The news that Iwagakure had received Rōran's full support and begun reconstruction was like a stone cast into a still lake. By all rights, it should have sent considerable ripples through the shinobi world.
Yet, contrary to many people's expectations, once the news spread, the entire shinobi world fell into an almost eerie silence.
There were no public congratulations, no fierce protests, no covert coordination, and not even much public discussion. It was as though this had never happened, or as though it were so natural that it required no comment.
But that silence was far more thought-provoking than any uproar, and far more telling.
Konoha, a secret chamber beneath Hokage Rock.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, frowned deeply as he studied the detailed summary of the Iwagakure Reconstruction Agreement in his hands. None of the Yellow Flash's usual sunny warmth showed on his face now, only profound gravity.
Beside him sat his most trusted adviser, Shikaku Nara.
"What do you think, Shikaku?" Minato's voice was somewhat dry.
Shikaku rubbed his aching temples, turning his pipe between his fingers.
"The overt terms are harsh to the point of being almost humiliating. They practically sell Iwagakure's entire future to Rōran. But..." He paused and sighed. "Ōnoki had no choice. Iwagakure no longer exists. All that remains is a group of refugees struggling to survive amid the ruins. Sōkyū Hatake offered them a way to survive, one bound in layer upon layer of shackles, but at least it lets them live."
"When the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold." Minato walked to the window and looked down at Konoha's bustling streets. That prosperity owed much to their cooperation with Rōran. "If he can take Iwagakure in like this today, then tomorrow, if Konoha faces a disaster it cannot withstand..."
"Minato,