The situation had been dire. Any significant disturbance could have shattered the fragile atmosphere of the negotiations, so a decision was made in the heat of the moment to choose an instantaneous, total annihilation of the enemy...
On paper, the logic held up.
Because of that, no one could really say Hagoromo had made a mistake; at worst, his consideration of the finer details was just a bit lacking. Or perhaps his consideration was too thorough, but he simply lacked a method refined enough to safely secure a prisoner from thirty meters underground.
Regardless, following the incident, the enemy had been dealt with in total silence. However, since no one could be 100% certain that those sixteen were the only infiltrators, the Konoha shinobi cranked their alert level to the maximum. They began an intensive sweep of every sector, paying special attention to the sub-surface depths they had previously overlooked.
Unfortunately, Hagoromo was tapped out and couldn't summon his bird. His team was forced to conduct a traditional, grueling "carpet search" on foot.
Luckily, the power of the Byakugan remained a decisive factor. Thanks to Hizashi Hyuga, their sensory range was still massive, though their actual mobility was significantly hampered compared to the other squads.
Yet, no matter how many times they swept the area, the Konoha ninjas found nothing else. It seemed sixteen was the absolute limit for an Amegakure infiltration; any more would have been too conspicuous to hide from the sensory net.
As the final hour approached, Konoha called off the search. The scouting cells began to collapse back toward the center, converging on Minato's position. Once the team was whole, they marched toward the heart of the Forbidden Zone to rendezvous with the Hokage.
Suna's guards were doing the exact same thing.
By the time they arrived, the signing ceremony for the peace treaty had reached its climax. As one of the thirty-two elite guards, Hagoromo stood as a silent witness to a turning point in history.
The Third Hokage, face set in a mask of solemn gravity, exchanged the official documents with the Fourth Kazekage, whose expression was even grimmer. Then, almost simultaneously, the two leaders reached out and clasped hands.
With that single handshake, the conflict between the Leaf and the Sand—officially came to an end.
The victor was Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Nations. Through years of relentless grinding, on battlefields that shifted with the seasons, the Leaf shinobi had used their blood and lives to dismantle Suna's ambitions piece by piece.
The war was won, but the key figure who had led this front to victory was already long gone.
"The war is over."
The moment the Kages let go of each other's hands, Hagoromo caught the faint murmur from Minato standing beside him.
He knew Minato was referring specifically to this front, not the entire global conflict. Still, there was a palpable sense of longing in the man's voice—a quiet hope for the day when the Great War would truly, finally end.
But that day was still a distant shadow on the horizon. Peace had arrived here, but the Third Ninja World War would rage on elsewhere, claiming lives in a cycle that seemed to have no end.
Hearing Minato's words, Hagoromo tilted his head to look at him. Sensing the gaze, Minato looked down and offered him a characteristic, warm smile.
Minato was full of confidence. If Konoha could defeat the Sand, they could defeat any other village that stood in their way. In the eyes of Jiraiya, Minato was the "Child of Prophecy." Whether that prophecy was true or not, he was undeniably the man who would pilot Konoha toward its ultimate victory in this era.
Looking at that radiant self-assurance, Hagoromo couldn't help but feel that the title of "Fourth Hokage" was already a perfect fit for the man.
Shinobi actions speak louder than words. After the exchange of documents, the Third Hokage and Fourth Kazekage wasted no time on pleasantries. They turned and led their respective teams away from the center.
The victor gathers the fruits of success; the loser pays the bitter price and slinks away into the dust. There was nothing left to say.
"Lord Hokage..."
As the guards escorted Hiruzen Sarutobi back toward the extraction point, Minato delivered his report on the recent incident.
Signs of Amegakure activity had been found within the Forbidden Zone. However, because the enemies had been completely erased, their specific intent and confirmed identities remained impossible to verify through physical evidence.
In fact, strictly speaking, they couldn't even prove for certain that the men were from the Rain.
The problem was that the Reverse Four Symbols Seal was too effective. It didn't even leave a stray hair behind, let alone a meaningful clue or a headband. At this point, the entire intelligence value of the event rested solely on the verbal accounts of Hizashi Hyuga and Hagoromo.
"I see. Hagoromo did well."
From the Hokage's perspective, Hagoromo's handling of the situation was commendable. In the world of high-level leadership, results often outweigh the process. Hagoromo had neutralized a potential catastrophe that could have derailed the peace summit. If that wasn't a "meritorious service," nothing was.
As for the enemy's intent? It wasn't hard to guess. They wanted to incinerate the paper-thin trust—or rather, the basic "consensus"—between Suna and Konoha. They wanted the war to continue, bleeding both sides dry.
The plan had failed. That was a tragedy for the Rain, but a blessing for the Leaf and the Sand.
The Hokage's squad moved with speed. Their pace only slowed once they merged with the 500-man blockade at the perimeter. Despite the minor detour into a void-creating forbidden jutsu, the Hokage was bringing back the news everyone had been waiting for: Peace.
If they were back in the village, the celebrations and fireworks would have already begun. But they were still in a foreign land—one that had been "enemy territory" only hours prior. These were shinobi, not civilians; they were trained to keep a tight lid on their emotions.
They felt the joy, yes, but they wouldn't let it show.
According to the treaty, Konoha had three days to vacate the Land of Wind. However, the Hokage saw no reason to linger. Once you've taken what you came for, it's best to leave before the neighbors get cranky. Staying for the full three days would just be seen as an arrogant flex.
The fight is over, yet you're still loitering on my lawn with 500 armed men? What's the message here?
By that afternoon, the first waves of the withdrawal had begun. Based on logistics, the army wouldn't head straight to Konoha yet; they would establish a temporary staging ground on the border of the Land of Fire.
The first to leave were the medical units and the critically wounded, escorted by a unit of shinobi. The rest were scheduled to move out the following morning.
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