"Then I believe Lord Daimyo already suspects why I've come to the Daimyo's Castle — it's not merely to report the war situation of the Land of Fire against the Land of Water. More importantly, I wish to invite you to participate in the upcoming treaty signing ceremony. After all, formal national treaties must gain recognition from the country's head of state.
Although the Front Line has stabilized, dangers still exist. So while the invitation is made nominally for you, for safety considerations, there's no need for Lord Daimyo to attend personally. I suggest sending a fully authorized representative instead."
Afterwards, Haseo explained his purpose of coming here to the Daimyo.
Of course, he hadn't come just to run errands; Haseo had become quite an influential ninja after all.
This caused the Daimyo to fall into thought. He didn't respond immediately but waited for a moment before finally speaking, "Lord Haseo, do you know where this peace agreement will be signed?"
"Since the assumption is that both sides should maintain neutrality, the location can only be a 'neutral territory' outside either the Land of Fire or the Land of Water. The preliminary decision placed it on an island formerly belonging to the Land of Whirlpools. Unless something unexpected occurs, that's where it shall take place," Haseo replied.
Listening to his explanation, the arrangement seemed "fair" at first glance, yet in reality, the Land of Whirlpools was anything but neutral ground.
Not to mention how the Uzumaki clan had always stood alongside Konoha previously, more importantly, the Third Mizukage will definitely attend this ceremony... bringing the Mizukage back to the Land of Whirlpools? Like deliberately stirring up old wounds.
The Third Hokage who arranged this might seem like a kindly old soul outwardly, but inwardly, damn, there was some darkness there.
"I see. If that's the case, then I think I'll personally attend this ceremony... Although leaving the Land of Fire's territory and facing enemy shinobi directly does pose some risks, if Lord Haseo is present, I'm sure my safety won't be an issue.
And please don't laugh at me, Lord Haseo, but the reason why I've decided to go isn't really because I'm so brave—naturally, I feel anxious too... My primary motivation lies in how participating in such events could help enhance my prestige. After all, you know very well how I became this Daimyo."
The Daimyo before him, for all his other qualities, was undeniably a "late bloomer" among rulers—he lacked a legitimate claim to power. Therefore, he needed both external support from Konoha and even greater personal prestige.
"Subjugating an enemy nation is the highest honor for a ruler. Especially when achieving victory within such a short time… it would certainly further consolidate my position. Thus, I will attend the ceremony."
What the Daimyo said sounded extremely sincere, almost heart-to-heart. Whether intentionally created or not, this feeling at least proved one thing—he possessed considerable emotional intelligence.
All one could say was that the previous Daimyo died at exactly the right moment.
Of course, the reason he could speak so candidly to Haseo was because Haseo was a ninja, posing no threat or conflict to the daimyo—Daimyo Hisakubo fully understood what the ninja needed. As long as both sides remained within their boundaries, they could coexist peacefully and even easily gain mutual support.
"No," Haseo replied, "the daimyo's willingness to face enemies directly is truly admirable. And I can guarantee that, as long as I am there, nobody will be able to harm you."
Haseo… lied. He was just saying whatever sounded nice.
Indeed, the daimyo's attendance at the signing ceremony would make the agreement more formal. Yet if anything were to happen during the ceremony, who could ensure his safety? Even Haseo himself could die at any moment. To the ninja, killing someone was always easier than protecting them, since ninjas were weapons meant for attack—not tools for defense.
If the daimyo suffered an accident during the ceremony, Konoha's reputation would instantly rot like a corpse, and the Land of Fire's trust in this village would sharply decline. Not that anyone would care—Konoha's reputation was already stinking enough anyway.
Still, it was commendable courage for an ordinary man like the daimyo to willingly go to the Front Line. Naturally, Haseo would do his best to ensure his safety. Conversely speaking, if a ruler was unwilling to take even minor risks to maintain his power, wasn't he just useless?
The current Daimyo Hisakubo of the Land of Fire was clearly no fool—he was a shrewd political figure.
After finishing the official matters, the daimyo arranged a banquet for Haseo. This banquet wasn't ceremonial; rather, it was rich and warm-hearted—in short, a family-style dinner.
The daimyo even had members of his own clan serve tea.
"Haseo-sama, allow me to introduce—this is my youngest daughter. Her name is Naixue," Daimyo Hisakubo presented his daughter.
She looked very young, wearing pure white robes that made her appear dignified and noble. Based purely on appearance, "Naixue" was indeed a fitting name. By right, she should be considered a princess of the Land of Fire—locally referred to as "Hime."
The princess bowed respectfully, so Haseo had no choice but to return the bow. Then she glided away with poise, as though she had truly come only to serve the tea.
