Naruto: Tenseigan Eye

In the Land of Wind, where most of the food needs to be imported, war causes the price of goods to rise, pushing the majority of its people into hardship.

"Let them pass."

What are these people planning? Orochimaru isn't here.

Whether the war ends in peace or not, Orochimaru's contributions remain undeniable, and no one can take that away from him. For him, there's little difference between defeating the Sand Village outright or negotiating to end the war.

What Orochimaru sought was already in his grasp.

Even if negotiations fail and the fighting continues, Orochimaru is confident Sand Village won't hold out much longer.

For this reason, Orochimaru didn't hinder the envoy group and simply let them proceed.

Of course, after allowing them to pass, he dispatched individuals to covertly follow the envoys to the Daimyo's Mansion. This was to prevent them from shedding their "envoy" identity and causing chaos once inside the Land of Fire.

Should I inform the old man?

If he doesn't get notified, the Third Hokage will probably blow his top when he finds out Suna's envoys have started negotiations.

Although… seeing the old man lose his temper would be quite amusing.

After mulling it over, Orochimaru ultimately sent word to Konoha, informing the Third Hokage of Suna's intent to negotiate. However, there was a twist: Sand Village didn't plan to negotiate directly with Konoha. Instead, they aimed to use the Daimyo's Mansion as a mediator.

Brace yourself.

Taking this approach to negotiations could mean Konoha would face significant losses. Extracting substantial war reparations from Sand Village would become far more difficult since this wasn't a matter of outright defeat but a mutual settlement.

Orochimaru had done his part. Whatever came next wasn't his concern. Until the war officially ended, his duty was to fight, just as he would if peace talks hadn't been initiated.

That night, a messenger hawk flew swiftly to Konoha, delivering Orochimaru's news to the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage read the message and immediately stood up, cursing.

"Damn it!"

The prolonged war had nearly drained Sand Village's resources, which the Third Hokage had anticipated. The approaching Hokage succession also meant the Third Hokage faced growing pressure.

But the Third Kazekage had outmaneuvered him. Sand Village wanted to end the war without admitting defeat, opting to approach the Daimyo directly instead of negotiating with Konoha.

By going to the Daimyo's Mansion, Sand Village avoided Konoha's potentially harsh demands.

So you want peace, but you don't want to negotiate with me directly?

The Third Hokage felt a surge of frustration, like being mocked by a crafty opponent. Yet, without concrete evidence to stop the envoys, Konoha couldn't intervene.

"Notify Koharu, Homura, Akimichi Torifu, and Hyuga Shinki for a meeting. Leave Tsunade out—she's too busy at the hospital."

The Hokage's aides sprang into action, relaying the summons.

Meanwhile, Shinki entered Konoha Hospital to inform Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, the Hokage has summoned you."

Tsunade, who had been alert just moments ago, instantly closed her eyes, rolled herself into her quilt, and began snoring theatrically.

Shinki stood silently, his expression unimpressed.

Sister, are you serious?

Without hesitation, Shinki kicked the edge of the sofa where Tsunade was lounging, causing her to stir with an annoyed groan.

"Fine, fine! I'm coming," she muttered, pulling herself up with a disgruntled look.

As Shinki prepared to leave, Kushina, sitting nearby with a book, glanced up and yawned.

"Sister Tsunade, it's so late. What does the Hokage need from you?"

Tsunade smirked and pinched Kushina's cheek.

"Wrong. He's looking for Shinki, not me. Didn't you hear? Lord Shinki, the Hokage humbly requests your presence."

Kushina pulled back in mock disgust. "You're so annoying, Tsunade!"

Chuckling to herself, Tsunade collapsed back onto the sofa, quickly falling asleep again.

Back in her room, Kushina sat cross-legged on her bed, staring thoughtfully.

"Big fox, when will I ever be able to help Shinki? Compared to him, I feel so weak."

The Nine-Tails huffed.

"Kid, I want you to unseal… ahem!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the chains binding him tightened. Quickly adjusting his tone, the Nine-Tails continued, "What I meant to say is, follow my training methods. With effort, your strength will grow quickly."

"Kushina, you're talented—don't underestimate yourself. And don't forget, you've got me to help you."

"You just want to trick me into letting you out," Kushina replied, glaring at him skeptically.

The Nine-Tails fell silent, realizing his usual tactics wouldn't work.

These kids these days are too sharp.

"Fine," he growled. "Don't you want my power? I'm the strongest tailed beast!"

Kushina folded her arms, unimpressed. "I do. But Shinki said if you cooperated with me, I'd trust your power wholeheartedly."

She leaned forward, her eyes serious.

"Big fox, let's negotiate."

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A/N: Hey Guys,

I was going over the discount code and saw that it wasn't toggled on for all the tiers. I fixed it now, sorry about that. ;)