With the intelligence Aaron brought back from the Grass Village's Anbu and the three captured operatives, Minato moved quickly.
Konoha dispatched envoys and issued an ultimatum:
Either the Hidden Grass would pay reparations and sign a renewed alliance treaty…
Or Konoha would declare war.
The Grass Village leader had already anticipated this.
After all, the "leaked intelligence" had been part of the plan from the start.
He stalled for two days, putting on a show of hesitation before ultimately agreeing to compensation and a new treaty.
Of course, while they agreed to pay, the actual amount was… open for discussion.
And that was where things would get complicated.
Aaron was assigned to Konoha's negotiation team
Not just as a member, but as the vice leader.
And that position hadn't come easily.
Minato had practically argued his way into it.
When Minato first proposed it, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, raised an eyebrow.
"…Aaron? Who's that?"
Minato chose his words carefully.
"He's the captain of a newly formed Anbu squad. The intelligence we obtained from the Grass Village; he's the one responsible. He's capable. More than capable."
Hiruzen considered that, then had Aaron's file brought in.
After reading it, he frowned.
"Minato… this candidate is questionable. He's too young, only twenty-three. And just a chunin."
"His mission record is thin. Only a handful of B-rank missions, no A-rank or above. He lacks experience."
(The S-rank mission hadn't been processed yet.)
Minato met his gaze without backing down.
"Young doesn't mean unqualified. I'm twenty-three too and you trusted me with the role of Hokage."
"And Aaron's ability can't be judged by paperwork alone. He possesses… exceptional strength."
Hiruzen stroked his beard, thinking.
He had noticed something else in the file, Aaron seemed close to Minato.
That raised concerns.
Minato was talented, no doubt but still young. That was exactly why Hiruzen believed he needed guidance.
Seeing the hesitation, Minato spoke firmly:
"I stake my reputation on it. Aaron is more than qualified to serve as vice leader."
That settled it.
Even the usually gentle Minato rarely spoke with that level of conviction.
Hiruzen relented.
As for the team leader
That position was decided by nomination and vote among Konoha's leadership.
But in reality, everyone knew how that worked.
Between the Hokage, the advisors, and the elders, influence wasn't exactly evenly distributed.
In the end, the role went to Nara.
A solid choice.
If there was one thing you could always count on, it was the Nara clan's brains.
Aaron had no objections there.
What did concern him…
Was that Danzo Shimura had also inserted someone into the team as an additional vice leader.
That immediately put him on guard.
Whenever Danzo got involved, things had a way of turning ugly.
If not for the consequences, Aaron would've preferred a much simpler solution, storm Root headquarters and settle the problem permanently.
But that would make him a rogue ninja on the spot.
And things were different now.
He was tied to Konoha.
Its growth meant his growth.
If he wanted to change the system, he had to work within it.
Still…
If an opportunity came to trip Danzo up?
He wouldn't hesitate.
While Aaron was still considering how the Grass Village might retaliate against Danzo's interference
The Grass delegation arrived.
Negotiations began.
In a designated conference room, both sides took their seats across a long wooden table.
Nara opened the discussion without wasting time.
"This incident has caused significant damage to Konoha," he began calmly. "It nearly destabilized relations between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, and put our shinobi at risk…"
The Grass representatives exchanged looks.
Significant damage?
A single tokubetsu jonin and three chunin?
But they were in no position to argue.
They stayed silent and let him finish.
When Nara finally wrapped up his list of grievances, the Grass team leader spoke.
"We deeply regret what happened. We are willing to compensate Konoha for its losses and hope to restore friendly relations."
In other words:
Let's skip the speeches. Name your price.
Shikaku smiled faintly.
"Konoha also values peace and cooperation. A modest compensation of… ten billion ryo should suffice."
The Grass leader's smile froze.
He knew it was a high opening offer
…but ten billion?!
That wasn't negotiation, that was a declaration of war in numbers.
For perspective:
An S-rank mission, the highest classification started at around one million ryo.
Ten billion?
That was the equivalent of ten thousand S-rank missions.
Even selling off half their resources wouldn't cover it.
Still, he forced himself to stay composed.
"The Grass Village is… not a wealthy nation," he said carefully. "We simply cannot afford such a sum. At most… we could offer one hundred million ryo."
A 99% cut.
Even street vendors would call that aggressive bargaining.
Shikaku's smile disappeared.
"One hundred million wouldn't even begin to cover the losses," he said flatly.
Nice try.
The Grass leader pressed on, looking pained.
"Then perhaps… two hundred million? It's not unwillingness just… financial reality."
Translation:
We're broke. Can we call it two hundred million and move on?
And just like that
The real negotiation began.
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