He knew all too well how difficult that old man Ōnoki could be. Hiruzen Sarutobi just wanted to get this over with and leave.
He really did not want to deal with Ōnoki any more than necessary.
"Third Hokage, you're positively glowing!"
Ōnoki smiled and paid the Third Hokage a compliment.
After all, he was here to deliver riches. What was wrong with a couple of compliments?
"I'd say you're the one who's glowing, with a genius like this in your village..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Didaze with a hint of regret.
If this fellow belonged to their village, he might have groomed him to become Hokage.
"Never mind. Sakumo, give the scroll to the Tsuchikage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke to Hatake Sakumo behind him.
Hatake Sakumo nodded, then took out the scroll and handed it to Ōnoki.
"Tsuchikage, take a look for yourself."
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Ōnoki accept the scroll, his expression rather unpleasant.
Though he had prepared himself for this, watching his village's Ninjutsu being handed over still left him somewhat uncomfortable.
"Contract Seal, Four Symbols Seal, Reverse Four Symbols Seal..."
Ōnoki's expression instantly filled with delighted surprise.
Then he continued reading.
"Tailed Beast Locking Seal... Adamantine Sealing Chains???"
Ōnoki slapped the table, his face turning bright red!
It was not that he lacked composure. The Adamantine Sealing Chains simply meant too much!
With the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Nanako Uzumaki's chances of reaching Kage Level would become extremely high!
"Tsuchikage... what's wrong?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed and spoke with a somewhat guilty conscience.
He thought Ōnoki was angry about the Sealing Jutsu exclusive to the Uzumaki Clan.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, why did you slip two Sealing Jutsu exclusive to the Uzumaki Clan into these A-rank Sealing Jutsu?!"
Ōnoki came back to his senses and feigned anger.
"You only asked for five A-rank Sealing Jutsu. You never specified which ones. All I had to do was give you five, and the Four Symbols Seal is even among them!"
Hearing Ōnoki question him, Hiruzen Sarutobi answered directly.
Guilty conscience or not, he would not back down on the surface!
"Hmph..."
Ōnoki sat back down, still pretending to look displeased.
In reality, however, Ōnoki was practically over the moon. The Adamantine Sealing Chains alone surpassed the other four Sealing Jutsu.
Put it this way: even if the Adamantine Sealing Chains had been the only A-rank Sealing Jutsu he received, Ōnoki would have accepted it.
Besides, he now had not only the Adamantine Sealing Chains, but also the Four Symbols Seal that Konoha used most often!
Though the layered Eight Trigrams Seal was not included, once Nanako Uzumaki grew up, he could have her study it. Perhaps she could work out how to layer two Four Symbols Seals and thereby create the Eight Trigrams Seal.
"Didaze, give the ceasefire agreement to the Hokage."
Ōnoki snorted coldly, then spoke to Didaze behind him.
Didaze nodded and handed the ceasefire agreement to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hmm..."
As Hiruzen Sarutobi read the ceasefire agreement, he grew increasingly satisfied.
Not only did the agreement state that Iwagakure surrendered to Konoha, it also promised Konoha a large sum in reparations.
In reality, though, paying reparations was out of the question. They would not pay a single cent. The reparations written here were merely for the people of Konoha to see.
"Lord Hokage, we put an enormous sum in reparations in there for you, which severely damages Iwagakure's reputation. So, do you think you could..."
Didaze suddenly spoke to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It plainly stated that Iwagakure would pay Konoha exactly one hundred million ryō in reparations.
Didaze was not greedy. He only wanted to ask Konoha for one hundred million ryō.
That way, Iwagakure gained tangible benefits while Konoha gained face. A win-win!
"What?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi had not expected Didaze to be so greedy. He actually wanted money too!
"Hokage, think about it. Once word gets out that Iwagakure suffered a crushing defeat, won't Sunagakure surrender too? You can easily squeeze the money back out of Sunagakure!"
Didaze continued.
Ōnoki, meanwhile, stared at Didaze in shock.
Didaze had successfully redefined shamelessness for him.
He had always considered himself shameless, someone who could throw away his pride for the village. Compared with Didaze, however, it seemed he still fell a little short.
"You seem to have a point..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi propped up his chin with one hand, his mind working furiously.
"But you killed Orochimaru, and he was my disciple, so I can only give you fifty million. You must still write that you're paying one hundred million in reparations, though!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of the deceased Orochimaru. Since Orochimaru was already dead, he could make one final contribution to Konoha!
He felt that if Orochimaru knew of this in the afterlife, he would surely rest in peace with a smile, wouldn't he?
Hiruzen Sarutobi was moved by his own actions. He thought he truly had Orochimaru's interests at heart...
Once he returned, he would definitely erect an enormous gravestone for Orochimaru. He had to spend at least a million on a huge gravestone, so that everyone could pay their respects to Orochimaru and his will could be passed down!
"Uh... that works too!"
Didaze also looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in some shock. Was this old bastard not saddened by Orochimaru's death at all?
If he truly were saddened, he would not bring Orochimaru to the negotiating table!
Ōnoki also inwardly scorned Hiruzen Sarutobi, though he showed nothing on the surface.
After all, scorning Hiruzen Sarutobi brought no benefits, so he might as well forget it.
He put benefits above everything. Given enough benefits, Ōnoki would do anything.
Behind them, Hatake Sakumo's mindset was also quietly changing.
The image of Hiruzen Sarutobi in his heart crumbled.
He had always thought Hiruzen Sarutobi put the villagers first, but now he understood.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had never considered the people of the village more important than the village itself.
That was an inherently mistaken idea, and Hatake Sakumo did not agree with it.
Though Hatake Sakumo had yet to consider opposing Hiruzen Sarutobi, a seed had probably been quietly planted in his heart.
"Hokage, hurry up and sign."
Ōnoki urged him on.
"Mm."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, then quickly read through it again. After confirming that everything was in order, he signed his name.
"Thank you for your generosity, Hokage. As for the money, we will await the honored arrival of your Anbu at Iwagakure's border!"
Ōnoki looked at the agreement, a very happy smile on his face.
Though they had surrendered on the surface this time, their gains were by no means small. They had even gained more than they would have from winning.
At that thought, Ōnoki turned to Didaze, his gaze full of affection.
It was Didaze's presence that had made Konoha surrender for fear of the consequences of acting. Otherwise, Konoha would have been a very tough nut to crack.
It was only because Konoha feared the other ninja villages joining the fray. Otherwise, with Iwagakure's current strength, the most they could have done was drag Konoha into a protracted war.
"All right, let's hurry back!"
Looking at Ōnoki's affectionate expression, Didaze could not help shuddering.
He was not afraid of Ōnoki bristling and glaring, but this look of his frightened him. It was genuinely rather terrifying.
Kitsuchi, meanwhile, was secretly laughing off to the side, and Ōnoki punched him in the forehead.
Afterward, Ōnoki and Hiruzen Sarutobi bid each other farewell, and Iwagakure and Konoha officially ceased hostilities.