Chapter 115: What Do I Get in Return
This time, Namikaze Minato's delay had indeed been caused by a meeting.
At that moment, he had been negotiating with Iwagakure representatives, under the guidance of Jiraiya and Shikaku Nara.
As the core military force on the Grass Country front, Minato's presence alone carried immense strategic weight. His words held considerable influence, and both sides paid close attention to his stance.
While he was deep in a heated exchange with one of the Iwa delegates, he suddenly sensed a chakra fluctuation from one of his Flying Thunder God kunai.
Immediately, he realized that Fukuhiko and the others were in trouble.
But even so, he couldn't just walk out—the negotiations were crucial. They directly impacted the post-war division of benefits and future alliances.
So, despite his growing anxiety, Minato forced himself to finish his statements as quickly and clearly as possible before finally teleporting away.
Even with that urgency, he still arrived a little late.
The first point he jumped to was Kakashi's location, since it was his kunai that triggered the Flying Thunder God signal.
By the time Minato appeared, Kakashi's battle was nearly over.
There was no doubt about it—Kakashi was a genius. Having returned to the path of the blade and learned to integrate his Sharingan with powerful ninjutsu, he was no longer someone ordinary jonin could deal with.
He might not be able to breeze through enemies like Uchiha Kei—darting through them like a butterfly through flowers—but between the insight granted by the Sharingan, his solid kenjutsu, and the elemental advantage of Lightning Style over Earth Style, Kakashi held a decisive upper hand.
After assisting Kakashi by taking down one enemy, Minato quickly asked about the situation. Upon learning how serious it had become, he immediately teleported to Fukuhiko's location.
And it turned out to be the right call—Fukuhiko was in real danger. Rin Nohara, despite her efforts, lacked the strength to hold off the Iwagakure shinobi they were facing.
Minato swiftly eliminated their enemies and ordered Rin to focus on treating Fukuhiko's injuries. Then, without delay, he jumped to the next marked locations.
He checked in on Kenta Imai and Ayaka Hyuga's battlefield—and was surprised by what he found.
Even without his intervention… they were doing just fine?
The two who had been paired with Uchiha Kei were clearly no pushovers. Their fight wasn't easy, but they weren't at a disadvantage either. In fact, it looked like both were on the verge of victory.
Minato couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration for Kei's team—clearly, his companions were more than competent.
Once that was clear, he left without interfering any further—and headed straight toward Uchiha Kei's location.
Namikaze Minato didn't see Kitsuchi anywhere on his way over, and that alone led him to one conclusion: Kitsuchi had likely gone after Uchiha Kei.
This made him uneasy.
He still remembered how Kei and Kenta Imai had nearly been killed by Kitsuchi before, and having faced Kitsuchi himself, Minato knew just how troublesome the man could be.
But what he didn't expect… was the scene that greeted him when he finally found Kei—
—Uchiha Kei was just about to kill Kitsuchi.
"Looks like fate really doesn't want Kitsuchi dead," Kei sighed, his tone tinged with regret.
"A bit of a shame, but I suppose it can't be helped."
"…I'm sorry, Kei," Minato could only offer an apology. He had no idea what else to say.
"Mind sharing how the negotiations went?" Kei tilted his head slightly.
"I might even have some interesting intel you'd find useful."
"The negotiations?" Minato exhaled softly.
"Iwagakure is still taking a hardline stance… and the Third Hokage's bottom line is…"
Minato sighed again, then took a moment to organize his thoughts before explaining the situation to Kei.
Technically, the details of the negotiations weren't something Minato should be discussing—but Kei had just done him a huge favor by sparing Kitsuchi, and Minato had always had a good impression of him.
Besides, Kei was a sharp individual. Who knows? He might offer some valuable insight.
Kei listened in silence, all the while reflecting on how drastically his presence in this world had altered the course of events.
Yes, things had changed—dramatically.
One of the most blatant changes was the scrapping of that shameful original clause from the canon timeline: "No reparations from the Land of Earth; acknowledgment of their military actions."
Now, the balance had shifted.
Thanks to the presence of thousands of Iwagakure shinobi trapped behind enemy lines, and especially with the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki held hostage, the Third Hokage had secured a much stronger bargaining position.
Even so, from Kei's perspective—and frankly, from most of the Konoha delegation's perspective—the current terms still fell short.
The updated deal read:
The Land of Earth must acknowledge defeat and pay a certain amount of war reparations.
In return, Konoha would release all prisoners, including the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki, abstain from further conflict with Iwagakure, and even offer military supplies free of charge.
Objectively, this was a better deal than before. But in truth? It still wasn't much of a win.
War reparations were to be expected from the losing side, and trading prisoners for compensation was normal protocol.
But that final clause—"free military supplies"—reeked of humiliating appeasement.
On paper, it might seem like a strategic ploy—helping prolong a conflict between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
But did the Third Hokage really believe that once the Land of Earth freed up a front, they'd continue fighting the Land of Lightning?
Especially with the Five-Tails back on their side, and two nations now each possessing a Tailed Beast, it was unlikely the elders in either village would support further conflict.
Clearly, the Third knew this. He had to.
In reality, what he'd done was allow the Land of Earth to buy back their captured troops and resources, while also walking away with free supplies—all in exchange for… peace.
In other words, even if the treaty looked more respectable than the one in canon, at its core—it was still the same disappointing compromise.
As Minato spoke, Kei could tell the man understood this all too well. He wore the face of a man with a sharp political mind… but no power to change the outcome.
"Please, Kei," Minato said with a weary sigh, "keep this between us. Negotiations are still ongoing, but the Third believes ending the war is the top priority."
"So in the end," Kei spread his hands, expression flat,
"all we got was a shiny title—'victorious nation'—and nothing else.
After all we sacrificed…"
"Kei."
Minato cut him off immediately.
"You're not the only one who feels that way. Jiraiya-sensei, Shikaku—they're all frustrated too. But… what can we do?"
Minato's helplessness was real. He didn't want this outcome either, but what power did he truly have?
Sure, he was a jonin—and even the leader of a jonin squad—but so what?
Even his teacher, Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, was powerless to change things. He was doing all he could just to hold the line.
Just like Kei said—Konoha's so-called victory amounted to nothing more than a formality. A title.
"Captain Minato," Kei suddenly smiled, a trace of something sharp behind his expression.
"What if—I'm just saying if—what if I had intel that could shift the balance in these negotiations, force Iwagakure to the table on our terms?"
"What would I get in return?"