Chapter 93 (Patreon)

Before long, Kumogakure’s reply reached Konohagakure.

The Fourth Raikage, A, stared down at the document in his hand, his expression dark.

The demand written there was simple: the Raikage himself was to come to Konoha for negotiations.

In diplomacy, the side that moved first was the side that appeared weaker.

But what truly enraged A was the final line at the bottom of the document.

“If the Raikage absolutely refuses to come to Konoha, then I will personally visit Kumogakure to negotiate.

“When that time comes, the Hokage will not be the only one coming.”

That last sentence was clearly a threat.

Even so, A did not dare allow Konoha’s forces to enter his village so easily.

“What do we do?” the Raikage asked in a low voice.

“We have no choice but to go,” Mabui said helplessly. “When the time comes, you should only bring a few elite shinobi with you.”

“What about Killer B and Yugito?” A asked again.

After all, they were heading to Konoha.

According to the intelligence Kumogakure had gathered, Konoha had already been completely purged by Yujiro alone.

Every member of Konoha’s old leadership had died, and now the authority of the entire village was basically in Yujiro’s hands.

On top of that, all of Konoha’s major clans had gathered together.

Especially the Uchiha clan.

That clan had once made the entire shinobi world tremble.

Although it had declined somewhat, a fallen great clan still carried the weight of its name.

A understood that much.

What the Raikage did not know was that the current Uchiha clan was no longer some weakened remnant of the past.

Even if they could not compare to the era of Uchiha Madara, they were far from weak.

After all, outsiders had no idea that the current Uchiha clan possessed two Mangekyō Sharingan users.

“Killer B-sama and Yugito-sama should naturally accompany you,” Mabui said after thinking for a moment.

“However, we cannot bring too many people. If our group is too large, it will look as though Kumogakure is afraid of Konoha.

“So, the best candidates are you, Raikage-sama, Killer B-sama, Yugito-sama, Darui, and myself.”

“Five people will be enough.”

Among those five, aside from Mabui, the remaining four could be called the peak combat power of Kumogakure.

There was no need to doubt the Fourth Raikage’s strength. Anyone who could bear the title of Raikage could not be underestimated.

Then there were Kumogakure’s two great jinchūriki: Killer B, the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, and Yugito Nii, the jinchūriki of the Two-Tails.

And with Darui, who possessed the Storm Release kekkei genkai, their lineup this time could be called luxurious.

“Fine. We’ll do as you say.” A nodded.

Mabui immediately sent another message to Konoha.

Inside the Hokage’s office, Jiraiya and Tsunade were also present.

Yujiro looked over the information sent back from Kumogakure.

“They compromised. One week from now, the Fourth Raikage, Killer B, Yugito Nii, Darui, and Mabui will come to Konoha for ceasefire negotiations.”

“What about the negotiation site?” Jiraiya asked.

“A trial has its courtroom. Naturally, negotiations need a proper stage as well,” Yujiro said with a faint smile.

Jiraiya nodded. If the war could be stopped, that would be best.

“Minato-sensei, I’ll leave the negotiation table to you. As for the location, set it near the Anbu base.”

“Understood,” Minato replied.

Tsunade, who had remained silent until now, quietly observed Yujiro.

He was still so young, yet he already possessed the bearing of a leader.

In the few days since returning to Konoha, Tsunade had sharply sensed the changes throughout the village.

First, the members of the major clans, who had usually held themselves above others, had become much friendlier and more harmonious.

Even the people of the Uchiha clan had become surprisingly easy to get along with.

And judging from Yujiro’s movements over the past few days, he seemed very familiar with the Uchiha clan.

After hearing Jiraiya and Minato recount what had happened, Tsunade’s impression of Yujiro deepened even further.

Once Yujiro had arranged everything, he leisurely left the Hokage’s office.

This week, he had to think carefully about how to make Kumogakure bleed properly.

Inside the office, Minato watched Yujiro’s back and suddenly remembered what he had said a few months ago.

“It won’t be long before someone comes to give us money.”

Looking at the situation now, those words were really about to come true.

Yujiro returned home.

After spending this period of time in Konoha, Terumī Mei had also discovered the peaceful atmosphere of the village.

It was the kind of peace born from absolute protection.

There was no need to live each day on edge.

When she had been in Kirigakure, Terumī Mei had almost never slept well.

After all, who could sleep peacefully in the middle of war?

Yet after arriving in Konoha and living here for a month, Terumī Mei suddenly realized something.

This village was far more peaceful than she had imagined.

In fact, she no longer wanted to leave.

After all, what she longed for most was peace.

Pakura felt the same way as Terumī Mei.

