Was It All for Nothing?

Konoha's border

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled as he looked at Tsunade and patted her shoulder. "Tsunade, tell me how you defeated Amegakure."

Tsunade glanced at Uchiha Kō. Seeing the corners of his mouth curl upward, she nodded, then turned back to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed the exchange. He turned his head to glance at Uchiha Kō, deep in thought.

Tsunade began recounting what had happened. The more Sarutobi Hiruzen heard, the more he felt that Tsunade was clever and strategic—just like him!

As Tsunade explained the situation to Sarutobi Hiruzen, she said "we," not "I." Although Uchiha Kō had told her beforehand to take all the credit, she still felt too embarrassed to claim it all for herself.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya sighed. Given Uchiha Kō's political stance, he'd wanted to keep a low profile, but it looked like that plan had gone up in smoke.

Sarutobi Hiruzen heard her say "we" several times, and his eyes narrowed. He looked at Uchiha Kō, who stood nearby with his head lowered and an expressionless face, and the corners of his mouth rose.

"Excellent, excellent! Tsunade truly is brave and resourceful, both wise and courageous. Orochimaru negotiated calmly, and Jiraiya sent word from a thousand miles away. You are all the pride of Konoha!" As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen kept his eyes fixed on Uchiha Kō. Uchiha Kō, however, seemed not to notice, keeping his head lowered as he gazed at the pebbles on the ground.

After that, Sarutobi Hiruzen led Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and the troops back to Konoha.

The war was over, and they'd even secured compensation. What reason was there to go to Amegakure now?

Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the achievement: End the War in the Land of Rain. Rating: S. You used strategy to enter the city with ease, then signed a treaty.

Rewards: Three-Tomoe Sharingan (inactive), Jonin Chakra, Magnet Release Iron Sand, Magnet Release: Iron Sand Shower.

In an instant, Uchiha Kō, at the rear of the formation, felt his chakra surge. His Magnet Release had also undergone some unusual changes. It seemed harder and sharper than before.

As for the Sharingan, Uchiha Kō chose not to activate it right away. Each evolution of the Sharingan consumed a tremendous amount of mental energy and chakra, leaving the body extremely weak.

Besides, they were on their way back to the village. He didn't want to draw attention to himself.

Rainy Clearing, South Gate

The Third Kazekage stood beneath the city gate with Chiyo, Ebizo, and two thousand Sunagakure Ninja. With the Third Kazekage's permission, Ebizo stepped out in front of the troops and shouted.

"Salamander Hanzō, you've already lost. I advise you to sign a treaty, or my Sunagakure army will storm the city!" Ebizo wasn't much of a fighter, but he was skilled at politics, which was why they'd sent him to speak.

Salamander Hanzō climbed onto the South Gate tower and said, "You're too late. Amegakure has already signed terms of defeat with Konoha. We have no money left to sign anything with you, so please turn back!"

Ebizo was stunned. He looked at the Third Kazekage, who frowned and immediately challenged Salamander Hanzō. "Do you take Sunagakure for fools who don't understand the situation? Iwagakure and Konoha are keeping each other in check, and you signed a contract with Konoha?"

Salamander Hanzō let out two cold laughs. "Iwagakure was ambushed by Kumogakure, so Ōnoki took his troops back to defend the village. While I was fighting you, Konoha took the opportunity to seize Rainy Clearing. What do you think?"

The Third Kazekage froze, then gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury. He looked ready to tear someone apart. Damn Konoha, always resorting to such underhanded tactics.

Chiyo's expression darkened as she clenched her teeth. She'd sacrificed seven Ten-Puppet Units to drive back Salamander Hanzō, only for Konoha to swoop in and claim the prize?

"Do you really have no compensation left?" The Third Kazekage gritted his teeth, unwilling to accept it.

Salamander Hanzō replied casually, "How about I give you the Land of Rain's accounts? You can check whether there's any money left in the city."

The Third Kazekage trembled. Ebizo stepped forward and steadied him. "Lord Kazekage, this..."

The Third Kazekage snorted. "Withdraw! We'll return to the village first, then declare war on Konoha! We'll denounce them for claiming the fruits of someone else's labor, and demand massive compensation!"

He knew that the Land of Rain was a small country, and that paying compensation to even one nation had probably exhausted all its resources. There was likely not a scrap of money left in the city. That meant they'd fought this whole war for nothing!

At the thought, the Third Kazekage was so furious that he spat out a mouthful of blood. Chiyo hurriedly urged him, "Lord Kazekage, please don't get so worked up."

The Third Kazekage waved her off, then took a deep breath and led his troops back to Sunagakure. They would declare war, of course, but first they needed to regroup.

And so they set off for Sunagakure. Watching them go, Salamander Hanzō couldn't resist sneering. "A bunch of useless fools! So what if you beat me? In the end, you've got nothing to show for it. But that kid—he's a clever one!"

Uchiha Kō, who was at Konoha's gates, suddenly sneezed. "Achoo!" The sound immediately drew the attention of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, and the others.

"Who the hell's talking about me behind my back?" Uchiha Kō rubbed his nose.

Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed. "That sneeze came out of nowhere like a clap of thunder!" Then he looked at Uchiha Kō.

Shimura Danzō said nothing. With his eyes closed, he followed behind Sarutobi Hiruzen without even glancing at Uchiha Kō.

Uchiha Kō scratched his head sheepishly. "Lord Hokage, I caught a bit of a chill last night."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then walked up to him and patted his shoulder, straightening his collar. "You've worked hard. Take care of yourself!"

Uchiha Kō froze, then bowed. "Serving the country in battle is every shinobi's duty. Lord Hokage, it's what we should do as villagers!"

Uchiha Kō didn't mention the Uchiha. Instead, he spoke of Konoha, making it clear that he supported the village.

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. This young fellow was rather interesting, unlike the other Uchiha.

The other Uchiha clan members were always bragging about their clan's glory, acting arrogant day in and day out. They didn't mean any harm, but they'd still made quite a few villagers unhappy.

Uchiha Kō, on the other hand, was humble, sensible, intelligent, and knew how to keep his strengths hidden.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then walked to the front of the formation. "Heroes of Konoha, we're home!" he said with a smile as he looked at the shinobi.

"Woohoo!"

"We're finally home!"

"Long live Lord Hokage!"

Cheers rose one after another. Watching the scene, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt delighted. After this battle, his position was surely secure. It had been a great victory!

After giving a speech about the war, everyone began heading home. Uchiha Kō, however, went to the Senju Clan Compound to report to Lady Mito that he was safe.

Uchiha Kiyoshi had been following Uchiha Kō, planning to take him back to the clan compound. But when he saw Uchiha Kō walking alongside Tsunade, chatting and laughing as they headed for the Senju Clan Compound, he stopped.

He opened his mouth, but in the end chose to stay silent and head for the Uchiha Clan Compound. He had only one thought in mind: to let the Uchiha clan know what a genius Uchiha Kō was!