The rising sun cast its light upon the rugged mountain ridges of the Land of Lightning, yet it struggled to dispel the tense atmosphere along the border.
Senju Mori stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the border fortress built against the mountains.
A direct assault on this fortified stronghold was meaningless; unless Third Raikage A himself could be killed here, it would only increase the casualties of Konoha Ninja.
An attempt to annihilate Kumogakure in the process was even less feasible; compared to that, forcing Kumogakure into massive reparations was more practical.
After a symbolic offensive, as Kumogakure almost eagerly proposed peace talks, Senju Mori readily agreed.
After all, every minute Third Raikage A was tied up on the front lines, the Eight-Tails would cause more destruction in Hidden Cloud Village.
Aside from fundamental matters of principle, no matter how excessive Konoha's demands were, Kumogakure could only grudgingly accept them.
The negotiation site was chosen to be a hastily erected tent.
This made the Kumogakure Ninja feel particularly humiliated, as this area was still within the territory of the Land of Lightning; signing a truce here was practically the most classic example of a surrender under duress.
Inside the tent, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.
On Konoha's side, Advisor Nara Shikatsune sat firmly in the main seat.
He was not wearing the standard Ninja vest today, but rather a dark casual outfit, with only the Konoha forehead protector on his brow and the flame patterns on his cuffs signifying his identity as a hokage advisor.
His expression was calm, his hands naturally clasped on the table, as if he were not facing a negotiation that would decide the fate of two nations, but an ordinary family meeting.
Opposite him, Kumogakure Jonin Furui also sat upright, his brow deeply furrowed, his taut face showing undeniable fatigue and anxiety. This was Third Raikage A's most trusted right-hand man.
His hands beneath the table alternately clenched and unclenched, his fingertips unconsciously tapping his knees.
"Lord Furui."
Nara Shikatsune spoke first, his voice steady, breaking the suffocating silence:
"Based on the will of Hokage-sama, and the principled consensus that you and I should abide by, this is Konoha's draft of the 'Treaty of End of War and Reparations.' Please review it."
With that, Nara Shikatsune pushed an unrolled scroll across the table.
Furui took a deep breath and accepted the scroll.
As his gaze moved across the lines of text, his breathing gradually grew heavier, and his face turned from pale to green, eventually flushing uncontrollably red.
He suddenly looked up, his voice trembling from suppressing his anger:
"Lord Shikatsune! These... these three public apologies, with such humiliating wording, completely attribute all responsibility to my Kumogakure! And this... two billion Ryo! And the cession of mission shares from three countries!"
"Does Konoha truly wish to become eternal enemies with my Kumogakure?!"
The treaty was personally drafted by Nara Shikatsune and had been given to Senju Mori for review prior to the negotiations.
The terms of the treaty were as follows:
Firstly, Kumogakure needed to issue a formal national letter to all nations in the Ninja World, publicly apologizing for failing to properly restrain the Ninja Kinkaku and Ginkaku within its Village, leading to their defection and the assassination of the Second Hokage.
Secondly, Kumogakure needed to publicly apologize for its poor custody of the six paths sage tools, which allowed them to be stolen by rogue Ninja and used to endanger the Ninja World, and to acknowledge that four of these six paths sage tools would henceforth belong to Konoha.
Thirdly, Kumogakure needed to publicly apologize for unilaterally initiating war and disrupting the peace of the Ninja World, and based on all the aforementioned misconduct, voluntarily offer the following reparations to Konoha—
The total value of reparations amounted to two billion Ryo, with the monetary compensation alone reaching 1.3 billion Ryo.
This included three hundred million Ryo in compensation that Kumogakure needed to pay to Konoha immediately, and an additional one hundred twenty-five million Ryo annually for the next eight years as subsequent compensation payments.
The remaining seven hundred million Ryo allowed Kumogakure to offset with other resources, but Konoha would only accept Chakra metal, rare minerals produced by Kumogakure, and various unique Ninjutsu, sword techniques, or Taijutsu from Kumogakure.
Resources worth approximately one hundred million Ryo needed to be provided immediately, with the remaining portion also paid in installments.
Furthermore, Kumogakure needed to completely relinquish its mission shares in the Land of Hot Springs, and cede fifty percent of its original mission shares in the Land of Frost and the Land of Fire.
Upon hearing Furui's words, Nara Shikatsune leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening:
"Lord Furui, please mind your words."
"Apologies are for clarifying right from wrong and warning future generations. Kinkaku and Ginkaku originated from Kumogakure, and their assassination of our Second Hokage is a fact. Kumogakure actively crossed the border and initiated hostilities, which is also a fact."
"Konoha's demand for the truth is not excessive."
His tone remained calm, yet it carried an undeniable force:
"As for the amount of compensation... two billion Ryo is a war loss calculated with precision."
"This includes solace payments for our fallen Konoha Ninja, consumed supplies, damaged border facilities, and... Konoha's reputation and anticipated mission income for the next few years, all harmed by this senseless war."
"Every item is verifiable. If your side questions it, our side can provide detailed accounts, but..."
His tone subtly shifted, "That would likely require more time for verification."
The four words "more time" were like a sharp senbon, piercing Furui's most sensitive nerve.
He could almost imagine the tragic state of the Village under the Eight-Tails' rampage at this moment. Raikage-sama, suppressing his anger, was stationed on the front lines, yet he was constantly tormented by his eagerness to return.
Time—Kumogakure's biggest shortage was time!
"There's no need to verify the accounts!"
Furui almost roared, suppressing the urge to slam his hands on the table, and said with agitated indignation:
"But two billion Ryo, plus future mission shares, is absolutely impossible! Even if Kumogakure is emptied, we cannot produce that much!"
"Oh?"
Nara Shikatsune raised an eyebrow slightly, but a cold sneer formed in his heart. He didn't believe a single word of Furui's excuses.
As a powerful hokage advisor, he clearly knew the total annual financial income of Konohagakure. Kumogakure's total income might be slightly less, but it was at least eighty to ninety percent of Konoha's.
In other words, since he had drafted this compensation list, he was certain that Kumogakure could afford it.
Nara Shikatsune merely pretended to ponder for a moment, but in reality, he had no intention of making any concessions. He continued in a solemn voice:
"The Land of Fire is a country that yearns for peace, and Konoha is not keen on war. It is precisely because we consider your actual difficulties that Konoha has shown such great sincerity in the treaty."
"We allow seven hundred million Ryo to be offset by physical goods and rights. Your country's abundant Chakra-conducting metals, various special minerals, and even Ninjutsu and Taijutsu scrolls of a certain value can all be appraised."
"Is this not Konoha's goodwill?"