"Do you think we'd give you special treatment just to recruit you? Impossible. You'll get the same terms as every other village."
They were already incredibly fortunate to receive these conditions. The only reason they were even allowed into the Allied Ninja Forces was for the sake of stability across the ninja world—not so they could sign separate treaties and spark another war within three years. At the time, other villages had suggested trying to recruit Iwagakure, but they had ignored all offers, acting as if none of it concerned them.
Now, they no longer mattered. If the other villages wanted, they could simply let Iwagakure perish on its own.
Naruto pushed the scroll back and said:
"You have no authority or influence within the Allied Ninja Forces—no one, not even the smallest villages, will listen to you. And you have no claim over the spoils of war—you weren't even involved in the fighting. True, losing a thousand shinobi is devastating—but it's on you. You were the ones who attacked Amegakure first."
"You really think cutting us out is your strongest play?" Onoki shot back. He shoved the scroll aside like trash. "Are you certain this reflects the consensus of the Allied Forces? Do all those small villages truly agree?"
"Of course. When you attacked Amegakure, they sent plenty of troops too. Besides, you don't even have a single tailed beast. So I'd advise you to accept our terms—quietly, and without trying any underhanded tactics. The other four villages work together just fine—we fight side by side, support each other, while you've been sitting back, just waiting to reap the rewards at the last second."
In fact, Sunagakure wouldn't mind another reason to pick a fight—if Iwagakure kept refusing to cooperate. They hadn't forgotten Iwagakure's past ambitions—trying to annex Sunagakure was nothing more than a daydream.
If Iwagakure continued to dig in stubbornly, the Five Great Nations would soon be reduced to Four.
"Just how much real authority do you believe you wield?" Onoki asked, his gaze sharp as he stared at Naruto. "I'm not talking about Konoha—I mean *you* personally. You're just a brash kid. I could end your life whenever I pleased."
Finally, Naruto's stern mask finally cracked—just slightly—as the corner of his lips curled upward. "Maybe," he admitted honestly. After all, this was Iwagakure, and standing before him was the Tsuchikage. "...but I've built relationships with every other Kage. Right now, they trust my voice more than yours."
If he wanted a fight, whether it's over old wounds or full-scale war, Naruto wouldn't back down. As for the outcome—well, that would be up to fate. But Onoki was a cautious man; he wouldn't gamble recklessly at a time like this.
What terrified him was how dramatically the world had changed during his slumber. His entire life had been spent learning the game of power, yet now the rules had shifted. To survive in this new world, he had no choice but to master them.
He gazed helplessly at the younger man before him, offering a wry smile.
"This is the successor Tsunade groomed?"
"Not quite."
Naruto answered bluntly, "He's the Hokage jointly groomed by Lady Tsunade, Master Jiraiya, and Danzo-sama." He stood up, his tone full of confidence and pride. "Think it over carefully, Lord Tsuchikage. We're all waiting for your response."
******
"Tayuya..." On the way back to Konoha, Naruto said to the guard walking beside him, "Stop laughing. I'm serious—it's not funny at all."
"I heard everything with my own ears," Tayuya laughed, nudging Naruto gently with her elbow. Besides her and Naruto, the group included Neji and Shikamaru. "Who do you think I am? Soundproof barriers and genjutsu? Do you really think you could fool me?"
Neji looked at Naruto curiously, clearly unaware of what had happened during the meeting. "What exactly did you two talk about?"
Before Tayuya could open her mouth, Naruto covered her lips with his hand. "That's none of a kid's business." Naruto said seriously on purpose, which only made Tayuya laugh even harder. "...Fine, whatever."
"Mmmph mmph."
"You're only allowed to say two things, so first—let me ask: is it something kids shouldn't hear?" Naruto shook his head slightly, meaning it was okay. "Of course it is."
Tayuya just grinned and shrugged—what else could she say? She'd been one of the guards who accompanied Naruto most often on missions lately.
She always found ways to get some alone time with Naruto. Meanwhile, Lady Tsunade constantly summoned Naruto, assigning him various tasks and teaching him how to become a worthy Hokage.
Still, she felt happy this mission had gone smoothly. On their return trip to Konoha, they'd even spent a night in a hotel.
It had been a passionate night full of laughter and joy, and they both fell asleep deeply satisfied.
"I just couldn't help myself, Naruto," Tayuya whispered with a smile, pulling away his hand and quickly kissing his back, murmuring softly, "See you later."
Several months had passed since the end of the war, and Shikamaru grew increasingly conflicted.
"As long as his words don't get us ambushed on the way back to the village, I don't care."
"That doesn't sound very positive," Neji replied. He wanted to know if Shikamaru planned to follow the others' path and also get promoted to Jonin. "What are your plans for the future?"
"To be honest, I don't really have any," Shikamaru admitted. Internally conflicted, he disliked taking initiative or bearing responsibility.
On one hand, he was glad he no longer had to fight nonstop for days on end, having to struggle desperately on the battlefield.
But on the other hand, Naruto had chosen him to strengthen future administrative efforts.
Though this sounded more appealing than combat duties and frequently leaving the village, the workload that came with it made Shikamaru dread the next five to ten years.
******
Several months after the Fourth Great Ninja War ended, despite many changes, life had settled back into normalcy—a relief after all the chaos.
After enduring prolonged turmoil and anxiety—even before the actual outbreak of war—people finally felt like they could breathe easy again.
Now everything's finally over, thank goodness. There could hardly have been a more dramatic way for Tsunade to learn that the war had ended.
At that time, Naruto was summoned by Sage Fukasaku to Tsunade's office, foaming at the mouth, grass stuck around his lips.
The old frog found Tsunade's reaction to the scene absolutely priceless.
Even more amusing was the look on her face when she found out the war had ended, and that this kid had ended it in such an incredibly brave yet stupid way—it could only be described as a full "facial transformation show."
Her emotions cycled through several phases:
- First came utter shock, because the war had suddenly ended.
- Then overwhelming joy, because everything was finally over.
- Next was a sober realization, as she began to understand what had happened.
- Finally came seething fury, because that brat had actually taken things into his own hands and sorted everything out himself.
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