"The Second Hokage's Ultimatum."
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The Second Hokage stepped out of Aki's tent, muttering to himself:"I'm the Hokage, not a money printer! Does she seriously think I can cough up that much cash? Back in the day, her grandpa was constantly helping my big brother pay off his debts, and now she's helping Tsunade with hers—same story, different generation! Hmph! If she dares to use this against me, I'll make sure her next mission is a nightmare!"
While mentally plotting revenge on Aki, he soon arrived at the main meeting hall of the Konoha encampment. Entering with a powerful, commanding stride, he walked straight to the central seat and sat down. Looking around at the assembled Jonin, he said,"Bring them in."
Right on cue, several ANBU led a small group of Sand shinobi into the room.
The Second Hokage eyed them and asked,"So, you're the Sand ninja here to negotiate peace?"
One of the younger Sand Jonin stepped forward and replied calmly and confidently,"I am Ebizō, a Jonin of the Hidden Sand. I'm here as our envoy to pay respects to the Second Hokage. I'm not the main negotiator—we came early to greet you and to check on the Kazekage."
The Second Hokage walked up to Ebizō and said,"You're free to go see your Kazekage. I'll be waiting for your actual negotiators to arrive."Then he turned and walked out of the meeting room.
The Konoha ninja followed, leaving with cold smirks on their faces. One of the Sand ninja next to Ebizō grumbled,"Lord Ebizō, these Leaf ninja are unbelievably arrogant. That Second Hokage didn't even look us in the eye. They're going too far!"
Ebizō just chuckled."I've heard that the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, is a man of honor. Straightforward and righteous, hates evil with a passion. Honestly, I'd rather deal with someone like that than the ones scheming behind our backs. Besides, we're not even important enough for him to treat us formally. Come on, let's go see the Kazekage."
With that, he led his people out of the hall, escorted by ANBU toward the Kazekage's holding and treatment site.
Elsewhere, Mitokado Homura and his team followed the Second Hokage to his private room.
"Teacher, why were you so cold to the Sand ninja?" they asked. "I don't get it."
Mitokado replied,"They're not the actual envoys. Didn't you notice?"
The Second Hokage added,"Didn't that kid look familiar to you, Saru?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned in confusion. The Second Hokage grinned."That guy—Ebizō—he was the commander in that last battle. The same one who almost turned you into a dead monkey!"
Sarutobi's eyes widened in fury."That bastard! I should've challenged him to a duel right there!"
He stormed out in a rage. Homura watched him go and chuckled."Sure, we technically won the war, but the Sand weren't crippled. They've still got over 6,000 troops massing on the Water Country border. So, if Saru wants to go size up their field commander, let him. It'll give us a read on Ebizō's personal strength. If peace talks fall through and war breaks out again, we'll know if we can take his head off in the first wave."
The Second Hokage nodded."Ebizō's talented—no doubt. But we don't know if he's strong and smart. If Saru engages him, I can get a feel for his true ability. If he's too dangerous, I'll make sure to take him out myself before any new war starts. That way their forces will be leaderless and disorganized."
He waved his hand dismissively."Alright, you two go get some rest. You've earned it."
"Ahahaha! So, Raikage—have you thought it over yet?"The Second Mizukage's signature voice echoed from outside the Raikage's quarters. Without knocking, he just barged in like he owned the place.
The Second Raikage glared at him with a blank face."What you're proposing is way too extreme. I can't accept those terms. Try something more reasonable."
The Mizukage grinned,"You're really growing into that 'leader' vibe. Is it just me, or do all guys without eyebrows look like they're in charge? Oh wait—I don't have eyebrows either!"
The Raikage shot him a confused look. The Mizukage just kept on smiling."Don't you remember? Between us, our two countries have over 14,000 ninja gathered now. You've got 8,000 troops from the Land of Lightning, and I brought 6,000 Mist ninja to support you. Support, okay? Let's be clear on that!"
Grinding his teeth, the Raikage finally spat out,"Fine. You can have the coastal islands—but I want the Tsuchikage dead. Can you take him out?"
The Mizukage's eyes narrowed."That bandaged freak should've died by my hand a long time ago."
