The Kumo ninjas had returned home to raise funds.
The initial payment of 3 billion ryō, along with a series of losses from their fallout with Konoha, was enough to completely wipe out the profits Kumo had gained from the Third Great Ninja War.
In the current shinobi world, aside from Kumo, only Suna could possibly come up with such a large amount of liquid funds at once.
Even Konoha couldn't do it.
Konoha was wealthy, but it also lacked money.
This was the exact opposite of Suna's situation.
Masashi was very satisfied with this negotiation. Dodai was straightforward, so he didn't even need to bring out the things he had prepared.
Moreover, Minato had finally realized how irresponsible it was for a Hokage to slack off during negotiations. This time, he didn't.
It wasn't that he didn't want to show responsibility, but he would rather go to war than take on a negotiation task.
Too exhausting.
At long last, a prolonged period of peace had arrived.
The Uchiha clan had not entered a period of heightened tension with the Hokage's office as they did in the original timeline, so the incident of hanging from power poles was avoided.
Now, he could finally enjoy a peaceful life.
As for whether Kumo would lash out in desperation over their reparations, he wasn't worried at all.
People tend to compare.
As long as Kumo made any comparisons, they would realize that the Land of Fire had the cleanest hands.
The banks in the Land of Fire were regulated by the Association's self-discipline agreement, ensuring that they conducted business properly. If they didn't, they would lose their membership.
Compared to the small gains from unethical practices, losing membership was a huge loss.
But this only applied to the Land of Fire.
The banks in the Land of Water and the Land of Earth weren't nearly as disciplined.
Masashi had no intention of helping them maintain order. Those banks were merely peripheral partners of the association, and they wouldn't be granted membership.
Without membership, they could only invest in the association's products and were restricted from engaging in other business.
And Masashi had a perfectly valid reason—lack of qualifications.
Comparison was a dangerous thing. If Kumo were to truly explode in rage, they wouldn't target Konoha. After all, those two troublemakers would draw the hatred elsewhere.
During the debt repayment period, Konoha would mediate but not intervene.
The reason was simple: Kumo had fully fulfilled its obligations as Konoha's debtor. The agreement was written in black and white, and as long as they didn't breach the contract, Konoha and Kumo were considered temporary allies.
If both sides were allies, then Konoha could only mediate, right?
If Konoha didn't abide by its agreement with Kumo, wouldn't that mean it didn't have to follow agreements with others either?
And if they agreed to that logic, then everything was fair game.
All in all, Masashi felt that he had completed his job perfectly.
As a freelancer, he was clearly very responsible, so it was time to reward himself.
The day after the negotiation was completed, Masashi confidently walked into the Hokage's office and placed his leave request in front of Minato.
"Hokage-sama, I'm taking leave. A long leave."
His tone was firm, his voice loud, and his expression smug.
Minato found it amusing.
Masashi was great in many ways, but he didn't have a clear understanding of himself.
Where did he get the confidence to think he could take long leave?
What about the monthly budget meetings?
What about all the investment decisions for the numerous projects?
If he approved this, the Hokage's office would be in chaos.
Alright then, I'll grant you an extended leave... in your dreams!
"Masashi~~~," Minato dragged out his words. "Come, have a seat, have some tea."
"You still have so many documents to review," Masashi said warily.
So many documents left untouched, and he wanted to drink tea?
Was he deliberately stalling?
"Oh, no rush," Minato said cheerfully, pulling Masashi onto the sofa and starting to prepare tea.
Fugaku had a high-end calligraphy posture, but his handwriting was so ugly it became a black market collectible.
Minato didn't have the most refined tea-making posture, but his tea-brewing skills were quite good.
"Hokage-sama, I'm not drinking anything with berries." Seeing Minato instinctively reach for the goji berry jar, Masashi quickly reminded him.
"Huh? You have a girlfriend now, don't you?" Minato was surprised. "Haven't you been staying at her place lately?"
Then, he suddenly understood. It was still a new relationship, after all.
"Sigh, Masashi, don't take it lightly." He earnestly advised, "Taking care of yourself is like drinking water—you can't wait until you're thirsty."
Masashi gave an awkward but polite smile.
"Hokage-sama."
"Hmm?"
"I'm young."
"..."
Was that a jab at him? It definitely was, right?
