The Cloud Ninja have surrendered!

The war is over!

Many people have been debating whether this conflict should be considered the Fourth Great Ninja War. Since the middle of the year, Konoha first fought a fierce battle with the Mist Ninja, followed by prolonged entanglement with the Cloud Ninja. Meanwhile, the Stone Ninja also became active, with four of the Five Great Ninja Villages involved. Only the Sand Village stayed out of the chaos, focusing on recuperating within their own borders.

However, this debate quickly subsided. The skirmishes this year didn't reach the scale of a true Great Ninja War, which typically involves nearly the entire ninja world, lasts for years, and is a hellish bloodbath. This year's events were more like aftershocks from the Third Great Ninja War.

"Finally, it's over."

Standing at the camp's entrance, Jiraiya looked at the empty encampment and sighed deeply. Konoha had won, but just like in previous wars, it was a bitter victory. Not counting the Mist and Hot Springs Ninjas, fewer than 2,000 Konoha ninjas returned alive. The battlefield was littered with the bodies of the fallen, and many left not even a trace of ashes to be recovered.

The tragic sight stirred up old, melancholic memories.

The so-called Sannin—

They were made legends by war, yet also shattered by it. When he, Orochimaru, and Tsunade first set foot on the battlefield, they were full of youthful spirit. But the brutal, meat-grinder battles crushed their idealism. Tsunade, devastated by the loss of her brother and lover, developed a fear of blood. Orochimaru, after witnessing so much death, turned down a dark path...

As for Jiraiya himself, he sighed again. The breakup of the Sannin solidified his resolve to fulfill the mission foretold by the Great Toad Sage. He was tired of this war-torn world and determined to find the Child of Prophecy who could bring about change and peace to the ninja world.

"Jiraiya-sama? Jiraiya-sama?"

Nara Suzaku had to call out several times to pull Jiraiya from his thoughts.

"Huh? Suzaku, what were you saying again?" Jiraiya shook off the memories and refocused, his eyes showing a hint of impatience.

"Lord Sougen asked for your input on the negotiations with the Cloud Ninja," Nara Suzaku repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Please tell the Hokage's advisor that I won't be participating. From the moment the Cloud Ninja surrendered, my job was done. I'm just a carefree wanderer. Let the Hokage's advisor handle it as he sees fit. Once everything here is settled, I'll return to the village."

Jiraiya made his refusal clear.

His mission was to find and guide the Child of Prophecy. He had no interest in the village's internal politics. Fighting in the war for the village's safety was already his limit; he didn't want to get any more entangled.

"Jiraiya-sama..."

"Suzaku, just go. Don't waste any more time here."

"...Understood, Jiraiya-sama."

Nara Suzaku left, clearly frustrated. As a smart man, he had sensed Jiraiya's impatience early on, but he still hoped to convince him to join the negotiations. After all, aside from Jiraiya, no one on the frontlines could stand up to Uchiha Sougen.

Victory had given Uchiha Sougen immense influence.

Even Hyuga Hiashi had little say now, as the negotiations with the Cloud Ninja were completely led by Uchiha Sougen. If this continued, by the end of the negotiations, Sougen's influence might grow enough to threaten the Hokage's position.

This was something many among the Ino-Shika-Cho clans could not tolerate. Having tasted power, they weren't willing to give it up and go back to surviving on the scraps left by the Sarutobi clan. Even some of the usually laid-back, intelligent Nara clan members were becoming intoxicated by the allure of power.

To protect the Hokage's position, they schemed endlessly against Uchiha Sougen. It didn't matter whether Sougen actually had any ambitions of usurping power. The problem was that they believed he had the ability to do so, and that was enough to make him a threat.

"Sigh, what a mess..."

Watching Nara Suzaku leave, Jiraiya shook his head. He held back the words that were on the tip of his tongue. Since he had already decided not to get involved in the village's politics, there was no need to make unnecessary remarks. Half the world's problems come from people who can't hold their tongues.

"Hmm?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in surprise. In the next second, a puff of smoke signaled his disappearance from the camp entrance, causing a brief commotion. But soon, a Jonin arrived, speculating that it must have been a reverse summoning, not an attack.

The guess was correct.

Jiraiya had left the snowy battlefield of the Land of Hot Water and arrived at the warm, spring-like Mount Myoboku.

"Boss, Ma'am, what's going on?"

Jiraiya asked, confused as he looked at the two small but authoritative toads that had summoned him—Fukasaku and Shima, the elder sages of Mount Myoboku. They were trusted confidants of the Great Toad Sage and had been crucial in helping Jiraiya achieve his current strength.

"Jiraiya, bad news! Something big has happened! We're doomed! It's really the end!"

The speaker was Shima, a small, green-skinned toad with purple hair and lips. She looked like a typical housewife, complete with an apron, and spoke quickly, like someone used to managing a household. But Jiraiya knew better than to underestimate her. She was a top-tier fighter whom he called "Ma'am."

Listening to her rapid-fire speech, Jiraiya felt lost.

