Inside the main tent of the Konoha camp, overseen by Uchiha Fugaku...
"I'm glad we could come to an agreement and jointly put an end to this war," said Homura, standing up and extending his hand toward the Sand Village envoy.
Before him was an elderly man, about the same age as Homura, dressed in the traditional attire of the Wind Country. He wore a headscarf, with white eyebrows that drooped, giving him a somewhat kind and benevolent look.
When he smiled, his eyes almost disappeared, and he shook Homura's hand. "This time, Konoha should be sure to properly thank us. After all, we of the Sand Village are your saviors."
Homura raised an eyebrow, not holding back his reply: "Ha, wasn't it your Sand Village that started this war in the first place?"
Both of them were senior advisors in their respective villages, and they had crossed paths when they were younger.
The Sand Village advisor, Ebizo, laughed loudly, then pretended to act as though he hadn't heard Homura. "What did you just say? I didn't catch that."
Nearby, Utatane Koharu sneered inwardly. "This old man..."
Ebizo spoke again, "Since everything has been settled, I should be on my way."
Homura responded, "Why didn't Lord Chiyo come along this time?"
Ebizo slightly raised his eyes. "My older sister is not interested in matters like this, but she entrusted me to thank you all."
"Thank us?" Homura asked.
"Yes, thank you for helping us get rid of a former dangerous threat," Ebizo said.
Homura's expression immediately darkened upon hearing those words. He knew full well who the "former dangerous threat" from the Sand Village was, but the mockery hidden in the statement almost made him lose his composure.
Utatane Koharu also spoke up, "Please send our regards to your Fourth Kazekage. I've heard that he was appointed to the position at a young age, and I imagine his strength and skills rival those of the Third Kazekage."
Ebizo narrowed his eyes. "Goodbye."
Once he left the main tent, Homura muttered under his breath, "That old, insufferable man!"
Koharu said, "We can now send a message to Hiruzen."
With the help of the Sand Village in this war, Konoha's situation would improve.
Ebizo and his two Sand ninjas left the Konoha camp, heading back toward the Wind Country.
After leaving the camp, Ebizo looked back. The Konoha camp's concealed barrier had reopened, revealing only a vast forest.
With the Fourth Kazekage recently appointed, the Sand Village urgently needed a stable environment, and ending this war would ultimately be more beneficial for them.
However, the cause of the Third Kazekage's death remained unresolved.
Ebizo and his two guards hurried on, but just as they were about to exit the forest, something suddenly fell from the sky.
The three of them immediately stopped, and one of the guards cautiously approached to inspect. To their shock, it was the corpse of a hawk.
His heart skipped a beat. "Lord Ebizo, it's our messenger hawk!"
Ebizo stood still, his expression cold.
After their agreement with Konoha, they had sent an early message to the village, but now it seemed the message had been intercepted midway.
The exit of the forest was not far away, and a large patch of white light was visible in the distance. However, the surrounding area had an eerie, deathly silence.
The two guards were on high alert.
Suddenly, one of them threw a kunai into a nearby bush.
Cling!
A crisp metallic sound rang out.
Before long, a figure slowly emerged from the bush, dressed in Konoha ninja gear and wearing a Konoha forehead protector.
Ebizo coldly said, "Playing tricks. A Konoha ninja would never attack us. Who are you?"
As soon as he spoke, more than a dozen Konoha ninjas emerged from all directions.
One of them spoke darkly, "Lord Ebizo, I heard that your sister's son and daughter-in-law were both killed by Konoha's White Fang. With such deep grudges, you still agreed to form an alliance with Konoha. Truly remarkable, your broad-mindedness."
Ebizo saw they had ambushed him with so many people, and his heart sank.
His mind raced as he speculated about the identities of these people and how they knew of his movements.
Ebizo coldly asked, "Are you trying to stop us from forming an alliance with Konoha? Are you Iwa ninjas?"
But how did Iwa know their whereabouts?
The group did not respond, only slowly advancing toward them, kunai in hand.
Ebizo immediately gave the order: "Break through toward the Konoha camp!"
"Mr. Yahiko, your Rain Village's demands are simply too high. We did not ask you to send troops in the upcoming war,"
Inside the main tent, Homura spoke to the young man before him.
"But we must bear the risk of becoming enemies with Iwa because of this alliance. We came here to end the war, and your side should pay the corresponding cost," Yahiko responded.
"Ending the war is just an optimistic outlook. Whether Iwa will truly agree to a ceasefire is another matter. If you weren't prepared to be enemies with Iwa from the start, then if Iwa refuses to cease, wouldn't Konoha have wasted all this effort?" Homura stood firm.
Asahi sat quietly at the edge, watching. The argument had been going on for a long time, and no matter what Yahiko said, Konoha refused to lower its demands.
He could tell that Konoha had no real intention of forming this alliance but was patient enough to drag Rain Village on.
"Lord Homura, Konoha shows no sincerity!" Yahiko finally said, exasperated.
Homura lightly chuckled, "We've shown the greatest sincerity. If you were truly willing to send troops, the price would naturally be different."
Send troops…
Yahiko's heart tightened.
He stood up and said, "I think we should call it a day for now."
Homura replied, "Mr. Yahiko, it seems we cannot reach an agreement. Continuing like this is pointless. Your leader, Hanzo, must be waiting for your report. We won't keep you any longer."
"…"
With nothing left to say, Yahiko simply gave a light bow to Homura and Koharu before leaving with Konan, Kousuke, and Asahi.
As they left the main tent, Kousuke couldn't help but speak up, "Yahiko, are we just going back like this?"
They had already been here for several days, and Yahiko had negotiated with Homura multiple times.
They had also received a letter from Hanzo, which only urged them to do their best.
"We didn't see any Sand Village people today," Asahi suddenly said.
Yahiko paused, then turned to glance back at the main tent, only to notice that the Uchiha man had entered it.
Over the past few days, Homura had always met with them first before meeting with the Sand Village envoys. In his daily letters to Hanzo, he had also mentioned the ongoing negotiations between Konoha and the Sand Village. But today, they hadn't seen any Sand ninjas.
Has Konoha and the Sand Village already reached an agreement...?
Yahiko averted his gaze, fell silent for a while, then said, "Let's go back."