The results of the Battle of Kawano City were immediately sent to Fumori Masaki, who, upon hearing the news, slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone around him.
Their Third Hokage rarely showed such strong emotions, but they could understand his joy.
"Finally, there's a glimmer of hope for the war to end," Fumori Masaki said with a relaxed smile.
"The Land of Wind is certainly going to withdraw from the battlefield, and the Land of Earth can't possibly hold out alone.
As for the Land of Water, there's no need to mention it.
The end of the Shinobi World War is within reach."
"Yes, Lord Hokage, I believe that soon, the Land of Wind will send a request for a ceasefire," Yamanaka Takuma said.
"Do you have any thoughts on the terms of the ceasefire?"
The Hidden Sand Village had suffered a crushing defeat.
Even if they requested a ceasefire, they would be the losing party, and a losing party seeking peace would naturally be in a very passive position regarding negotiating power.
As the victors, the Hidden Leaf Village could propose more conditions.
"I already have some initial ideas.
You can send a copy back to the village for the Hokage's cabinet to review and make any necessary additions or corrections," Fumori Masaki said, taking out the ceasefire terms he had in mind.
Yamanaka Takuma took it and read it carefully.
After a short while, he looked at the Hokage with some surprise: "Lord Hokage, is this truly what you intend? Do you have any other ideas?"
"No, these are my thoughts.
The Hidden Sand Village must accept them; otherwise, we will not accept their peace overtures.
They are already in such a dire state that we can slowly blockade them to death without sacrificing many people, only incurring the cost of supplies," Fumori Masaki replied.
"What if they refuse to surrender?" Yamanaka Takuma asked with a frown.
"How could they not surrender?
The Hidden Sand Village is only a part of the Land of Wind; whether to surrender or not is not something it alone can decide.
In the past, the Hidden Sand Village didn't have much say in the Land of Wind, let alone now, with such heavy losses.
It's even less likely they can influence the direction of the entire country," Fumori Masaki said.
"However, to make the Land of Wind decide as soon as possible, we need to pressure them."
"Is it time for the captured Hidden Sand ninja and the Anbu to act?" Yamanaka Takuma asked.
"Yes," Fumori Masaki nodded and said, "The First Shinobi Division can also go and pressure them.
The morale of the Hidden Sand Village is already on the verge of collapse; fighting won't yield any decent results.
The best outcome for them would be a more dignified peace talk, but in front of the Hidden Sand ninja we sent for labor reform earlier, it would be a miracle if they didn't have internal strife."
Yamanaka Takuma nodded in agreement.
Fumori Masaki had previously explained in detail the role of those captured Hidden Sand ninja: to show them the superiority of the Hidden Leaf Village's internal system, further inciting their resentment towards the old Hidden Sand ninja system.
Upon their eventual return to the Hidden Sand Village, it would inevitably trigger internal reforms, and their system would likely gravitate towards the Hidden Leaf Village's model.
According to Fumori Masaki, the Hidden Sand Village's ideology, internal system, and theoretical framework should all align with the Hidden Leaf Village's direction.
This way, the two sides would become, to some extent, unified, and since the Hidden Leaf Village adheres to pacifism, a Hidden Sand Village with similar values would be unlikely to resort to war with the Hidden Leaf Village again.
"To enable these Hidden Sand ninja to make the Hidden Sand Village better, how can we, who are at the forefront, not help them overcome some difficulties?" Fumori Masaki said.
"Chiyo, Ebizo, and those people are too old and still cling to the ways of the Warring States period.
Whether they live or die, I don't care, but they absolutely cannot remain in leadership positions in the Hidden Sand Village.
There must be a more suitable person to serve as Kazekage so that the Hidden Sand Village and the Land of Wind can move towards a truly good future.
Chiyo and Ebizo deluded themselves into thinking that war was a good way for the Land of Wind to escape its predicament, but look at it now—what has the Land of Wind become?
To put it bluntly, even the Land of Waterfall can bully them now, can't it?"
Yamanaka Takuma almost burst out laughing.
Although the Land of Waterfall also possessed a Tailed Beast and was the strongest among many small countries, there was still a huge gap compared to the Five Great Nations.
Even the lowest-ranked Land of Wind was not something the Land of Waterfall could provoke.
Now, Fumori Masaki claiming that the current Land of Wind couldn't even defeat the Land of Waterfall was truly very sarcastic.
However, what Fumori Masaki said was indeed very reasonable.