Yes, she was indeed a beautiful girl. But Haseo didn't find it surprising—it wouldn't make sense for someone of her station to be anything less than beautiful. However, though this princess appeared delicate and soft, to Haseo, she seemed like fragile porcelain—too frail and slender.
"Now that we're at it," the daimyo casually asked after a bit more small talk, "what exactly is your daily life like, Haseo-sama?"
Well, currently Haseo was regarded as a very important figure in Konoha, yet still quite young.
"Me?" he responded. "In private? Pretty much just a regular ninja thing."
Most ninja have ninja parents—and that means they often don't live long. Me? Same story. Just got lucky meeting the right someone a few years back and tied the knot. We just haven't had kids yet...
Haseo began crafting a heartfelt-sounding lie, clearly trying to imply something deeper between the lines.
"...
Yes, both myself and the Land of Fire should indeed be grateful for the sacrifices made by the Konoha ninja," said the Daimyo with a regretful expression—though it remained unclear what exactly he was regretting.
Haseo also nodded solemnly, appearing deeply affected as if mourning all the unfortunate events that had befallen both himself and the ninja.
What really sets the old Daimyo apart from the new one? One kept trying to take people away from Konoha, while this one actively pushes people into Konoha—even offering up a princess in the process. No wonder one died early while the other is destined to become a wise and long-lived ruler.
Indeed, politely turning down such a "gift" when it was offered not only revealed Haseo's noble nature but also showed his wish to avoid an untimely end.
...
Half a month later, the official signing ceremony began in the Land of Whirlpools.
Representing the Land of Fire were Daimyo of the Fire Country himself and Tō Haseo, the Commander of the Eastern Front from Konoha. From the Land of Water came its own Daimyo along with the Third Mizukage.
The ceremony exuded great solemnity—the Daimyo arrived at the Land of Whirlpools aboard a magnificent vessel and wore formal, dignified, and elaborate ceremonial robes.
On the Fire Country's side, Haseo followed one step behind the Daimyo's right side, with a secretary on the left, trailed further by twenty elite guardian ninja—all coming from prestigious clans like Uchiha, Hyuga, and Sarutobi.
While their abilities mattered, their noble lineage carried even greater importance.
Every potential security threat had already been thoroughly checked beforehand; under Byakugan surveillance, no trap could stay hidden. Not that Mist would even need tricks this time—anyone attempting to disrupt these peace talks would likely come from a third party unrelated to both Konoha and Kirigakure.
Climbing stair by stair, the group reached a large flat platform where a gigantic table had already been set up. The Kirigakure delegation had already arrived, matching them in numbers.
Worth noting was how this very platform had originally been formed using [Earth Release], a large-scale earth technique used previously—with modifications, of course. It was quite impressive that the Mizukage could still remain composed and seated calmly even while knowing this fact.
The proceedings appeared formal yet largely symbolic. A secretary accompanying the Fire Daimyo began reading aloud each clause of the Peace Agreement. Once completed and without objection from either side, representatives from both nations signed their names and stamped the documents with their seals.
Of course, there were no objections—everyone had already agreed upon the treaty's content long ago.
There would naturally follow some polite small talk between the two Daimyos. The Fire Country's representative remained particularly calm and collected, after all, as the victor. As for the Water Country's Daimyo, although maintaining proper decorum throughout, whether or not he was putting up a strong front, hiding internal humiliation, or deep discomfort—was known only to him alone.
During this time, Haseo kept his eyes fixed on the Mizukage, ready to stop him should he suddenly act aggressively. Yet from beginning to end, the man remained as calm as still water, not even revealing a trace of hatred in his eyes.
Each party signed the documents and exchanged letters of state, officially enacting the Peace Agreement.
Haseo felt puzzled—nothing unexpected had happened at all. That just wasn't right. The great Daimyo, with much ceremony, gradually withdrew from the Land of Whirlpools. Yet somehow, Haseo still felt a sense of unease.
No matter how he thought about it, the result didn't change…
Just one year later, merely ten months after the war had actually begun, Konoha reached a new peace settlement with Mist.
Such an unexpectedly swift war—nobody could have predicted it beforehand. Yet the advantage gained on the Eastern Front did not directly affect the battle situation on the Western Front, nor did Mist's defeat shake other major ninja villages' determination to continue the war.
Although Konoha had its unique strengths, the real reason Mist had fallen into the trap was because they were dumb enough to fall for it. Now that someone else had already cleared the path, what was there to worry about next? They only needed to proceed cautiously… That was exactly what the other great ninja villages were thinking too.
"We're definitely smarter than Mist"—that was the arrogant assumption buried deep in every human mind. Until the storm actually hits, every person thinks that way.
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