The Great Ninja Villages entered a tense period of silence.
While Menma was in full swing preparing for the village merger, the other major villages were busy communicating both openly and in secret—especially the Hidden Leaf, which saw a constant stream of envoys and officials coming and going, including representatives from the other Great Nations and the Land of Fire's government.
The smaller ninja villages, terrified by the shifting power dynamics, secretly sent out their own diplomats. In a clash between superpowers, a single misstep could bring apocalyptic destruction to these lesser nations.
This eerie, suffocating silence hanging over the ninja world...
How could the smaller villages not feel terrified and paranoid? Unless they could accurately gauge the current political landscape, their leaders wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Even if they had to pick a side, they desperately needed to make sure they chose the right 'master.'
It was under these delicate circumstances...
Just as Menma had finalized the preliminary arrangements for the village, received the latest intelligence from Kabuto, and was preparing to leave the village... the Hidden Waterfall welcomed its very first foreign diplomatic envoy.
Upon receiving the report, Menma couldn't hide a brief flash of surprise.
"What? An envoy from the Hidden Cloud? Are you sure, Doran?"
Menma, who had been in the middle of discussing critical tasks with Shibuki, Ajun, and Karin for his upcoming absence, looked up with a strange glint in his bright eyes.
"Yes, Lord Menma. The leader claims to be acting on the direct orders of the Fourth Raikage. It's an older Cloud ninja named Dodai," Doran replied softly, his tone deeply respectful.
Dodai?
Hearing that name... Menma raised an eyebrow.
This was a man who truly belonged to the absolute highest echelon of the Hidden Cloud. While his administrative role was similar to Shikaku Nara's position in the Hidden Leaf, his seniority was vastly different. Having served the Third Raikage, Dodai had the prestige and authority to openly push back against the Fourth Raikage on many issues. Shikaku simply didn't have that kind of leverage against Tsunade—she was his senior, from an entirely older generation, whereas Minato and Shikaku had been peers.
In the Hidden Cloud, Dodai could effectively represent the Fourth Raikage in almost any capacity. The fact that he was personally leading this envoy spoke volumes about how seriously the Cloud was treating this.
But then Menma thought about the Cloud prisoners they held—and more importantly, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. Suddenly, Dodai's arrival didn't seem strange at all.
So they rushed over the moment the pressure on their western front eased up? They really are anxious... Menma chuckled inwardly.
"Bring Dodai-san to the main administrative hall, then," Menma said, looking at Doran.
"Right away, Lord Menma," Doran replied deeply, turning to leave and arrange the reception for the Cloud delegation.
"Menma-kun, sending an envoy now... do you think the Cloud is looking for peace talks?"
Once Doran left, Shibuki frowned from his seat to the side, looking at Menma with a trace of suspicion.
"Mm, nine times out of ten. Putting aside the fact that they've been severely crippled by both us and the Hidden Stone and have no strength left to fight, they don't exactly have much leverage. We hold nearly a hundred of their shinobi captive, along with their highly critical Two-Tails Jinchuriki. They have no choice but to come to the negotiating table. It was inevitable; the only variables were when they would show up and what terms they would offer," Menma nodded gently.
"And what is our stance on this?"
"We can return the Cloud prisoners. Keeping them around is useless anyway, as long as they show enough 'sincerity' with their payment. But the Two-Tails Jinchuriki? Absolutely not happening," Menma sneered, his tone leaving zero room for debate.
Setting aside the fact that he had already made a deal with Matatabi and desperately needed her cooperation for his future plans...
Even without that... Do you just hand back a Jinchuriki?
Did they think he was running the Hidden Leaf? He won the war. Why would he spit out the fat piece of meat he just swallowed? Only a complete idiot would make a deal like that.
Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to your own people.
A Tailed Beast was a weapon of mass destruction on the battlefield! Just let it go?
Not a chance!
Shibuki nodded in complete agreement. Returning ordinary Cloud ninja was one thing, but easily handing back a Jinchuriki? Only a fool would agree to that!
"Ajun-san, please go ahead and implement the plans we just discussed. Shibuki-san, come with me. Let's go meet the brains behind the Raikage," Menma said, standing up with a smooth, calm tone.
"Yes, Lord Menma." / "Understood, Menma-kun."
Ajun and Shibuki responded simultaneously.
---
Diplomacy between ninja villages always boiled down to raw power.
The strong dictated the terms, and the weak could only lower their heads and listen respectfully. In past global conflicts, whether it was the Waterfall or the Grass, they only ever had a fraction of a voice when the Five Great Villages were stalemated. Otherwise, they survived solely by reading the moods of the Great Nations.
But now.
Under Menma's absolute dominance, having shattered the combined offensives of several major villages, the Waterfall-Grass Alliance had firmly cemented its place on the global stage.
The shift in the village's atmosphere was visible to the naked eye.
As Dodai was escorted through the village by Doran, he could feel it clearly. It wasn't just the Waterfall ninja—even the ordinary civilians walking the main streets or looking out from the shops held their heads high. When they looked at the visiting Cloud shinobi, almost every single face wore an expression that bordered on 'looking down' at them.
It was the poise and confidence of absolute victors.
This was exactly how the foundations of the Five Great Nations had been built—accumulated drop by drop through blood and victory. Dodai could clearly foresee that as long as the Hidden Waterfall didn't suffer a catastrophic blow, it wouldn't take long. Give them ten or twenty years for the next generation to mature, and the Waterfall would firmly establish the foundation of a true Great Nation.
By that point, even if Menma Uzumaki died in some freak accident, the Waterfall's status would remain unshakable.
This was the exact path the Five Great Nations had taken. Dodai knew it all too well.
Because of this, the dread resting deep in Dodai's heart grew intensely heavy. He had initially thought Menma was just a monstrously talented kid. Strong, yes, but personal strength alone rarely meant much. After all, wasn't their Third Raikage overwhelmingly strong? And he still died on the battlefield.
Unless you reached the god-like, 'terrorist' tier of those two legendary founders of the Hidden Leaf... personal strength still felt somewhat insignificant in the face of a Great Ninja Village.
---