Chapter 52: Peace Treaty
In the meeting room in Konoha,
Various elders and advisers fervently discuss together regarding the next move in battle. The involvement of Kirigakure has greatly pressured Konoha. Involvement of Sunagakure on behalf of Konoha has greatly alleviated pressure from Iwagakure side.
So, the village could deploy one of their units to Kirigakure battlefront. The discussion lasts for a while as Hiruzen taps on the table to gather their attention.
"I have decided to sign a peace treaty with Iwagakure." He announces to all the council members.
"Hiruzen, you can't decide on such an important decision on your own. We must fork out some benefits from Iwa in this war before we negotiate for peace. We have suffered way too much lost in this war to handle the peace so lightly." One of the Council members rebukes Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen, if we co-operate with Sunagakure, then we can eliminate most of the power of Iwagakure and even gain control of Kusagakure. With so many resources, our Konoha will surely prosper in the future." Another Council member suggested.
"Hiruzen, your foolish decision will end with Konoha's loss for no reason. You are naïve! Hiruzen. Did you really believe in the so-called peace treaty of yours? It is nothing but a pipe dream of yours. Only absolute strength can bring true peace. You are too soft, Hiruzen." Danzo rebukes Hiruzen as he disagrees with the notion of peace.
Fervour discussions start once again as council members present their opinions to Hiruzen. Hiruzen slams his hand on the table to seek their attention as he yells,
"Enough! I have already sent Ino-Shiko-Cho trio with my peace letter to Iwagakure battlefront. I am sure by now they would have delivered the letter. I won't hear any further discussions about this matter anymore. If you don't have any other issues then I dismiss this meeting."
Hiruzen walks out of the meeting room despite the protest of Council members.
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At Iwa battlefront,
Inoichi, Choza and Shikaku arrive at a small gulf between Land of Fire, Land of Stone, and Land of Wind. Shikaku takes out a scroll from his pocket and throws it towards the Jounin commander of Iwagakure.
"Accept this from the Hokage-sama! Deliver it to Tsuchikage-sama and relay to him, we desire an immediate response."
The Jounin commander pockets the scroll as he smirks at the Trio and shouts,contemporary romance
"We will give you your answer right here."
It is a great opportunity for them to kill the famous trio of Konoha and secure an advantage against Konoha. All of the Iwa Shinobis raise their kunais as they prepare to attack the trio.
"Sometimes it's best not to be so hasty."
A voice interrupts their attack as all of them turns towards the source of the voice.
A man with auburn hairs and dark eyes stood on a dune near the Land of Wind border. He wore a simple black jacket with mesh armour underneath. A small canister is strapped to his hip. He crossed his hands in front of his chest as he leads lots of Suna shinobis with him.
The Iwa Jounin commander trembles in fear as he speaks,
"The Fourth Kazekage?"
"Why is the hidden sand here?" Another ninja questions as he looks at Kazekage in fear.
"This is the hidden Sand Territory. It would be unwise to have an incident occur here. The Sand will move accordingly as the Sand. Remember that, whatever you decide to do." The Fourth Kazekage orders his man as all of them gets ready to intercept Iwagakure forces.
"Scatter!"
The Iwagakure Jounin commander orders his men as all of them flickers and retreats from the battlefront.
"You have our thanks, Kazekage-sama."
Shikaku thanks the Fourth Kazekage as he bows in gratitude to him.
"That's what we agreed upon. I, together with my forces will oversee the successful fulfilment of the Peace treaty and if any incidents were to happen, I would take action in the circumstances." The Fourth Kazekage reassures Shikaku as he retreats with his forces.
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Inside the Iwagakure meeting room,
Many council members of Iwa gathered around a round table as they discuss the prospect of entering in a peace treaty with Konoha,
"What about the request to enter the peace treaty with Konoha?" One of the council members asks.
"Naturally it will be turned down." Another council member strongly refutes the prospect.
"Silence!"
Third Tsuchikage Onoki bellows as he silences all of the Council members.
"I am proud of the Unity of the stone. With the pride on our line, we sent a thousand of our shinobi to invade the Land of Fire. And I hear that it took just one of them, the Yellow Flash, to stop the invasion.
I engaged with their Hokage in a one-on-one duel and could only end with a tie in battle. With such combat prowess in Konoha's arsenal, our chances of a successful invasion are almost negligible. And that's the reality of it.
Our best choice would be to accept the peace treaty and recuperate from our losses. This war has further pushed our Land of Stone into poverty. It will take long before Iwagakure would be able to return to its former glory."
Onoki folds his arms as he agrees with the peace treaty.
"Write a peace agreement now and deliver it to Konoha. Also, order all of our forces to retreat from the border. The war is over, at least for us." Onoki floats out of the meeting room as he ignores the ugly expression of council members.
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At Kirigakure Battlefront,
Minato arrives with a squad to save Kakashi and Rin from Kirigakure ninjas. He arrives on the scene only to see a fainted Kakashi with the dead body of Rin.
Minato closes his eyes in grief as a drop of tear drips from his eyes. He quickly hides his tears as he starts to scout the nearby area. After a while, Minato starts to check the body of Rin to find the cause of her death.
He notices a gaping hole near Rin's heart and traces of Lightning Chakra. The hand of Kakashi is covered in lots of blood and it didn't take too long for Minato to conclude the cause of Rin's death. He starts to inspect Rin's body and notices a sealing formula on her body. Faint traces of Tailed beast Chakra emits from Rin's body as they dissipate into the surroundings.
Minato clenches his fist as he figures out the plan of Kirigakure from his observation.
Kirigakure kidnapped Rin and sealed the Three-Tails inside her. They planned to unleash the Three-Tails on Konoha through Rin. To save her village, Rin jumped in front of Kakashi's lightning cutter and died by his hands rather than betraying the village.
He looks around at the corpses of many Kirigakure. After looking for a while, he still cannot figure out the reason for their deaths. Minato lifts Kakashi and carries him on his shoulders as he moves towards the camp.
The invasion plan of Kirigakure has failed and all of their forces start to retreat to their Village. Minato wraps up everything and prepares to depart back to the village and report to Hokage about the incidents regarding three tails.
This incident is too big of an issue to be ignored. The involvement of Three-Tails in the fray adds way too many complications to the matter.
He lays Kakashi inside the camp as he teleports to Konoha. Outside the camp, various rumours regarding Kakashi spreads. Many shinobi calls Kakashi as the 'Friend-killer Kakashi' who killed his teammate for the sake of a mission. The rumours eventually reach the ears of other units as it becomes a nick-name for Kakashi.
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At Kumo Battlefront,
Izuna has become a God of Death as he continues to slaughter various Kumo shinobis relentlessly. The Kumo ninjas have given him the nickname of 'Silent Shinigami', as Izuna silently appears on the battlefield without alerting any Ninja and reaps the lives of his enemies.
Another Uchiha clan has become famous on the Battlefield together with the 'Unseen Shinigami'. He is dubbed as 'The Teleporter' by the Kumo ninjas. His speed and proficiency with the 'Body Flicker Technique' is to such an extent that he appears teleporting on the battlefield rather than flickering.
This duo has wreaked havoc among Kumo forces. Third Raikage and White Fang has returned to the front lines, and they have clashed many times during this period. None of the forces can get an advantage over the other. Kumo has the advantage of the quality of the ninjas with lots of Kekkai Genkai users.
Konoha has the advantage in numbers and their almost flawless tactics, which turn the situation around during dire straits. Kumo had a headache dealing with this situation.
They aimed to fish in the troubled water but somehow they have turned into the bait for the very same fish they are supposed to catch.
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