Chapter 45: Time to Settle Accounts
Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
In the high-level meeting room, the four senior figures—Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo Shimura—were engaged in a secret discussion.
However, the strange thing was that at this moment, all four of them sat in silence, not uttering a single word.
The eerie atmosphere persisted for a while until Koharu Utatane finally broke the silence.
"The Uchiha clan performed outstandingly in this war…"
"From the eastern battlefield onward, they have produced remarkable rising stars like Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Dali."
"Especially this Uchiha Dali—he single-handedly altered the course of the entire war. Such an extraordinary talent is extremely rare and cannot be ignored."
Although her words sounded complimentary, their expressions were anything but pleasant.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, as the Third Hokage, maintained a relatively composed demeanor, silently puffing on his pipe without speaking.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, on the other hand, looked grim, their brows tightly furrowed, clearly deep in thought.
As for Danzo Shimura, the leader of the Root organization, he remained as lifeless as ever, his expression unchanged.
After Koharu finished speaking, the room once again fell into an eerie silence.
After a long pause, Homura Mitokado finally spoke. "The Uchiha clan's reputation in the village will likely see a resurgence after this battle. As the village's leadership, we must provide them with due recognition and rewards."
"We must not give anyone a reason to criticize us."
This was a subtle reminder to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Although the Uchiha clan and Konoha had harbored mutual distrust for years, and their relationship was far from harmonious behind the scenes, appearances had to be maintained. That was the mark of a competent ruler.
Hiruzen Sarutobi still remained silent, continuing to smoke his pipe.
At this moment, Koharu Utatane spoke again. "The matter of the Uchiha must, of course, be handled appropriately. The dossier on Uchiha Dali has already been sent to your office. For now, let's discuss other pressing issues."
Her tone grew more serious.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, remained calm and composed.
"Hiruzen," Homura Mitokado said gravely, "while it is true that the Hidden Mist of the Land of Water, the Hidden Cloud of the Land of Lightning, and the Hidden Stone of the Land of Earth have all agreed to peace talks, signaling our victory in this war—"
"Our casualties have been devastating. The village is not just in shambles, but nearly wiped out. The ninja we sent to the battlefield barely survived."
"There is significant public discontent regarding this war… but more importantly, troubling messages are coming from the Daimyō's office as well."
He crossed his arms and fixed his serious gaze on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Having been Hokage for so many years and being longtime comrades, there was no way Hiruzen Sarutobi could fail to grasp the underlying meaning in Homura Mitokado's words.
The war was nearing its end.
Negotiations were about to begin.
But with that came the question of accountability—someone had to bear responsibility for the devastation and losses suffered by Konoha and the Land of Fire.
At last, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly put down his pipe and looked seriously at Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. "As the village's Hokage and the war's supreme commander, the responsibility that falls on me is not for you to concern yourselves with."
"Before that, I still have to negotiate with the other nations' leaders. We can discuss accountability once those talks conclude."
The outcome of those negotiations would determine his fate.
If Konoha managed to secure enough benefits from the peace talks, potentially offsetting some of the war's damage to the Land of Fire, he might escape unscathed.
Otherwise, he would have to accept whatever consequences came his way.
Hearing his response, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane's expressions eased somewhat.
As long as someone was willing to step forward and take responsibility, ensuring they wouldn't be dragged down as well, they wouldn't press the issue too aggressively.
"Hiruzen, I warned you before—you should have withdrawn the troops earlier," Koharu Utatane said softly, looking at him with a tinge of regret and pity.
"Only the western battlefield remains unconfirmed. We should have an update soon, and then I can depart for the Daimyō's office within the next couple of days."
Hiruzen Sarutobi deliberately changed the subject, muttering to himself.
Just as he finished speaking, Minato Namikaze's voice came from outside the meeting room.
"Lord Third, we've received the latest battlefield report."
With all the enemy villages withdrawing their forces from the Land of Fire's borders, Minato Namikaze, with his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, had been tasked with relaying important information.
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately ordered him to enter.
"The latest report: Lord Orochimaru has led his forces to defeat the Sand Village's invasion. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, has personally agreed to retreat and negotiate peace."
"The war is finally over…"
Though Minato's report brought good news, it was not unexpected.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a slow puff of his pipe, exhaling calmly before looking at Minato Namikaze.
"Minato, prepare yourself—we'll be heading to the Daimyō's office together."
"Understood, Lord Third."
Minato hesitated for a brief moment, sensing that Hiruzen Sarutobi had something to say to him privately, but he did not press the matter and simply nodded.
—
The long and grueling Third Shinobi World War had finally drawn to a close after the final desperate struggles of the major ninja villages.
In a strict sense, there were no true victors in this war.
Whether it was the Mist, Cloud, Stone, and Sand villages, which had withdrawn and appeared to have lost, or Konoha, which seemed to have won, all had suffered grievous losses.
The nations backing these villages had also paid an enormous economic price.
Now, with the war's end approaching, news of the ceasefire spread swiftly across the battlefield.
All enemy forces had fully withdrawn from the Land of Fire's borders, and Konoha's troops, aside from essential defensive units, were beginning their return to the village.
The Uchiha clan's forces were among them.
Uchiha Dali had already rejoined his squad, marching back toward Konoha with the main force.
Yet, despite their victory, there was no celebration among them. The Uchiha clan members all wore somber expressions, their moods heavy.
The entire unit was enveloped in a suffocating sense of oppression.
This puzzled Uchiha Dali greatly.