suffer the injustice and blame for three generations! He'll have to take all the credit and face from others!

There were constant voices of advice and persuasion from those around him.

As Hyuga Hisei watched this once-greatest ninja village, honestly, he didn't have as much drama in his mind as the Third Hokage had described. He was simply mocking Sarutobi, repeatedly slapping him in the face, and observing everyone's reactions.

But that's the truth.

The war had already traumatized them, and even if they accepted their defeat, they didn't want to experience that cruel hell again.

This is somewhat related to the saying "a bad soldier makes a bad army, and a bad general makes a bad army." Most people who have experienced war are like this. In reality, Kumogakure and Iwagakure were also pretty much unable to fight. However, Konoha ultimately lacked the courage to fight and take risks.

In fact, Hinata understood all of this, and he knew that mentioning this matter would be met with opposition from others.

He wasn't like what Fugaku said, that he had lost his mind or become extreme or anything like that.

Based solely on the future timeline in the original work, and a certain opportunity that will come soon, he has some things he needs to say in advance, to tell everyone that the Hyuga clan has the courage to challenge an entire village!

He is not the same person he was a year ago, nor is Hinata the same Hinata he was a year ago. Now that he has the power to overturn the table, he doesn't mind being a little more high-profile.

"In that case, Hyuga will not contribute a single penny to the compensation."

Standing up, Chief Richeng walked step by step toward the door, but just before leaving, he turned a corner and came to the old village chief.

He reached out, straightened the old village chief's collar, dusted off his shoulders, and then leisurely stated his position.

"Konoha lost, but the Hyuga clan didn't. Is my understanding correct?"

The behavior of everyone in the meeting room today made Hinata Hisei see things clearly. They had long lost the spirit of the so-called number one ninja village. They would rather choose to prolong their lives in defeat. This is a village on the verge of collapse.

At this moment, Hinata Hima was actually somewhat disappointed, but the outcome was still uncertain, and there was no need to rush.

The person in front of me deserves great credit for how the number one ninja village has become like this.

and so.

"If three generations remain silent, I will take that as your agreement."

He paused for a moment.

"Also, Hokage, please take care of your health. As the strongest Hokage, the future of Konoha depends entirely on you."

Patting the old man's face, completely unconcerned by his furious expression, Chief Richeng chuckled and turned to leave.

Live well, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

With you, Konoha is truly blessed.

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(End of this chapter)