Including Sarutobi Hiruzen, all of Konoha's high-level representatives turned grim when they heard this.
Hyūga Hinata had nearly been abducted, and Cloud Shinobi had beaten their forces soundly, forcing Konoha to hand over the body of Hyūga Hizashi. It was remembered as one of the most humiliating incidents since the founding of the village.
Had there been a suitable heir to take his place, Sarutobi Hiruzen might have been forced to resign as Hokage a second time back then.
"We don't want war, Lord Hokage," Aizen said earnestly.
But those words shifted the atmosphere instantly.
"I don't want war" — in other words, if you don't agree, there will be war.
It was exactly the same tactic Cloud Shinobi had used back then.
The difference was in strength. Cloud Shinobi was far stronger than Sand after the balance of power was calculated.
At that time, Cloud had two Kage-level titans — the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, who had already begun to master his tailed beast's power.
On Konoha's side, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was dead, and Sarutobi Hiruzen, though still a Kage-level shinobi, was past his prime and already in decline.
That was one of the main reasons Hiruzen had bowed to Cloud's nearly barbaric demands.
But the Sand were different. According to Konoha's intelligence, only the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stood at Kage-level in their village.
Considering the overall disparity in strength, Konoha clearly held the advantage.
For a while, silence fell as Konoha's leaders mulled over their choices.
Some looked furious, their eyes saying plainly: If you want a fight, then we'll give you one.
Others sank into thought, weighing whether they should simply give in to Sand's demands.
"The four Sand envoys who came all the way to Konoha must be exhausted. Why don't you rest for now? Give us a little time as well — we need to think carefully," Hiruzen finally said.
"Then we'll trouble you to consider it wisely, Lord Hokage."
Aizen nodded, then stood and left with Pakura and the others, smiling faintly as they went.
Once the Sand delegation had departed, Hiruzen stifled the urge to light a cigarette to ease his irritation. Instead, he turned to the table.
"What do you all think?"
"Hokage! Why not simply go to war with Sand?" Hyūga Hiashi snapped, his voice thick with anger. "Otherwise, the entire shinobi world will forget that Konoha is the strongest of the Five Nations!"
He was already furious about Aizen daring to mention Hizashi's death.
Now, with the Uchiha clan annihilated, the Hyūga were without doubt Konoha's most powerful family. That made Hiashi's pride swell — and in his mind, this was the perfect opportunity to showcase Hyūga strength.
Let the ninja world know once and for all: Hyūga was supreme!
"Our forces are stronger than Sand's, Lord Hokage. There's no need to fear them!" another hawkish ANBU Jōnin added.
Soon, more and more voices echoed, all calling for war.
At that moment, Nara Shikaku spoke, cutting through the noise.
"Everyone, war is the most unpredictable of gambles. If it breaks out, will our only enemy be Sand? Do you really think the other three nations will sit idly by?"
As expected of Konoha's chief strategist, his words poured cold water on Hiashi and the other warmongers like a bucket of ice.
As the wealthiest of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire had always drawn envy. History was filled with conflicts where Konoha had been targeted — whether for its fertile lands or its rare bloodline limits.
"I agree with Shikaku," Hiruzen said firmly. "War must be avoided if at all possible."
He knew well that the reason Uchiha Itachi had slaughtered his own clan was to prevent their coup from igniting the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Now, barely two months after the Uchiha massacre, would Konoha really plunge the world into war over yet another spark?
Wouldn't that make Itachi's sacrifice meaningless?
"Enough. War must be avoided. But through negotiation, we must ensure Konoha suffers as little loss as possible. Go and rest for now."
Hiruzen waved a hand, dismissing the others.
When only he, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura remained, Hiruzen slowly rose, walked to the windowsill, and lit his pipe.
"Your decision is correct, Hiruzen," Homura said. "Even if we could win against Sand, if another nation intervened, the strain on Konoha would be enormous."
The two of them supported Hiruzen far more than they did Danzo.
"The Uchiha clan… even after being exterminated, they still bring us trouble. Damn Uchiha Kenya — it's a pity you couldn't kill him with your own hands!" Koharu spat, teeth clenched.
The Uchiha had been eliminated to prevent a Fourth Ninja War — yet now, Uchiha Kenya had become the new fuse for another conflict.
The elders could hardly resist the urge to dig up his corpse and desecrate it.
"Tomorrow, we'll begin the second round of negotiations. We must lower Sand's demands to terms Konoha can accept," Hiruzen said, his back to them. "That's the best solution we have."
That night, in the hotel where the Sand delegation stayed…
Jōnin Kinnaruo turned to Aizen, who sat by the window. "Lord Aizen, do you think Konoha will agree to our demands?"
Even with three secret techniques included, asking for thirty percent of Konoha's food supply every year was such an outrageous demand that even Sand's own shinobi doubted its feasibility.
Aizen smiled faintly. "Of course not. Tomorrow, the Third Hokage will negotiate with us again and cut down the terms. But according to the Kazekage's orders, as long as we secure fifteen percent of their food, that's more than enough."
"I see… ask high, settle for half. Master Aizen, you're truly skilled at negotiations."
Pakura nodded in agreement.
But then, Aizen's gaze shifted sharply.
On the street below, a familiar figure walked past.
It was Kurenai Yūhi.