159 - The Professor's Final Lesson in War

Although the path to peace between Konoha and Kumo was exceptionally difficult, the eyes of the entire ninja world were fixed on the unfolding events.

This included the other Great Ninja Villages that were now allied with Konoha.

Strictly speaking, Suna was the official ally of Konoha, as their alliance treaty included military cooperation. Although Iwa had recently signed a treaty, their cooperation with Konoha was more economic than military. As for Kiri, there wasn't even a formal treaty—just a comprehensive economic partnership.

Until the financial system created single-handedly by Masashi showed its full potential, the current good fortune that Konoha was enjoying remained fragile, ready to collapse at any moment.

Both Konoha and Kumo needed time.

Under such circumstances, Minato left the village. He personally traveled to the Land of Hot Water to sign the peace treaty face-to-face with the Raikage.

This event drew the attention of all factions.

Since the death of Tobirama, no Hokage had left the village for such negotiations.

Moreover, this time it was with Kumo, a village infamous for its internal strife that had resulted in the death of the Second Hokage.

But when Konoha's list of delegates for the peace talks was announced, people started feeling uneasy.

Given that the Raikage himself would represent Kumo, it was reasonable for the Fourth Hokage to represent Konoha. However, the rest of Konoha's delegation raised questions.

The team included Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, and Torifu—all senior leaders of Konoha. One of them was even a former Hokage. But these four were also students of the Second Hokage and witnesses to the betrayal that led to his death at the hands of Kumo.

To top it all off, the delegation included Masashi, whose staunch anti-Kumo stance was well-known.

Many began to wonder—were these people really going to negotiate?

The ninja world became rife with undercurrents.

On the Kumo side, however, there was no visible disturbance.

Spies from various organizations reported seeing Kumo's delegation leave the village, but they didn't see the Fourth Raikage among them.

This raised even more suspicions.

Both parties involved in the negotiations seemed completely abnormal!

Organizations scrambled to expand their intelligence networks, hoping to uncover the truth.

But it wasn't easy. Once Konoha's delegation left the village, they vanished without a trace, making it impossible for spies to track them.

In contrast, Kumo's delegation proceeded in an orderly manner.

Still, both villages mobilized ninja units toward the Land of Hot Water.

As a result, the hot spring resorts in Yu were shut down.

The Yu ninja valued their business reputation and couldn't risk losing customers, especially if deaths were involved—it would ruin their brand.

Yet, as if the situation wasn't chaotic enough, the missing Fourth Raikage finally appeared.

His reappearance came with an even more shocking revelation: he had become the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, and he was accompanied by four powerful ninja who clearly did not belong to Kumo.

This information came from the Land of Rice Fields, but no one knew who had uncovered it—it simply spread like wildfire.

There were even rumors that the Fourth Raikage had fought one of these missing-nin before setting out.

This was alarming. It suggested that at least one of missing-nin accompanying the Raikage was of kage-level strength.

Where had these people come from?

At this moment, the shinoibi world's bystanders were devouring the news eagerly.

Meanwhile, those who sincerely hoped for a peaceful negotiation were thrown into chaos.

What kind of delegation was this?

And why did it seem like kage-level strength was becoming commonplace? Should everyone start looking for new careers? Was it even possible to survive in the shinobi world anymore?

Intelligence traders, on the other hand, were experiencing a boom in business, working tirelessly to keep up with demand.

At the same time, intelligence was steadily flowing into the hands of Minato and the rest of the Konoha delegation.

"Please take a look." Minato handed the latest report from the ANBU to Hiruzen.

He glanced at it and passed it to the others.

When the report reached Torifu, the large ninja made a single comment.

"This was expected."

"Yes, expected," Hiruzen sighed. "Kumo ninjas are always like this."

"All the better," Torifu's eyes gleamed as if reflecting blood. "A blood feud repaid will make this life worthwhile."

The group quickened their pace.

Both Minato and Masashi exchanged a glance.

"Masashi, do you think the Eight-Tails jinchūriki information is credible?"

"It's possible. If the Raikage just wanted to gather a few strong people for appearances, he wouldn't need to go to the Land of Rice Fields himself."