Originally, everyone was doing business well, and Fumori Masaki had no intention of invading the Land of Wind.
He even planned to help the Land of Wind, providing them with food and water to improve their environment—of course, the purpose of doing so was to indirectly influence and control the Land of Wind from within.
Although it would cost a lot, it was a very good long-term deal—but the other party simply refused, insisting on doing things their own way, without considering their own capabilities.
Not only did they fail to achieve their goal, but they also brought the Land of Wind to such a predicament.
Yamanaka Takuma glanced at the ceasefire terms drafted by the Hokage, one of which was to demand the resignation of the current Kazekage and other Hidden Sand high-ranking officials and national nobles who supported the war.
This was the part he found somewhat impossible.
National nobles were one thing; such a major war defeat would certainly require some pro-war figures to be pushed out as scapegoats.
But the ninja village was a bit more troublesome; they might not necessarily accept such a result.
However, Fumori Masaki also explicitly stated that it must be done this way.
He wasn't afraid that Chiyo and Ebizo wouldn't resign.
Having made such mistakes, the two of them had long lost face to confront the former Kazekage.
As long as the lower ranks were unwilling for them to stay, could they still refuse to step down even if it meant death?
Could they remain indifferent to the voices of discontent from the lower ranks?
A ninja village is a collective, not the property of an individual, and furthermore, whether the current Chiyo and Ebizo still had the power to control the Hidden Sand Village was a huge question.
"I understand.
I will contact the village immediately to arrange the formal ceasefire terms and convey the order to the First Shinobi Division, instructing them to blockade the Land of Wind to further pressure them, and to arrange a meeting between the newly captured Hidden Sand ninja and the previously arranged ones," Yamanaka Takuma said in one breath, omitting only the Anbu arrangements.
This was natural, as the Anbu was under the Hokage's direct command, and he had no authority to issue orders to them.
Fumori Masaki nodded in approval.
The remaining specific measures would be handled by Yamanaka Takuma; he only needed to review them.
After Yamanaka Takuma left, he also began writing Anbu orders, issuing commands to the Anbu units operating within the Land of Wind.
It was time to disrupt the situation in the Land of Wind.
At the same time, the Hidden Sand ninja in the prisoner-of-war camp were all led out and sent towards the front lines.
They were initially surprised, not knowing why the Hidden Leaf Village was taking them there.
Weren't they supposed to protect their safety and not reveal that they were still alive?
But soon, some of the smarter ones understood why and quickly asked if the war had ended.
The answer they received was that after the Battle of Kawano City, the higher-ups had judged that the Land of Wind had lost the ability to continue fighting and would seek peace within a short period.
The reason they were being taken now was that the ninja captured in the Battle of Kawano City were also uncooperative and needed them to provide proof.
"Moreover, if we have to fight the Hidden Sand ninja a few more times, we also hope you can help persuade them to surrender.
We have no intention of further expanding our losses," the Hidden Leaf ninja leading them said.
"Of course, you don't have to worry; that order from your village cannot be carried out.
This time, it's not just the daughter-in-law; Chiyo's son is also with us!"
Upon hearing this, all the Hidden Sand ninja couldn't help but look at a woman in the group, Chiyo's daughter-in-law, Chizuru.
After being captured in earlier operations, Chizuru was sent to the prisoner-of-war camp.
Initially, she also wanted to commit suicide, but after seeing the Hidden Sand ninja in the camp and someone saying, "Aren't you worried about your son?" she no longer had that thought, only praying that her husband would not die on the battlefield.
Although Chizuru was captured, everyone was still somewhat skeptical.
After all, a daughter-in-law is not a blood relative, and Chiyo might not necessarily abandon the order to protect her; she might even choose to uphold justice over family.
But with even Chiyo's own son captured, their doubts immediately vanished.
If Chiyo dared to pull such a stunt again, she would truly be shameless.
Chizuru also breathed a sigh of relief at this news.
She was afraid that her impulsive husband might die on the battlefield in a fit of pique.
Since he was captured, everything was fine.
"Will we be sent back after the war ends?" a Hidden Sand ninja asked.
"Mm," the Hidden Leaf ninja nodded and turned to say, "You can go back and live a good life.
We will also keep our promise and guarantee your safety.
Although I don't know exactly what the village will do, those in the Hidden Sand Village who supported the war will definitely be overthrown."
This was the promise the Hidden Leaf Village had made to them from the beginning, and all the Hidden Sand ninja believed it.
