The End of the First Shinobi World War

Hokage Building.

Tobirama Senju, his personal disciples, war advisors, and various high-ranking officials had gathered in the Hokage's Office.

"Monkey, Kagami, Torifu, Homura, Koharu, Danzo, you'll be coming with me to this peace negotiation."

Behind the desk, Tobirama Senju spoke calmly, his gaze sharp.

The six of them nodded in unison.

"Also, regarding these peace talks with the Land of Lightning, what are everyone's thoughts?" As he spoke, his red eyes swept across them one by one.

At those words, Utatane Koharu immediately stepped forward.

"Teacher."

"Speak!"

Having received Tobirama Senju's approval, Utatane Koharu nodded and began.

"Teacher, I don't think there should be any major problems with these negotiations.

First, we all know the Second Hokage of the Cloud's personality. Though he was battle-hungry, he was friendly most of the time and mild-mannered around others."

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

The Second Hokage of the Cloud's personality could be called an anomaly within Kumogakure.

At the first Five Kage Summit, Tobirama had encountered him while serving as Hashirama's guard, back when the Second Hokage of the Cloud had still been the First Raikage's guard.

Seeing that no one objected, Utatane Koharu grew more confident.

"Second,

this war has lasted two years and dragged on for far too long.

We have struggled enough as it is, let alone Amegakure, whose strength is inferior to ours.

Third,

the meeting will be held on the Land of Moon battlefield along the border between our Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. The chances of an ambush are low."

"I agree with that." Mitokado Homura interjected from the side.

"As long as we delay withdrawing our forces for the time being, we can ensure the safety of these talks to the greatest extent possible."

It sounded good.

For a moment, a faint air of joy gradually filled the Hokage's Office. Smiles appeared on everyone's faces, and even Shimura Danzō, who had been having a rough time lately, wore a delighted grin.

"Ahem."

At the familiar cough, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. Their smiles vanished at once as they all turned toward the expressionless Tobirama Senju.

"Now isn't the time to celebrate. Monkey, write a letter to the daimyo and request some funds to use as compensation for our fallen and wounded comrades.

Especially those who died in battle. Bring all their bodies back and give them proper burials.

Their families must also be cared for properly."

After speaking, Tobirama Senju raised his head and looked toward the map of the Shinobi World hanging on the wall.

"There's one more matter. Danzo, how is your investigation into the Land of Wind's recent movements going?"

Hearing his teacher's question, Shimura Danzō hurriedly stepped forward and answered respectfully.

"Teacher, some time ago, reconnaissance teams at the border reported that the Land of Wind was deploying large numbers of troops toward the Land of Rain.

According to intelligence from the Dark Child, the Land of Wind has already attacked the Land of Rain."

"And the result?" Tobirama Senju asked calmly.

"The result..." Shimura Danzō's expression was somewhat complicated.

"Hanzo of the Salamander led Amegakure's shinobi into battle and utterly defeated Sunagakure."

"Utterly defeated? Amegakure won?" Utatane Koharu asked in disbelief.

"Yes. According to the reconnaissance teams, Hanzo of the Salamander's Summoned Beast, Salamander Ibuse, released massive amounts of poisonous gas across the battlefield.

The Land of Wind was unable to develop an antidote in time, suffering heavy casualties.

Later, Chiyo of Sunagakure created an antidote, but by then Sunagakure had already suffered too many casualties.

Still, Amegakure did not fare well either. A large number of their shinobi were killed."

Hearing this, Tobirama Senju's expression also became complicated.

Hanzo of the Salamander! The God of Shinobi... he truly deserves to be the only one after my brother's death whose title bears the word 'God.'

In terms of individual strength, he may be about on par with me, but on a battlefield, his killing efficiency is simply too high!

He's practically a weapon of mass destruction on the battlefield.

At that thought, even Tobirama Senju, who was always incomparably calm, felt his blood begin to burn.

Sakuta Rinto!

I have to keep a firm grip on that brat.

Tobirama Senju believed that if another war broke out in the future, with Rinto's intelligence, he would certainly be able to mislead Hanzo of the Salamander and turn him into Konoha's strongest shield in the west.

So long as he was truly loyal to Konoha.

"Monkey, how has Sakuta Rinto been lately?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi froze, then recalled how that little bastard had tricked him again last night. His expression immediately turned exceedingly strange.

"Teacher, I handed you the intelligence regarding last night this morning."

"Did you?" Tobirama Senju rubbed his temples. "I've been too busy lately."

"Fine. You already know who will be attending the talks. We leave in three days, so go make your preparations!"

"Yes!" Everyone in the office nodded together and filed out of the Hokage's Office in an orderly fashion.

The bustling office fell quiet. Tobirama Senju slowly sat down and found Monkey's report amid the mountain of documents.

After reading the report, which recorded every detail of the previous night, Tobirama Senju supported his forehead with one hand, his expression turning complicated.

"Sakuta Rinto... he had hidden his strength so deeply?!"

According to Hiruzen Sarutobi's assessment, Rinto's strength lay somewhere between that of a Special Jonin and an elite Jonin.

What especially required attention was Rinto's taijutsu and battlefield judgment.

