After the Fire Daimyo arrived at the Land of Water, he efficiently concluded the post-war negotiations between the two nations... finishing everything within a week definitely counted as efficient.
In this process, although both were daimyos, the difference between the victorious and defeated nations was still obvious.
The relationship between a daimyo and a ninja village could be described as generally aligned and cooperative, but not under absolute control; only through overwhelming military power could a daimyo stand tall and truly exercise his authority as the ruler of a nation.
As for the consequences brought by military defeat... simply take the Water Daimyo as an example. Right now, he could only comply with every demand placed upon him, swallowing his pride.
Every nation had to annually allocate substantial funding to its own ninja village—an amount large enough to make any daimyo cringe. Yet from the Fire Daimyo's perspective, it seemed these funds were worth spending, not wasted like "throwing a meat bun at a dog — all wasted effort."
Interestingly, while the Fire delegation appeared quite dominant during the negotiations, the Fire Daimyo consistently showed full respect toward the Water Daimyo throughout, continuing to regard him as an equal—meaning, despite Konoha having claimed the title of Mizukage, Fire still recognized Water as a great nation.
The Fire Daimyo imposed no political sanctions on the Land of Water, nor did he intend to lower its international standing or turn the defeated nation into a vassal state.
From this, we can see that compared with ninja villages—purely military units—a national ruler, representing the embodiment of national politics, must consider far more complex issues.
The Fire Daimyo's thinking was clearly revealed in his actions... even though Fire had completely subdued Water, he carefully refrained from permanently diminishing Water's status. Why? He feared such actions might set a precedent.
In future years, could Konoha possibly suffer defeat? Of course. But the Fire Daimyo refused to tie his political standing entirely to Konoha's victories or defeats. At the root of it all was the fact that daimyos lacked military command authority, so he also refused to recklessly gamble away his own political position.
To sum it up simply: You ninja go fight your wars; win or lose, I'm stuck here managing everything forever.
Haseo naturally noticed how the Fire Daimyo acted, but it didn't bother him in the least. In fact, these minor concerns hadn't even affected the personal friendship between Haseo and the Daimyo.
The Daimyo was just an ordinary man living in the violent world of ninjas. If someone doesn't have combat skills, shouldn't they still be allowed to defend themselves however they can?
In times of peace or war, as long as a Daimyo provided money and supplies when asked, he fulfilled his role as a good Daimyo.
So whenever the Fire Daimyo traveled between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, Haseo personally served as his guard to ensure his safety. After all, ninjas were essentially muscle for the Daimyo, and the gap in social status was obvious. Haseo didn't mind occasionally playing the role of bodyguard… as long as the Daimyo didn't go looking for trouble, naturally he would act accordingly.
But if the Daimyo wants to dig his own grave... well, as long as his foolishness doesn't drag Haseo into it, then there won't be any problem for him.
When the Fire Daimyo proudly withdrew from the Land of Water, Haseo and his Konoha ninja remained stationed at the Water Daimyo's Castle.
"Lord Haseo, according to our signed ceasefire agreement, you and your forces are required to withdraw from the Land of Water within no more than half a month. Furthermore, before that time, you must return the Six-Tails Jinchuriki...
You are to hand him over intact—without having meddled with him in any way."
This was what Yagura said to the latter during their meeting.
Undoubtedly, this was a way of urging these unwelcome guests to leave the Land of Water sooner rather than later.
Once the two nations' daimyos had signed the ceasefire agreement, it became effective immediately. Yagura's request wasn't unreasonable, nor did the Konoha ninja have any reason to continue staying in the Land of Water.
"Mizukage-sama, I understand your meaning perfectly, but we still have a full half-month ahead of us. You needn't worry about our intentions—the war is definitely over without question.
We'll withdraw from the Land of Water once my subordinates have slightly rested and recovered themselves... until we leave, feel free to supervise us closely, Mist Village."
While speaking, Haseo maintained an attitude that was almost excessively amiable.
Yet in reality, his tone dripped with veiled mockery. According to the terms of the agreement, Yagura was no longer technically the Mizukage, and "Mist Village" should now be referred to as "Water Village." However, Haseo continued addressing him by his previous title...
It felt quite provocative no matter how one thought about it.
Although truly, Haseo simply found it awkward to change titles.
He could alter his speech—but he didn't see the necessity.
Even ignoring the provocation in his words, the rest still rubbed people the wrong way—maddeningly so. If Mist Ninja had really been able to monitor him successfully, wouldn't they have already won the war?
"Mizukage-sama," Haseo continued, "instead of keeping track of us, you should probably focus more on rebuilding Mist Village. In many ways, you're actually quite fortunate because the Third Mizukage has already cleared the minefield for you. The first time you lost a war, Mist ninja were deeply shaken—but what about this second defeat? Tell me, how did they react this time?
The Mist ninja have become accustomed to defeat already. Isn't that awfully lucky?
Now all you need to do is act just a little more open-mindedly and put on a show of being determined to revitalize the village, and those Mist ninja will still fully support you."
What kind of logic is that—who in their right mind would call Mist's current state "lucky"?
Yagura turned around and walked away immediately; obviously, he could no longer continue talking with Haseo.
As long as Haseo was squatting in the Water Daimyo's Castle, Yagura couldn't possibly leave either. Effectively, Haseo was still tying up the entire "Water Village," preventing them from concentrating entirely on reconstruction efforts.
Haseo chose to stay here precisely to keep applying pressure to Mist—if he left too quickly, the ninjas here might soon forget about him. That would be so heartbreaking.
The winning side, naturally, felt no rush. The longer Haseo stayed, the more intimidating his presence became—as if saying, 'Don't get too comfortable.'
In theory, Haseo could have stubbornly remained in the Land of Water past the deadline, but he didn't want to provoke Mist unnecessarily. In the end, he decided to abide by the time limit stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.
On the very last day, Haseo returned the Six-Tails Jinchuriki to Mist and began withdrawing from the country at a relaxed pace.
Only after personally witnessing Haseo's departure did Yagura feel a wave of relief wash over him, followed immediately by an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. For the next period—at least ten years—Mist would have to stay "invisible."
The war between Konoha and Mist seemed to break out and end in the blink of an eye, happening so fast it felt almost surreal. But really, could this even be called a fast war?
The Fourth Great Shinobi War involved all forces across the Shinobi World and lasted merely one full day. Compared to that, this recently concluded "localized war" dragged on like it would never end.
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