Jiraiya glanced at his two disciples in front of him, then looked at Byakuya and the Fourth Raikage in the distance, slowly saying, "Byakuya, Konoha agrees to stop this war."
For Jiraiya, agreeing to peace wasn't difficult. Konoha was already on the defensive in this war; had it not been for Kumogakure's attack on the Land of Hot Water, Konoha wouldn't have been forced into this conflict.
As for the Fourth Raikage's claim that Konoha had previously assassinated high-ranking officials from the Land of Hot Water, Jiraiya had never heard of it, but he didn't completely rule out the possibility. He and Hiruzen never resorted to assassination, but Danzo and Orochimaru might not share the same principles.
Upon hearing that Jiraiya was willing to end the war, Byakuya nodded slightly and then turned his gaze to the Fourth Raikage not far away, casually saying, "Jiraiya has agreed but what about you, Raikage?"
With everyone's eyes on him, the Fourth Raikage's expression darkened and shifted unpredictably. Reluctantly, he replied, "Kumogakure also agrees to stop the offensive. I will issue orders for all Cloud ninjas to withdraw from the Land of Fire."
Seeing that the Raikage was also willing to negotiate, the tense atmosphere eased considerably. If they could leverage this opportunity to end the war, it would be a decent outcome.
Byakuya smiled, forming two shadow clones with hand seals before walking towards Jiraiya and the Raikage. As he extended his hand, he said, "I just love obedient shinobis. So, why don't we talk and have a cop of tea?"
Jiraiya grasped Byakuya's hand, feeling the vast chakra within him through their physical contact. This level of chakra was not inferior to his own.
Although the Fourth Raikage was somewhat reluctant, he also shook Byakuya's hand.
At that moment, Byakuya spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Raikage, let me share a secret with you. During our earlier fight, I was holding back. I'm actually not very good at physical combat."
The Fourth Raikage froze for a moment, unsure whether to believe Byakuya.
Forcing the two of them toward the center of the arena, Byakuya was satisfied after they reluctantly shook hands and made peace, then returned to Yahiko's side.
Yahiko nervously asked, "Byakuya, what should we do next?"
Byakuya rolled his eyes and replied, "Well duh~, we host the peace talks. Isn't that always your responsibility? Why are you asking me?"
Yahiko was momentarily taken aback and then awkwardly said, "That's true. I almost forgot. But after our intervention, can Konoha and Kumogakure really achieve peace?"
"Of course not. We are only forcibly halting their war. Even without us, this war would end within half a year. We're just speeding up the process."
Byakuya explained to Yahiko.
Yahiko's expression changed slightly as he said, "If that's the case, doesn't our intervention have no real impact? It would be the same whether the Akatsuki is involved or not."
Byakuya shook his head, saying, "There are still some differences. At least Amegakure has made a considerable profit, and peace has arrived a few years earlier. Don't forget, without us, Amegakure would still be embroiled in internal strife."
Hearing this, Yahiko took a deep breath and said, "Byakuya, you used to oppose the organization's ideology, but now it seems I'm the one hesitating. After becoming the leader of Amegakure, I might not be as pure as I once was."
Byakuya sighed, "This is the price of growth. Yahiko, go represent the Akatsuki in the negotiations between Konoha and Kumogakure."
Yahiko nodded vigorously and then walked toward Jiraiya and the Fourth Raikage.
---
Central Battlefield
Representatives from Kumogakure, Amegakure, and Konohagakure sat in a position created by Earth Release, discussing how to end the conflict and balance the interests of Konoha and Kumogakure.
While a peace agreement might not emerge from this meeting, the discussions could influence future formal talks. However, among the numerous ninjas present, the most attention was not focused on the three leaders but rather on Byakuya, who had just dramatically intervened and single-handedly halted the war.
The Konoha ninjas were not unfamiliar with Byakuya. He was a disciple of Hanzo of the Salamander and one of the senior members of Amegakure. He had previously demonstrated his Jonin-level strength in Konoha and now stood capable of directly contending with the Fourth Raikage.
Though it was the first time the Cloud ninjas encountered Byakuya, his figure was deeply etched into their memories. His actions today had been extraordinarily brilliant. Even if the other Four Shadows had arrived in person, they would likely not have been able to display such a firm stance before the Raikage.
Byakuya's show of strength was not motivated by a desire to seize land or pursue commissions; it was solely to promote peace between the two major ninja villages.
His actions inevitably reminded everyone of Hanzo the Salamander over twenty years ago. Back then, Hanzo, young and talented, had led Amegakure in openly opposing the five great ninja villages. Although ultimately defeated, he earned the title of "Demigod" for his efforts. This was also one of the reasons why Amegakure was not declared war upon in the Third Shinobi World War.
Now, Amegakure had produced another figure reminiscent of a demigod, and this time, they came with a team.
Among the crowd, Shikaku Nara occasionally glanced toward Byakuya with a stiff face.
Choza Akimichi noticed Shikaku's furrowed brow and, while chewing on some jerky, asked, "Shikaku, isn't it a good thing that the war has stopped? Why the long face?"
"Ending the war is certainly a good thing, but have you noticed those Akatsuki ninjas?" Shikaku replied.
"They're strong, but what's the problem?" Choza asked, taking another bite of the grilled meat.
Shikaku let out a soft sigh, "These people have exhibited elite Jonin-level strength, even rivaling the Five Kage. With so many powerful figures together, do you think they'd be willing to remain in a small place like the Land of Rain?"
Choza chewed thoughtfully, "Go on."
Seeing Choza treat his analysis as a snack, Shikaku felt a bit helpless but continued, "Amegakure's strength has far surpassed the limits of the Land of Rain. Moving forward, they will either expand into the surrounding small nations or launch wars against larger countries."
"They intervened in our war with Kumogakure for two reasons: one is Jiraiya's request, and the other is to bolster the reputation of Amegakure in preparation for future expansion. Even if we hadn't sent a message, Amegakure would have undoubtedly intervened in this war. I just didn't expect that instead of taking advantage of the chaos to swallow up the Land of Grass and other small countries, Amegakure would push for peace between us and Kumogakure, enhancing their reputation. It won't be long before those villages threatened by the Five Great Nations will flock to Amegakure…"
At this point, Shikaku fell silent, looking toward the direction of Byakuya with a gaze full of apprehension.
Although Amegakure seemed to be aiding Konoha, they posed a threat to Konoha's long-term interests.
Byakuya also noticed Shikaku's gaze and responded with a smile that was not quite a smile.