Konoha had already made its decision regarding Kumogakure's war reparations. Under Jie Uchiha's strict orders, there was absolutely no way Kumo would be allowed to pay a single ryo less than Iwagakure.
Orochimaru bluntly read out the terms of Iwagakure's compensation.
Hearing the terrifying figures, Mabui gasped. This wasn't just going overboard. Konoha was practically trying to sever Kumo's lifeblood!
Faced with such an astronomical sum, Mabui couldn't bring herself to agree, even with her full authority as Kumogakure's representative. Signing those terms would be akin to handing over the village's entire future on a silver platter.
Thus, the first round of negotiations ended on a sour note.
While Mabui racked her brain for a way to amend the terms, sudden news reached her ears. The Iwa delegation had already signed their treaty.
'What kind of terms did Konoha offer for Iwa to agree so readily?' she wondered, completely bewildered.
She sent her subordinates to gather intelligence, only to be hit with a shocking revelation. The compensation demanded from both villages was exactly the same.
Knowing this, Mabui's mental state finally leveled out. Human nature was funny like that. When suffering alone, any negative outcome was unacceptable. But seeing someone else suffering just as much—if not more—suddenly made one's own hardships seem not so bad.
Since Iwa had already agreed to such harsh terms, Mabui knew she couldn't negotiate a wildly different deal. So, her new objective was simple... make Kumo pay just a tiny bit less than Iwa.
Even if they had to cough up a massive sum, having a more miserable Iwagakure to compare themselves to would make it much easier for Kumo's shinobi to swallow the bitter pill.
The next day, Mabui eagerly sought out Orochimaru. She requested a one percent reduction across all compensation categories.
A single percent might not sound like much, but given the sheer magnitude of the reparations, it was enough to make an entire clan filthy rich.
Orochimaru pondered for a moment before agreeing to the request. It was just one percent. Compared to the total payout from two great ninja villages, it was a drop in the bucket. For Konoha, securing the reparations quickly was the top priority.
With Orochimaru's guarantee, Mabui decisively signed the treaty.
According to the agreement, all reparations would be settled over ten years. Each scheduled payment would be personally escorted to Konoha by Iwa and Kumo shinobi. The very first shipment of supplies was due in exactly one month.
Because of this tight deadline, both Mabui and Kitsuchi had to rush back to their respective villages to start gathering the required resources.
As they departed Konoha, Mabui caught sight of the grim expressions on the Iwa shinobi's faces. A surge of profound satisfaction swelled in her chest.
'In the end, Kumogakure is still superior. We're paying a whole percent less than you Iwa fools.'
Kitsuchi noticed the faint smile playing on Mabui's lips and felt a twinge of confusion.
'Is this woman's brain broken? How can she still smile after being extorted so ruthlessly by Konoha?'
Then again, remembering that the collective intelligence of Kumo shinobi had always been questionable—they had, after all, just elected a Tailed Beast's Jinchuriki as their Raikage—Kitsuchi quickly let it go.
Once both delegations left Konoha, Jie Uchiha's happy days finally arrived.
With the Think Tank led by Orochimaru handling all government affairs, and the Secretariat managed by Tsunade and Shikaku acting as gatekeepers, Jie was completely unburdened.
He spent his days wandering around the village under the guise of "inspections." Or, he took over for Jiraiya—who had yet to return from Mount Myoboku—to bark orders at Konoha's various departments.
It was a fairy-tale existence, and Jie enjoyed every second of it.
This leisurely life lasted for exactly three days before Jiraiya finally returned from Mount Myoboku. Hearing the news, Jie was ecstatic. He fully intended to dump the General Staff's workload right onto the Sannin's shoulders.
However, he didn't expect Jiraiya to seek him out the exact moment he set foot in the village.
"What's wrong, Jiraiya?" Jie asked from his seat in the Hokage's office, taking in the man's unnervingly grave expression. "Did something happen at Mount Myoboku? Do you need my help?"
Jiraiya shook his head. He stared at Jie with complex eyes. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and heavy.
"Jie Uchiha... will there ever come a day when you want to destroy the entire shinobi world?"
Jie blanked.
'Did Jiraiya eat too many bugs at Mount Myoboku? Has his brain completely rotted? The man hadn't even addressed him as Hokage upon returning. Instead, he was spouting these bizarre, nonsensical questions.'
Still, Jie pondered the question for a moment before answering indifferently.
"Perhaps."
He leaned back. "If there ever comes a day when the person I love—the person I want to protect—dies on me... maybe then I'd use the entire shinobi world as a sacrifice to bring her back."
Jiraiya shuddered violently at the response. He looked up at Jie, muttering under his breath.
"So that's how it is... Is this what the Great Toad Sage's prophecy was trying to tell me?"
Jie's sharp ears caught the muttering. He frowned. "The Great Toad Sage?"
Jiraiya nodded, a bitter smile surfacing on his face. "Yes. The ancestor of Mount Myoboku. The Great Toad Sage who has lived for an unknowable amount of time."
"During the war with Iwagakure, I summoned Gamabunta. When he returned to the summoning realm, he suddenly informed me that the Great Toad Sage had a new prophecy."
Jie nodded thoughtfully. "So this so-called prophecy is about me potentially destroying the world?"
Jiraiya's bitter smile deepened.
"I waited at Mount Myoboku for three whole days until the Great Toad Sage finally woke up," he explained quietly. "The very first thing he did upon waking was deliver a prophecy..."
"A youth with crimson eyes, a shinobi world consumed by the flames of war, a goddess with supreme visual prowess, the end of all things!"
Jiraiya's voice was heavy. "Right after delivering it, the Great Toad Sage fell back into a deep slumber."
Hearing Jiraiya's words Jie furrowed his brow.
Taken literally, it meant a young man with crimson eyes would ignite a massive war across the shinobi world. Then, a goddess possessing the ultimate visual prowess would bring about the apocalypse.
The 'youth with crimson eyes' obviously referred to a young Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan. And out of all the Uchiha clan members, Jie was the youngest and the strongest.
No wonder Jiraiya thought the youth in the prophecy was him. It finally made sense why the Sannin had barged in and immediately asked if he was planning to destroy the world.
As for the 'goddess with supreme visual prowess'? That undoubtedly referred to a resurrected Kaguya Otsutsuki wielding the nine-tomoe Rinne Sharingan.
And 'the end of all things' clearly pointed to the Infinite Tsukuyomi—a world where everyone would be trapped in an eternal illusion, captured by the Divine Tree, and reduced to mere tools for harvesting chakra.
It all lined up perfectly.
However, having deciphered the prophecy's true meaning, a cold smirk crept onto Jie's face.
Unfortunately for them, Jie Uchiha never believed in so-called prophecies.
And if it was coming from the mouth of that old toad at Mount Myoboku?
He didn't believe a single word of it.
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