Two months had passed since the secret meeting between Uchiha and the Land of Snow.
During that time—
The agreement between the Land of Snow and the newly formed Takayuki Clan had quietly taken shape in the shadows.
It was not a simple alliance.
Both sides now held leverage against each other.
The Land of Snow needed the strength and knowledge of the Uchiha.
And the Takayuki Clan needed a hidden place to survive far away from the eyes of the shinobi world.
After Genzo and Shizuka's departure—
Toyoma and Raizen's squad had continued operating near the border camps.
And during these past weeks—
They had captured many Mist shinobi alive.
But strangely—
None of them was executed.
Instead, they were being held prisoner inside the camp.
At first, most shinobi thought it was temporary.
But as days passed—
Anger inside the camp slowly began increasing.
"Toyoma..."
Uzuku looked at him with a tired expression.
"Your actions are making many shinobi inside the camp furious."
The cold wind quietly passed through the tent.
"Every time they see those Mist prisoners alive..."
His expression darkened slightly.
"...they remember the faces of their dead comrades."
Outside the tent, faint shouting could occasionally be heard in the distance.
Several shinobi still attempted to attack the Mist prisoners whenever emotions ran high.
"And now it has become difficult to stop them."
Uzuku rubbed his forehead slightly.
Confusion was clearly visible in his eyes.
Because honestly—
Even many Uchiha had started questioning Toyoma's decision.
Why keep enemy shinobi alive after the war had already ended?
Meanwhile, Toyoma remained calm.
"Mist was never the enemy of the Uchiha."
His voice was quiet.
"They are enemies of Konoha and the Land of Fire."
Uzuku frowned slightly after hearing that.
Toyoma slowly looked toward him.
"We are only here because we have our own goals."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And for those goals to succeed..."
A faint coldness appeared in his gaze.
"...I need these prisoners alive."
Uzuku's expression immediately changed.
"What?"
For a brief moment—
He genuinely did not understand Toyoma's meaning.
Toyoma calmly continued,
"The war is already over."
"The notice for the Five Kage peace talks has already been sent."
The lantern light quietly flickered inside the tent.
"And right now..."
A faint smile appeared on Toyoma's face.
"...these prisoners are far more valuable alive than dead."
Uzuku silently listened.
Meanwhile, Toyoma remembered something else.
Jiraiya had released many Mist shinobi prisoners earlier as a gesture showing Konoha's desire for peace.
A political move.
A peaceful image.
But Toyoma had chosen a completely different path.
"We paid a heavy price in this war."
His voice gradually became colder.
"So why should we leave empty-handed?"
The atmosphere inside the tent quietly changed after those words.
Toyoma slowly leaned back.
"For everything this war cost us..."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"...we will take something in return."
And for that—
They needed the Mist shinobi alive.
Uzuku quietly listened to Toyoma's explanation.
And slowly—
He finally understood what Toyoma was truly aiming for.
Recovering losses.
If not through victory—
Then through leverage.
Toyoma wanted compensation for everything the Uchiha had lost during the war.
Then Uzuku suddenly remembered something else.
His expression became more complicated afterwards.
"Toyoma..."
He leaned slightly forward in his chair.
"Jiraiya has been pressuring me to release the Mist prisoners as a gesture of peace."
Toyoma remained silent.
Uzuku continued with difficulty,
"Now that the notice for the Five Kage peace talks has already been sent..."
His tired eyes slowly lifted toward Toyoma.
"...both Jiraiya and Fugaku are saying your actions could cause problems for Konoha."
For a few moments—
The tent became quiet.
Then suddenly—
Toyoma slowly leaned forward as well.
"And what exactly will Konoha gain from this peace?"
His voice had become unusually low.
Uzuku frowned slightly.
Toyoma quietly continued,
"Konoha will not demand anything from the other villages."
A faint mocking smile appeared on his face.
"They'll simply let everyone walk away with nothing more than a piece of paper called a peace agreement."
The atmosphere inside the tent quietly changed.
Then Toyoma stared directly into Uzuku's eyes.
"Tell me, Uncle..."
His voice became colder.
"...after sacrificing so much in this war..."
"...will we actually gain anything in return?"
Uzuku froze slightly after hearing that.
For the first time—
He truly thought about it properly.
Hundreds of dead Uchiha shinobi.
Entire clans weakened.
Children orphaned.
Years of war.
And in the end—
Just another peace agreement?
A bitter expression slowly appeared on Uzuku's face.
"...Then what was even the meaning of this war?"
The words escaped from his mouth almost unconsciously.
Toyoma quietly watched his reaction.
Then slowly—
He smiled faintly.
