The next day, formal peace talks began. The Hidden Sand Ninja were at a disadvantage. Only a few of them had arrived, and including Bunpuku, only three could participate in the negotiations.
The Hidden Leaf Ninja, on the other hand, had Uchiha Kagami and six others present, totaling seven people, which immediately gave off a strong sense of pressure.
"Lord Kagami, our position remains the same as before. The conditions you have offered are too harsh," the Hidden Sand Ninja's deputy envoy said impatiently after both sides were seated.
Uchiha Kagami did not answer him. Instead, he looked at the elderly Bunpuku, observing him carefully for a moment before asking, "You are Mr. Bunpuku?"
"Yes, and you must be the head of the Uchiha clan," Bunpuku said, nodding slightly to Uchiha Kagami. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine," Uchiha Kagami nodded. "You are indeed as others have described."
Uchiha Kagami's judgment of others was usually very accurate. He had only been deceived by Uchiha Setsuna in the past due to Setsuna's cunning and his own reluctance to be too harsh on the clan's radical faction.
When it came to people from other villages, he wasn't influenced by such factors. Bunpuku's demeanor and temperament truly showed the style of an enlightened master, something that couldn't be faked easily.
As the saying goes, appearance reflects the heart. A person's mental state can, to some extent, influence their temperament and demeanor. While it's not always absolutely true, it is a significant factor. Due to other variables, it can only serve as a reference and not a definitive conclusion, but Uchiha Kagami felt that Bunpuku was someone he could cooperate with.
Uchiha Kagami did not immediately begin negotiations but instead spoke with the chief envoy. The deputy envoy next to him felt a bit awkward, but he also knew that one reason Bunpuku was here was to be able to communicate with the Hidden Leaf Village, potentially easing some conditions, so he didn't say anything.
Uchiha Kagami didn't talk excessively; this was a negotiation table, not a private setting. While building relationships privately was fine, at the negotiation table, serious matters needed to be discussed. He nodded to the person beside him, then looked at the deputy envoy again, and an accompanying ninja stood up and said, "We understand your village's intentions, but it's the same for us. We originally had no intention of treating you this way; you forced us!
Back then, both sides had a good agreement, but your village unilaterally tore up the contract without a word, and naturally, you must bear the consequences."
This person was a ninja from the Nara clan. Nara clan members were generally highly intelligent, and this individual was no exception, having been involved in many diplomatic matters, and thus was chosen as the negotiator.
"We have already suffered enough," the deputy envoy quickly said. "So many of us have died, our ninja numbers have fallen to less than one-fifth of what they were, and we have lost a great deal of both territory and money. We have already paid the price!"
"But did we force you? You initiated the war; you started this story," the Nara clan ninja stared at him intently. "Moreover, if I'm not mistaken, if you take back all your prisoners, your military strength should be able to recover to nearly one-third of what it was… Looking at it that way, you should thank us. If it weren't for our protection, even more of you would have died!"
"Regarding the prisoners, we do indeed thank your village for its generosity, but the terms your village has offered are truly too harsh!" the deputy envoy said.
"Harsh? To be honest, all these terms are for your own good. At least your lower and middle-level ninja will surely find them agreeable. I imagine you haven't told them the specific truce terms, have you?" the Nara ninja said.
"This—" The deputy envoy was momentarily speechless.
The Nara clan ninja spoke aggressively, saying, "Your high-ranking officials led the Hidden Sand Village to its current situation and issued such cruel orders, causing many ninja to die unnecessarily. Stepping down is what they deserve; otherwise, who will bear the responsibility for the defeat? Will you push it onto those fallen Hidden Sand ninja? That would make you utter scoundrels. As leaders of the village, as high-ranking officials, you show no sense of responsibility whatsoever. Making your high-ranking officials step down is merely pursuing the primary culprits…"
"Lord Kazekage does indeed bear responsibility, but all of it is a bit too much…" the deputy envoy stammered.
"Alright, we can agree not to make everyone step down," Uchiha Kagami interjected at this point, surprising the deputy envoy. "We can insist only on the staunch warmongers stepping down. Those with less responsibility in the war can be handled at our discretion, but the Kazekage siblings must bear full responsibility; they must step down. Secondly, you must reorganize your high command, allowing those willing to cooperate and seek peace to take power. Only then can we accept."
"That can be discussed," the deputy envoy quickly replied. The Kazekage siblings stepping down was almost a certainty, and the Kazekage also intended to bear the responsibility for the defeat. Chiyo could presumably be persuaded. As long as not all of the high-ranking officials stepped down, a reorganization was fine. After all, seeking peace was the popular sentiment now, and the peace faction would surely have a period of governance. There was no need to go against the Hidden Leaf Village on this point.
"Good, then that item is settled. What else do you need to discuss?" Uchiha Kagami asked. As the highest authority, he directly approved one item and then proceeded to inquire about the next.
"Also, there's the issue of military restrictions…" Because of Uchiha Kagami's sudden interjection, the deputy envoy spoke with some trepidation.
"Ah, that point," Uchiha Kagami said, "We believe that a force of two thousand ninja already meets your village's needs. As long as we can genuinely cooperate, your village won't need to deploy many troops against us; you'll only need to deal with the Hidden Stone Village to the north. Your village's ninja are individually strong enough, and combined with the terrain issues in the north, we believe two thousand ninja are sufficient to protect your village and country."
"But two thousand is really too few. Can we have a few more, say five thousand? Your village's ninja numbers are already in the tens of thousands; surely asking for half of yours isn't excessive?" the deputy envoy said.
"That's too many; it makes us very uneasy. Your four thousand ninja caused us so much trouble this time. What if you start another war in the future?" Uchiha Kagami shook his head. "How about this… three thousand combat ninja, alright? The Land of Wind has great strategic depth. Any country entering your nation would have to pay a huge price to eliminate you. Just for defending your homeland, it's enough… Or are you still thinking of pulling a stunt like this again in the future?"
"No, no, we don't mean that!" The deputy envoy waved his hands repeatedly.
"Then that's good. Besides, it's for your own benefit. To expand your military, you not only have to ask the Daimyo for money but also make life difficult for the villagers. Wouldn't it be better to use all the remaining economic resources for civilian development, based on defending your homeland? Hmm, three thousand combat ninja, and the rest of the ninja can only undertake civilian-related missions. How does that sound? We have already tried to be as flexible as possible. Three thousand combat ninja are enough to defend your homeland, and the remaining ninja can also assist in civilian development. If other countries invade in the future and cause a shortage of troops, these people can also be called up. Isn't that enough?" Uchiha Kagami said calmly.
Upon hearing this, the deputy envoy lowered his head and pondered. Although three thousand combat ninja was a bit small, if the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind truly stopped fighting in the future, it might actually be enough for homeland defense. Moreover, just as Uchiha Kagami said, if push came to shove, they could always call up the non-combat type ninja. After all, they were still ninja, and no matter how non-combat-oriented they were, learning would be faster than training from scratch.
"Will your village truly not start a war?" the deputy envoy asked.
"Do you think we want this war? We only want to cooperate with you. This truce is also because we desire peace, and we wish to seek common development with you in the future," Uchiha Kagami replied.
The deputy envoy was still a bit hesitant.