Chiya and Mikoto pushed open the door as a member of the Hokage Guard stepped forward and handed everyone a document.
Inside the Hokage Building's conference room, the atmosphere was solemn and heavy.
It was completely different from the joyful celebration at the village entrance.
The room was filled with the clan heads and Konoha's top leaders.
Everyone wore expressions of exhaustion after the victory, mixed with deep solemnity.
Although the war had ended with Konoha's glorious victory, the price they had paid was equally devastating.
Chiya gave the document a quick glance.
It was a casualty list and a report of the losses.
Behind every name and every number was a broken family and a life that had been lost.
No wonder the excitement brought by victory had cooled so quickly after everyone saw this bloody reality.
It had been replaced by a complicated mixture of sorrow, pride, and reflection.
This...
Was war.
It was always built upon human lives.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat at the head of the table with his pipe still lit.
His brows were tightly furrowed.
After slowly blowing out a cloud of smoke, he spoke in a heavy yet firm voice.
"Now that everyone is here, let's begin."
"...The names in your hands all belong to heroes who gave their lives to protect Konoha. Their names deserve to be remembered forever."
"I propose that three days from now, we hold a village-wide memorial service to honor their spirits and inspire those who remain."
"I agree."
"As we should."
"It must be held with the highest honors."
"..."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
No one objected.
Honoring the fallen heroes was something that had to be done after victory.
It was a sign of respect for the dead and an answer to those who were still alive.
The entire conference room was wrapped in solemn grief.
After a brief silence...
Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the report.
His eyes swept across the room before finally stopping on Uchiha Chiya, who sat calmly in the front row.
He cleared his throat before shifting to another important and sensitive matter.
"Regarding the placement of Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki and Third Raikage A..."
His tone carried careful consideration.
"Ever since they were captured by Chiya and brought back to Konoha, they have been under house arrest in a specially prepared residence on the west side of the village."
"Although their freedom has been restricted, considering their status as Kage, we have not treated them as ordinary prisoners. Their accommodations and supplies have all been provided according to their rank..."
His meaning was obvious.
Although they had become prisoners of war, the dignity of a Kage should still be maintained to a certain degree.
It concerned the unspoken rules between the villages and the possibility of future negotiations.
This was also the relatively moderate opinion shared by many of Konoha's leaders.
However...
Before he could finish speaking, Chiya's calm voice interrupted him.
"I believe they should be transferred to Konoha Prison immediately and placed under strict supervision."
The entire conference room instantly fell silent.
You could have heard a pin drop.
Everyone immediately turned toward Chiya.
Their faces were filled with shock, confusion, and even disbelief.
Throw two Kage into prison?
That was practically unheard of.
Throughout history, even powerful prisoners were usually given relatively respectful house arrest, whether for deterrence or to leave room for future negotiations.
Locking them inside a dark prison was equivalent to tearing away the last bit of dignity.
It was the ultimate humiliation for two great ninja villages.
Even Danzō Shimura, who usually favored harsh measures, showed a trace of surprise in his single eye.
He had not expected Uchiha Chiya to make such an extreme proposal.
It was even more aggressive than he had imagined.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned even harder.
"Clan Head Chiya... isn't this going too far?"
"They are still Kage."
"If we treat them this way, we may completely provoke Iwagakure and Kumogakure, which would make future..."
"Provoke them?"
Chiya slowly stood up.
His calm eyes swept across every leader in the room.
His voice was not loud, yet it carried an undeniable force that pierced through the silence.
"Hokage-sama."
"Everyone."
"I'd like to ask you something."
He paused.
Without waiting for an answer, he answered his own question.
His tone gradually grew firmer.
"What have we just experienced?"
"A war."
"A war that they started."
"A war meant to divide and destroy Konoha."
"How many comrades did we lose in that war?"
"How many children lost their parents?"
"How many parents lost their sons and daughters?"
His gaze sharpened as he pointed toward the casualty list that had weighed heavily on everyone's hearts just moments earlier.
"When those heroes faced the enemy..."
"Did they receive any mercy because the enemy served under a Kage?"
"Were they spared death because their enemies held high positions?"
"No."
Chiya's voice suddenly rose, carrying a chilling edge.
"They faced merciless slaughter."
