Raikage A had a splitting headache.
This war wasn't part of his plans at all. Even though he'd made tough statements just a few days ago about accepting battle, those were just words—he believed Konoha wouldn't recklessly start a war with Kumogakure, and even if they did decide to fight, it wouldn't happen so quickly.
Therefore, Raikage A hadn't really mobilized properly, gathering only a portion of the shinobi.
The speed with which Konoha arrived at the border of the Land of Moon and was approaching the Land of Lightning showed that Konoha had already begun full-scale mobilization from the outset.
In other words, Konoha had decided to wage war early on, and had been well-prepared.
Now, the higher-ups in Kumogakure were advising Raikage not to fight this war.
Because Kumogakure itself wasn't prepared at all, while Konoha was fully ready, and the battlefield would be right within the Land of Lightning. Once war broke out, the damage to the Land of Lightning would be catastrophically severe.
Moreover, during the Nine-Tails' attack, Konoha's four Mangekyo Sharingan users had activated Susanoo and suppressed the Nine-Tails—this was no secret.
Although Raikage A hadn't personally witnessed Susanoo, some elders from Kumogakure had seen it before and described it as having world-shattering power, especially effective against Tailed Beasts.
And although Raikage A hadn't seen Susanoo himself, he had indeed witnessed the techniques of the Mangekyo Sharingan's Doujutsu—it was truly bizarre.
Black flames that couldn't be extinguished; genjutsu dragging victims into an illusionary space to suffer torment for seventy-two hours.
Not to mention the Kekkei Genkai bearers wielding [Magnet Release] and [Scorch Release]—whose strength was also formidable.
Plus, Konoha still had other bloodline limit clans.
Raikage A knew that even if they won this battle, they could only drive the Konoha ninja out—but ultimately, they would still be the ones who lost.
Over just one Byakugan, and not even one they'd obtained yet. This war was simply not worth waging.
But… Raikage A couldn't swallow his pride!
If he backed down now, Kumogakure would suffer a major loss of face!
"Raikage-sama, this is no time to act on impulse!"
"This is all for the sake of the village, Raikage-sama! We already lacked advantage going into this war, and now we're not adequately prepared either. The elite shinobi of Konoha are rampaging through the Land of Lightning—the losses are only getting worse!"
"Raikage-sama…"
Raikage A gritted his teeth, jaw clenched tightly, tension visibly pulsing in his temples—he was clearly furious.
After a moment of inner struggle, Raikage A finally spoke, his voice drained of all vigor: "Accept Minato Namikaze's conditions. Admit that Kumogakure attempted to steal the Byakugan, and immediately begin negotiations."
Upon hearing Raikage A speak these words, the leaders of Kumogakure simultaneously exhaled in relief.
They had truly feared Raikage's stubborn temper might flare up, digging his heels in and refusing to back down. If that had happened, everything would have been ruined.
The higher-ups in Kumogakure immediately drafted a message, then dispatched a ninja skilled in the [Heavenly Transfer Technique]—which allowed instantaneous teleportation—to deliver it to the Cloud Ninja stationed within the Land of Fire.
The Cloud Ninja within the Land of Fire immediately sent ninja beasts to carry the message to Konoha.
Minato Namikaze received the message. After reading it, he shook his head and said, "They had so much time before this, yet they only back down now, just as Konoha's ninja forces are about to enter the Land of Lightning and real battle is about to begin. That Raikage is really hard to figure out."
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "So you're saying the Raikage has agreed to the negotiation terms?"
Minato nodded. "Yes. The message says they admit their wrongdoing and let us choose the negotiation site. We should inform the main force to temporarily halt and set up camp nearby. Negotiations might still fall apart—If that happens, we'll still have to fight."
Nara Shikaku speculated, "This negotiation probably won't fall apart entirely. I've heard that Raikage is a very stubborn person. Most likely, the higher-ups from Kumogakure would have convinced him, and he finally decided to compromise."
Minato sighed. "I hope so. But where should we choose as the negotiation site?"
Hiruzen suggested a location. "How about the Land of Iron? It's a neutral country, making it the most suitable place for negotiations. So Minato, how much do you plan to ask Kumogakure to pay in compensation?"
Minato replied, "After all, the Byakugan wasn't taken, so it will still be difficult to get significant compensation from Kumogakure. They can cover the costs incurred by this ninja deployment—that's probably the maximum we can get."
After reaching a decision, Minato issued orders to the ninja forces, instructing them to halt their advance. He also summoned the Konoha ninja stationed in the Land of Lightning to retreat and regroup with the main force. Then he sent a message to Kumogakure, formally inviting Raikage A to come to the Land of Iron for negotiations.
Meanwhile, Shindai—who had just gotten done with a scuffle and was catching his breath—received the withdrawal order from Sarutobi Tetsuya.
Shindai stood up from the ground and said to Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha, "So we're retreating? Guess the Raikage finally backed down. About time—we're beat."
Shindai, Pakura, and Hikaku Uchiha reunited with Sarutobi Tetsuya, waiting for others to gather before joining up with the ninja forces outside the Land of Lightning and settling down to wait.
What happened next was none of Shindai and his group's concern—they only needed to wait.
Minato Namikaze and Raikage A each arrived with their entourages at the Land of Iron, where the talks commenced under the witness of Tsukiji—the Land of Iron's general—and began.
There wasn't much to actually discuss. It was mostly Minato laying out his demands, and the Kumogakure side simply deciding whether to accept or not, since they were clearly in no position to negotiate anything themselves.
Regarding the compensation for funds spent by Konoha during this operation, Raikage A had no objections, as they were already prepared to pay. If Konoha only requested reimbursement of this amount, Kumogakure could accept it.
At the same time, Raikage A also requested Konoha to return the detained Cloud Ninja and the corpses of the deceased Cloud Ninja to Kumogakure. It would be disastrous if Konoha had already discovered some secrets or ninjutsu of Kumogakure through them.
Minato Namikaze immediately agreed to Raikage A's request and did not make things difficult for him.
After reaching an agreement, this matter was laid to rest. Raikage A once again proposed an alliance—an actual, genuine alliance—and wanted to seize this opportunity to finalize the treaty.
After this incident, Raikage A had come to recognize Konoha's strength. He now understood that under Minato Namikaze's leadership, Konoha had changed significantly from what it used to be.
Forming an alliance with Konoha would bring great benefits to Kumogakure.
Since he had already lost face anyway, he no longer cared and brought up the topic again.
Minato naturally agreed. As a leader, one could not afford to cling to past issues that had already been resolved, especially if doing so might interfere with a decision that could benefit the village's future development.
Once the alliance agreement was reached, Minato Namikaze ordered the ninja forces to withdraw to Konoha.
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