"Fine, no goji berries for you." Minato retracted his hand from the jar.
This little guy might not appreciate goji berries now, but one day, he would regret it.
And when that day came...
"Masashi~~~," Minato poured hot water into Masashi's cup, white steam rising. "Taking a long leave—where do you plan to go?"
"The world is vast, and I want to see it all."
"Denied." Minato said decisively. "Nice try. We're all working ourselves to death, and you want to go on vacation?"
"How is this a vacation?" Masashi argued. "I'm learning from my predecessors. Look at Jiraiya—he travels under the pretense of a journey but constantly sends intelligence back to the village."
"Konoha has plenty of people outside; we don't need one more," Minato replied, blowing on his tea. "Besides, Jiraiya-sensei can stay away for so long because of special circumstances. At our level, we can't just disappear."
"I wouldn't be totally absent—I have the messenger toads now. I can return at any time."
You can call me anytime. Whether I pick up is another matter.
"The toads told me, by the way, that you caused a ruckus at Maze Mountain and even summoned Matatabi," Minato said, taking a sip of tea. "Do you have a grudge against Mount Myōboku?"
Before Masashi could answer, he continued, "Don't take it too seriously. The whole 'Child of Prophecy' thing is a bit mystical, but Jiraiya-sensei's long-term absence isn't just because of that. You know about the Three Sannin's situation."
"Yes, I know." Masashi nodded. "And I've already signed a contract with the toads."
This time around, he discovered that Jiraiya had started traveling early.
In a way, the departure of the Sannin was one of the reasons why the Hokage's office kept up pressure on the Uchiha clan in the original timeline.
Whether it was Orochimaru or Tsunade, if Jiraiya had stayed in Konoha, things would have been different.
And the so-called "Child of Prophecy" had been in Konoha all along.
Before he changed everything, he had quite a bit of resentment toward Mount Myōboku for making things harder for him.
That's why he caused a scene at Maze Mountain—he was annoyed by the toads' suspicion and took the opportunity to vent.
"I really do have business to take care of," Masashi said. "How about this—you leave a Flying Thunder God mark?"
Minato considered it and then compromised.
"Fine, but you have to return once a month for the budget meeting."
"Deal!"
Seeing Masashi agree so quickly, Minato was generous.
He approved the leave.
"Oh, right." Minato suddenly remembered something and called Masashi back. "You're just in time. The administration department has a new project plan. Let's attend the meeting before you go."
Masashi looked at his approved leave request.
Fine.
For the sake of his vacation, he'd attend.
---
Masashi's actual departure was delayed until the next day.
Meetings were such a pain.
Of course, before leaving, he had a meal with his friends and visited Pakura and Hikari.
Finally, he reminded Haku not to overwork himself.
Once everything was settled, he happily embarked on his journey.
As he stepped out of Konoha's gates, he stretched lazily before heading toward his first destination.
The first stop, of course, was the site of the former Kannabi Bridge.
It had been a long time since he last saw Black Zetsu—he missed him quite a bit. He just wasn't sure if he had moved.
Masashi started heading northwest.
As the continent's central region and a prosperous agricultural zone, the heartlands of the Land of Fire remained orderly even during wartime. Only the border areas suffered from decline. However, as he approached the border, the towns had already begun to recover.
People looked relaxed and full of hope for the future.
Peace had spread completely.
The road he traveled was bustling with merchants moving between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.
When Masashi entered the Land of Grass, he saw signs of prosperity returning.
Trade between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire was growing, and as a key trade route between the two, the Land of Grass was reaping great benefits.
Even Kusa was thriving because of it.
Of course, they hadn't forgotten their place. The moment Masashi appeared in a town within the Land of Grass, the stationed Kusa ninja squads immediately took a posture as if they were kneeling before a living deity.
Kusa was terrified of him.
As one of the most closely studied figures across nations, at least in terms of power, there was no longer any room for misjudgment. As the biggest "second-hand intelligence dealer" in the ninja world, Kusa broke into a cold sweat just thinking about how close they had once come to provoking Masashi.
Now that he had shown up in the Land of Grass again, though his intentions were unclear, Kusa had a unified stance: We must serve him well.
No one doubted that if they failed to show proper hospitality, the Land of Grass would be crushed by Konoha and Iwa together.
