"That's true. But if Konoha, with all its advantages, still can't defeat Kumogakure one day, it would only mean the village has rotted to its core."
Orochimaru sneered coldly as he spoke.
A Konoha like that…
If it fell, so be it. What did it have to do with him?
Minato wanted to argue, but the words died on his lips.
He had nothing to say.
It was true.
With such overwhelming advantages, if they still lost to Kumo, what was the point of keeping Konoha around?
"The Will of Fire says it well—'Where the leaves dance, the fire burns eternal.' Similarly, when a rotten tree falls, it becomes nourishment for new saplings, allowing Konoha to flourish once more."
Kyōichi smiled faintly.
Minato and Orochimaru were momentarily stunned.
That's how you interpret it?!
But upon reflection, they couldn't find fault—the cycle of old and new was the essence of the Will of Fire.
"I'm convinced. Kyōichi, that mouth of yours always spouts irrefutable logic. Even back in Kumogakure, I was ready to just drop the body and leave, yet you somehow talked them into believing every word."
Minato couldn't help but marvel.
"That's the art of Talk no Jutsu. If you want to be the protagonist, you've got to learn it."
Kyōichi joked.
Too bad Minato wouldn't get the reference—his son wasn't even a twinkle in his eye yet…
"Talk no Jutsu? Hahaha, that's fitting."
Minato chuckled.
He didn't understand why a "protagonist" needed it, but the description was amusing.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, fell into deep thought.
He was still pondering Kyōichi's "food war" strategy.
A completely novel approach.
Before this, no one had ever considered waging war on an enemy nation this way—a silent, bloodless blade.
If successful, perhaps fewer wars would be fought.
Orochimaru didn't particularly care for peace, but if such a world were possible, he wouldn't mind researching it—while still pursuing immortality, of course.
He was itching to sit down with Kyōichi and discuss it further.
But they were still at the Land of Lightning's border.
Iwa-nin and Kiri-nin had already withdrawn, and Kumo would soon reestablish their defenses. While being spotted wasn't a problem, it would disrupt the flow of their "academic" exchange.
Orochimaru licked his lips, barely restraining his impatience. Right now, he wished he could rush to Kumogakure and help Kyōichi finish the job.
But the Eight-Tails and its Jinchūriki were too close.
If the beast recognized his chakra from when he'd freed it years ago, Konoha's relations with Kumo would shift again. The thought made him wonder—just what was the deal with that Jinchūriki?
Then again…
Kyōichi probably hadn't met the Hachibi's host yet.
"Kyōichi-kun, shall we wait here?"
"My shadow clone can last a while longer. No need to worry. Let's head back."
They'd been gone long enough—Jiraiya was probably getting anxious.
As Kumo's defenses reformed, the Land of Lightning's borders gradually returned to their control. Not far into their return journey, Kyōichi spotted Konoha-nin cleaning up the battlefield.
War always brought casualties.
But this time, Konoha had only pursued. Most of the dead were from the teams that had attempted to block their advance. Once the blockade failed, Orochimaru and Jiraiya had wisely retreated, preventing further losses.
Thus, in this battle alone, Konoha's fatalities paled in comparison to Kumo's.
Kumo had suffered the real devastation.
"Kumo's losses are heavy. With the Sandaime Raikage's death, they won't be starting another war anytime soon."
Minato sighed.
The war's end would bring a brief peace.
But once strength recovered and nations grew powerful again, ambitions would resurface. True peace couldn't be achieved through one or two battles.
Yet every war claimed countless lives…
As an inheritor of Jiraiya's pacifism, witnessing this left him with complicated emotions.
Kyōichi stayed silent.
Peace…
Was anything but simple.
The shinobi world was small, yet drowning in petty conflicts.
Unify the world?
In the short term, there was Madara lurking in the shadows. In the long term, Kaguya and her clan loomed. Even if the entire world banded together, they'd be hard-pressed to stand against them.
Kyōichi sighed. Defeating the Sandaime Raikage didn't feel like much of a triumph.
He glanced at his system.
Logically, after all that talk, there should've been some feedback…
Strange.
"The camp's just ahead."
Minato sensed for a moment. "The Hokage-sama and the others seem to have arrived."
"Kyōichi-kun, I suggest you bring up that matter."
Orochimaru smiled faintly. "Your technique will undoubtedly gain the village's support. With funding and assistance, research will progress much faster than working alone."
"Hmm… True. Though I have a few other ideas, but those can wait until we return."
Kyōichi showed no intention of elaborating further.
Orochimaru's curiosity burned.
More ideas?
What kind?
He glanced sideways, waiting, but Kyōichi seemed utterly disinterested in continuing.
After a few seconds of silence, Orochimaru suppressed a sigh.
Leaving me hanging like this… In the past, you'd have gotten a beating for that.
Not that he was any gentler now.
