Nara Rokaku had enjoyed a good show.
The Daimyō of the Land of Wind seemed deeply dissatisfied with Sunagakure, so much so that he was unwilling to discuss matters privately and had opened fire directly in front of outsiders.
The Land of Wind was already barren. The sinking of over twenty ships at Saba Port, coupled with unconditional support for the war yielding no gains, had left the Wind Daimyō utterly disappointed.
Nara Rokaku continued listing the terms for the ceasefire:
"Third, Sunagakure will pay Konoha 200 million Ryo in reparations, and the Land of Wind will pay the Land of Rivers 180 million Ryo.
In this war, our Konoha has suffered numerous sacrifices. As the defeated party, Sunagakure must pay war reparations for the death benefits of our Konoha shinobi.
The western region of the Land of Rivers has been nearly devastated by the war and also requires compensation."
Ebizō naturally could not accept this astronomical figure, and the two sides engaged in a fierce argument over the reparations.
Nara Rokaku remained very calm, not yielding an inch.
After a stalemate of over twenty minutes, Nara Rokaku conceded a small amount, settling on 190 million Ryo for Konoha and 170 million Ryo for the Land of Rivers. An agreement was reached.
Ebizō said:
"You have finished stating your conditions. Next, we also have a demand.
The bodies of shinobi like Togei must be returned as soon as possible and sent back to Sunagakure for burial."
Nara Rokaku said: "Naturally. The body of Jonin Togei and the puppet fragments can all be returned to you."
Ebizō felt a surge of anger he couldn't vent; he had been provoked by Nara Rokaku again.
Nara Rokaku actually said even the puppet fragments would be sent back. This clearly implied that Sunagakure's puppet techniques were garbage, and Konoha had no reason to keep them.
He had originally intended to seriously contest the ownership of the puppets; Togei's puppets, even as fragments, held significant value.
He hadn't expected Nara Rokaku to have guessed this long ago, directly stating that they should take all that junk back as soon as possible.
Afterwards, the two sides discussed matters concerning procedures and taxes for cross-border missions, concluding the talks.
The staff officers drafted a peace treaty. The Land of Wind, Konoha, and Sunagakure, the three parties, signed it, formally finalizing the agreement.
Ebizō stared at the five Konoha members, looking at each for several seconds, before finally saying:
"Konoha is truly full of talented individuals. In this war, heroes like the White Fang, Akimichi Yamashiro, and Copper Fox have emerged.
Nara Rokaku, your command remains as shrewd as ever.
My Sunagakure admits defeat. Kirigakure has declared war on your Konoha. Now, we can only hope Kirigakure deals your village a heavy blow."
Ebizō looked at Copper Fox; this man was the one who killed his niece-in-law.
What was frustrating was that even if he acted now, he couldn't kill Copper Fox.
Copper Fox's defensive capabilities had been proven on the battlefield. The intelligence gathered indicated that ordinary methods simply couldn't breach his defense.
"Kirigakure dealing us a heavy blow?" Nara Rokaku said:
"The war in the Land of Whirlpools is under the command of Advisor Danzo and Clan Leader Uchiha Kane. Your expectations are likely to be disappointed."
"Oh?" Ebizō smiled instead; it was his first smile:
"On the contrary, if Danzo and Uchiha Kane are the commanders, then Kirigakure is bound to deal Konoha a heavy blow. The entire shinobi world knows Danzo despises the Uchiha."
Nara Rokaku was taken aback, then also felt that having Advisor Danzo as the overall commander and Uchiha Kane as the deputy commander was somewhat inappropriate.
Advisor Danzo's greatest dissatisfaction stemmed from the Uchiha clan's control of the Konoha Military Police Force, which meant many of the village's grassroots affairs and cases were decided by the Uchiha.
Nara Rokaku led his team away from the oasis.
The war in the Land of Rivers, which had lasted for over half a year, was officially declared over.
Yōkō selected a mission, left the main force, and headed towards the capital of the Land of Rivers with a copy of the peace treaty.