Iwa had always wanted to attack Kusa. That wasn't a secret—they just hadn't found the right excuse yet.
The only reason they hadn't made a move was to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings with Konoha.
Ōnoki, who had started enjoying the benefits of peace, was now extremely careful about such matters.
If Kusa wanted to avoid being attacked, they had to cling tightly to Konoha's support.
But Masashi found their excessive flattery annoying.
He refused Kusa's hospitality and didn't linger in town for long before continuing on his way.
After passing through several more towns, he finally reached the site of the former battlefield.
There were no traces of war left.
The once-abandoned Kannabi Bridge had now been rebuilt.
As the leader of a nation, the daimyō of the Land of Grass understood very well that if he didn't rebuild Kannabi Bridge, merchants would simply take alternative routes through other countries.
So, gritting his teeth and stomping his foot, he funded the reconstruction.
Now, he could only hope that this period of peace lasted long enough for him to turn a profit.
At the very least, he needed to recover his investment—the bridge was expensive to rebuild.
Now, caravans frequently crossed the restored Kannabi Bridge. The Land of Grass had even built new roads to make trade routes smoother.
Masashi stepped onto Kannabi Bridge, taking a moment to reflect on its transformation before heading toward the place where he had left a mark last time.
Back then, before leaving, he had placed a Flying Thunder God mark.
The location was directly above what had once been Madara's ICU ward.
Sensing his mark, Masashi teleported instantly.
The world around him blurred, and the scene before him was just as it had been the last time he visited.
Madara had chosen his hiding place well—it was secluded, nestled deep within a thick forest where towering trees provided ample cover.
The tree trunks were so massive that one could easily hold a group dance on them.
No caravan would bother passing through here.
Unless, of course, they had too much cargo and were hoping for some bandits to lighten their load.
Masashi crouched down. The burn marks he had left last time had completely vanished, covered by dense weeds.
But this time, he wouldn't need to go through the same hassle to enter.
Of course, safety measures were still necessary.
Summoning a shadow clone, he sent it ahead via Flying Thunder God, while he remained in place, waiting.
After a while, memories from the shadow clone's perspective returned, and the findings surprised him.
The underground facility had long been abandoned.
Judging by the signs, it had been deserted for quite some time.
With that confirmation, Masashi teleported in himself.
Casually forming a fire jutsu, he conjured a floating fireball to illuminate the space.
The room looked like it hadn't been tidied up in ages.
He searched around and found the old oil lamp from last time, but it was empty and covered in dust.
Tossing it aside in disappointment, he instead maintained the floating fireball as a makeshift lantern.
Leaving the room, he followed the same route as before.
Dust covered the floor of the passageways.
Upon reaching a dirt wall, he placed his hand against it. Soon, the wall crumbled into dry sand and fell away.
Revealing a familiar opening.
The same one he had blasted open last time.
A fireball floated into the passage, casting light ahead.
By now, Masashi had perfected Kagutsuchi, manipulating flames without any delay.
Stepping inside, he formed another hand seal.
More fireballs appeared, spreading out to illuminate the entire space.
The battlefield from last time remained untouched, the ground riddled with holes.
So, they really did clear out all the White Zetsu…
The last time he was here, he could see the eerie blue light seeping through the walls from the White Zetsu cultivation chambers.
Now, nothing.
He walked toward the main base, guiding his fireballs along.
Finally, he arrived at the place where Black Zetsu had once nurtured the White Zetsu army.
It was completely empty.
Only the indentations in the ground hinted at where large equipment had once been.
And…
Madara's coffin.
Even that was gone—only marks remained where it had been.
Black Zetsu had indeed left.
Masashi felt disappointed. As soon as peace was secured, he had rushed over, only to find the place abandoned.
Was it because he interfered with Obito's plan again?
Well, that wasn't his fault.
Obito just couldn't stop tampering with jutsu. Masashi had warned him before—not to modify techniques carelessly.
If it were that easy, Orochimaru wouldn't need human experiments.
Shaking his head, Masashi decided not to speculate.
Since Black Zetsu was missing for now, he would go find Orochimaru instead.
Too bad it meant taking a detour—after all, the Land of Rice Fields was in the opposite direction.
With that, Masashi turned and left.