The rising morning sun cast its light over the jagged mountain ridges of the Land of Lightning, yet it failed to dispel the tension suffocating the border.
Senju Mori stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the fortress built into the mountainside before him.
Launching a full assault on such a stronghold was meaningless. Unless he could kill the Third Raikage A right here, all it would accomplish was increasing Konoha's casualties.
As for taking the opportunity to annihilate the Kumogakure—impossible.
Forcing them to pay an enormous sum in reparations was far more realistic.
After a symbolic show of force, Kumogakure practically rushed to propose peace talks, and Senju Mori agreed without hesitation.
After all, for every minute the Third Raikage remained stuck on the front lines, the Eight-Tails would wreak havoc inside Kumogakure for another full minute.
Aside from fundamental matters of principle, no matter how excessive Konoha's demands were, Kumogakure had no choice but to accept them while holding their noses.
The negotiations were held in a temporary tent.
This alone made the Kumo shinobi feel utterly humiliated, because the location was still inside the Land of Lightning. Signing a ceasefire agreement here was nothing less than a classic "treaty signed under the enemy's walls."
Inside the tent, the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.
On Konoha's side, Advisor Nara Shikajō sat firmly in the main seat.
He was not wearing the standard shinobi flak jacket today, but a dark formal robe. Only the Konoha forehead protector on his brow and the flame patterns at his cuffs marked his identity as the Hokage's advisor.
His expression was calm, hands folded naturally on the table—
as if he were not facing a negotiation that would determine the fate of two nations, but simply a routine clan meeting.
Across from him, Kumo jōnin Kuji sat equally upright.
Normally the most trusted right-hand man of the Third Raikage, he now wore a deeply furrowed brow, his tense face unable to hide fatigue and anxiety.
His hands under the table clenched and relaxed repeatedly, his fingertips tapping unconsciously against his knee.
"Lord Kuji,"
Nara Shikajō spoke first, his voice steady, breaking the oppressive silence:
"Based on the Hokage's will, and the principles both our sides have agreed to uphold, here is Konoha's draft of the 'Treaty of Ceasefire and Reparations.' Please review it."
He pushed an unfurled scroll across the table.
Kuji took a deep breath and unrolled it.
As his eyes moved down the lines of text, his breathing grew heavier. His face went from pale, to dark, and finally flushed bright red in barely controlled rage.
He snapped his head up, voice trembling from the effort of suppressing his anger:
"Lord Shikajō! These… these three public apologies—the wording is humiliating! They place all responsibility entirely on Kumogakure! And this… two billion ryō?! And you still want us to surrender mission shares from three entire countries?!"
"Is Konoha trying to become the eternal enemy of Kumogakure?!"
The treaty was drafted personally by Nara Shikajō and had already been reviewed by Senju Mori beforehand.
Its contents were as follows:
First, Kumogakure must issue a formal diplomatic letter to every nation in the shinobi world, apologizing for failing to restrain Kumo shinobi Kinkaku and Ginkaku, whose rebellion and assassination of the Second Hokage had destabilized the world.
Second, Kumogakure must publicly apologize for its inadequate safeguarding of the Six Paths Ninja Tools, allowing them to be stolen and used to endanger the shinobi world, and acknowledge that four of these tools now permanently belong to Konoha.
Third, Kumogakure must publicly apologize for unilaterally initiating war and disrupting world peace, and—
based on the above misconduct—voluntarily provide the following compensation to Konoha:
The total value of reparations was an astronomical two billion ryō, of which 1.3 billion was direct monetary payment.
This included an immediate payment of 300 million ryō, and for the next eight years, an annual payment of 125 million ryō in continued compensation.
The remaining 700 million ryō could be offset using other resources—but Konoha would only accept chakra-conductive metals, rare minerals produced by Kumogakure, and various Kumogakure-exclusive ninjutsu, kenjutsu, or taijutsu techniques.
About 100 million ryō worth of resources had to be provided immediately, while the rest could also be paid in installments.
In addition, Kumogakure must completely surrender its mission rights in the Land of Hot Water, and cede 50% of its original mission shares in both the Land of Frost and the Land of Rice Fields.
After hearing Kuji's outburst, Nara Shikajō leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening:
"Lord Kuji, please mind your words."
"Apology serves to clarify right and wrong and to warn future generations.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku originated from Kumogakure. Their assassination of our Second Hokage is a fact.
Your village crossing the border and initiating war is also a fact."
"Konoha merely asks for the truth. That is not excessive."
His voice stayed calm, but carried an unquestionable weight:
"As for the reparations… the two billion ryō are the result of precise calculation of the war's cost."
"This includes the support for Konoha's fallen shinobi, the materials consumed, the destroyed border facilities, and… the damage to Konoha's reputation and expected mission income for the coming years due to this needless war."
"Every item can be accounted for. If your side doubts it, we can provide detailed ledgers. However…"
His tone shifted subtly.
"That would require more time to verify."
The phrase "more time" stabbed into Kuji's nerves like a senbon needle.
He could almost picture the devastation currently unfolding in their village under the Eight-Tails' rampage.
The Raikage, suppressing his fury, remained at the front lines, burning with desperation to return.
Time—
What Kumogakure lacked most was time.
"No need to verify the ledgers!"
Kuji practically growled the words.
He barely restrained the urge to slam the table, his face flushed with rage as he shouted:
"But two billion ryō, plus the future mission shares—this is absolutely impossible! Even if we emptied the entire Kumogakure, we couldn't produce that much!"
"Oh?"
Nara Shikajō raised an eyebrow slightly, though inwardly he sneered.
He didn't believe a single word of Kuji's excuses.
As the Hokage's advisor, he knew exactly the annual revenue of Konoha.
Kumogakure's revenue might be somewhat lower, but it was at least 80–90% of Konoha's.
In other words, since he drafted this compensation list, he was certain the Kumogakure could pay it.
Shikajō only paused for show—he had no intention of yielding. His tone grew solemn:
"The Land of Fire is a nation that yearns for peace, and Konoha does not seek war.
It is precisely because we have considered your difficulties that Konoha is showing such great sincerity in this treaty."
"We are allowing 700 million ryō to be paid through goods and rights: your chakra-conductive metals, rare minerals, and even ninjutsu or taijutsu scrolls of appropriate value can all be used as compensation."
"Is that not goodwill from Konoha?"