Just when the road seemed to have reached its end, a path appeared through the willows and flowers.
As Ryusa listened to Minato's proposal, a wave of pure ecstasy surged through his heart. Yet, almost as quickly, that joy curdled into deep-seated suspicion.
The terms the Leaf was offering were simply too good to be true.
Sunagakure would be allowed to withdraw from the Land of Fire without paying any price whatsoever. In the world of shinobi, such a deal sounded like a fairy tale.
In fact, Ryusa began to wonder if this was a elaborate ruse—a trap designed to lure him into a false sense of security so the Leaf could launch a devastating ambush during Suna's retreat.
"If you find our words difficult to trust, the Leaf's forces are willing to retreat five kilometers immediately to provide you with space," Minato said, cutting through Ryusa's doubts.
The Leaf leadership had already anticipated Suna's paranoia before sending Minato, and they had provided a solution accordingly. Seeing the shift in Ryusa's expression, Minato pressed the advantage.
"Are you not afraid that we might launch an assault while you are striking your camp?" Ryusa asked, his voice hardening. He was trying to mask the moment of weakness where he had visibly relaxed.
"Heh."
Minato let out a soft chuckle. His smile remained as bright and warm as sunshine, yet a flicker of mockery danced in his eyes.
"Does Jonin Ryusa know the true purpose of that Hidden Mist team from last night?"
Minato didn't mock him openly, nor did he use a snide tone. He simply posed a question. This was the exact reason Sakumo Hatake had chosen him as the envoy. If Hatani had been the one standing here, he would have likely been laughing in Ryusa's face by now.
"Tch. What else could it be for? They were after the Five-Tails," Ryusa spat.
The analytical minds of the Suna Jonin were more than capable of reaching the same conclusions Hatani had. However, despite the dismissive tone, a deep-seated envy and jealousy flickered across Ryusa's brow.
Even as a frontline commander, he couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment that other villages were already organizing elite teams to claim such a prize.
Sensing this, Minato's confidence in the success of Hatani's plan grew.
"Since even the Mist—a village isolated from the mainland that rarely involves itself in continental affairs—has dispatched such a powerful force to capture the Five-Tails, surely you can guess how much effort Iwagakure will expend to reclaim what belongs to them?"
Ryusa's face turned grim instantly.
Minato seemed to be talking only about the Tailed Beast, but Ryusa wasn't a fool. He understood the subtext: Iwagakure is now focused entirely on the Five-Tails. The Leaf can finally move its main force away from the Grass front.
Sunagakure was inherently weaker than Konoha, having already suffered two crushing defeats. They had only managed to gain the upper hand by launching a surprise attack while the Leaf's main army was tied up in the north. If the Leaf's core forces were now free to return, Suna would face a thunderous counter-offensive—unless they could break the Leaf's defenses right now.
"Furthermore, I can share one more piece of intelligence with you," Minato said, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Hanzo of the Salamander is dead."
"What?!"
Ryusa had been prepared for news of the Mist and Iwa, but this hit him like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky. How could the man hailed as a "Shinobi Half-God" die so suddenly?
Who had done it? Ohnoki? Hiruzen Sarutobi?
His mind whirled into overdrive, the gears spinning at breakneck speed. Without Hanzo, the Hidden Rain was nothing but a leaderless rabble. Should we shift our target to the Land of Rain?
"Jonin Ryusa, the Hidden Leaf has shown more than enough sincerity. The decision is now in Suna's hands."
While Ryusa was caught in his mental storm, Minato delivered the final checkmate.
"As long as the Leaf retreats five kilometers, we will withdraw from the Land of Fire immediately and return to our original positions in the Land of Rivers," Ryusa declared. He had been given too much to process at once, but he made his choice quickly. He even threw in a small test at the end.
In truth, because of their supply crisis, they had to sprint back toward the Land of Wind the moment they left the Land of Fire. His promise to "hold the original position" was a lie. However, he wanted to see the Leaf's reaction to gauge their actual strength.
If the Leaf actually dared to enter the Land of Rivers to maintain the standoff, it would prove that their main force really had returned from the northern front. If they hesitated and only guarded their own borders, it would prove the Leaf was merely bluffing with a skeleton crew of the "old and the weak."
"Heh. The Leaf will not be entering the Land of Rivers again," Minato said, speaking with a bluntness that caught Ryusa off guard.
This honesty made Ryusa feel uncertain, but Minato's next words sparked an immediate sense of urgency in his gut.
"Compared to capturing a Tailed Beast, the Hidden Leaf has the courage and the foundation to endure a little temporary pressure on its borders."
The Leaf is also assembling a team for the Five-Tails!
Minato might as well have said it explicitly. Ryusa didn't doubt the claim for a second. An elite capture team involving hundreds of shinobi could never be hidden from the eyes of other villages; the news would leak within days regardless of what Minato said.
And even if Minato was only saying this to distract them, Ryusa had to admit it was working.
He had already made up his mind. The moment they cleared the Land of Fire, he would advise the Kazekage to pause the war with the Leaf. They needed to assemble their own capture team with all possible speed.
Though they were late to the game, their geographical proximity to the west meant they could still catch up to the teams from Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri. If they could successfully intercept the Five-Tails, Suna would emerge as the ultimate victor of this war.
And even if the hunt failed and the Leaf used the time to solidify their defenses, they still had the "backup plan": the Land of Rain. Without Hanzo, the Hidden Rain was a piece of meat on a platter, and Suna could easily carve out whatever interests they desired from its remains.
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