Autumn gave way to winter, and Konoha was silently blanketed in pure white snow once again.
Xia Yan sat in a tavern, watching the welcoming party below with a calm expression.
The people from Kumogakure had arrived. In the original story, they had used signing an armistice with Konoha as their pretext to enter the village without trouble.
Now, they had come to Konoha with the same excuse, which had likewise drawn Hiruzen Sarutobi's close attention.
Konoha and Kumogakure had never signed an armistice. It was like a thorn lodged in everyone's throat, and Hiruzen Sarutobi had long wanted to pull it out.
Now that Kumogakure had offered to sign a treaty, how could Hiruzen Sarutobi not be tempted?
But anyone would have to be extremely cautious about such a windfall, and Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally needed to tread carefully too.
Kumogakure was too powerful now. Having suffered few losses in the Third Shinobi World War, they had very few challengers in the Shinobi World.
Even Konoha felt powerless against them. Considering Konoha's current overall strength, the two sides truly were not in the same league.
Thus, although Hiruzen Sarutobi deeply distrusted Kumogakure, he still approached them sincerely. He genuinely wanted to avoid further trouble.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentions were good, but unfortunately, he faced an ambitious man who longed to see Kumogakure stand at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World.
His wishful thinking would therefore do him no good at all. He was inviting humiliation.
Of course, there were other reasons behind Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision. The small-scale clashes between Konoha and Kumogakure were constantly escalating.
If this continued, no one knew what those clashes might develop into.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was therefore eager to put an end to it all. Otherwise, Konoha's mission efficiency would suffer severely, and even its overall reputation