At first, Sunagakure absolutely refused to agree to this clause—but Konoha's stance was just as firm.
This was a substantive condition. Specific details could still be negotiated, but the prerequisite was non-negotiable: Sunagakure had to accept it.
After prolonged back-and-forth, Sunagakure ultimately gave in. There was no helping it—the situation left them with no choice. Still, they managed to secure one concession: the duration of the clause banning Sunagakure from accepting missions from other nations was reduced from the fifteen years originally proposed by Konoha to ten years.
As for war reparations, that was only natural. As the defeated party, Sunagakure had to have that awareness. How many ryō they would pay was left to negotiations between the Fire Daimyō and the Wind Daimyō—this matter lay outside the jurisdiction of the ninja villages and the Hokage.
This sort of "kicking a drowning dog" behavior was something the Fire Daimyō would be more than happy to take part in.
Of course, since Konoha had provided the main military force, no matter how much compensation the Land of Fire managed to extract from the Land of Wind, at least half of the war reparations would be directly allocated to Konoha.
The ninja world's peculiar system of one country, one village was, at its core, a dual structure. Although the Hokage was nominally just a village-level leader, Konoha's overwhelming military strength placed the Hokage on equal footing with the Fire Daimyō in name—and in reality, the Hokage wielded enormous influence, especially in military affairs, where the Daimyō had little to no say.
As for how strictly this peace treaty between Konoha and Sunagakure would be enforced—truthfully speaking, until the Third Great Ninja War officially ended, both sides would abide by it obediently. After that, things were harder to say. For example, a clause like banning Sunagakure from accepting missions from other nations would be difficult for Konoha to fully monitor.
Once the concrete terms were finalized, the next step was a face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the two great villages—the Hokage and the Kazekage. Only with both Kage signing the agreement in person would it carry real authority. Otherwise, it would amount to nothing more than empty paper.
But another problem immediately arose.
Where would the treaty be signed?
The Hokage going to Sunagakure? Impossible. First, Konoha was the victor; from a standpoint of status alone, the Hokage had no reason to go. Second, Sunagakure wasn't safe. Even if the Third Hokage were willing to risk himself, no one on Konoha's side would agree.
What about having the Kazekage come to Konoha's main camp?
Objectively speaking, as the losing side, the Kazekage should have taken the initiative—but there was no way he would do so.
He was worried that Konoha might seize the opportunity—premeditated or otherwise—to assassinate him.
After all, less than ten days ago, the two sides had still been locked in mortal combat. Though both genuinely desired peace now, there was not even the slightest shred of trust between them.
The Hokage wouldn't go to Sunagakure.
The Kazekage wouldn't go to Konoha's camp.
From Konoha's perspective, the precedent was painfully clear.
The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had once fallen victim to exactly such a situation. Back then, a young Sarutobi Hiruzen had accompanied him.
At the end of the First Great Ninja War, Tobirama was on his way to the Land of Lightning to formalize an alliance with the Second Raikage when they were attacked by the rebel Gold and Silver Brothers. During the retreat, realizing he was hopelessly outnumbered, Tobirama voluntarily stayed behind as bait—and died a heroic death.
It was precisely then that the young Sarutobi Hiruzen was appointed on the spot as the Third Hokage.
If even the fastest ninja in the world had met such an end, the Third Hokage had every reason to be cautious.
Thus, when it came to the signing location, neither side was willing to yield. Both placed the utmost importance on the safety of their village leader. Moreover, the very trigger for the Third Great Ninja War had been the disappearance of the Third Kazekage—there was no way Sunagakure would risk placing their newly instated Fourth Kazekage in danger.
This made the situation extremely tricky. They couldn't very well reignite a war that had just barely been calmed, all because of a disagreement over where to sign a treaty. At its core, this wasn't a matter of rejecting peace—it was purely about security.
In the end, since neither side would allow their Kage to enter the other's core territory, a compromise was reached.
The solution was simple, if somewhat clumsy.
The signing site was established at the midpoint of the straight line between Sunagakure and Konoha's camp. This ensured that both sides' core forces and key personnel were equidistant from the location. If anything went wrong, neither side would gain an advantage—a surprisingly effective way of striking a psychological balance.
Once the location was set, matters became even more complex.
Security had to be addressed.
With the signing site as the center, a fifty-kilometer radius was designated as a restricted zone. Outside this zone, Konoha and Sunagakure would each be responsible for half of the perimeter's defense. On each side, 500 ninja could be deployed within their respective sectors as guards—but they were strictly forbidden from entering the restricted zone itself. Any violation would be considered an act of aggression, and negotiations would be terminated immediately.
This defensive ring was essentially meant to guard against external threats rather than each other. Both nations agreed to deploy such large numbers primarily to prevent interference from a third party. If another village learned that the Hokage and Kazekage were signing a peace treaty in such a place and decided to sabotage it—wiping out both Kage in one stroke—the consequences would be catastrophic.
Naturally, the restricted zone itself wouldn't contain only the Hokage and Kazekage.
Within the zone, each side was allowed to bring thirty-two bodyguards—the most basic level of protection for a Kage.
This arrangement was considered thorough. If anything unexpected occurred during the talks, the thirty-two guards could fight with everything they had to escort the Hokage back to Konoha's fifty-kilometer defensive perimeter. From there, the 500 Konoha ninja stationed outside would ensure his safe return to the main camp—which was absolutely secure, as there was no force within the Land of Wind capable of breaching it at that time.
The Kazekage enjoyed the same safeguards. Even if danger arose, this setup ensured he could retreat safely back to Sunagakure.
And thanks to his outstanding performance on this front, Hagoromo became the only chūnin selected among those thirty-two guards. Aside from him, every other member was an elite jōnin.
Naturally, this also had a great deal to do with Hagoromo's flying summoning beast.
The thirty-two guards were further divided into two teams. On the day before the meeting, both sides would dispatch ninja to clear the restricted zone, after which a total of 1,000 ninja would completely seal off the area. On the day of the talks, half of the Hokage's guards would remain at his side as close protection, while the other half would enter the restricted zone ahead of him to conduct a second, comprehensive sweep—just in case the other side tried anything underhanded.
Even while negotiations were ongoing, these sixteen ninja retained the right to move freely within the restricted zone.
Sunagakure's arrangements mirrored Konoha's exactly. Though meticulous to the point of tedium, every detail existed for one reason only—the safety of the Hokage and the Kazekage.
Kage-level powerhouses were strong, yes—but protection had to be absolute. This wasn't a matter of distrusting the Hokage's strength; it was about ensuring one hundred percent security.
And at this moment, Hagoromo's advantage—his flying summoning beast—truly began to shine in terms of surveillance and monitoring.
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