"But the timing seems rushed. Wouldn't the Eight-Tails' chakra take time to regenerate?"

"No, Hokage-sama. A tailed beast's resurrection doesn't require it to fully recover its chakra. Even if it's sealed into a jinchūriki immediately upon revival, it can continue regenerating its chakra afterward."

The Uchiha clan, long familiar with the tailed beasts, had detailed records on their mechanisms of revival, far surpassing the knowledge of the Senju clan.

Lost in their thoughts, the group kept their conversations sparse and focused on reaching their destination.

Finally, they entered the Land of Hot Springs.

The small town where Tobirama had once negotiated peace with the Second Raikage would once again host a meeting between the Raikage and Hokage.

When Konoha's delegation arrived, the usually desolate town became lively.

There were no ordinary civilians left. Konoha and Kumo had temporarily relocated them.

Now, the town was filled entirely with ninjas.

It appeared that the Hokage's team had arrived first. The Raikage was nowhere to be seen.

As soon as the Hokage arrived, the Konoha ninjas stationed in the town began to assemble.

The Kumo ninjas did the same.

The two sides faced each other across the street.

"Hokage-sama, I'll go check things out."

"Hmm, Masashi, be polite."

"Don't worry."

Masashi nodded and walked toward the Kumo ninja team.

As he approached, the Kumo ninjas became visibly uneasy.

To them, he was like a demon—someone with an insatiable thirst for blood.

"Where is your Kage?" Masashi asked as he stood before the Kumo delegation.

"Don't be impatient," said a Kumo ninja with an eyepatch covering his left eye. "As one of the Five Kage, the Raikage will naturally arrive later than ordinary ninja like us."

"The Hokage is already here, so the Raikage should be, too," Masashi retorted. "If he doesn't show up today, we'll consider the negotiations broken. See you on the battlefield."

He scrutinized the Kumo ninja with the eyepatch and noticed a tattoo on it.

"I mean what I say. You're welcome to test me."

Memorizing the man's face, Masashi turned and headed back toward the Konoha delegation.

It turned out that the five-person limit proposed by the Kumo side wasn't taken seriously by anyone, including Kumo itself.

Both sides showed up with large groups.

Minato, who had claimed he would only bring one more person, ended up bringing a bunch.

From the moment Konoha's six-person negotiation team left the village, the ninja intelligence war had already begun.

The ANBU of both villages were in full action, probing each other's information, eliminating spies, and even utilizing third-party intelligence networks. Depending on the situation, they would also destroy third-party intelligence networks.

Faced with this level of conflict, many third-party organizations that were aware of their limitations chose to withdraw, opting to merely observe from the sidelines and not involve themselves directly in the covert struggle between the two great ninja villages.

On the surface, both villages also made their moves.

The Fourth Raikage did not hide his movements, nor did he conceal the strength and external support he had gained. The restoration of the Eight-Tails' power had already caused some of the covetous eyes targeting Kumo to withdraw.

This didn't include Ōnoki, though. Reportedly, when he heard the news, he spat on the floor from the balcony and then received a scolding from Kitsuchi.

On Konoha's side, the return of Jiraiya, to the village had suppressed many restless intentions directed toward Konoha.

Clearly, Konoha still had considerable strength and was far from vulnerable. As a result, everyone resumed their friendly demeanor.

Meanwhile, in the small town, after returning to the delegation, Masashi joined Minato and the older members of Tobirama's generation in analyzing the Raikage's potential next moves.

"The news about the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki must have been intentionally released by the Raikage himself," said Hiruzen, who maintained a certain elegance even in military attire. Though clad in armor, he still wore a large white robe over it and had a fresh pipe in hand.

"The purpose is nothing more than to motivate his side and intimidate us. Over the years, Kumo has grown increasingly powerful, and some of the eyes that once coveted Konoha have now shifted toward Kumo." Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe. "The Third Raikage had an excellent strategy for governing the village. Since his time, there has been no internal conflict in Kumo, and he was skilled at seizing the right moment to start wars. The Fourth Raikage seems to be continuing his policies."

