Hokage Office.
Minato was sitting in his chair, eyes closed, resting, while White Fang and Ren stood before the desk, carefully reading the documents in their hands.
After finishing, White Fang placed them back on the desk, Minato also opened his eyes, and the three looked at each other, falling silent.
Kumogakure had withdrawn their troops.
That's right, it was that sudden; though somewhat unexpected, it was also within reason.
Hidden Cloud Village wasn't foolish; the other three nations had already ceased fighting and were recuperating, leaving them to continue the entanglement, pointlessly depleting their vitality.
With the unanimous agreement of the elders, Ay had no choice but to compromise, withdrawing troops and sending a peace treaty, seeking negotiations.
"Whew."
White Fang let out a long breath, his gaze turning to Minato, saying with some emotion.
"It's finally over."
"Indeed."
A smile appeared on Minato's calm face, and he sighed.
"The war is over."
This war had lasted for nearly a year, during which countless Ninja from various villages had died in battle.
The village cemetery had been expanded several times within a year, with new memorial stones erected daily, and a continuous stream of people coming to pay their respects.
Other villages were largely similar; overall, in this war, besides the loss of personnel, the accumulated resources of various villages had been completely depleted, necessitating a period of recuperation.
Without looking too far ahead, at least for the next ten years, they wouldn't have enough resources to instigate another war.
Minato took out a piece of paper and began writing with a brush, smiling.
"It seems we can call Shikaku and the others back."
After writing, Minato folded it, and the next moment, an Anbu appeared with Instantaneous Body Technique, took the letter, and then disappeared again with Instantaneous Body Technique.
"Ren."
Just then, Minato raised a hand to rub his brow, turning to look at Ren, saying with some helplessness.
"When are you going to distribute those Ninja Swords? Lord Third has been nagging me about it several times."
A month had passed since Ren's last agreement with Hiruzen Sarutobi, but Ren had only distributed two Ninja Swords to Uchiha, making other families envious. They wanted to find Ren but couldn't see him for days, so they could only approach Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately couldn't sit still. He wanted to find Ren to fulfill his promise, but unexpectedly, the other party simply vanished, becoming unseen for a full week.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, thinking Ren wanted to renege on the deal, was instantly furious until Minato told him Ren was on a mission outside the village, which calmed him down.
But still somewhat uneasy, he repeatedly cautioned Minato, fearing that Ren might run off with the items.
"Don't worry, I just need to find them good owners."
Ren patted his chest, assuring him.
He had indeed been too busy to remember this matter recently. It was better to resolve it soon, lest old man Sarutobi keep worrying and think he had been cheated.
Seeing that there was nothing else, White Fang turned and left. As the head of Konoha's Anbu, his daily workload was considerable, and unexpected emergencies often required his intervention, frequently interrupting his holidays. Taking advantage of today's holiday, he still needed to go to the hospital to check on Kakashi's condition.
"Then I'll head back too, Minato-nii."
Ren waved to the other party, then turned to leave. Just as he reached the door, he was called back.
"Wait a moment."
Ren paused, turning to look behind him, asking in confusion.
"Is there anything else, Minato-nii?"
"That thing you asked me to tell Kushina about last time."
"Oh?"
Ren's eyes immediately lit up. He turned and quickly walked to the desk, asking expectantly.
"Is there a result?"
Although Saiken had already become friends with Rin and there would be no more Tailed Beast rampages, keeping that thing was still ultimately a problem. Resolving it sooner was always better.
"Not yet."
Minato shook his head, saying with some helplessness.
"Kushina said that this type of cursed seal is very rare, and she needs some time to study it."
"Alright."
Though Ren was a bit disappointed, he knew that such matters couldn't be rushed and could only wait patiently.
"Speaking of which…"
Minato's expression became a bit strange. He looked at Ren, saying with some helplessness.
"Ren, how many days has it been since you went to Anbu?"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Ren quickly coughed twice, then smiled apologetically.
"Didn't I have a good reason? Don't worry, I'll be back at work tomorrow."
Minato looked deeply at Ren, and said softly.
"I hope so."
"Yes, then please continue your work. I'll take my leave."
After leaving the Hokage Building, Ren was no longer in the mood to find Jiraiya. He directly took a different route home, even skipping dinner, and plunged onto his bed, not moving.
When he woke up again, it was already the next day. When he arrived at the Anbu base, his captain reprimanded him briefly and then let him rejoin the team.
For a period of time afterward, Ren's life temporarily stabilized.
Every morning, he would go to Anbu for roll call. If there was a mission, he would execute it; if not, he would directly leave, with no one bothering him during his free time.
He visited various major families for visits and free meals, instructed the three youngsters in their training, and went shopping and dined with friends.
Leisurely days passed by like this, and Konoha completely recovered from the effects of the war. Everyone emerged from the grief of losing loved ones, leaving their homes to chat and laugh with acquaintances, burying their sorrow deep in their hearts.
During this time, a few minor incidents also occurred.
For example: Jiraiya left.
After being sent to the hospital, Jiraiya didn't wake up until the next day, and could only get out of bed and move around on the third day. By the fifth day, when the nurse went for a routine check-up, she found an empty bed and an open window.
Others felt a bit emotional about his departure, but Ren, upon learning of this, was truly furious.
He hadn't gotten back a single cent of that 194,300 Ryo. Tsunade directly refused to pay, citing that she was his teacher, and would raise her fist to threaten him if he brought it up again.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, had disappeared without a trace since their last meeting. Ren knew he must be conducting experiments, but over the years, Orochimaru had built countless laboratories, large and small, both inside and outside Konoha.
Ren searched for three consecutive days but found no trace, so he could only temporarily give up the search.
He had initially thought Jiraiya's money would be the easiest to get, but unexpectedly, the other party was still chatting and laughing with him in the hospital bed on the fourth day, confidently promising to pay in two days, only to run away overnight after saying so.
Ren was instantly dumbfounded but could only accept this unspoken loss, vowing in his heart to settle scores with them one by one in the future.
And also: Kakashi also joined Anbu.
Kakashi was depressed in the hospital for only two days before Minato, who came to visit him, pulled him into Anbu. Coincidentally, he was assigned to the same squad as Ren.