At that moment, the Second Kazekage, Shamon, stepped forward to ease the tension. His tone was calm and composed.
"We didn't come here to settle personal grudges. We're here to discuss how to bring this war to an end."
"The pain and destruction caused by this conflict have gone far enough. It's time to end it."
The Third Mizukage nodded and followed up:
"That's right. The Kazekage is correct. We need to establish a fair framework to bring this war to a close."
Once the Third Mizukage finished speaking, the others all nodded in agreement.
They understood well—none of the villages had truly gained what they wanted from this war. But at this point, they could no longer afford to continue.
If the fighting dragged on, victory on the battlefield might never come—only the collapse of their own villages.
This was especially true for the Sand. They were already poor to begin with.
They'd hoped this Shinobi World War would earn them enough spoils to develop their village. But the longer it dragged on, the poorer they became.
Shamon had become the Second Kazekage not only because of his past accomplishments in battle, but also for pioneering puppet techniques and developing sand-based jutsu.
The development of Puppet Jutsu gave the struggling Sand Village a sliver of hope. What they needed now was time—time to recover and rebuild.
Naturally, he would support ending the war now to focus on reconstruction and growth.
As for the Stone and Mist villages, their battle had not only taken the lives of both of their Kage, but had also cost them countless comrades.
Now, they needed time to lick their wounds and await a better opportunity.
Just then, the Raikage's eyes lit up, as if he'd thought of something.
"This war… Konoha seems to have taken minimal losses. And isn't Konoha always calling itself the strongest?"
"How about this—why don't we have the Hokage make a few sacrifices and support the smaller nations like us?"
His words were clearly aimed at Konoha.
Whether for the benefit of his own village or to save face, dragging Konoha into the center of the whirlpool was an effective strategy.
And he wasn't wrong—his words did have an impact.
Though Uchiha Hikaru's Mangekyō Sharingan had struck fear into everyone, that strength came with consequences.
With the Raikage's provocation and Konoha's overwhelming power, signs of alliance began to quietly stir among the other four villages.
The rest of the Kage paused their discussions.
They all turned their eyes toward the Fourth Hokage—Mito Uzumaki—with unfriendly intent.
Yet Mito didn't seem to notice their hostility at all. Unhurriedly, she poured herself a cup of tea and took a calm sip.
Her composure and actions caught everyone off guard.
They had expected her to lash out—but instead, she remained as serene as ever.
Still, that didn't stop them from pressing her. Compared to the benefits on the table, everything else was secondary.
But Mito remained unaffected by their glares.
She sipped her tea slowly, as if savoring the moment.
Her calm and confidence unsettled the others.
Then, just as suspicion began to flicker in their minds, Mito gently set her cup down.
She took a deep breath and spoke slowly:
"If you want me to make concessions… I'm not against it."
She paused.
Seeing the anticipation bloom on their faces, she continued:
"I propose a joint Chūnin Exam. We'll use the results of the exam to fairly allocate the benefits among the nations."
"You want more? Then win the exam. Otherwise, go home and work on your own development."
Her words stunned everyone present.
None of them had expected such a suggestion.
But when they thought it over, it wasn't a bad idea.
Using an exam to distribute resources not only avoided direct conflict—it was a chance to display each village's strength, potentially attracting more missions and clients.
Still, the proposal wasn't without risks.
It meant trusting their next generation. Believing in their strength and potential.
And if Konoha's new generation truly was that exceptional, Mito's "concession" might actually bring even greater returns.
The Kage began to weigh her offer. They thought about the rising stars in Konoha.
They had to admit—Konoha did have some impressive talents.
But the gap wasn't insurmountable. Their own young shinobi still had a shot.
After much thought and discussion, they agreed.
They would host a joint Chūnin Exam to fairly divide the war spoils.
With the proposal accepted, the Five Kage began debating where to hold the exam.
Everyone knew—whichever village hosted would benefit enormously.
Even the participating genin would gain a home-field advantage.
In the end, the host was chosen: Konoha.
Since Mito had already made a concession in their eyes, the others felt they too should compromise.
Letting Konoha host was their form of concession.
With the core issue settled, only trivial matters remained.
Once those were handled, the Five Kage Summit came to an end, and each leader set off for home.
After the meeting, Mito immediately sent word to the Konoha shinobi on the front lines.
She knew—for them, the war was over.
It was time to bring them home.
As the news spread, Konoha's forces erupted in celebration.
They hugged, cried tears of joy—relief washing over their war-weary hearts.
For the first time in a long while, they could let go of the exhaustion and pressure... and return to their beloved village.
Not long after, the news reached Konoha itself.
The villagers rejoiced when they heard the war had ended and their shinobi were returning victorious.
The whole village was buzzing with excitement.
When Mito returned, the streets were packed with people there to welcome her.
They waved flags, lit fireworks, beat drums and gongs—it was a massive celebration.
Mito, however, felt a little undeserving of such fanfare.
In her mind, the true credit belonged to the Konoha shinobi who had risked their lives on the battlefield.
As Hokage, she had only participated in negotiations.
Uchiha Hikaru was among the crowd. One look at her expression, and he knew what she was thinking.
But she didn't realize—without her immense strength and firm leadership as Hokage, the war might have dragged on far longer.
And in that extra time, even more lives would have been lost.
Lives that Mito had, in truth, saved.
Especially… Orochimaru's parents.
Hikaru turned his gaze to the side. There stood Orochimaru, beaming with joy.
Standing among the wounded, he showed a childlike happiness that Hikaru had never seen on his face before.