Konoha Conference Room
After welcoming the victorious troops back to the village, Konoha's senior leadership wasted no time in addressing the war's aftermath.
They first settled matters of compensation for the fallen and special honors for the eight hundred members of the suicide squad that had followed Kakashi into battle. Then they turned to the most critical issue of all.
One thousand prisoners from Kumogakure.
"Send them back?"
"Absolutely not!"
"These are a thousand trained shinobi. If we use them wisely, they could tip the balance in an entire war!"
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu favored the conventional approach: trading the prisoners back to Kumogakure in exchange for greater reparations.
Danzo Shimura, ever the hardliner, objected vehemently.
"We should kill them all rather than let a single one return to Kumogakure!"
Danzo's words made Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lift slightly from his pipe.
"Kill them all?"
"These are a thousand shinobi. As leverage, we could demand substantial reparations—and ease the burden on our own compensation funds."
Koharu countered at once.
"If the village treasury is short, Hiruzen can simply request funds from the daimyo. But these thousand must never be returned to Kumogakure!"
"They all have to die!"
Kakashi watched the elders argue in front of him and glanced sideways at Jiraiya, who was stifling a yawn beside him.
He found these old people's squabbles utterly tedious.
"I think we could demand a price that Kumogakure simply can't pay..."
Like Kakashi, Jiraiya just wanted the meeting over with. The earlier discussion about compensating the families of the fallen had already dragged on far too long, and if this debate continued, he had no idea how much longer he'd be stuck in that chair.
"Go on," Hiruzen Sarutobi said calmly from the head of the table, taking another slow drag on his pipe.
"Ahem. If Kumogakure refuses to meet that price, we dispose of the thousand prisoners—perfectly justifiably—and then spread the story with a few... embellishments."
"At that point, the Raikage—who started the war and suffered a humiliating defeat..."
Jiraiya bluntly laid out the idea Kakashi had suggested earlier, and Danzo's eyes gleamed.
Yes!
That's the way!
Why hadn't he realized before that Kakashi possessed this kind of mind?
Of course, no one in the room actually believed the idea had come from Jiraiya.
The elders—the so-called Konoha F4—had known him for decades. They knew exactly what kind of man he was.
Aside from Jiraiya, Hyuga Hiashi was still recovering from his injuries, and Aburame Shikuro was naturally taciturn. That left only the three younger shinobi present: Kakashi, Might Guy, and Uchiha Shisui.
Guy was immediately ruled out.
Shisui was far too earnest.
That left only Kakashi.
"Impossible," Koharu scoffed. "The moment the Raikage releases records of our negotiations with Kumogakure, everyone will know Konoha refused to trade the prisoners fairly. The whole scheme falls apart."
"Most people only see what they want to see, Elder Koharu."
Kakashi spoke up at last, drawing every gaze in the room to the young man who had shone so brightly in this war.
"Whether the Raikage can prove we were unwilling to trade those thousand shinobi isn't important at all."
"The fact that he refused to pay the price we demanded—that's enough."
"He provoked the war, only to suffer a crushing defeat. Of the six thousand Kumogakure shinobi who marched out, fewer than one in ten made it home."
"With resentment already brewing toward the Raikage, do you think some people wouldn't believe his evidence was fabricated?"
"That he's just trying desperately to salvage his reputation?"
Koharu frowned in silence as she listened. Homura Mitokado, who had remained quiet on the subject until now, finally spoke.
"If people believe the Raikage forged those negotiation records, then what was his motive?"
"Surely he wouldn't weaken Kumogakure so drastically just to save a little face?"
Kakashi continued without hesitation.
"Why not?"
"If the Kazekage could sacrifice Pakura for the sake of so-called peace, why couldn't the Raikage abandon a thousand shinobi for the same reason?"
"After all, it's not us who needs peace most urgently now—it's Kumogakure, having lost nearly half its forces."
"The Raikage negotiates with Konoha. He claims that if he abandons those thousand shinobi, we'll let bygones be bygones and demand only standard reparations."
"Or perhaps, to avoid being overthrown, he exaggerates Konoha's villainy—claiming he must now bear the shame of defeat and rally the village to grow stronger through this hardship."
"In short, the excuse doesn't need to be airtight. It's enough that the Raikage refuses to pay."
"Even a lie can become truth if enough people repeat it—especially when the Raikage can claim it's genuine."
"And in the process, we eliminate the threat posed by those thousand shinobi once and for all."
The room fell silent. Every pair of eyes turned to Kakashi.
It was difficult to believe these words had come from a seventeen-year-old.
He didn't just surpass his peers in strength—he saw through human nature with chilling clarity.
What on earth had Minato Namikaze taught his student?
"Good," Danzo said, his eyes alight with approval. "We'll do it."
It was truly a waste to keep Kakashi in the regular forces.
This young man was born for Root.
"But..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi considered for a long moment before deciding the fate of the thousand Kumogakure prisoners.
"..."
Koharu stared silently at Kakashi across the table.
Her earlier suspicions had been correct.
This boy was even darker than Danzo Shimura.
If someone like him ever became Hokage...
Beneath the table, her age-spotted hand clenched into a fist.
After the war, Jiraiya—Kakashi's grand-teacher—had all but openly sided with him.
The Fifth Hokage.
If this boy actually succeeded, he would drag Konoha into an abyss from which it could never emerge.
As if sensing her gaze, Kakashi glanced toward Koharu.
The old woman's eyes darted away at once.
Kakashi had no interest in listening to the elders haggle over what impossible price Kumogakure should pay. He excused himself and left the room alone.
The meeting had run far longer than expected. By the time he stepped out of the Hokage Tower, night had already fallen.
Every household in Konoha had hung lanterns in celebration of the victory, and the streets were more crowded than usual.
Kakashi took in the festive scene, planning to pick up a few things for Naruto before heading home with some takeout.
He wandered aimlessly for a while until he spotted Ichiraku Ramen at the far end of the street. Remembering it was Naruto's favorite, he started toward it to grab a portion for the boy—when a small hand suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
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