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About half an hour later, in the meeting room;
Silence was deafening, and everyone could feel the tension in the air.
Everyone is already in their positions.
Hiruzen stood alone in front of a table with Shikaku and Naruto standing behind him, a huge banner displaying the kanji of 'fire' and Konoha's symbol hung above them.
Hiruzen's eyes locked with A's, who stood at his own table a distance away from Hiruzen with Bee and Darui behind him, with their own banner above them displaying the symbols of their land and village.
There was a third table that Mifune sat at, flanked by two of his fully armored samurai.
The three tables made a layout of an even triangle (equilateral), making everyone able to see and hear each other clearly but far enough apart to put some distance between them.
"It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the land of Iron officially," Mifune said as he was standing up and hadn't taken a seat yet.
"It is also my pleasure to host the negotiations between Konohagakure and Kumogakure. I hope that we can reach a peaceful resolution at the end," Mifune said as he looked at the two groups.
"Before we begin, I will remind you to keep your cool and not start any complications. I have let you keep all your equipment with you as a sign of respect. Don't make me regret it, and don't go back on what was agreed upon." Mifune said, warning the negotiating parties for the last time about their agreement not to show violence in the land of iron.
"Without any more delay, let the negotiations start," Mifune said while gesturing for Hiruzen and A to take a seat, which they did as he sat down as well.
Several hours later, in front of the gate of the capital of the land of Iron;
"Safe travels, all of you," Mifune said as he looked at the two groups.
He was seeing them off after the negotiations were finished.
The negotiations were tense, especially when the Raikage started it by trying to push his own agenda and demands. But it is all for nothing, as the one in front of him was an old, calm shinobi who was a brilliant strategist and negotiator who helped Hiruzen with his shortcomings and softening personality that he had with his advancing age.
The negotiations continued for a couple of hours, trying to reach a resolution that would be acceptable to both sides.
At the end, they reached the following treaty:
1. Kumo will pull back its forces from the land of frost.
2. Konoha will pull back its forces from the Land of Hot Springs.
3. Konoha will release Yugito unharmed.
4. Konoha will release the captured convoy. (Ambassador Masaru and his assistant Daiki will not be released and will remain in Konoha's custody due to Daiki attempting to kidnap the Hyuga heiress and Masaru killing the Anbu captain who stood guard on their temporary residence.)
5. Kumo will pay restitution to Konoha for their attempted kidnapping and starting the war. (Restitutions will be in Ryo, jewelry, and Chakra metal).
6. Kumo Shinobi are not allowed to come to the land of fire without explicit permission from the Hokage. Any attempt at contact is to be through messenger birds, the Daimyo, or a neutral third party.
7. A ten-year non-aggression pact between Konoha and Kumo.
8. A ten-year trading treaty between the land of fire and the land of lightning, with the trading agreement slightly favoring the land of fire for the first five years.
...…
That was the treaty that was agreed upon at the end of the negotiations, bringing the short but bloody war to an end.
The treaty would have been slightly different, with Konoha agreeing to release the entire convoy and establish an equal trading agreement if Kumo had agreed to issue a formal statement admitting to the attempted kidnapping and acknowledging that they lit the flames of war. However, A immediately rejected that, willing to cut his hand rather than sign an admission of such actions. Either way, while the public won't know the full story, the leaders of the other villages will soon get the full picture of the situation one way or another.
Regarding why Konoha readily agreed to release Yugito, Hiruzen had no intention of keeping her. She served as a powerful bargaining chip to pressure A into negotiations, which it successfully did. If Hiruzen had retained her, the treaty might have fallen apart, prolonging the war, and other villages would likely have viewed Konoha with suspicion and hostility, fearing their Jinchuuriki might be targeted.
.....
"Thank you, Mifune-dono. And thank you for your hospitality." Hiruzen said with a small smile while A just nodded at Mifune.
"We will meet again at the border, Hokage." A said as he looked at Hiruzen. Hiruzen had agreed to release Yugito before both forces returned to their villages.
"We shall," Hiruzen said, to which A nodded before turning around to leave. But he stopped when he saw his brother, Bee, walking past him and towards Konoha's group.
"Bee, what do you think you are doing?" A said with confusion, anger rising.
Seeing the Hatchibi Jinchuuriki approaching, Konoha's group became on edge, with Naruto stepping forward and in front of Hiruzen. He took a couple of steps towards the approaching Bee to keep him a bit away from Hiruzen.
"Gentlemen," Mifune said with a warning tone, but Bee seemed undeterred as he reached Naruto before standing in front of him.
While the tension was rising with the others, Naruto was relatively calm, as he could feel Bee's emotions, and he felt no hostile intent at all.
"~Hey, hey, Naruto. I didn't know that you were Mister Nine-o~" Bee said in his usual rhythmic tone, making the tension decrease upon seeing no intention of harm.
"I couldn't really tell you about that, but it is nice to meet you again, Bee-san," Naruto said with a polite smile
"~How did you fool me, though? You even evaded the senses of Lord Eight-O.~" Bee asked. He is intrigued by how he could mask the signature of a monstrous being like the Kyuubi from Gyuuki's senses.
"Now, that is a question that I won't reply to. A shinobi secret is their lifestyle." Naruto said.
"~fair fair~" Bee nodded in agreement, but was still a bit disappointed that he didn't get an answer
"~How is the kitten? Is she fine and kicking?~" Bee asked with a slight concern in his voice.
"She is fine, don't worry," Naruto replied
"~ That is good, yo. Then see you around, mister nine-o.~" Bee said with a hint of relief before offering Naruto a closed fist for a fist bump.
Naruto looked at the offered fist with confusion, unfamiliar with the gesture.
"~ It is a fist bump, you fool. A gesture between bros that we are cool.~" Bee explained. He had no grudges against Naruto, even though he had captured his student. But since she is fine and the war ended, there is no need for tensions between them.
Naruto nodded in understanding before fist-bumping Bee with a slight smile.
"See you around, Bee-san," Naruto said as he pulled his fist back.
Bee just grinned before turning and walking back to his brother.
As soon as he reached A, he was smacked at the back of his head by the irritated Raikage.
"Can't you say what you were going to do? Read the atmosphere, idiot." A said with a huff as he started to leave. They have just finished forming a treaty, and Bee's stunt might have been read wrong.
"~Not cool, bakayaro. konoyaro.~" Bee muttered to himself as he rubbed the back of his head before following A towards the direction of their boat
'Bee, I know that you had no ulterior motives for fist-pumping the kid, but you need to know that the boy is an enigma even to me. Even with the physical contact between you two. I couldn't get a read on the boy's chakra, let alone feel the Kyuubi's chakra at all. 'Something about him prevents me from sensing anything from him,' came Gyuuki's voice from within Bee.
Bee didn't reply; he just looked back and gave a glance towards the disappearing Konoha group, who had already left the capital's gate and were making their way out of the land of Iron.
An intriguing young man, that boy is.
To be continued.
Guys and gals, show me those powerstones.
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I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
Additional chapters are currently paused due to me having very heavy university demands for the next few weeks. I hope you understand, and thank you for the support.
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Thank you all for your support.
1579 words
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