War. This word lingers on the tongue of every shinobi in this world. The Third Great Shinobi War claimed many lives; children were left orphaned, the elderly now linger at the graves of their children who went to the frontlines, and infants perished without ever seeing the light of day.
Warriors have even forgotten why this war began. And because of this war, many villages ceased to exist, several cities were destroyed, and even an entire country like Whirlpool vanished, leaving the illustrious Uzumaki clan on the brink of extinction, a clan that once could rival and even surpass in strength clans like Hyuga, Uchiha, and even Senju.
All the leaders of the Five Great Nations have long been ready to negotiate a ceasefire, but if any one of them declares it, they would immediately be seen as the losers.
These thoughts have been haunting Minato Namikaze, an elite jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha.
Minato is a young man with expressive eyes the color of clear sky and bright wheat-colored hair that reaches his shoulders, tousled in a way no comb could fix; he's typically dressed in a standard jonin vest, dark blue trousers, a turtleneck of the same color, and wears a thigh holster with a pouch for weapons; his feet clad in ordinary shinobi sandals. Completing his ensemble is a forehead protector with the symbol of the Hidden Leaf.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted Minato's thoughts:
"Minato-san, today is finally the day!" This cheerful exclamation belonged to one of his companions, Genma Shiranui.
"Yes, Genma, today is the day when the whole world will breathe a sigh of relief. But don't rejoice too soon. Everything depends on how the negotiations go."
***
Flashback
A few days ago, Minato Namikaze was summoned on urgent orders by the Third Hokage. And now he heads to the office of the village's leader.
Entering the room, he sees a spacious office adorned with portraits of all the Hokages, a large red sofa standing in the corner, several cabinets nearby, and a spacious desk, behind which, seated in a chair, is the village's leader. Fighters sometimes call him the Old Monkey because of the Monkey King summon — Enma, and "The Professor" because his arsenal boasts countless techniques, but his real name is Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He is the head of the Sarutobi clan and concurrently the Third Hokage. Hiruzen has been through all three wars, and at the moment, he is fifty-five; the first wrinkles appeared on his serious face, his brown eyes looked tired but confidently peered from beneath slightly lowered eyelids; he was dressed in a white haori with inscriptions on the back: "Shadow of Fire of the Third Generation", on his head, starting to gray, was the Hokage hat, marked with the crimson symbol of Fire; a smoking pipe with tobacco stuck out of his mouth.
Leaning on one leg, Minato asked, "You summoned me, Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, Minato, come here," Hiruzen ordered energetically. "I have a serious task for you, so I ask you not to interrupt!"
"I'm all ears, Hokage-sama!"
"Minato, at the moment, we are in a dire situation. Civilians and clans are not happy that we are on the brink of collapse. The war has claimed countless lives: both warriors and civilians. I understand their grief for their lost loved ones, but we cannot come to a ceasefire. You understand the consequences, don't you?" Seeing a slow nod, he continued, "The outcome will be that if this continues, I may be removed from my position, and they would be right. Because throughout my reign, I've made nothing but mistakes... I failed to protect the Senju clan from its destruction, I failed to send reinforcements to aid the Whirlpool Country, I sent children to this damn war..." Hiruzen hesitated for a moment, but, gathering himself, he continued, "Minato, we need to end this war! And also choose a new Hokage because if the situation turns in our favor, I won't be able to continue handling these affairs."
Hiruzen was rarely so candid, only with his family, and he treated Minato as a son. Minato, considering the Hokage's words, said:
"Hokage-sama, I agree with your view on this situation: the war needs to end. Many of my peers, like me, want their children to be born not into a world of constant warfare. But about the new Hokage... I think there are many good candidates."
"You're wrong, Minato. There is only one. You know, when you were studying at the academy, you often insisted that becoming Hokage was your dream... And I think it will soon come true," Hiruzen smiled, casting a knowing glance at Namikaze.
"Hokage-sama, you don't think that I...?" Minato widened his eyes.
"Yes, Minato, I am leading to that. You have charisma, leadership qualities, and a sharp mind; you value those around you, and the respect of all the people in this village belongs to you, not to mention your renown throughout the world. You have all the qualities to become Hokage."
"I agree, Hokage-sama. I won't let you down! But what about the ceasefire?"
"I already have a plan. We will agree to a ceasefire, but only on our terms. The countries involved in this war must return the prisoners of war from our village and pay compensation. After all, on the world stage militarily, we are leaders, and if they refuse, the chaos in their villages will engulf them before us. Here is a scroll with our demands. The day after tomorrow, there will be a meeting of Leaf, Sand, and Stone shinobi. And if they're not fools, they'll accept our proposal. As for the Raikage and Mizukage, I'll send these messages through messengers. And by the way, Minato, don't worry that I'll leave you with this mess. As soon as the war is over, I'll settle all clan and civil disputes, as well as the economy."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Enough about business. How's the family? Is Kushina due soon?"
"Yes, Third, very soon. I hope I'll be back by then."
"Congratulations! Bivako will prepare everything. And Kaname is the best seal master, so don't worry about the Nine-Tails. Do you remember where the birth should take place?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Ah, we're talking too much... Go on, when you're ready, and good luck, Minato."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."