Tsunade's face bore a look of quiet liberation. As far as Konoha was concerned, she had finally let go.
She had already changed into the outfit any naruto fan recognized best—specifically that green haori with the kanji for "Gamble" on the back. It radiated "shady middle-aged gambler" energy.
Tsunade herself traveled light, carrying nothing, while Shizune followed closely behind lugging a massive overstuffed backpack.
"Konoha is a treasure left behind by my grandfathers. The First fought for it his entire life, the Second died protecting it, the Third walked onto the battlefield himself, and even I have fought for so long..."
"In short, I've paid too high a price for this 'jewel.' I've lost too much. I'm tired now. This battle was my final duty to the village."
"The job is done. It's time for me to leave."
"Say goodbye to Kushina for me. And... kid, try not to die."
Those were her final words to him.
No one knew exactly what Hagoromo was feeling in that moment, but his tone remained breezy. Perhaps a part of him was genuinely happy that she was escaping a battlefield she loathed.
"Yeah, I know. I've got to stick around for another ten years just to see if you're still shameless enough to keep up this 'young girl' act when you're an old bag—"
Before he could finish the sentence, or even finish scanning her with his eyes, he was sent flying by a punch.
It was a very pleasant goodbye.
"Ten years" rolled off the tongue easily, but when—or if—he would ever see her again was anyone's guess. To the current Tsunade, Konoha wasn't the same village it used to be. It held too many ghosts, too many things she never wanted to see again. She left with a clean break.
That morning, Hagoromo was the sole witness as Tsunade walked out of the camp and vanished into the horizon. She walked away with her back to him, giving a lazy wave of her arm without once looking back.
She was truly, deeply sick of war.
Where she would go, Hagoromo didn't know. No one did. But he suspected that soon enough, rumors would begin to spread across the nations about a certain "Legendary Sucker" who lost every bet she placed...
Tsunade's departure was silent and immediate. The rank-and-file shinobi were kept entirely in the dark—a deliberate move by the Hokage. If the news leaked, it would tank morale and potentially embolden the Sand to try something desperate, like deploying Lady Chiyo for a counter-strike.
One of the Sannin, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, and the world's greatest medical ninja deserting during a world war? That was a massive scandal.
As long as the Third Hokage possessed a functioning brain—or even just a brainstem—he wasn't going to let that secret out.
Fortunately, everyone was currently obsessed with Suna's surrender. While some wondered where the Slug Princess had gone, most assumed she was just busy. They didn't realize her disappearance wasn't temporary; it was permanent.
Within seven days of her departure, Konoha and Suna envoys met five times in rapid succession to hammer out the peace treaty. Eventually, they reached a consensus on several key points:
Surrender & Peace: Suna would submit a formal letter of surrender. Both nations would sign a peace treaty; from that day forward, hostilities would cease. Suna was forbidden from any form of provocation, or they would face the consequences.
The Alliance: A formal alliance was established. Suna would become Konoha's ally, and the Land of Wind an allied nation to the Land of Fire. For the remainder of the Third Ninja War, Suna had to ensure that Iwa forces could not cross through the Land of Wind to attack Konoha's front. They were to cooperate against the Stone.
Border Restrictions: Suna shinobi were barred from entering the Land of Fire except for diplomatic business. They were prohibited from any further retaliation or occupation in the Land of Rivers. Suna's standing force at the border was capped at 300, intended for reconnaissance only. Of those, Jonin could not exceed 10%—meaning a maximum of 30 Jonin could be stationed at the border.
Prisoner Exchange: All Konoha prisoners captured by Suna during the war must be returned, and vice versa.
Economic Sanctions: For the next fifteen years, Suna was prohibited from accepting missions from neighboring small nations, whether requested or not.
Reparations: The Land of Wind must sue for peace with the Land of Fire and pay war reparations, the specific amount to be negotiated by the respective Daimyos.
The first three points were relatively easy. Suna had the self-awareness of a defeated nation. Even though the terms were heavily skewed, they had to swallow their pride. That was the victor's right and the loser's burden.
Take the third point: 300 ninjas at the border might sound like enough for security, but with a cap of only 30 Jonin, Suna was essentially leaving their front door unlocked for Konoha.
Meanwhile, Konoha would undoubtedly keep a force that matched or exceeded Suna's in number, but far surpassed them in quality.
The fourth point was standard procedure—clearing the books after a war. However, returned prisoners would face rigorous screening to ensure no sleeper agents were slipped back in. Peace is just a pause between two wars; expecting "trust" between villages was a fairy tale.
The real sticking point, however, was Article Five.
The subtext was clear: for the next decade, Suna was expected to focus purely on domestic trade. International business was off the table.
In this world, shinobi lived and breathed by their missions. Competition for contracts between villages was cutthroat. Small nations like the Land of Rivers, which lacked their own hidden villages, usually chose between the Leaf and the Sand.
By banning Suna from taking those jobs, Konoha was effectively cutting their throat.
For the Sand, Article Five was a long-term plan to starve them into irrelevance.