"The strengths and weaknesses of Kumo are very clear," Homura added. "After the deaths of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, Kumo's high-level combat strength relied entirely on the Yotsuki clan and the Raikage lineage. These two are essentially family, so they can be considered one entity. With the return of the Eight-Tails, their structure has been restored. Given that they've already mastered the technique of perfect jinchūriki, it's very likely that the Fourth Raikage himself is also a perfect jinchūriki."

"A perfect jinchūriki isn't frightening as long as they can't fully control a tailed beast's power like the First Hokage or Madara," said Koharu. "That level of control isn't something that can be achieved through mere techniques. Even with the Mangekyō Sharingan, it doesn't guarantee complete control over a tailed beast's power. Both Wood Release and the Sharingan are merely tools—the key lies in the person wielding them."

Hearing this, the group nodded in agreement.

A jinchūriki wasn't inherently frightening; they were still within the realm of human opposition.

A perfect jinchūriki might be challenging to deal with, but not insurmountable. Only those who could completely control a tailed beast's power were truly terrifying. To counter such individuals, one would need equally formidable warriors on their side.

All five major ninja villages studied tailed beasts, but their research directions varied.

Research into tailed beast power inevitably involved ethical issues, but it was a necessary endeavor.

In Konoha's case, their method of fully restraining the Nine-Tails was not due to underestimating the power of jinchūriki. It was simply that their research had taken a different direction from the start.

Konoha's focus was on achieving complete control over a tailed beast's power. This led to the Wood Release experiments, as the strained relationship between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage's office left Wood Release as the only viable option.

However, after Danzō's scandal broke, the Wood Release experiments could no longer continue in any form.

Fortunately, relations between the Uchiha clan, the Hokage's office, and Konoha as a whole had since improved. The Uchiha clan had taken over the research, ensuring the work could continue. Otherwise, Konoha might have had to abandon its current approach altogether.

But Konoha's methods of studying tailed beasts were no gentler than those of Kumo. In Masashi's view, this was the greatest irony of the shinobi world.

The exalted bloodlines created a divide as vast as a canyon, separating the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths from ordinary people, as if they were two entirely different species.

Even among the Sage's descendants, Asura's and Indra's chakra further divided them into two different "species."

There was no greater irony than this.

Only Orochimaru had chosen to rebel against this reality to the bitter end.

For that alone, Masashi admitted he was inferior to him.

"I just told the Kumo ninjas that the Raikage must arrive today, or the negotiations will be considered a failure," Masashi shared the outcome of his earlier exchange.

"Firm, but not a problem," Hiruzen said. "With Kumo, you need to be tough. Being too polite won't work."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"What if the Raikage really doesn't come today?" Masashi asked.

"With his speed, even if he's still in the Land of Rice Fields, he can make it here today," Minato said, setting the tone.

If it were just him, he might have shown some leniency. But today, it wasn't just about him. Any concession now would make Konoha appear weak.

At this moment, Konoha could afford even less weakness than Kumo.

"Once the words are spoken, they can't be taken back," Hiruzen said, putting away his pipe. "If the Raikage doesn't come, we'll have to eliminate the Kumo ninjas here."

Though renowned for his gentle demeanor, he was anything but soft at his core. His perceived indecisiveness was confined to internal village matters.

His title as "The Professor" was earned on the battlefield.

To say that Konoha hadn't had a Hokage leave the village since Tobirama was an oversimplification.

Early in his tenure, Hiruzen still fought on the front lines. He only moved to the rear during the Second Great Ninja War, by which time talents like the White Fang and the Sannin had already risen, ushering in a golden age for Konoha.

By the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War, all of Konoha's famous shinobi hailed from this.

It was during this time that he transitioned into a more reserved, gentle figure.

"Understood." Masashi began calculating how long it would take to wipe out all the Kumo ninjas in the town.

As Hiruzen had said, a breakdown in talks could lead to war. If that were the case, the Kumo ninjas here had to be dealt with.

At that moment, Masashi sensed a powerful chakra approaching.

"Long time no see, Minato!" a loud, boisterous voice echoed.

Masashi turned his head to see a figure surrounded by lightning rapidly approaching from the distance.