Negotiations End

Great power could inspire fear.

But only sincerity could earn the Uchiha's genuine respect.

The Uchiha had suffered enough over the years at the hands of Konoha's troublemakers.

They had spent all that time looking for a solution.

But the village's opinion of the Uchiha was too poor.

Then Kazan had appeared out of nowhere, powerful and possessed of the same all-embracing spirit as the First Hokage.

Uchiha Fugaku saw hope in him.

Help in a crisis meant more than a favor when times were good.

Uchiha Fugaku had decided to stake everything on Kazan.

Kakashi had little interest in politics, but he did have a knack for it.

The Uchiha's actions gave him plenty to think about.

It wasn't a bad thing.

He also believed that Kazan becoming Hokage would be a tremendous boon for Konoha.

Only with Kazan as Hokage could his father's tragedy be prevented from happening again.

To this day, Kakashi believed Kazan had inherited his father's Ninja Way!

And to become Hokage, Kazan needed that kind of support behind him.

Meanwhile.

Kazan and Shikaku Nara had spent several days wrangling with the Cloud Shinobi.

Today was the fourth day.

"The Cloud Shinobi still refuse to budge."

"They have their concerns. This joint assault by the Sand Shinobi and Rock Shinobi will cause them enormous losses. After the war, they'll need considerable resources to train a new generation and replace their troops."

Shikaku Nara understood their concerns.

The Shinobi World was chaotic. No one knew when a village leader might suddenly die and set off another Shinobi World War.

Five years was too long. It would greatly slow the Cloud Shinobi's recovery.

They feared another war would break out before they could regain their strength.

"But the longer negotiations drag on, the worse it gets