On the border of the Land of Fire, on this battlefield where they had clashed with the Mist Ninja.
The Konoha Ninja's morale was much lighter now, as the Mist Ninja had been repelled.
Tianyuan hadn't had much to do these days, and Minato and Tianyuan had naturally received a letter from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
They were aware of the matters mentioned in the letter.
If Kirigakure sent envoys for peace talks, then Tianyuan would prepare to depart to assist on the Land of Hot Water battlefield.
Minato Namikaze would temporarily be in charge here.
After that, it would mostly be a rearguard effort. Once all matters were arranged, the Konoha Ninja here would also go to other battlefields for reinforcement.
The victory on one battlefield made the Konoha Ninja even more eager for victory.
In the hearts of many Konoha Ninja, perhaps Tianyuan was the embodiment of victory.
This day.
Envoys from Kirigakure arrived, claiming to be seeking peace.
"Everyone, please follow me. Lord Minato, Lord Tianyuan... they are waiting for you." A Konoha Ninja led Ao and the other Mist Ninja into a tent.
"Please enter." The Konoha Ninja pulled open the large door, allowing the Mist Ninja to enter.
Ao did not hesitate and walked straight in. It was impossible for Konoha to assassinate them, and even if they wanted to kill them, they had no power to resist.
This was Konoha's main camp, with countless Konoha Ninja.
Not to mention, it boasted experts with Kage-level strength, and even those whose strength surpassed Kage-level.
After the Mist Ninja entered, they saw Minato Namikaze, Tianyuan, and Shikaku Nara. There were only three people present, the three responsible for this battlefield.
"Jonin Tianyuan, Jonin Minato, Jonin Shikaku," Ao said slowly.
Ao, who had fought Konoha for so long, naturally knew these three. Even if he hadn't met them, he had heard of them.
Especially Tianyuan, who was the most legendary and, by far, the most powerful of the three.
Ao still clearly remembered everything Tianyuan had caused in Kirigakure.
That was why he understood Tianyuan's terror even more. Such strength had long surpassed Kage-level power.
To suppress a ninja village by himself, it was nothing less.
"Ao, isn't it? I know you. You're considered a very capable ninja in Kirigakure," Minato Namikaze said, looking at Ao with a slight smile.
"Jonin Minato, you jest," Ao chuckled. "Jonin Minato's Hiraishin no Jutsu is what's truly terrifying. Our ninja don't dare to face Jonin Minato."
"Haha, you don't need to flatter me," Minato Namikaze laughed. "Tianyuan is right here. Leaving everything else aside, when it comes to the Hiraishin no Jutsu, Tianyuan is even better than me."
"Jonin Tianyuan is naturally very powerful too," Ao replied.
"So, you've come here for peace talks?" Tianyuan looked at Ao indifferently.
But a chill ran down Ao's spine.
Although Tianyuan did not exude killing intent, even so, Ao felt as if he was facing a terrifying monster.
This monster needed only a simple attack to render him utterly powerless to resist.
"Yes, Jonin Tianyuan," Ao quickly composed himself and said.
"Good, we'll discuss things here for now," Minato Namikaze said.
"Yes, my lords..." Ao quickly replied, the Mist Ninja behind him not daring to even breathe, much less look at Tianyuan.
This detailed negotiation lasted for several days.
Yes, that long. Both the Hokage and the Mizukage had given them their respective authorities, allowing them to negotiate within those bounds.
Furthermore, if they encountered something unacceptable, they had to communicate with their Kage.
Of course, it was mostly Ao communicating with the Mizukage, as they were the defeated nation, and Konoha was not.
After finalizing their respective agreements, Ao returned to his village. As for the subsequent signing between the Mizukage and the Hokage, that would have to wait until Konoha truly achieved victory.
Konoha currently had no such inclination.
Of course, Kirigakure still had to provide the compensatory resources, or Konoha would not allow the Mist Ninja to return.
Thus, Kirigakure had no choice but to hand over its resources to Konoha.
One could say that there were many fragmented matters afterward.
However, Tianyuan no longer needed to worry about any of this, as he had his next mission: to lead Konoha's ninja to the Land of Hot Water to bolster their strength against the Cloud Ninja.
Because Kirigakure was surrounded on all sides by the sea, the other ninja villages were still unaware of its defeat.
Konoha had initially kept this matter under wraps, and Kirigakure would certainly not announce it, as it would be a complete loss of face.
Why would they purposefully spread such news?
Therefore, the strange situation that had arisen was that, after all this time, the other three great ninja villages still believed Konoha was fighting Kirigakure.
Even the Konoha Ninja on the three battlefields were unaware of this.
On the border of the Land of Fire, near the sea.
"Minato, this is where we part ways. We'll meet again in Konoha, and by then, it will be Konoha's victory," Tianyuan said.
"Yes, I look forward to it. Tianyuan, you must achieve victory," Minato Namikaze replied with a smile.
"Good," Tianyuan nodded. "Kushina, prepare to depart."
"Yes, Captain Tianyuan," Kushina Uzumaki said.
"Konoha Ninja, move out!" Tianyuan commanded.
"Yes, Lord Tianyuan," the Konoha Ninja behind him responded, then followed Tianyuan closely towards the Land of Hot Water battlefield.
On the Land of Hot Water battlefield.
At the Cloud Ninja's encampment.
"Gentlemen, now is an excellent opportunity. Konoha is fighting on four fronts and likely cannot last much longer," the Third Raikage said to the Cloud Ninja. "Therefore, I plan for a full-scale assault on Konoha tomorrow. This time, we will crush Konoha!"
"Yes, Lord Raikage!" the Cloud Ninja shouted loudly.
Having been held back on this battlefield by Konoha, the Cloud Ninja were also very frustrated. This time, they were determined to defeat Konoha.
Smoke filled the air. The war of life and death between the two great ninja villages had ignited.
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