By the Yoshimizu River outside the capital, Yōkō listened to the rushing river water, his mood somewhat melancholy.
After returning to the village this time, he might rarely come to the capital of the Land of Rivers again, meaning he would seldom see Koishi Chisa.
Entering the Tenshu Castle of the capital, Yōkō met the Daimyō of the Land of Rivers.
In the main hall, the Daimyō sat in the seat of honor, formally receiving the Konoha ANBU and carefully reading the peace treaty.
Chief Treasurer Koishi Chisa sat to one side, her gaze fixed intently on the fox mask opposite him.
Delivering the copy of the peace treaty was secondary; the Fox had come to bid her farewell.
Yōkō said:
"Your Highness, the war in the Land of Rivers has officially ended. The Land of Wind and Sunagakure lack the strength to launch another war in the short term; please rest assured.
There is one matter that Commander Nara Rokaku specifically wished to remind Your Highness about.
The Daimyō of the Land of Wind plans to send envoys to the capitals of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.
They intend to negotiate with Your Highness and the Fire Daimyō regarding the matter of drawing water from the underground caves of Mt. Yoshika.
The Land of Wind plans to create a small tributary from the Yoshimizu River in the Land of Rain, aiming to create an oasis for the Land of Wind while minimizing impact on the flow of the Yoshimizu River in the Land of Rivers.
Unless the two Daimyō commission national-level missions to the village, our Konoha will not participate in this matter.
The Land of Fire, Land of Rivers, and Land of Wind can reach an agreement through diplomatic means."
Yōkō observed that Nara Rokaku intended that Konoha was reluctant to traverse the Land of Rivers to protect such a long stretch of the Yoshimizu River in the Land of Rain.
The cost would be enormous, and the protective effect poor.
It was better to let the three Daimyō discuss it among themselves.
The Daimyō nodded and said, "I understand. I will send envoys to the capital of the Land of Fire to quickly reach a consensus with the Fire Daimyō."
Yōkō added:
"Your Highness, I recommend you establish a flow monitoring system on the Yoshimizu River.
When the water level drops, it can be detected early, allowing for swift action. The Yoshimizu River already has a hydroelectric power station; it cannot be compromised."
The Daimyō turned to his sister and said, "Chief Treasurer, please proceed to establish the water level monitoring system according to Konoha's Copper Fox's suggestion."
The Daimyō had also heard the name Copper Fox.
This was the prestige of a shinobi. The more Copper Fox appeared in the shinobi world from now on, the more renowned his name would become.
Koishi Chisa said with an expectant look in her eyes:
"I hope Mr. Copper Fox can stay in the capital for a few days to help us establish the water level monitoring system.
I will immediately commission a designated mission to the Konoha mission office stationed in the capital."
Konoha had mission offices in all major towns.
The mission offices received mission requests and forwarded them to Konoha, which would then send shinobi to execute the missions.
"Thank you for your trust, Chief Treasurer."
Arriving at the office hall of the Treasury Ministry.
Yōkō wrote a water level monitoring plan and handed it to Koishi Chisa.
Koishi Chisa handed the scroll to a maid, instructing her to deliver it to the designated official.
"Until this system is established, Fox, you will stay here."
She came before Yōkō, took his hand, and led him into the bedchamber within the residential quarters.
—
The full moon was like a silver platter.
Yōkō waited for the full moon in Koishi Chisa's bed.
For seven consecutive days, Yōkō admired Chisa's intellectual face, her rimless glasses, and the contrast between her shyness and unrestrained passion.
Who could resist a contrasting glasses-wearing girl?
Chisa tried to remove the fox's mask, and the fox did not refuse.
She finally saw the fox's handsome face again.
"Fox, will it be a long time before I see you again?"
"I will try to take missions in the Land of Rivers to come see you."
Yōkō stood at the door of Chisa's bedchamber.
On the large bed behind him, Chisa pulled the red quilt over her body, just as Yōkō had put on his mask.
The fox vanished with a Body Flicker, leaving Koishi Chisa's heart feeling empty.
***
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(End of Chapter)