In Konoha, both of them felt a sense of peace they had never experienced before.

Because of that, the two of them became extremely serious in everything they did.

And the greatest beneficiary was naturally Yujiro.

During this week, the girls took very good care of him.

Even Kurama received the same treatment as Yujiro.

It was almost to the point where he barely had to lift a finger.

Relax.

Relax.

What was supposed to come would come.

Tomorrow was the day Kumogakure would arrive in Konoha for negotiations.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and even Minato had grown somewhat tense.

Yujiro, however, was not worried at all.

So what if Kumogakure’s strongest combatants came here?

Could they beat Konoha?

“Terumī Mei, Pakura,” Yujiro said, looking at the women in front of him with a smile. “You’ve both adapted quite well.”

“In that case, let’s go to the hot springs tonight and relax.”

After saying that, Yujiro led everyone straight to Konoha’s hot springs.

Even Shisui and the other two who followed Yujiro could only feel helpless.

Tomorrow was the day of the negotiations, yet Yujiro-san was still this calm and relaxed.

That mindset alone was far beyond theirs.

The next day, the weather was not pleasant.

The sky was gloomy, as if even the heavens understood that this would not be an ordinary day.

The negotiation platform had also been completed during the week.

It was a massive square.

In the center of the square stood an enormous stone table.

On both sides of the stone table were two rows of chairs.

High walls surrounded the entire area.

This was an important location near the Anbu base, so ordinary shinobi and villagers were not allowed to enter.

At Konoha’s main gate, the Raikage and his group slowly appeared in everyone’s sight.

A walked in the center.

Mabui and Darui stood on his left, while Killer B and Yugito Nii walked on his right.

This time, even Killer B’s expression was unusually serious. No strange rhymes or raps came from his mouth.

After all, they had come to Konoha as representatives of the Land of Lightning.

Along the way, Konoha’s villagers and shinobi could not help but look at the Raikage’s group.

If his restraint had been any weaker, A might have already lost his temper.

The entire group felt as though they were being paraded through the streets for everyone to stare at. The feeling was unbearable.

The worst part was that they could not get angry.

Otherwise, there was no telling how Konoha would use the incident against them.

This time, they had come to negotiate and secure as many benefits as possible.

Soon, the Raikage and his group arrived at the designated location—the negotiation table.

When they saw the square in front of them, A and the others said nothing. They simply entered with heavy expressions.

At that moment, there was not a single person from Konoha on the stone platform.

Only the five shinobi from Kumogakure stood there.

“Where are Konoha’s people?” A asked, sweeping his gaze around the square. “Where are the people who are supposed to negotiate with us?!”

The oppressive thunderclouds above seemed to reflect the Raikage’s mood perfectly.

“Raikage-sama, please calm down,” Mabui quickly said. “This is Konoha’s way of pressuring us.”

“We have already come for negotiations, so there is no harm in enduring a little longer. Besides, Konoha’s letter said the negotiations would begin at nine o’clock. It is only eight-thirty right now.”

As for why the five of them had arrived half an hour early, it was simply because they wanted to familiarize themselves with the environment first.

But after arriving, they found only an empty square with a stone negotiation platform and several chairs.

Who would have thought the negotiations would truly be held here?

In the past, whenever Kumogakure held peace talks with Konoha, Konoha would always receive them politely.

They would invite the delegation into a proper secret conference hall before the negotiations began.

But this time, they could already sense it.

These peace talks would not be as smooth as before.

Time passed slowly.

The Raikage and the four others stood silently in the square.

Every second that passed without anyone from Konoha appearing made A feel as though his face had been scraped thinner.

If not for Kumogakure behind him, he might have turned around and left immediately.

This was enough to make the Raikage explode with anger.

At last, the clock struck nine.

In an instant, nine figures appeared in the negotiation square.

Minato looked at A and smiled.

“It is nine o’clock. The negotiations will now begin.”

After speaking, he sat down on the chair before him.

A gave a heavy snort and sat down on the wooden chair in front of him as well.

Then, with a sharp crack, the chair beneath the Raikage split apart.

No one had expected that.

Even Yujiro had not expected it.

Was the Raikage doing this on purpose?

A’s expression stiffened slightly. He moved to another chair, but this time, he sat down with obvious caution.

On Kumogakure’s side, A sat in the center.

Mabui and Yugito Nii sat on his left, while Darui and Killer B sat on his right.

On Konoha’s side, from left to right, sat Fugaku, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Yujiro, Minato, Itachi, Tsunade, Shisui, and Might Guy.

With that, the ceasefire negotiations between Konohagakure and Kumogakure officially began.