At the main gate of the Sunagakure camp, Sunagakure had arranged fifteen jōnin to receive the Konoha envoys.
Standing at the forefront was Shiraishi, a disciple of Ebizō.
Dressed in a simple light-blue outer coat and wearing glasses, Shiraishi looked gentle and harmless.
Yet it was precisely this seemingly innocuous young man who had broken through the southwest front and killed the head of the Kurama clan.
Those glasses existed mainly to conceal his true gaze and expression…
Minato Namikaze carefully examined the famous Black Mist Shiraishi, while Shiraishi was likewise assessing this rising star of Konoha.
He was a classmate of Shikaku Nara, Yoshimaru Akimichi, Kushina Uzumaki, and others at the Konoha Ninja Academy. He was later assigned to the class led by Jiraiya and aspired to become Hokage from a young age.
In the later stages of the Kikyo Mountain battlefield, Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique flashed across every corner of the battlefield, causing Sunagakure immense suffering.
One could say he was currently Sunagakure's most feared enemy.
The Flying Thunder God's overwhelming mobility rendered Minato nearly unbeatable in a practical sense.
Although Shiraishi had never faced him directly, he could keenly sense how troublesome that technique truly was.
Konoha sending Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya, this master-disciple pair, carried tremendous deterrent power.
Aside from Minato, Jiraiya stood quietly to the side.
Compared to Orochimaru's sharp menace and Tsunade's overwhelming presence, Jiraiya appeared… ordinary.
Yet to Shiraishi, Jiraiya felt far more restrained, far deeper.
Among the Three Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was sinister, Tsunade was bold, and Jiraiya gave off an illusion of calm and harmony.
If anything—
Jiraiya seemed far more hidden than expected.
"Lord Jiraiya, this way please."
Shiraishi cast aside his wandering thoughts and conducted the reception with perfect professionalism.
Although his expression was obscured by his glasses, his calm, neither servile nor arrogant, demeanor surprised both Jiraiya and Minato.
Based on their prior impressions, a genius of this caliber should have been arrogant, sharp-tongued, or at least prone to grand declarations.
Yet Shiraishi's conduct was composed, restrained, and efficient.
There was no emotional leakage whatsoever.
As they walked together, Jiraiya finally couldn't help asking:
"The plan to destroy Kikyo Mountain… you were the one who pushed it forward, weren't you?"
Halfway through, Jiraiya's question caused Shiraishi to pause slightly.
Even Minato showed a puzzled expression.
This was not a question asked with tact.
Jiraiya's words were extremely sensitive.
Although the destruction of Kikyo Mountain had severely crippled Konoha, Sunagakure had paid an equally heavy price.
They had used their own living forces as bait to lure Konoha into reckless advance.
For Sunagakure, the destruction of Kikyo Mountain was tragic and desperate, not a victory—rather, a deep humiliation.
Jiraiya's question was tantamount to ripping open Sunagakure's wound in public.
"I only hope that the ninja world will never have to endure such pain again."
Shiraishi did not answer directly.
Denying it would shift all responsibility onto Ebizō.
Admitting it outright was equally unacceptable.
Only this indirect response allowed him to sidestep the issue.
In truth, Jiraiya realized the moment he spoke that he had misspoken.
He had asked because he could not reconcile the idea of a so-called "child of destiny" employing such a brutal method—one that required sacrificing comrades.
That style was far too ruthless.
Deep down, Jiraiya did not believe Ebizō would conceive such a plan.
So… no more pain like this in the future?
Shiraishi's answer caught him off guard.
Just as Jiraiya was about to speak again, Minato stopped him.
The surrounding Sunagakure shinobi had already begun casting hostile glances toward Konoha.
Seeing the concern in his student's eyes, Jiraiya laughed loudly and dropped the matter.
The true child of destiny is already beside me.
That so-called Black Mist Shiraishi of Sunagakure—
How could he possibly be the one to change the ninja world?
Inside the camp, Ebizō and Pakura stepped forward to meet Jiraiya and Minato.
Their gazes met—
The air itself seemed to fill with invisible gunpowder.
Pakura's eyes burned with hatred toward Konoha.
Many of her subordinates had died at Kikyo Mountain, making her one of the few within Sunagakure who still firmly opposed peace talks.
Her aggressive stance made Shiraishi uneasy.
If this continued, Pakura would be pushed out of Sunagakure's upper leadership and slowly isolated.
Fortunately, Ebizō was the one leading the negotiations today.
A veteran of multiple Great Ninja Wars, he handled such matters with practiced ease.
The negotiations between Konoha and Sunagakure proceeded smoothly.
Both sides wanted to end the war quickly and prepare to face Iwagakure.
Among the Five Great Villages, Iwa currently possessed the strongest military force.
Their earth-style techniques were ideal for large-scale positional warfare, making them extremely difficult opponents.
Moreover, Konoha's weakness at Kannabi Bridge had allowed Iwa to seize complete initiative.
From Sunagakure's perspective, Ōnoki's attempted assassination of Rasa during the joint Chūnin Exams had not happened long ago.
Attacking a sitting Kage immediately after the exams was an unparalleled humiliation.
Rasa had once sworn he would not return to Sunagakure until he seized the Revelation Mountain Range.
Of course, that was political rhetoric.
After the conflict between Shiraishi and the Yamaji clan, the Elders had taken advantage of the situation to pressure Rasa.
In response, the Kazekage transferred all departmental heads to the Revelation Mountain Range and established a temporary command office there.
Even on the front lines, Rasa tightly controlled administration, leaving no room for the Elders to maneuver.
Though Shiraishi understood Rasa's predicament, he couldn't shake the feeling that the Kazekage was still somewhat… narrow-minded.
Sunagakure's demands were simple:
A compensation payment within a range that Konoha could accept.
In return, Konoha demanded the restoration of previous trade routes, allowing merchants from the Land of Fire to enter the Land of Wind freely.
Additionally, both sides would sign a military alliance, aimed at countering Iwagakure and Kirigakure.
The war between Konoha and Sunagakure was effectively over.
From Konoha Year 43 to 45—over two years of brutal fighting—neither side had the strength to continue.
Yet while the Konoha–Sunagakure war ended, the Third Great Ninja War was rapidly expanding.
Iwa, Kiri, and even Kumo were entering the fray.
The Five Great Villages had begun a cycle of mutual slaughter.
At the Revelation Mountain Range, within Iwagakure's main camp—
Although Ōnoki had withdrawn with his Tsuchikage Guard, the Iwa forces left behind were far from weak.
Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, and Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, had both been stationed there to pin down Sunagakure's main forces.
Rōshi and Ōnoki had long been on poor terms, which was why the Tsuchikage rarely fought alongside him.
As for Han, the Steam Ninja—
He existed precisely to counter future Sunagakure threats.
Such as Scorch Release Pakura…
and Black Mist Shiraishi.
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 50 Power Stones