Midnight Meeting

Just as Hoshi was lovingly turning Mikazuki Munechika over in his hands, Hiruzen Sarutobi in the Hokage Building received two letters from the battlefield.

After reading Kumogakure's explanation for seeking a ceasefire, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help but laugh heartily. This was truly a double blessing.

Hoshi and the others had officially graduated during the day, and a ceasefire agreement arrived that very night. Hiruzen Sarutobi's already narrow eyes curved into slits from his smile.

Happily, he lit his beloved pipe. It was a habit he had developed after becoming Hokage. Whether he was happy or sad, he would light his pipe and take a satisfying puff, as though it were a regulator for his mood.

After puffing away for quite some time, Hiruzen picked up the other letter. The moment he opened it and glanced inside, his face scrunched into a knot.

This letter had been personally written by Danzō. Its central point was that Kumogakure could surrender, but the reparations had to be substantial. So many villagers had already died; Konoha's ninja could not be allowed to sacrifice themselves for nothing.

This clearly ran contrary to the Third Hokage's own thoughts. Hiruzen believed that as long as peace could return, it did not matter if Konoha suffered a minor loss. So long as the village's ninja did not have to keep dying, that was enough.

Yet Danzō's words made Hiruzen hesitate. Danzō had a point as well. This war had lasted three years, and no one knew how many ninja the village had lost.

If he hurriedly made peace like this, would the villagers be disappointed? Would they think that he, the Third Hokage, was weak?

If it had been Teacher Tobirama, what would he have done?

Hiruzen puffed on his pipe as he sat in hesitation for a long while. In the end, he let out a long sigh, clapped his hands, and summoned an Anbu. "Go invite Lady Mito, as well as Koharu, Homura, and the other advisors. I have an important matter to discuss with them."

A short while later, the group that had watched Hoshi and the others' Graduation Exam that morning gathered once more in the Hokage's Office.

Mito was clearly getting on in years, and her spirits were somewhat lacking. The weariness on her face was impossible to hide.

"My apologies, Lady Mito, for disturbing you so late at night. But tonight's matter is indeed of great importance, and I find it difficult to make a decision.

"According to the letter Danzō sent from the front lines, Kumogakure intends to seek a ceasefire. They sent a ceasefire agreement, along with Danzō's personal letter.

"Please pass them around and have a look."

As Hiruzen spoke, he took out the two letters and handed them to the advisors before him to read.

Mito perked up considerably when she heard that Kumogakure was seeking peace. When she heard Danzō's name, her brows rose involuntarily.

She remembered that man well. Back when Tobirama was still alive, he had privately assessed Danzō as having passable ability but insufficient breadth of heart.

Moreover, through her ability to sense good and evil, he had been the most likely among this group of young people to stray onto the wrong path. Thus, Mito had never been particularly close to him.

Mito had also played a part in Danzō being assigned to the front lines. Her purpose was to use the time he was away to resolve all of the village's problems, leaving him no opportunity to entertain other schemes.

By the time he returned to the village, most of its problems would have been dealt with. Even if he harbored crooked intentions and wanted to stir up trouble, he would have no opportunity to do so.

Now that his name had come up again, Mito quietly grew wary. She even took Danzō's personal letter first.

After merely scanning it a few times, a cold smile appeared on Mito's face. To someone like her, who had weathered decades of storms, Danzō's intentions were all too easy to read.

With just one look, she saw Danzō's true purpose. On the surface, he spoke righteously of the village's heavy losses and how the fallen villagers could not be allowed to die in vain.

Then he went on about how Kumogakure was hollow within and could no longer sustain the war of attrition. If they kept dragging things out, they could surely cripple Kumogakure, march straight in, and make the Third Raikage surrender before everyone.

In truth, Mito understood Danzō's thoughts perfectly. The man was simply unwilling to accept this.

For one, he was greedy and wanted the village to seize the chance to extract more benefits.

For another, Hiruzen and the others in the village had already resolved the internal unrest, while Danzō had yet to accomplish anything on his side. He feared that when he returned and rewards were distributed according to merit, there would be nothing in it for him.

That was why he wanted to egg Hiruzen on into continuing to deploy troops and pressure Kumogakure. If Kumogakure lost its nerve when Konoha's forces bore down on it, granting Konoha an advantage in the negotiations, then it would be Danzō's credit for threatening them.

If Kumogakure chose to keep fighting, Danzō might be able to smash through them all the way. Then it would be even more proof of his own valor in battle.

Even if they lost, they would merely return to square one and bear some harmless blame. After all, Shimura Danzō was not the one who had truly given the order.

No matter the final outcome, it seemed that he stood to profit without risk.

Having seen through all of this, Mito looked at the troubled Hiruzen behind the desk and sneered inwardly. If she were not still in the village, these youngsters probably would not have noticed any of these subtleties at all.

But with Uzumaki Mito here, Danzō's little calculations were destined to fail.

Mito waited until the others had finished reading the letters, then, as if she could barely muster the energy, quietly listened to what these young people had to say.

Once Hiruzen saw that everyone had finished reading, he spoke.

"What are your thoughts, everyone? I originally believed that so long as peace could be restored, suffering a minor loss would be no great matter. But after reading Danzō's letter, I cannot help feeling that my considerations may have been inadequate."

Utatane Koharu thought for a moment before speaking.

"I also think that restoring peace is what matters most. The village has already begun to show signs of war-weariness. I do not think it would be a good thing to remain deadlocked like this.

"Our most urgent task now should be restoring normal production. With Konoha's resources and manpower, any minor losses can be made up in three to five years. There is no need to waste manpower for nothing."

Mitokado Homura, however, seemed to agree with Danzō's view as he spoke.

"But I think we can still press for more. Our losses in this war have indeed been rather severe. Besides, there is no reason for the victors to suffer losses."

Uzumaki Mito could only shake her head as she watched from the side. They were still too young. Their thinking was so one-sided when they discussed matters, and not one of them had even seen the hidden motive in Danzō's letter.

She lightly clapped her hands, drawing their attention before speaking.

"Danzō's letter is not the key issue. The key issue is that Kumogakure has requested a ceasefire from us. What we need to do now is stop the war first and reassure the people.

"As for the subsequent exchange of benefits, we have plenty of time to negotiate slowly. We may concede some benefits, but that does not mean we will suffer a loss or let Kumogakure gain anything from us.

"If Kumogakure truly proves so insincere, then if we go to war with them again, would the villagers not stand with us?"

Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura looked at one another and suddenly felt rather embarrassed by their earlier argument.

This chapter mainly serves as groundwork and explains some of the background. This matter concerns the protagonists' future development and also marks the beginning of a major upcoming storyline.