Jiraiya solemnly accepted the sphere.
The heavy chakra fluctuations passed through the runes into his palm, making the value of this spoil of war even clearer to him.
"Fang Xu, thank you."
Jiraiya's expression had never been so serious.
"If you hadn't intervened, there's no telling how much longer the war with Iwagakure would have lasted."
"And the number of Konoha ninja dying on the battlefield would only have kept rising."
Fang Xu did not accept his thanks.
He went straight to the arrangements that followed.
"You'll handle the negotiations with Iwagakure."
"Not a single ryo of war reparations can be waived."
"The ransoms for Ōnoki, Roshi, and Iwagakure's leadership must be calculated separately, too."
Jiraiya tightened his grip on the Void Sphere.
"I'll do my best to secure them."
"Not your best."
Fang Xu interrupted him.
"You must secure them."
"Write down the name of anyone who wants to reduce the reparations or trade Konoha's interests for so-called peace."
"If you make concessions during the negotiations, I'll hold you accountable after the war."
The corner of Jiraiya's mouth twitched.
He could tell Fang Xu was not joking.
"I promise."
"Iwagakure will pay every last bit of what it owes."
Only after hearing that promise did the tense expressions of the nearby Konoha ninja relax.
After fighting on the front lines for so long, their greatest fear was that Konoha would voluntarily surrender its gains again.
Fang Xu looked toward the ninja gathering the bodies.
"Those who died on the front lines need death benefits."
"The wounded who lost limbs and the ability to fight will also need support for the rest of their lives."
"Konoha shouldn't have to shoulder all those costs."
"The losing side should pay the price for starting the war."
Jiraiya did not argue.
Memories of