It was just that Kyōichi could now go toe-to-toe with the Sandaime Raikage. In terms of combat ability…
Orochimaru wasn't confident he could win.
The camp had expanded significantly. Reinforcements from the western front had arrived, only to find the war already over. Their sole task now was cleanup.
Many were frustrated.
But when they saw Kyōichi's group return, they immediately bowed, their grievances forgotten.
Victory outweighed everything.
The three headed straight to where the Sandaime was stationed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had only just arrived. Inside the tent, he and Jiraiya were deep in discussion.
Clearly, the battle's results weren't entirely satisfying.
"The Sandaime Raikage used some kind of teleportation jutsu to reach the front lines. If we'd fully set up the traps and encirclement, we might've captured one or two high-value targets to force a surrender. A shame…"
"Nothing could be done. Choosing to intercept would've doubled our casualties."
The Sandaime and Jiraiya spoke quietly until they sensed the newcomers. Turning, their eyes lit up at the sight of the trio.
"How did it go?"
"The Sandaime Raikage is dead. Kyōichi and I delivered the body to Kumogakure, so we were delayed…"
Minato summarized the events concisely.
Orochimaru subtly stepped back.
"Well done, well done… Kyōichi, exceptionally well done! Those words of yours saved countless Konoha lives! And the trade deal will greatly benefit the Land of Fire!"
The Sandaime and Jiraiya nodded repeatedly, their joy barely contained.
Konoha wasn't afraid of war, but shifting blame was always preferable—especially when the blame rightfully belonged to Ōnoki.
"I just told the truth. Oh, and the IOU is genuine. When it's time to collect from Ōnoki, the village better back me up. Final price—twenty million. Not a ryō less."
Kyōichi produced the IOU.
The Sandaime took it and nodded, then remembered Kyōichi's battlefield performance. The village would likely have to pay a hefty sum this time.
The thought made his cheek twitch.
At least they'd won.
They could recoup plenty from Ōnoki.
As Hiruzen mulled it over, Kyōichi added, "Hokage-sama, I'd like to propose a Mokuton research project upon our return—"
"No!"
The Sandaime's face darkened instantly.
Behind them, Orochimaru chuckled softly.
Predictable.
The war was over, and the old man had reverted to form—unchanged.
Couldn't you at least let him finish?
He didn't intervene.
Kyōichi's "Talk no Jutsu" was more than capable of handling this.
Sure enough, Kyōichi continued smoothly, "To be precise, it's not the same Mokuton as Shodai-sama's. What I want to develop is a jutsu for accelerating crop and medicinal herb growth."
"Accelerating crops and herbs?"
The Sandaime and Jiraiya exchanged glances, quickly grasping the implications.
Such a jutsu…
Wouldn't be easy, but certainly less daunting than true Mokuton.
But what was the point?
Before they could ask, Kyōichi laid out his strategy: flooding the market with fast-grown food, reshaping the Land of Lightning's economy, and achieving control through commerce.
The Sandaime's jaw dropped.
At first, he understood—using food to dominate the market meant leverage in wartime. But as Kyōichi elaborated, he realized how shallow his initial thoughts had been.
Silence fell.
No one spoke first, while Kyōichi waited for their response.
Finally…
Orochimaru broke the stalemate. "Sensei, that's the gist of it. After consideration, I believe it's feasible. Moreover, Konoha has prior Mokuton research data. Non-combative applications shouldn't be difficult."
Hiruzen shot him a sidelong glance.
Prior data?
Hah.
More like recent data.
He chose not to expose it outright, but fearing Orochimaru might exploit this for further experiments, he said after a long pause, "If this jutsu can truly accelerate growth, it's worth researching. But I won't tolerate a repeat of those experiments."
"Researching this doesn't require experiments."
Kyōichi shook his head.
With the Hyōton theory and Orochimaru's detailed data, there was no need.
Of course, the key was—
Kyōichi already knew who to teach it to.
The Senju descendants.
Like the Fūma clan.
While Ōnoki and even the Sandaime Kazekage had mastered Kekkei Genkai-level jutsu through study, bloodline descendants undeniably had an easier time learning them.
Once he developed and mastered it, he could teach it to those with Senju heritage.
"Even the weakest Mokuton is still a Kekkei Genkai. It won't be easy—prepare for a decade, maybe two. Don't rush…"
The Sandaime shook his head, slipping into his usual lecturing tone.
"Ahem, Sensei, you might not know this yet, but this kid's already been secretly researching Mokuton. While he hasn't succeeded, he did accidentally synthesize Hyōton."
Jiraiya interjected helpfully.
Kyōichi noticed the Sandaime's stunned expression and paused, glancing at the others.
Well, damn.
He'd assumed they'd already told the Hokage. Turns out, they'd all kept it quiet—even Gekkō Kazuki's team hadn't spilled.
Nice.