His taijutsu in particular—Monkey had actually added the warning, 'Close-quarters combat is not recommended unless necessary.'

At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi had also noted Rinto's weakness.

He had no effective means of defending against large-scale long-range ninjutsu.

And those wide-area attacks were precisely the specialty of the Senju Clan, with their massive Chakra reserves.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Early in the morning, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other five gathered in the Hokage's Office once more.

Tobirama Senju wore the Hokage's white ceremonial robe over his armor, with a Kage hat bearing the character for 'Fire' upon his head.

Beneath the robe was the armor that had accompanied Tobirama Senju through countless battles. Though its design was somewhat old-fashioned, its defensive capability was first-rate.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other six were likewise fully armed and prepared.

"Are you all ready?" Tobirama Senju stood before the office's enormous floor-to-ceiling window, his arms folded over his chest.

"Ready!" An Anbu wearing an animal mask knelt on one knee nearby, his voice firm and forceful.

"Following your orders, half of the Anbu have been deployed to protect Lady Mito.

Additionally, the Konoha Guard Division has finished expanding and is carrying out intensive patrols."

Tobirama Senju nodded at this and instructed them, "While I am away from the village, ensure that it remains peaceful and stable. Anyone who tries to stir up trouble or cause unrest is to be executed on the spot."

"At the same time, all Anbu forces are to pull back and prioritize my sister-in-law's safety. The Nine-Tails must not be allowed to run wild!"

Having said that, he turned to look at the people behind him.

"Does anyone have anything else to add?" Tobirama Senju asked pointedly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, his expression stern, spoke from the side.

"Teacher, Sakuta Rinto!"

A trace of gratification flashed through Tobirama Senju's eyes.

"What are your thoughts?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi reached up and tightened the Konoha forehead protector around his brow.

"Teacher, the Anbu prison!" His voice was incomparably serious.

As one of the people aware of Rinto's combat ability, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew full well just how destructive that man could be.

It was no exaggeration to say that if Rinto had any hidden plans, he would definitely carry them out while Tobirama Senju and the rest of them were away from the village.

Leaving someone with formidable close-combat abilities, unwavering willpower, and extreme cunning in the village without taking any precautions was clearly irresponsible toward the village.

After hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's suggestion, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

"Teacher, we think so too!"

"Sakuta Rinto may have been well-behaved recently, but he is not one of our village's comrades after all."

Seeing that three of his disciples shared the same opinion, Tobirama Senju's sharp gaze shifted to Shimura Danzō, who stood at the back.

"Danzo, what do you think?"

"Teacher, I agree with Hiruzen's suggestion." Shimura Danzō did not say much more. Ever since Rinto had verbally torn him apart last time, he had kept an especially low profile and rarely revealed his thoughts.

At last, Tobirama Senju's gaze turned to Kagami Uchiha, who looked as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.

"Kagami, what do you think?"

"Teacher, I have another idea." Kagami Uchiha gritted his teeth and voiced what was on his mind.

"Could we let Rinto... uh, Sakuta Rinto temporarily stay in the Uchiha Compound? The clan members can keep watch over him at all times."

Hearing that, Tobirama Senju's brow rose almost imperceptibly.

It was neither a good idea nor a bad one.

The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan was indeed an excellent tool for surveillance.

Tobirama Senju had always trusted without reservation the few Uchiha he had personally trained and who understood the Will of Fire.

But he had absolutely no trust in the rest of the Uchiha Clan's stubborn old fogies.

Seeing his teacher fall into thought, Kagami Uchiha anxiously pursed his lips.

The reason he had made this suggestion was partly because he wanted the Uchiha Clan to share the village's burdens.

But more than that, he hoped Rinto could take a good look at the Uchiha Clan.

Caught between the village and his clan, he had never considered sharing the frustration in his heart with his comrades or teacher.

It was not that he did not trust them. Rather, his comrades and teacher were born with their own respective positions.

So, he desperately wanted to find someone who could help him think of a solution.

And Rinto's appearance had filled Kagami Uchiha with excitement.

An outsider, an undercover agent in name—at least in theory, Rinto did not belong to any faction within the village. His position was extraordinarily independent!

Moreover, Kagami Uchiha admitted that he did not possess Rinto's near-demonic talent for planning.

Most importantly, Rinto's conflict with Uchiha Ryota gave Kagami Uchiha a faint sense of urgency.

The longer Rinto remained in the village, the more subjective his understanding of its various factions would become.

And Kagami Uchiha, a veteran of countless battlefields, knew that subjective impressions were among the greatest obstacles to a shinobi completing a mission.

At that thought, the light of anticipation deep within Kagami Uchiha's eyes grew brighter.

Just as Tobirama Senju was considering the matter, an Anbu suddenly used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside him and leaned in to whisper.

"Lord Hokage, Sakuta Rinto requests an audience!"

The moment those words fell, a fierce light flashed through Tobirama Senju's eyes, and his expression instantly hardened.

Did that man learn something?

"Let him in!" Tobirama Senju's cold voice rang out.

Before long, as Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other disciples watched in confusion and curiosity,

Sakuta Rinto pushed open the office's wooden door and swaggered inside.

"Yo~ Everyone's here!"