(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Uzushiogakure – Outer Gate...
The sea parted for diplomacy.
A vessel bearing the insignia of Kirigakure anchored cautiously beyond the coastal seals. No war banners. No hidden ambush.
Just a formal delegation.
White cloth. Neutral flags.
And tension thick enough to taste.
They were received without ceremony.
Escorted. Watched. Measured.
As per Leo's standing orders, the layout had already shifted again.
Paths subtly altered.
Seal formations re-layered.
What they saw—Was not the real Uzushiogakure.
Uzukage Office...
Inside the chamber, the atmosphere was cold and precise.
Kazuma Uzumaki sat at the head.
Beside him stood several senior Uzumaki.
Scrolls already prepared. Information already known.
Because Kirigakure had sent word a day earlier.
The doors opened.
The Mist delegation entered.
Formal. Disciplined. Controlled.
Their leader stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"We come on behalf of the Mizukage… to discuss terms of peace."
Guest Residence – Moments Earlier...
The news spread quickly.
"Kirigakure envoy has arrived."
Tsunade stopped mid-step.
"…They what?"
Nawaki blinked confused.
-Blink!
"Didn't they just attack this place?"
Mito's eyes narrowed slightly.
-Frown!
"Which means they've realized something."
Tsunade crossed her arms.
"They got scared."
Mito didn't deny it.
Nearby—The Konoha jōnin were equally surprised who had came to recheck the security on Mito.
Sakumo's eyes sharpened.
"…They moved fast."
The Hyūga frowned confused too.
-Frown!
"They're desperate."
Danzō said nothing who arrived like a shadow. But his eye gleamed faintly.
Opportunity.
Mito stood calmly with a cold face and a glint in her eyes.
"I will attend."
Tsunade looked at her.
"…As what?"
Mito replied calmly.
"As family."
Then added—
"And as witness."
Tsunade exhaled sharply.
Still irritated. Still thinking about earlier.
"…Fine. I'm coming too."
Uzukage Office...
The doors opened again.
This time—Mito and Tsunade entered.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The room shifted.
Even the Mist delegation stiffened slightly.
They recognized her instantly.
Uzumaki Mito.
The woman who holds the Nine-Tails.
Kazuma inclined his head slightly.
"Sister."
Mito took a seat without hesitation.
Tsunade stood beside her. Arms crossed. Eyes sharp.
The Mist envoy began after a pause.
"Kirigakure proposes a temporary peace agreement between our nations."
Straight to the point.
But controlled.
Kazuma remained silent. Letting them speak.
"...."
"We acknowledge the recent… conflict."
A careful choice of words.
Not defeat. Not loss.
Conflict.
The envoy continued with his momentum.
"In the interest of stability… We request the return of certain assets."
Tsunade scoffed quietly.
-Scoff!
"…Assets?"
The envoy didn't react.
"The Seven Ninja Swords. And the jinchūriki of the Three-Tails and Six-Tails."
The room went silent.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Mito observed calmly.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed feeling the confident tone.
Kazuma's expression didn't change.
"...."
The envoy added,
"In return, Kirigakure offers cessation of hostilities and formal recognition of Uzushiogakure's current sovereignty."
That last line carried weight.
Recognition. From a Great Village.
Tsunade leaned slightly toward Mito.
"…They're trying to save face."
Mito replied quietly while looking at the envoy.
"And recover power."
Kazuma finally spoke.
"You attacked us. You lost. And now you negotiate."
No emotion. Just truth.
The envoy held his composure.
"This is how the shinobi world maintains balance."
A faint chuckle echoed.
-Chuckle!
Not from Kazuma. Not from Mito. From the doorway.
Leo.
He had arrived without announcement.
Without sound. Without presence being noticed until he spoke.
"…Interesting definition of balance."
The entire room shifted.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The Mist delegation stiffened feeling the sudden shift in atmosphere of the meeting which was under their control till now.
Konoha jōnin who had followed quietly into the room turned their attention immediately.
Danzō's eye narrowed sharply while looking at Leo's every moment.
Leo stepped inside casually. Hands in pockets. Calm.
Unbothered.
He glanced at the envoy.
"You want your swords back."
A pause.
"And your jinchūriki."
The envoy straightened seeing the man who seems to be the current leader the uzukage serves under speaks straight to the point.
"Yes."
Leo tilted his head slightly.
"And what exactly makes you think they want to go back?"
Silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
That question… Was not political. It was personal.
Tsunade's eyes flickered toward Leo. Her frustration paused for a moment.
Because once again—He had said something no one else in the room was willing to say.
The Mist envoy remained composed.
"They belong to Kirigakure."
Leo smiled faintly shaking his head.
"No."
A single word. But it landed like a verdict.
"They belonged to Kirigakure."
Past tense.
The room fell completely silent.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The Mist envoy straightened, recovering his footing.
"If I may clarify," he said, voice measured,
"the tailed beasts were distributed during the First Kage Summit."
All eyes shifted.
"The First Hokage of Konohagakure sought balance. Power was shared among the great villages so that no single nation would dominate."
He lifted his chin slightly.
"The tailed beasts are not merely weapons. They are a core component of village equilibrium."
A pause.
"No village would willingly relinquish them."
Silence.
Then—Leo laughed.
-Hahaha!!!
Not a quiet chuckle. Not a polite exhale.
A full, unrestrained laugh that echoed across the chamber.