"They faced cold kunai and ruthless ninjutsu."
"So why..."
"Now that we've captured the enemy's leaders and gained the upper hand..."
"Are we suddenly worried about their dignity?"
"About preserving their honor?"
He slowly looked around the room.
Seeing several people begin to think deeply, he continued.
"Dignity exists only upon the edge of a blade."
"Truth exists only within the range of ninjutsu."
The moment those words were spoken...
The room fell completely silent.
It was as though a heavy hammer had struck everyone's heart.
"The only reason we're sitting here discussing how to 'place' them..."
"Isn't because we're reasonable."
"Or because we follow the rules."
"It's because we won."
"Because of Uchiha Chiya."
"Because of everyone sitting in this room."
"Because every Konoha shinobi fought through blood and fire to achieve this victory."
"Our blades were sharp enough."
"Our ninjutsu was powerful enough to dominate the battlefield."
"If Konoha had been the one defeated..."
"Can you imagine what they would have done if our Hokage had been captured?"
"Would they have respected the dignity of a Kage?"
"No."
"They would have displayed their victory in the cruelest way possible."
"They would have trampled everything we stood for."
Finally, Chiya turned his gaze back toward the Third Hokage.
His words were sincere, yet every sentence was razor sharp.
"Is giving extraordinary treatment to the leaders of an invading army fair to the heroes who shed every last drop of blood for Konoha?"
"Is it fair to the shinobi still lying in the hospital, enduring their wounds?"
"All it will do is make our enemies believe Konoha's victory comes with weakness."
"It will make every ambitious enemy believe that even if they lose, they'll still be allowed to keep their dignity."
"They'll underestimate our determination to protect this village."
"When facing a clear enemy..."
"Especially a defeated enemy..."
"We must show them a clear attitude."
"Defeat comes with consequences."
"If you've been captured..."
"Then you should have the awareness of a prisoner."
"Konoha's mercy should not be wasted on them."
Every word landed with overwhelming force.
The conference room slowly began to change.
The Nara Clan Head, who had initially been surprised, now looked thoughtful.
The Akimichi Clan Head nodded heavily as memories of the clan members they had lost filled his mind.
Hiashi Hyūga gave a slight nod.
The pride of the Hyūga allowed him to understand that the strong ruled while the defeated paid the price.
Even several jōnin who had originally supported a moderate approach began to waver.
Chiya's words had torn away the comforting illusion.
He had laid the cruel logic of war bare before everyone.
At the same time, he had tied it directly to the honor of the fallen and the meaning of justice.
That's right.
Why should Konoha's heroes die on the battlefield...
While the ones who started the war lived comfortably under house arrest, still enjoying the treatment reserved for Kage?
Was that fair?
"Clan Head Chiya is right!"
The Inuzuka Clan Head was the first to break the silence.
His voice carried suppressed anger.
"So many of my comrades died at the hands of those Kumogakure bastards!"
"We can't let them off so easily!"
"I support Lord Chiya's proposal."
The Aburame Clan representative stepped forward and adjusted his dark glasses.
His words were brief and direct.
"The defeated should be treated as the defeated."
"Prison is appropriate."
"I agree."
"I support it."
"..."
In the blink of an eye, the representatives of every major clan voiced their support.
Public opinion had shifted completely.
Everyone now stood behind Uchiha Chiya's seemingly ruthless proposal, which in reality struck directly at the heart of the issue.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the emotional crowd before him.
Then he looked toward Uchiha Chiya, who stood there calmly while naturally commanding the room.
He let out a long sigh.
He understood that his traditional and moderate political approach had completely lost support before Chiya's arguments of fairness and deterrence.
The wheels of history had already begun turning.
And this young Uchiha was the one pushing them forward.
He took a deep pull from his pipe before slowly exhaling.
Finally, he made his decision.
His voice carried a trace of weariness, but no more hesitation.
"In that case..."
"We'll proceed according to Chiya's proposal."
"Transfer Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki and Third Raikage A to the maximum security section of Konoha Prison."
"Place them under strict guard."
"Without my written authorization..."
"No one is permitted to visit them."
The order was given.
The matter was settled.
Thus began the prison lives of the two once mighty Kage.
At the same time, it marked the beginning of Konoha's complete transformation in its foreign policy.
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