The sun dipped below the horizon, and night settled in.
Inside the Hokage Building's conference room, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head of the table, his pipe trailing curls of white smoke.
Around him sat Danzō Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane, each with a grim expression, staring at the tabletop in silence.
The first day of talks had concluded.
Hiruzen took a slow puff from his pipe, his gaze sweeping over his advisors before exhaling a long stream of smoke.
"Let's hear it. What are your thoughts?"
Just as Homura and Koharu exchanged glances and prepared to speak, a sharp voice cut in.
"There's no need to talk, Hiruzen. Detain the envoy and make the Third Raikage come retrieve them himself!"
Danzō slammed a scroll open on the table, jabbing at the text with his finger in outrage.
"Look at these demands!
Cheap grain exports?
Priority trade rights for their caravans?
More than three sealing techniques?!
And they're offering a five-year peace treaty in return?
We haven't even settled the score over what happened to Tobirama-sama!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he got. Danzō slammed his hand on the table.
"Have they not suffered enough at the hands of that brat Reiji Sakuhō?!"
Homura and Koharu nodded in agreement. Homura spoke calmly.
"We agree with some of what Danzō said. This kind of treaty—one that brings no benefit to us—should never be signed.
Kumogakure clearly isn't here for peace. What they want is the Fūinjutsu."
"We absolutely must not give it to them!" Danzō growled.
"If they succeed in sealing the Two-Tails, it will only make their village stronger!"
Hiruzen silently took another long drag from his pipe, his expression unreadable.
Noticing his silence, Koharu glanced at Homura, then finally spoke.
"To be honest, if it's just to seal the Two-Tails, the Five Elements Seal would suffice. But that's a Konoha secret technique—we can't just hand it over.
If they want it, the price is twenty years. A twenty-year peace treaty, and we'll consider it."
Hiruzen nodded silently.
Yes, if it was for twenty years, then they could talk.
The last war had drained Konoha considerably. It left them with a serious problem:
A generational gap.
Simply put, there was a break in strength between the mid-tier and high-tier ninja. The handoff hadn't been smooth.
Even ten years of development could help immensely.
With Konoha's geography, its economy, and his own leadership, Hiruzen believed the village could flourish again.
After a moment of thought, Hiruzen spoke slowly.
"Reject the grain deal. Even if we control the surrounding food supply, we won't sell it to Kumogakure for cheap.
...Pass this matter up to the Daimyō. Let the Daimyō of the Land of Fire negotiate directly with the Land of Lightning's Daimyō.
Now, what about the priority purchase rights for their caravans? Thoughts?"
Koharu, in charge of finance, sighed and looked at him.
"We'll need to negotiate which goods that applies to. Oh, Hiruzen—do we have any intel from Kumogakure's embedded agents?"
Hiruzen paused, a familiar young face flickering through his mind.
The latest report only confirmed that the Raikage was after Fūinjutsu. There wasn't much else.
But then again, he couldn't blame Reiji. It hadn't even been a full year. No one could expect him to infiltrate the upper ranks that fast.
Even fiction wouldn't stretch that far.
He shook his head.
Seeing that, both Koharu and Homura let out weary sighs.
This was going to be tricky.
Right now, the only way to sign a peace treaty with the Third Raikage would be to exchange it for Fūinjutsu.
Not because Konoha couldn't defeat the Land of Lightning—but because Konoha was always at a disadvantage in diplomacy.
Of course, that was only the case without Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha in the village.
With them, Konoha's position was untouchable. They could crush anyone they pleased.
Without them, Konoha's geography became a liability. They couldn't even pick a fight.
The other four great nations were like wolves, starving for any sign of weakness. Konoha was the rich prey trapped in the center.
At the slightest slip, they'd all pounce to tear it apart.
The Land of Lightning, in contrast, was positioned far to the north of the shinobi world.
The north and east were boundless sea, the west was separated from the neutral Land of Iron by a strait, and only a small portion in the south bordered the tiny Land of the Moon—meaning almost no defensive pressure.
Even more, its interior was rugged and mountainous—completely unsuitable for large-scale warfare.
By comparison, even though the Land of Fire had a larger territory and Konoha was stronger, they were still at a disadvantage against the Land of Lightning.
And the Third Raikage had clearly seized upon that fact—coming in hard, demanding outrageous terms to pressure Konoha.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't just thinking about the Raikage.
Was it really the Raikage who wanted the Fūinjutsu?
Or was it that guy?
He couldn't help but wonder.
Reiji Sakuhō... had once written a letter. The recipient?
Lady Mito Uzumaki.