"Ma'am, slow down! You're making Jiraiya confused," said Fukasaku, an elderly toad dressed in a black cloak.

"Boss, what's going on? Did something happen at Mount Myoboku?" Jiraiya asked as he scanned the familiar surroundings, which looked unchanged. The toads seemed to be going about their usual business.

"It's the Great Toad Sage," Fukasaku said with a serious expression. Despite being over 800 years old, he still commanded immense respect among the toads.

"The Great Toad Sage just made a new prophecy."

"What?"

Jiraiya was stunned.

————

When Sougen learned that Jiraiya had refused to join the negotiations with the Cloud Ninja, he calmly accepted the news. Being rejected was expected. A man who could give up the Hokage's position so easily wouldn't jump into the village's political fray again.

"Since Jiraiya has declined, we'll have to handle these matters ourselves. Any thoughts or ideas, feel free to share."

Sougen looked at the people sitting around him.

Seated on either side of him were Hyuga Hiashi, Aburame Shibi, and Nara Suzaku.

The group was quite small. Jiraiya was supposed to be here as well, but he refused, so only a few of them were left. Hyuga Hiashi and Aburame Shibi were naturally present, as the heads of two major clans with significant influence in the camp. Even someone as strong-willed as Uchiha Sougen couldn't overrule them.

Nara Suzaku represented the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, as none of their clan heads had come to the frontlines. As the eldest, Suzaku participated in the meeting. As for the others, there was no one qualified to sit at this table.

With Sougen present, the Uchiha clan didn't need to send anyone else. Other clans, like Inuzuka, had strong members in their ranks, but without their heads on the frontline, they lacked sufficient authority. As for the Mist and Hot Springs ninjas, they had no right to be involved in such matters.

Of course, as allies, Konoha would certainly compensate them later for their contributions.

"Assistant Hokage, do we need to consult the village before negotiating with the Cloud ninjas?" Nara Suzaku asked.

"We can, but it's not necessary to wait for orders. Before we set out, Lord Hokage gave me the authority to handle Cloud-related matters. We can negotiate while we wait for instructions from the village. Negotiations may take time, and when Hokage's orders arrive, we can adjust as needed," Sougen replied patiently.

"Assistant Hokage, my brother... my Hyuga clan must have the body that Cloud ninja took returned to us," Hiashi said, barely concealing his agitation.

"Of course, but that will be part of the negotiations. Does anyone have other concerns about negotiating with Cloud?"

"As long as the village doesn't get the short end of the stick," Aburame Shibi added meaningfully.

Back during the Third Ninja War, the Third Hokage had given up on claiming compensation from the Rock ninjas to end the conflict quickly. He even made covert deals with them, giving them considerable benefits. Despite Konoha's advantage after the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, it had seemed like Konoha was the one who lost.

"Don't worry. Cloud won't walk away without paying a steep price this time. Honestly, they've got plenty of things worth taking!" Sougen smiled confidently.

With both the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails Jinchuriki captured, and young talents like Darui in Konoha's custody, Cloud was in a vulnerable position. Not to mention their morale-crushed army of ten thousand defeated ninjas. If the Fourth Raikage wanted to avoid losing his forces and all of their Tailed Beasts, Cloud would be forced to negotiate from a weak position.

In Sougen's eyes, Cloud ninjas were like fish on a chopping block, ready to be cut up at will.

If they dared to resist, he wouldn't hesitate to use force to teach them what defeat really meant.

"This is the list of demands for the negotiations. Take a look and see if there are any issues." Sougen handed over several thin sheets of paper. Uchiha Futaba, who had been quietly standing behind him like a statue, came to life and distributed the list to the three others.

The densely packed names and large figures didn't surprise them. They were seasoned leaders and had seen such numbers before. What really caught their attention were the last few items on the list.

"Cloud isn't going to hand over things like training methods for the Lightning Release Chakra Mode or techniques like Hell Stab and Black Lightning, right?" Hiashi asked, uncertain.

"Ask for the sky, settle for what you really need. To make up for what we've lost and calm my anger, money alone won't cut it. Cloud needs to bleed. Of course, how much we get depends on the negotiations," Sougen said with a smile, though Hiashi thought he looked like a giant snake ready to swallow its prey whole.

"What's this Turtle Island?" Aburame Shibi asked, intrigued by the strange name at the bottom of the list.

Looking at the odd name, he couldn't help but feel puzzled. What was it that made Turtle Island valuable enough to be on the compensation list?

"Turtle Island... that's something I'm determined to get. You all remember how we've been trying to extract the memories of the perfect Jinchuriki we captured to learn how they became perfect, right?"

"Does that mean Turtle Island is related to perfect Jinchuriki?" Nara Suzaku couldn't hide his excitement.

After all, he knew that the stronger the village, the more his clan would benefit.

"Exactly! According to our intel, both of Cloud's perfect Jinchuriki are connected to Turtle Island. Of course, having the island doesn't guarantee the creation of perfect Jinchuriki, but it increases the possibility."

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