News of the peace talks and ceasefire between the Land of Night and the Hidden Cloud Village spread quickly. Almost the day after the ceasefire agreement was signed, the Land of Night and the Hidden Cloud Village worked together to spread the news as soon as possible.
Within just two or three days, the news that the conflict between the Land of Night and the Hidden Cloud Village had been resolved was placed on the desks of the leaders of various countries and ninja villages, giving them no time to react.
Such matters naturally could not be kept secret from Tobirama of the Land of Hot Water; he had more comprehensive information and received news much faster.
But he couldn't stop the peace talks.
If it weren't for the Hidden Cloud Village's proactive incursion into the Land of Night's waters, attempting to attack the Land of Night's mainland and threatening the Land of Fields —a piece of fertile land that the Land of Night had long coveted— the Land of Night would never have formed an alliance with the Konoha Village. Instead, they would have remained on the sidelines, using this war to slowly erode the Land of Fields Rice Fields.
When the Land of Night and the Hidden Cloud Village reached an agreement on their boundaries, the so-called conflict may still exist. However, after the Land of Night's display of force, the Hidden Cloud Village calmed down completely, and the conflict with the Land of Night would no longer be as intense and direct as it had been at the beginning.
"That Oda guy, he just says he won't fight? What a waste of such a good opportunity..."
In the Konoha Camp of the Land of Hot Water, Tobirama looked at the numerous battle reports sent back from the Land of Lightning, lamenting that the conflict between the Land of Night and the Hidden Cloud Village had come to such an abrupt end.
Tobirama immediately recognized that Yayoi was behind this meticulous approach, ensuring that no outside force had the opportunity to intervene and gain any advantage.
With the Land of Night and the Hidden Cloud Village at a truce, the most disadvantaged party is Konoha.
Strategic alliances are a product of the need for a common enemy.
Now that the Land of Night and the Hidden Cloud Village reached a truce, the strategic alliance between Konoha and the Land of Night may not disappear, but it's impossible to expect the Land of Night to provide Konoha with the same dedication as before.
To be honest, like Yayoi, he also wanted to negotiate with Hidden Cloud Village and didn't want to continue the endless fighting.
However, after Hidden Sand Village was eliminated, Konoha lost its chance to quickly defeat Hidden Cloud Village.
Given the deep-seated grudges between Konoha and Hidden Cloud Village on the battlefield, eradicating this hatred will not be easy.
The peace talks Land of Night and the Hidden Cloud Village were ultimately due to the victorious Land of Night offering a way out. The life and death of the next generation 'Ai' were in the hands of the Land of Night, and the morale and courage of the main force of the Hidden Cloud Village stationed in the Land of Lightning had been crushed. In addition, there were also internal factional divisions within the Hidden Cloud Village, and the desire not to fight on two fronts. As a result, the Hidden Cloud Village soldiers stationed in the Land of Lightning had no choice but to sit down and negotiate.
If any one of these links were missing, it would have been impossible to get the Land of Night and the Hidden Cloud Village to sit down and negotiate honestly so quickly.
" Lord Hokage, should I go to the Land of Night to explain the advantages and disadvantages to that general?"
Danzo, who seemed to sense that Tobirama was troubled and whose face always appeared somewhat Danzo, stepped forward to share the burden with Tobirama.
After the cooperation with the Night Country Assault Unit ended, he, Hiruzen, and Kagami successfully returned to Konoha three months ago to confront the Cloud-Mist Allied Forces on the main battlefield.
Although the battle was extremely dangerous, the battlefield is also a place that truly hones one's skills. His abilities were honed by blood and fire on the battlefield, making him even stronger than before.
His Wind Release Ninjutsu, in particular, was used with even greater skill, and many Lightning Release ninjas from Hidden Cloud Village died under his Wind Release Ninjutsu.
At this moment, only he and Hiruzen were in the temporary office tent, awaiting Tobirama's command.
He was afraid that Hiruzen would act first, so he wanted to show Tobirama his courage before Hiruzen could act.
Hiruzen, standing beside him, merely smiled, but this smile was different from usual. Now, his smile carried a hint of melancholy, something he had never shown before. Clearly, the sacrifice of his father Sasuke Sarutobi, had greatly affected him.
This grief did not dampen his spirits; on the contrary, the loss of someone important strengthened his fighting spirit more than ever before, and he became more reserved and restrained than ever before, as if he were undergoing some crucial transformation.
"By the time we received the news, the negotiations between the Land of Night and the Hidden Cloud Village had already ended. It was too late to go and persuade them then."
Faced with Danzo's volunteering, Tobirama sighed and shook his head, directly rejecting Danzo's proposal.
He knew very well that it was virtually impossible to drag the Land of Night back into the water at this point.
If you insist too much, it will backfire, and you won't even be able to remain friends.
"Allies are indeed unreliable."
Danzo a cold snort, his face grim.
It's unclear whether he was resentful that the Land of Night had retreated during such a golden opportunity to attack Hidden Cloud Village, or simply unwilling to accept that his abilities hadn't been fully utilized.
" Lord Hokage, does that mean we'll have to fight on our own from now on?"
Hiruzen, standing next to Danzo, asked a pointed question.
"That's right." Tobirama nodded. "Perhaps other collaborations will continue, but the Land of Night will most likely no longer directly intervene in battlefield affairs. Therefore, when you face the Land of Night in the future, you must learn to cooperate while remaining vigilant."
Tobirama's words carried a certain expectation and entrustment.
In fact, after he became the Second Hokage, he had been considering candidates for the Third Hokage.
After much deliberation, he found that the most suitable candidate was his disciple and bodyguard, Hiruzen.
Among his trusted disciples, Hiruzen's character and personality are recognized by his peers and elders. Most importantly, at a young age, he already possesses formidable strength, standing out among his confidants. He has also made numerous significant contributions on this battlefield.
Although Danzo and his companions were quite strong, they paled in comparison to Hiruzen.
Furthermore, when his elder brother Hashirama was alive, he also expressed his praise and affirmation for Hiruzen's strength and personality.
Not to mention, the Sarutobi Clan has been on good terms with the Senju Clan for a long time.
Therefore, before the next Hokage takes office, he has to clean up some of the mess in the village and leave a clean village for the next Hokage.
After all, there are some things that only he, the Second Hokage, is suitable to do.
However, it seems a bit too early to be thinking about these things now.
With his physical condition, he could easily last another ten years or so, which would be enough time for him to resolve some of the village's historical issues.
By then, Hiruzen's strength, wisdom, and experience will be at their peak as a ninja, making it easier for him to take over everything in the village and lead Konoha to new heights.
Everything will be alright.
However, upon hearing Tobirama's words, Danzo couldn't help but flare his nostrils and his breathing became somewhat rapid.
What did the Lord Hokage mean by those words?
Could it be that the position of the next Hokage...
Hiruzen, however, remained relatively calm. Like Danzo, he could discern the implicit entrustment and advice in Tobirama's words.
It's impossible for him not to be interested in the Hokage position; in fact, the Hokage is the common goal of most Konoha Ninja.
However, his current strength and prestige are not enough to qualify him for that position.
He needs to achieve even more merits on the battlefield ahead.
Hiruzen understood this clearly: without strength and prestige, even if one became Hokage, one would merely be a puppet pushed up by others.
Just like the Second Raikage, who was coerced by the pro-war faction of Hidden Cloud Village, he is practically the most tragic representative of the Five Kage.