The Raikage nodded."Good. If you kill the Tsuchikage, I'll hand over every last island along the coast to the Land of Water."
"Deal," the Mizukage said, suddenly serious."No more jokes. I'll join the battle myself."
With that, he turned and left the room, casually calling over his shoulder:"Wait for the good news!"
Almost two months passed in the Land of Rain before the official Sand envoy finally arrived at the Konoha base. Negotiations began immediately, focusing on compensation and peace terms.
Konoha laid out several major conditions:
The Land of Wind must give Konoha 20% of all mission assignments within their borders.
The Land of Wind must compensate the Land of Rain for the damage caused during the year and seven months of war.
They must pay for all damages suffered by Konoha and Iwagakure, and ransom back their Kazekage and captured Sand ninja—totaling three billion in reparations.
The Land of Wind must acknowledge the Land of Fire's superiority and pay annual tribute.
Naturally, the Sand delegates were furious, arguing that the Land of Wind had already suffered the most in the war. Negotiations stalled as both sides kept arguing.
Meanwhile, Ebizō visited the bedridden Kazekage.
"How are the talks going?" the Kazekage asked.
Ebizō went over Konoha's demands in general terms. After listening, the Kazekage sighed."Tobirama Senju… Still the same as always—relentless, always forcing enemies into hopeless positions. What are the elders saying?"
Ebizō replied,"They're not backing down. They think Konoha's demands are outrageous. The biggest sticking point is the 20% mission handover—that's something we just can't accept. So the elders are actively mobilizing troops and planning a counterattack."
The Kazekage gave a bitter laugh."You're mistaken. The Sand Village won't wage war again. The elders aren't thinking about honor anymore. All they care about now is preserving their own interests. You give them too much credit."
Ebizō asked, puzzled,"You think they'll accept such humiliating terms?"
The Kazekage stared at the ceiling."If I had to guess, they're looking for a scapegoat. Someone to sign the treaty in their place. And that someone… is probably going to be me."
Ebizō fell silent. The room stayed quiet for several long minutes before the Kazekage finally spoke again:"Tell the elders this is my proposal:
Konoha must return Shukaku (the One-Tail).
We'll acknowledge the Land of Fire's dominance and pay tribute annually—but all territory we currently occupy remains part of the Wind Country.
We'll pay at most two billion in total compensation to Konoha and Iwagakure, and offer additional reparations to the Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain must open all its dams so we can freely access its water—non-militarily.
These are the only conditions I'm willing to accept. Anything else, they can negotiate however they want."
As he finished speaking, the Kazekage looked like he'd aged decades in an instant. Ebizō silently bowed and left.
For days, the Sand and Konoha teams kept bickering with no progress. Finally, the Second Hokage had enough.
One day, as both sides were locked in yet another heated argument in the conference hall, he suddenly burst in. He walked straight to the center, summoned the giant jar holding Shukaku, and stared down the Sand delegation.
"I'm done playing games. Here's the final deal:
– 10% of your missions go to Konoha.– 800 million in compensation to Iwagakure.– 1.2 billion to Konoha.– 300 million to the Land of Rain.– We'll return Shukaku.– And you can access Rain Country's water resources for non-military purposes.
That's my final offer."
One of the Sand elders opened his mouth to protest,"Lord Hokage, that's—"
But the Second Hokage cut him off, his killing intent flooding the room. Everyone froze. He stared them down coldly."I'm not here to negotiate. This is your choice—accept it, or go to war."
The entire Sand group went pale with fear. Just then, two figures entered the room. One of them said,"We accept. I'll sign."
It was the Kazekage, leaning on Ebizō for support.
Still injured, he slowly approached and addressed the Hokage directly:"I'm still the leader of the Sand Village. I have the authority to make this decision. Want me to sign now, or later?"
The Second Hokage gave him a cold look."At least you've got some guts, showing your face at a time like this. Good. Let's wrap this up—I've got better things to do than waste more time on your village."
He signaled his aides to finalize the documents. The Kazekage signed them.
And just like that, the year-and-seven-month chaos in the Land of Rain finally came to an end—At least, officially. From now on, there would be no more large-scale battles in the Rain Country between the Sand, Stone, and Leaf ninja… for the time being.
"....."