Considering both internal and external relations, as well as the relative urgency of ongoing events, the existence of Akatsuki was indeed one of the reasons Hanzō of the Salamander wanted to withdraw from the Third Great Ninja War.
Ensuring that Amegakure maintained absolute control over the Land of Rain was, for Hanzō, a priority that ranked above any attempt to profit from the war.
Moreover, from the current situation, it was clear that Hanzō had nothing left to gain from continuing the conflict.
If his own homeland was unstable, what sense was there in fighting a war that spanned the entire shinobi world?
At this time, Akatsuki, under Yahiko's leadership, was indeed growing increasingly influential within the Land of Rain. However, from Amegakure's perspective, they were still only a potential threat. After all, Akatsuki had not openly declared hostile intent toward the village. Calling them a "rebellion" was therefore inaccurate—every one of them still wore Amegakure forehead protectors.
At this stage, Hanzō's desire to eliminate them was no more than a concept; it had not yet become reality.
As for the condition he proposed to Danzō—that Konoha would provide assistance if necessary after peace was achieved—it was not a firm or immediate demand. Only after Hanzō had truly exhausted all options and confirmed that he could not deal with Akatsuki on his own would he likely seek Konoha's help.
Given certain aspects of Hanzō's cautious personality, this request was nothing more than an insurance policy.
Judging from the outcome of the talks, Danzō, that scheming old man, agreed to the condition in principle. The remaining step was simply to report the matter to the Hokage and obtain formal approval.
In truth, even if the Hokage were to refuse, Danzō could still agree to it on his own—he would merely need to act more discreetly.
This was because Danzō possessed forces directly under his personal command, power he could deploy freely. If necessary, it was entirely possible for him to carry out covert operations without the Hokage's knowledge. It wasn't as though he hadn't done such things before—and he felt no psychological burden whatsoever when doing so, because Danzō firmly believed in a single principle:
"Everything I do is for Konoha."
Although nominally constrained by the Hokage, the very existence of Root (Ne) granted Danzō a high degree of practical autonomy.
It was precisely because of this collusion between the two old men that a once-upstanding young man was eventually driven down the path of darkness, becoming one of the culprits who would seek to destroy the world.
And yet, this alliance was something Yuui could not prevent.
Even if Yuui had possessed the power to disrupt the agreement between them, it likely would have been futile. Nagato's actions were being guided by a hidden manipulator behind the scenes; his descent into darkness was a "destiny" all its own.
Throughout the entire process, Yuui bore witness to the insidious deal struck between the two old men, but from beginning to end, he remained nothing more than an observer.
Calculating the time, the negotiations had taken less than half an hour in total. Once a basic agreement had been reached, Danzō immediately chose to leave the Land of Rain.
The two sides would certainly have further contact later to negotiate the finer details, but for now, Amegakure's surrender was a foregone conclusion.
As for when Hanzō would actually demand that Konoha—or rather, Danzō—fulfill their promised obligation, only heaven knew.
But it likely wouldn't be anytime soon.
Even if Hanzō wanted to resolve the Akatsuki issue as quickly as possible, and even if he were to submit a request to Konoha immediately, Danzō would not dispatch personnel right away.
First, if Konoha helped Hanzō too quickly, what if he turned around and reneged on the agreement, tearing it up and resuming the war against Konoha? That possibility absolutely existed. Hanzō's character was probably even worse than Danzō's. Anyone who believed a mere piece of paper could truly restrain that temperamental so-called "demigod" would be the real fool.
Second, Danzō would be more than happy to see the Land of Rain remain in chaos a while longer—ideally using the opportunity to further weaken Amegakure's strength.
This was not dark speculation about Danzō's mindset. In fact, it could be said with near certainty that such thoughts had crossed his mind.
And if Hanzō happened to be killed amid Amegakure's internal turmoil…
Just imagining it was a little exciting.
The squad withdrew even faster than they had entered the Land of Rain. Once they reentered the Land of Fire, Yuui's team quickly separated from Danzō and his three companions, each going on to their own assignments.
None of the four members of Yuui's squad had any desire to remain near someone as cold and oppressive as Danzō.
Danzō's policies might be right or wrong, but it had to be admitted that he could, at times, inspire a grudging respect. Nevertheless, he was not—and never could be—the sort of man who made others feel close to him. He would never become a Hokage like the Third or Fourth Hokage.
Afterward, Yuui's team returned to the Iwagakure front, where they reported the full details of what had transpired to Jiraiya. After that, the matter no longer concerned them.
How the higher-ups ultimately discussed and handled the issue was unknown to Yuui. However, one month later, news arrived that Konoha and Amegakure had achieved peace and formally signed an alliance treaty.
Peace was followed by yet more peace.
Although this event lacked the impact of forcing Sunagakure into submission earlier, Konoha had now achieved consecutive victories, effectively subduing both the Wind and Rain countries. For a time, it seemed as though victory in the Third Great Ninja War was within reach. Morale among Konoha's shinobi soared, and talk of a swift victory spread everywhere.
But war was never that simple.
For Konoha, Amegakure was something of a mixed blessing. It harassed them frequently, yet it was not worth committing overwhelming force to attack such a small nation. In reality, despite the declaration of peace, the situation brought little tangible change to the front lines—aside from its psychological impact.
Most visibly, Konoha made virtually no adjustments to its overall strategy or deployment after Amegakure's surrender. Combat intensity against Iwagakure and Kumogakure remained extremely high.
The three-sided conflict continued, with victories and defeats on all fronts. No single party could claim an absolute advantage.
Yuui's team, meanwhile, was reassigned from a reconnaissance unit back into a combat unit, with Kumogakure as their primary opponent.
After Konoha's two consecutive victories, Kumogakure abruptly intensified its offensive against Konoha compared to Iwagakure, forcing Konoha to commit additional troops.
It was under these conditions that Yuui's team fought continuously for an entire year.
During that year, Yuui's strength as a shinobi increased rapidly—most notably through the physical development typical of a growing ninja, as well as a significant increase in chakra reserves.
Unfortunately, a year of growth did not grant Yuui a dramatic transformation akin to a protagonist's mid-series evolution. In the end, his face still looked like an awkward three-to-seven blend of "prince" and "princess."
Skin was still skin. There was no point hoping for any fundamental change in his appearance.
Given Kumogakure's formidable power—rivaling Konoha's—and the intensity of the fighting on this front, Yuui had assumed he would remain here until the war ended.
Yet just as his team entered a rest and reorganization period, he suddenly received an extremely urgent mission.
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