Chapter 55: The War Ends
With that, Nara Shikatsune picked up another document at his side and placed it gently on the table.
"As for mission shares… Kumogakure's activity in the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Frost, and the Land of Fields has long posed a serious threat to Konoha's border security. This war has merely confirmed that reality."
"Reclaiming operational authority in those regions is a necessary measure for Konoha's self-defense. Had we not been acting in the interest of peace and stability across the entire shinobi world, our demands would extend far beyond this."
"Perhaps," Shikatsune added casually, "we might have required Kumogakure to fully withdraw from the Land of Iron's weapons trade… or to relinquish its maritime corridor with the Land of Water."
A fine sheen of cold sweat appeared on Dodai's forehead.
They weren't merely bleeding Kumogakure dry economically—they were strangling it strategically, tightening a noose around its future, and even casting undisguised eyes upon its accumulated ninja heritage.
Dizziness washed over him as he envisioned Kumogakure's coming decades: endless reparations draining its coffers, internal resources drying up, mission income shrinking year after year—a slow, inescapable decline.
"Resource offsets…" Dodai rasped, making one final, desperate stand. "The valuation must be fair! Konoha cannot be allowed to set prices unilaterally!"
"And the ninjutsu scrolls—those are the foundation of Kumogakure! That line cannot be crossed!"
"The prices can be discussed."
Shikatsune's sudden concession caught Dodai off guard—but the chill in his voice deepened immediately afterward.
"However, valuation will be benchmarked against existing shinobi-world market standards and subject to final confirmation by Konoha."
"As for the ninjutsu…"
"Lord Dodai," Shikatsune said evenly, "which is more important—rigid scrolls locked away in vaults, or a village that has just survived a devastating war and now urgently requires stability, resources, and power to rebuild?"
"I trust that both you and your Third Raikage are intelligent men," he concluded calmly. "You will make the most prudent choice."
Rebuild the village.
Those four words struck like a war hammer, shattering Dodai's last remaining defenses.
Konoha knew.
They knew everything.
This negotiation was nothing less than disaster-driven extortion—calculated, methodical, and merciless.
Dodai slumped back into his chair, utterly drained, as though all strength had been torn from his body.
The war… was already over.
He closed his eyes.
In his mind flashed the Third Raikage's gaze before his departure—heavy, restrained, carrying urgency he dared not speak aloud. After a long moment, Dodai opened his eyes again. His voice was hoarse, weighed down by exhaustion and irredeemable shame.
"…The direct monetary compensation. An initial payment of three hundred million ryō… Kumogakure can raise that sum."
"But the following eight years—one hundred and twenty-five million ryō annually… that burden is unbearable. Could the payment cycle be extended? Or the annual amount reduced?"
"The cycle is already the bottom line."
Nara Shikatsune did not yield an inch.
"However, given your village's genuine difficulties, if Kumogakure can provide an additional fifty million ryō worth of chakra-conductive metal within one month, as a good-faith security deposit…"
"Konoha may consider postponing the first payment deadline by half a month, granting your village more time to prepare."
In truth, based on Kumogakure's long-standing reputation for broken treaties, Shikatsune and Senju Morin both estimated that the agreement would likely last no more than five years before being torn apart once Kumogakure regained strength.
But that was more than enough.
Fifteen billion ryō in total value was already an enormous profit. As for the remaining five billion—consider it a down payment on the moral legitimacy of the next war.
Dodai nearly spat blood.
In his eyes, this was not a concession—it was outright extortion. Not only did Konoha demand reparations, they were now squeezing out a massive "deposit" on top of it.
But he had no choice.
The towering silhouette of the Eight-Tails flashed through his mind. Every second of delay meant more casualties, more destruction, more blood.
"…Very well…"
"I… on behalf of Kumogakure… accept the terms."
Those few words seemed to drain an entire lifetime of strength from his body.
His trembling hand reached for the brush, heavy as a mountain. On the formal treaty laid before him, he signed his name stroke by stroke—slow, deliberate, crushing.
Then he took the Raikage's seal, dipped it into ink, and stamped it down with force.
The crimson imprint looked as though it had been branded in blood—an eternal scar upon this treaty of humiliation.
Shikatsune watched calmly as the signing concluded and motioned for the clerk to secure Konoha's copy.
He stood, straightened his robes, and glanced once at Dodai—now hollow, as if all his bones had been pulled from his body.
"The agreement takes effect immediately. Once Kumogakure delivers the first payment, Konoha will begin an orderly withdrawal of its forces."
"I hope your side will honor this pact—and cherish this hard-won peace."
With that, he turned and led the Konoha delegation out of the tent, their footsteps steady and unhurried.
Outside, sunlight bathed their departing figures in warm gold—an almost cruel contrast to the deathly silence and despair that filled the tent behind them.
…
Dodai could not remember how he returned to the Kumogakure fortress.
His thoughts were muddled, his steps unsteady. The treaty scroll in his hands felt like a red-hot branding iron, scorching both body and soul.
No one looked at him differently—yet he felt as though every passing shinobi was silently condemning him.
At the top level of the fortress, the Third Raikage A stood alone. His broad back loomed heavy beneath the dim light.
When Dodai dropped to his knees and raised the treaty above his head, the air itself seemed to freeze.
A turned slowly, took the scroll—but did not open it at once.
"Was it concluded?" he asked.
"…This subordinate is incompetent."
Dodai's throat was dry, his words forced out as if scraped from stone.
"Konoha did not concede a single clause."
A maintained his composure as he unrolled the document—but as his eyes moved across the text, his fist clenched so tightly the wooden rollers creaked in protest.
"Good… very good, Nara Shikatsune," A growled through his teeth.
"And Senju Morin."
Yet—to Dodai's shock—the expected thunderous rage never came.
A stared at the treaty in silence, chest heaving… then finally released a long, heavy sigh.
"You did the right thing," he said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
"In that situation… I would have signed as well."
That single sentence shattered what remained of Dodai's restraint.
"Which is precisely why…" his voice broke, "…I cannot forgive myself."
He raised his head slowly, his eyes dead and gray.
"I personally handed Kumogakure's future… to the enemy."
Flash—!
Golden lightning surged.
A appeared before him in an instant, gripping Dodai's dagger barehanded. The blade could not even pierce the Raikage's lightning-clad palm.
"Fool!" A roared. "Do you think death will wash away this disgrace?"
Dodai met his gaze stubbornly. "At least… it would show the village my resolve."
"Your resolve?"
A wrenched the dagger away and hurled it into a corner.
"Your resolve is to live—and to witness Kumogakure rise again!"
Seeing Dodai's unyielding expression, A's tone softened—just slightly.
"Listen to me. Kumogakure does not need martyrs right now. It needs people who can shoulder responsibility."
"What would your death accomplish besides giving Konoha something to laugh at?"
Dodai's body trembled. At last, he bowed his head.
"But… Raikage-sama… I don't know if I can face the village's future…"
"Then face it with me!"
A's voice was ironclad.
"This shame must be borne by all of Kumogakure together. I want you alive—alive to see Konoha fall, alive to see them pay for what they've done today!"
He pulled Dodai to his feet.
"Your duty is not over. The Eight-Tails is still rampaging through the village."
"We protect our home. We protect our people."
"Transmit the order—full withdrawal. Return to the village immediately."
With no time left for rage or grief, A led the entire force back toward Kumogakure.
He left no troops behind—not out of trust in Konoha, but because he knew the truth.
Without him, even a fortress could not withstand Senju Morin and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Better to retreat completely.
Better to face the Eight-Tails head-on.
Because some disasters… could not be postponed.