Another half year passed.
Although Ding Zhe ran around everywhere, pulling every string he could, even sending the thirteen-year-old daughter of the Land of Lightning's Daimyo into the castle as a bargaining chip, Shiraishi Yoshijo stubbornly refused to budge on the wall-building issue. In the end, that old bastard and the Land of Lightning's Daimyo could only grit their teeth and sign a peace agreement.
There was no helping it. The situation in the Land of Lightning was truly worrying. On one hand, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was deeply wary of the Kumogakure ninja led by Darui. On the other, Peach Country bore down on them like Mount Tai, throwing the people into a state of panic. If they did not stabilize public sentiment soon, chaos would erupt before Peach Country even came knocking.
After Peach Country signed the peace treaty, the common people might not have understood it, but they did not blame Shiraishi Yoshijo. The members of parliament, senior officials, wealthy merchants, and even Shiraishi Yoshijo's own sons, however, were full of complaints.
The Land of Lightning was such a huge piece of cake—how could they just give it up?
This was the best chance to unify the world!
Had His Majesty the Emperor lost his mind?
Shiraishi Yoshijo offered no explanation whatsoever. After spearheading the signing of the peace treaty, he holed himself up in the castle and ignored everything. He did not even show his face during the ongoing presidential election, completely embracing retirement.
He had finally come to understand that people were born steeped in sin.
His sons wanted to fight each other. What was he, their father, supposed to do about it?
He might as well watch them fight. As long as he was still alive, no matter how fiercely they