Along with sending his regards to Lady Mito and expressing concern for his sister, Reiji had also voiced his desire to learn Fūinjutsu in that letter.
At the time, Hiruzen had shared his concerns with Lady Mito and successfully persuaded her against granting the request.
And now—barely half a year later—the Raikage was sending an envoy to exchange for Fūinjutsu?
The thought sent a chill through Hiruzen Sarutobi. He suddenly recalled a report: Two-Tails had recently been sighted within the borders of the Land of Lightning.
In that instant, memories surged back.
Reiji had once released the Two-Tails, using it to entangle himself with the beast, and through that, managed to infiltrate Kumogakure and earn the Raikage's trust.
So what about this time?
Hiruzen had every reason to believe that if Reiji's target was indeed the Two-Tails, then its recent escape was absolutely connected to him.
He had once feared Reiji would steal the beast and blow his cover, setting off a war between the villages.
Now, it looked like the kid still hadn't let go of that ambition.
The realization made Hiruzen feel weighed down.
But even if he understood what was happening—so what?
This was an open plot—a direct strike, the kind you could only block, not dodge.
Reiji used to be just a clever orphan from Amegakure, someone who tiptoed through danger, relying on Konoha's protection, taking careful, calculated steps.
But now? He had changed.
He wasn't just clever anymore—he was shrewd.
He no longer tiptoed or hinted. He asked for what he wanted plainly, and in a way that left no room to refuse.
And that shift had transferred all the pressure onto Hiruzen.
If they refused the Raikage, war might erupt—and Reiji would undoubtedly make it even messier, a constant thorn in his side.
But if they agreed, Reiji would surely take the Two-Tails—and possibly become its Jinchūriki.
Then what? Go to war with Kumogakure?
No.
A sudden gleam lit up in Hiruzen's eyes. He quickly set down his pipe and stood up.
"We can give them the Fūinjutsu—but only if Kumogakure offers more in return!"
"Hiruzen!" Danzō growled.
"It's fine. Trust me!" Hiruzen didn't back down.
Even if Reiji Sakuhō's cover was blown, he could always claim ignorance.
And when the time came, Danzō could leak Reiji's intel in secret—redirecting the Raikage's wrath toward Amegakure instead.
What he didn't know was that Reiji was thinking the exact same thing.
In the years to come, during the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, Konoha would be an absolute mess.
That was why Reiji hadn't killed Amai. He was waiting—for the right opportunity to detach himself from Konoha.
And Amai? She was the one who knew about the coming explosion.
As for when it would erupt? How it would happen? That was easy.
Attack someone from her clan in broad daylight, and Amai would blow the whole thing open.
...
While Hiruzen discussed the details of the negotiation, Reiji slipped out of the guesthouse.
Under cover of night, he made his way to the north of the village, approaching the Uchiha district by the Naka River.
He moved confidently through the narrow alleys, not bothering to conceal himself.
Spotting a suitable wall, he bent his knees, pushed off lightly, and vaulted over.
Inside was a modest residence, with a rock garden in the back and a small stream circling it.
Behind the rockery stood a quaint, traditional Japanese-style building—simple and serene.
Reiji didn't bother hiding. Like a casual visitor, he removed his shoes and stepped onto the wooden corridor.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the shadows at the far end of the hallway.
"Who are you?" a young man's voice called out.
Reiji grinned and was just about to say hello when the world around him suddenly turned black and white.
He found himself strapped to a wooden cross, like a sacrifice.
"What the hell is this?"
Startled, Reiji shook his head, scanning his surroundings.
Just then, a man in a yukata with bloodshot eyes appeared in front of him.
"Kagami? The hell are you tying me up for?!"
Kagami Uchiha snorted. "Don't call me Kagami. I don't know anyone from the Land of Lightning.
Speak. What are you doing sneaking into my house? Here to kidnap my son?"
Reiji sighed helplessly.
"It's me—Reiji! I'm Reiji Sakuhō!"
Damn it, Kumogakure's kidnapping rep really had spread far and wide.
And this guy had actually locked him up using Tsukuyomi Genjutsu. Unbelievable.
At his words, Kagami froze for a second, then covered his face with one hand and asked in a muffled voice,
"You say you're Reiji Sakuhō. Got any proof?"
"We talked about how to make peace between the Uchiha and the village!"
"That's not proof. A lot of people know about that," Kagami said sternly, shaking his head without hesitation.
Reiji's expression dropped.
Alright then. You wanna play this game? Don't blame me for what comes next.
"Heh. Kagami, your wife said you're useless and always fooling around!"
Kagami immediately glanced around in panic and lunged forward, clamping a hand over Reiji's mouth.