Although their days in the prisoner-of-war camp were hard, mainly in terms of labor, during this process, they deeply realized how true to their word the Hidden Leaf ninja were.
Those who showed merit and worked diligently were rewarded.
Ordinary Hidden Leaf ninja of commoner origin would share their village experiences with them, making the Hidden Sand ninja, who also came from humble backgrounds, quite envious.
In the Hidden Leaf Village, as long as you have ability and merit, you can be promoted.
Even Hidden Leaf ninja with less talent can find suitable positions, and talented Hidden Leaf ninja, even if from commoner backgrounds, can exchange merit for secret techniques, closing the gap with secret technique families and bloodline limit families.
All of this felt so close, yet so far away.
Previously, a Hidden Leaf ninja had casually mentioned that Hidden Sand ninja should also learn how to make their village better, which immediately ignited a longing in the hearts of the Hidden Sand ninja present.
They also wanted a better environment.
Upon returning, they would no longer quite agree with the original Hidden Sand Village system, which stood in stark contrast to the Hidden Leaf Village's.
These Hidden Sand ninja believed that institutional reform of the village was possible, because if Chiyo, Ebizo, and other old high-ranking officials stepped down, it would be an opportunity for others to emerge.
As long as suitable people took office and genuinely worked for the village's benefit, it might truly be possible to establish an environment similar to the Hidden Leaf Village's.
With various thoughts in their hearts, the Hidden Sand ninja were sent into the Land of Rivers, where they were taken over by the First Shinobi Division.
Before they separated, the Hidden Leaf ninja responsible for escorting them waved and shouted, "Goodbye!
We hope you can go back and live good lives.
Perhaps we'll even meet again in the future."
"Goodbye!" the Hidden Sand ninja responded.
During their time in the prisoner-of-war camp, their relationship with the Hidden Leaf ninja guards had grown very strong.
They had never imagined they would get along so well with ninja from an opposing village.
Upon entering the First Shinobi Division's camp, the Hidden Sand ninja rested briefly and received food and other arrangements.
Soon after, they went to meet the newly captured Hidden Sand ninja.
The Hidden Leaf ninja's explanation was that the most recently captured individuals were too agitated, and prolonged waiting might lead to unexpected incidents.
When they entered the camp, many of the Hidden Sand ninja inside were restless, watching the nearby ninja with wary eyes.
However, when they saw other Hidden Sand ninja appear, their expressions immediately turned to astonishment.
They initially thought new comrades had been captured and were surprised that another battle had taken place so quickly, capturing so many people.
But then, some of them recognized the identities of certain individuals, and their expressions immediately became agitated.
One Hidden Sand ninja couldn't help but shout at someone, "You're alive!"
"Yes, I'm alive!" The Hidden Sand ninja who was called out was equally emotional.
He and the other person were friends, and the other person had probably always thought he was dead, unaware that he was still alive and well.
Soon, many people recognized their relatives or friends, and expressions of astonishment and joy appeared on their faces one after another.
With the Hidden Leaf ninja's permission, the two groups of Hidden Sand ninja immediately sought out the people they knew, holding each other's hands, with so much to say but not knowing how to express it all.
Ryu, who had been captured by Hatake Sakumo, saw his wife, Chizuru.
It was this hope that had sustained him, enduring humiliation in the prisoner-of-war camp.
The moment he saw Chizuru, tears welled up in his eyes.
Chizuru had the same expression.
She embraced Ryu tightly and sobbed, "It's wonderful! Our family will be reunited after all."
Ryu immediately choked up, unable to speak.
The entire prisoner-of-war camp was filled with a noisy clamor.
The nearby Hidden Leaf ninja couldn't help but be moved by the sight; they seemed to see another side of these enemies.
Some of the Hidden Sand ninja did not go inside.
Although they also had expressions of deep emotion, they had no relatives or friends among those present; they were either dead or still elsewhere.
If they had any friends, it was those who had lived with them day in and day out in the prisoner-of-war camp.
Karura imagined the scene of meeting her master upon her return.
Just then, someone behind her said, "You are Karura, aren't you?"
"Yes," Karura replied, glancing at the Hidden Leaf ninja with some surprise.
"Is there something you need?"
"Lord Kagami wishes to see you," the other person said.
"He has some words for you.
You don't need to worry; it's nothing bad.
Rather, it will be very beneficial to you."
Karura was somewhat puzzled, not knowing why the other party's superior wanted to see her.
However, a captive had no right to refuse, and she had no intention of doing so.
She nodded in agreement, said a word to the others, and followed the person away.