Meanwhile—
at another camp near the border.
The atmosphere there had already become tense.
Fugaku Uchiha stood directly in front of Raizen.
His face carried visible anger.
Nearby, Jiraiya silently watched the confrontation while several Hawk Uchiha stood behind Raizen like unmoving walls.
The cold wind passed quietly through the camp.
"Raizen."
Fugaku's voice was stern and authoritative.
"I am the one in command here."
His sharp eyes locked onto Raizen.
"So step aside."
The pressure in his voice gradually increased.
"Don't force my hand."
Raizen quietly listened.
Then suddenly—
He scoffed openly.
That single sound immediately made Fugaku's expression darken further.
"You—"
Fugaku stepped closer until both of them stood face to face.
The surrounding shinobi immediately became tense.
But Raizen showed no sign of backing down.
Instead—
He slowly leaned forward slightly as well.
Then calmly said,
"What?"
A dangerous look appeared in his eyes.
"You want to repeat what your father once did?"
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Even Jiraiya's eyes narrowed slightly after hearing those words.
Raizen slowly took another step forward.
"But things will be different this time."
"The one standing here is me."
His voice came out cold and firm.
"I won't go easy on you just because we're from the same clan."
Every word landed heavily.
"So it would be better for you..."
Raizen stared directly into Fugaku's eyes.
"...to stay quiet."
For a brief moment—
Nobody spoke.
Then, finally, Jiraiya stepped forward slightly.
"You two are Konoha shinobi."
His voice carried visible frustration now.
"And yet you're acting like this in front of everyone?"
He frowned deeply.
"Doesn't this feel shameful to either of you?"
Then Jiraiya turned toward Raizen.
"Raizen..."
His tone became firmer.
"The Hokage and elders have already given orders to release the prisoners."
But before he could finish—
Suki suddenly spoke from the side.
"Jiraiya-sama..."
Her calm voice interrupted the tension.
"What you choose to do with your own prisoners is your decision."
The cold wind quietly moved through her hair.
"But the Mist shinobi being held here were captured by us."
Her eyes calmly met Jiraiya's.
"So how do we handle them..."
Her voice gradually became colder.
"...is our decision."
Then she slowly looked toward Fugaku.
"And Clan Head..."
The atmosphere instantly became heavier again.
"It's already taking restraint from us not to execute them for the Hawk members we lost."
A faint killing intent quietly appeared inside the camp.
"So don't force our hand here."
Fugaku heard Suki's words and immediately looked toward her sharply.
"Do you want this war to continue?!"
His voice echoed through the camp.
The surrounding shinobi quietly stiffened after hearing the anger in his tone.
"Do you even understand how many more lives could be lost because of this?"
The pressure around Fugaku gradually increased.
But before anyone could respond—
A calm voice suddenly came from behind.
"Then what about the losses suffered by our faction shinobi?"
Everyone's eyes immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
Toyoma had arrived together with Uzuku.
The cold wind quietly moved through his dark hair as he slowly walked into the camp.
It was obvious—
He had already heard the earlier conversation.
Toyoma's eyes slowly swept across Fugaku, Jiraiya, and the Mist prisoners behind them.
Then he calmly continued,
"And what about their families?"
The atmosphere instantly became heavier.
"We are holding these prisoners so we can negotiate directly with the Mist during the Five Kage talks."
His voice remained steady.
"And secure compensation for the families of the shinobi we lost during this war."
Several Hawk Uchiha behind him silently lowered their eyes after hearing that.
Because many of the dead belonged to their faction.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya immediately frowned.
"That decision should be made by the Hokage and the elders."
His voice became firm again.
But Toyoma simply looked toward him before smiling faintly.
A smile without warmth.
"People we don't trust?"
The moment those words came out—
The atmosphere froze again.
Toyoma slowly continued,
"So until we personally receive proper compensation for our losses..."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"...these prisoners won't be released."
Fugaku and Jiraiya both stared at Toyoma silently.
Then finally—
Fugaku stepped forward angrily.
"Just what exactly are you aiming for here?!"
His voice carried visible frustration now.
Toyoma calmly met his gaze.
"Simple."
His answer came immediately.
"War reparations."
Even Jiraiya's expression changed slightly after hearing those words.
Toyoma slowly looked between both of them.
"If either you or Elder Jiraiya can provide proper compensation for the losses suffered by our people right now..."
He gestured lightly toward the imprisoned Mist shinobi.
"...then we'll release the prisoners immediately."
The camp became completely silent.
Then Toyoma's voice became colder.
"But if not..."
The cold wind quietly brushed through the camp once again.
"...then we'll wait for the Mist to answer instead."
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