Given how critical the situation had been, any large disturbance could have directly affected the negotiations. Under such urgent circumstances, choosing to eliminate the enemy instantly and completely was a justifiable decision.
From that perspective, it couldn't really be said that Hagoromo had made a mistake—at most, he hadn't considered every possible angle thoroughly.
Or perhaps he had considered everything, but simply lacked a perfectly safe method that would have allowed him to calmly capture a live prisoner.
In any case, after such an incident occurred, even though the enemies had been dealt with silently, no one could be absolutely certain that only that one group had infiltrated the restricted zone.
As a result, Konoha raised the alert level even further and began reinforcing reconnaissance and search efforts across all areas—especially underground regions that had previously been overlooked.
Unfortunately, Hagoromo could no longer summon his bird, so his team could only carry out standard ground-based, carpet-style searches.
Thankfully, the Byakugan still proved invaluable. With Hyūga Hizashi present, the two of them could survey a sufficiently large area. Still, compared to other Konoha teams, their overall mobility range was noticeably smaller.
Even so, no matter how many repeated scans Konoha's ninja conducted, no additional enemies were discovered.
Most likely, sixteen infiltrators were already the limit of what Amegakure could secretly insert. Sending more would have been far too conspicuous.
At the final stage, Konoha officially called off the search. At that point, reconnaissance teams from both sides began pulling back, and Konoha's ninja regrouped toward Minato's position.
Once all personnel had assembled, they moved toward the center of the restricted zone—the site of the talks—to rendezvous with the Hokage.
Sunagakure's ninja did the same.
By the time they arrived, the peace treaty signing ceremony was already nearing its conclusion.
As one of the thirty-two escort ninja, Hagoromo had unwittingly become a witness to history.
With a solemn expression, the Third Hokage exchanged the treaty documents with the even more stern-faced Fourth Kazekage. Then, almost simultaneously, the two extended their right hands and clasped them together.
With that handshake, the conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure in the Third Great Ninja War was officially brought to an end.
The result was clear: Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Nations, had emerged victorious. Over years of sustained warfare, across constantly shifting fronts, Konoha's ninja had steadily crushed Sunagakure's ambitions with blood and sacrifice.
The war was won—
But the key figure who had led this front to victory had already left.
"The war is over."
At the moment the Hokage and Kazekage released their grip, Hagoromo—standing beside Minato—heard Minato murmur those words.
Of course, Hagoromo knew Minato meant this battlefield, not the entire war. Still, there was a hint of longing in his tone—a quiet hope that the Great Ninja War itself might someday truly end.
Unfortunately, that day was still far off.
Peace had arrived here for now, but the Third Great Ninja War continued—and would continue for quite some time.
After hearing Minato's words, Hagoromo glanced up at him. Noticing this, Minato lowered his head slightly and smiled.
He was confident about the war.
Konoha could defeat Sunagakure—and it could defeat the other villages as well.
Namikaze Minato was the Child of Prophecy spoken of by Jiraiya. Whether that prophecy was truly real or not, one thing was undeniable: during the Third Great Ninja War, Minato was the man who would ultimately lead Konoha toward final victory.
Seeing the confidence on Minato's face, Hagoromo could only think one thing:
The future Fourth Hokage really does deserve the title.
In the ninja world, actions spoke louder than words. After exchanging the treaty documents, the Third Hokage and Fourth Kazekage did not linger. Without further conversation, each turned and departed with their respective escorts.
The victor claimed the spoils.
The defeated paid the price and withdrew in humiliation.
There was nothing more to be said.
"Hokage-sama…"
As Konoha's ninja escorted the Third Hokage away, Minato reported what had happened earlier.
Signs of suspected Amegakure ninja activity had been discovered within the restricted zone. However, since all enemies had already been eliminated, their precise identities and intentions could no longer be confirmed.
Whether those infiltrators truly came from Amegakure was now impossible to verify.
There was no helping it.
The Four Symbols Seal left nothing behind—not even dust—let alone usable clues.
At present, all meaningful intelligence came solely from the accounts of Hyūga Hizashi and Hagoromo.
"I understand," the Hokage said calmly. "Hagoromo handled it well."
From the Hokage's standpoint, Hagoromo's response deserved recognition. For those in positions of authority, outcomes mattered far more than processes.
Hagoromo had prevented a potential disaster during the peace talks—how could that not be considered merit?
As for the enemy's true objective, while it could no longer be conclusively determined, the likely motive was obvious.
They intended to erode the already paper-thin trust—if it could even be called trust—between Konoha and Sunagakure. At best, it was merely a fragile mutual understanding. By destroying the negotiations, they could have forced the war to continue.
Fortunately, their plan failed.
That was Amegakure's loss—
And the good fortune of both Konoha and Sunagakure.
The Hokage's unit moved quickly. Only after rejoining the 500 Konoha ninja stationed at the outer perimeter did their pace finally slow.
Despite a brief complication, the Hokage had brought back peace.
Had this been Konoha itself, celebrations might already have begun. But this was still foreign territory—territory that, just hours ago, could accurately be called enemy land.
Moreover, ninja were not ordinary civilians.
They could feel joy—but they would not indulge in it.
Emotional restraint was a basic requirement for a shinobi.
According to the peace treaty, Konoha's forces were required to withdraw from the Land of Wind within three days. However, the Hokage saw no reason to remain that long. Once they had secured everything they came for, it was time to leave.
Though the deadline allowed three days, lingering that long would have seemed arrogant.
The fight was over—yet you were still blocking the other side's territory with an army?
What message would that send?
As a result, withdrawal preparations began that very afternoon.
That said, due to various considerations, Konoha's forces would not return directly to the village. Instead, they would temporarily station themselves along the Land of Fire's border.
The first group to withdraw that day consisted of medical units, critically wounded ninja, and part of the escort forces.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789