About an hour later, in the Hokage's Office.
"I see. So that was how it was."
Listening to Chiba's detailed report, Minato Namikaze nodded and spoke with considerable calm.
This matter really should have been kept from us.
That child was still as meticulous as ever.
But if things were exposed, would he have tried to shoulder all the blame himself?
Just as Iwa's ambassador had placed all the blame on that dead old man, Chiba had kept this from us partly because the fewer people who knew, the better. More importantly, the fewer who knew—especially if I, the Hokage, remained unaware—then when the time came to make a choice, it could be entirely classified as an individual act. The child's own stubborn decision, unrelated to the village.
And through such deflection, he would protect the village, sacrifice one person, and spare the village from disaster.
Yet beneath his calm expression, such turbulent thoughts flashed through Minato Namikaze's mind.
"Yes, everything went very smoothly. Lord Orochimaru, who handled the infiltration and espionage mission, and Lord Uchiha Fugaku, who played the supporting role in the final step, perfectly completed their final tasks. Now, even if Iwa does not develop absolute hostility and distrust toward Kumogakure, they should at least be caught between belief and doubt, plagued by uncertainty. Coupled with Kumogakure's complicated feelings toward Iwa, an alliance between the two is basically impossible now."
Chiba nodded and summarized the situation.
Half an hour ago, Uchiha Fugaku and Orochimaru had reported everything they had done and seen to him. Combined with the information in the scroll Minato Namikaze had sent earlier, Chiba had already sorted out the entire matter and prepared a detailed, accurate report.
And with that, everything concerning the Peace Alliance had come to an end. From here on, he