The Konoha jōnin stiffened instantly.
Tsunade's eyes widened.
"…He just—"
Even Kazuma blinked once. Because that wasn't mockery.
-Blink!
That was genuine amusement.
Leo shook his head lightly.
"That has to be the dumbest political decision I've ever heard."
The words dropped like a hammer.
The air froze. The Mist envoy's expression tightened.
The Konoha shinobi tensed immediately.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Sakumo's gaze sharpened.
The Uchiha shifted slightly.
The Hyūga's Byakugan flickered instinctively.
Even Tsunade felt it—That ripple.
Because what Leo had just dismissed… Was one of the foundations of the shinobi world.
"…Careful,"
Tsunade muttered under her breath.
But before tension could escalate—A soft laugh followed.
Not Leo's. Mito's. Everyone turned.
Mito covered her mouth lightly, eyes glinting with quiet amusement.
"…He's not wrong."
The room blinked.
Tsunade stared at her.
"Grandma?"
Mito lowered her hand.
"When that decision was made…"
Her gaze drifted slightly, remembering.
"…both me and his brother had the same thought."
A faint smile appeared.
"But the world needed peace more than logic at the time."
The tension cracked.
Not gone. But loosened.
Leo glanced at her briefly. Then back at the envoy.
"...."
"Let me simplify this for you."
His tone was calm again. Too calm.
"Somebody gave away monsters to maintain balance. Then built entire military systems around controlling them."
He tapped the table lightly.
"And now you're surprised when those 'assets' decide to walk away."
The envoy's jaw tightened.
"...."
"They are not individuals. They are—"
"Wrong."
Leo cut him off before the envoy could finish his sentence.
"They are beings. And your hosts?"
A slight pause.
"People."
Silence. Heavy. Unavoidable.
Leo leaned forward slightly.
"Here's the reality. The Three-Tails and Six-Tails chose to stay. You didn't lose them because of war. You lost them because of how you treated them."
The words struck deeper than any insult.
Because they carried truth.
The envoy tried to recover.
"Even so… international balance—"
Leo raised a hand slightly. Stopping him.
"I don't care about your balance."
The room went still again.
"I care about mine."
Kazuma's eyes flickered.
Because that single sentence… Defined everything.
Leo leaned back. Relaxed. But final.
"Your conditions are rejected."
A pause.
Then—
"If Kirigakure wants peace…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"…bring terms that actually make sense."
Silence.
No anger. No shouting.
Just… reality.
The envoy stood there.
For the first time—Unsure how to proceed.
Behind him—Danzō's visible eye gleamed faintly.
'This man… is dangerous.'
Not because of power alone.
But because he didn't follow the rules.
Beside Mito—Tsunade exhaled slowly.
"…He really said it."
Mito smiled faintly.
"He didn't come here to play by their world."
And in that moment—Everyone in the room understood.
This was no longer a negotiation between villages.
The Mist envoy tried.
He truly did. He brought up treaties.
Precedents. Balance.
Even veiled threats disguised as "future instability."
Each argument was polished.
Each word carefully chosen.
Each angle… expected.
And each one—Collapsed.
Not under force. But under Leo's indifference.
"You disrupt balance."
"Your balance was already broken."
"You risk retaliation."
"You already attempted it."
"This will escalate conflict."
"It already did."
Every response from Leo came effortlessly.
Not defensive. Not aggressive.
Just… dismissive.
Like swatting away flies.
At one point, the envoy tried one last angle.
"If you continue down this path, you will isolate yourself from the shinobi world."
Leo smiled faintly.
"I didn't join your world."
A pause.
"You came to mine."
Silence.
That was the moment it ended.
The envoy understood.
This was not a negotiation he could win.
Not today. Not like this.
He straightened. Regained what little dignity remained.
"…Then we have nothing further to discuss."
Kazuma's voice followed calmly.
"You came for terms. You brought demands."
A slight pause.
"Bring terms next time."
The envoy bowed stiffly.
"...."
To Mito. To Kazuma.
He hesitated for a fraction of a second toward Leo—Then chose not to.
And turned. The doors opened. Then closed.
The room remained silent for a few seconds after the envoy left.
Not tense.
Just… processing.
Tsunade exhaled sharply.
"…That was brutal."
Nawaki leaned forward.
"…Did we just reject a whole village?"
Kazuma replied calmly.
"They rejected themselves."
Mito watched the closed door quietly.
Her eyes thoughtful.
Calculating.
Not surprised.
Leo stretched slightly.
As if he had just finished something mildly entertaining.
"Expected."
Tsunade looked at him.
"…You didn't even try to compromise."
Leo glanced at her.
"They didn't come to compromise."
"They came to recover losses."
A pause.
Then—
"They just didn't realize they had already lost."
Silence again.
"...."
"...."
"...."
But this time—It wasn't about the Mist.
Mito turned slightly toward Leo.
Her eyes sharper now. More certain.
Because she had just witnessed it firsthand.
This man—Did not negotiate from weakness. Did not seek approval. Did not operate within the shinobi system.
He simply… Decided.
And for Mito—That made her earlier decision even more important.
Because aligning with him…
Was no longer just strategy.
It was survival.
And opportunity. Combined.
Outside—The Mist delegation departed.
Empty-handed.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Guys My New Fic name is:
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Whats your thought's guys.
(A/N): I hope you guys are enjoying the story.
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give areview
And power stone!!!
It will Motivate Me.