The peace talks lasted far longer than a week, with Kumogakure and Konoha locked in disputes over the specific terms.
The question of who would control the small countries along their borders was especially contentious, prompting endless wrangling.
Kumogakure wanted to carve up and annex those small countries, while Konoha strove to preserve their independence. Konoha had no need to seize foreign territory; as far back as the First Hokage's era, it had already occupied the most fertile land in the Shinobi World.
That was also why Konoha had become the focal point of every Ninja War.
The reason was simple: the Land of Fire was so well suited to human habitation that every other nation coveted it.
During the negotiations, Zou Hyuga watched the Kumogakure Envoy's every move whenever he was not protecting Naruto. He was not conducting surveillance alone; the Tailed Beast Merchant Association within the village was also helping.
And so Zou Hyuga settled into a routine of protecting Naruto by day and Hinata by night.
At last, before the peace talks ended, Zou Hyuga noticed unusual activity from the Kumogakure Envoy. Who would have expected Kumogakure to attack the village shortly after signing the Peace Treaty?
After all, neither Konoha nor Kumogakure wanted the fighting to continue.
Konoha might have had fewer troops at the moment, but Iwagakure was still watching both countries hungrily from nearby. Ōnoki of Both Scales, a master of Dust Release, might well have been the only winner of this Ninja War.
Night fell.
The Kumogakure Leader left the delegation's lodgings. As an envoy bringing peace, he encountered little resistance and wandered Konoha's streets under the pretext of sightseeing.
The ANBU assigned to receive him did not refuse his request. Instead, they followed him, keeping him under surveillance in the name