[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV
Land of Iron, Year 42.
...
...
The tense atmosphere between the two groups, standing on either side of the river, seemed to intensify with every passing second as they stared at one another. While observing the situation, the Konoha ninjas remained alert, while the Kiri ninjas analyzed the two fallen comrades.
"They took down two of ours! That doesn't justify anything!" The Kiri ANBU, who appeared to be the leader, responded to the previous accusation. "After all, the kunai was thrown only because they were defending themselves from you, aggressors!"
"Only an idiot would think that, Raika." The Konoha ANBU leader spoke, surprising the ninja on the other side from Kiri.
"So it's you, Fujira... To think I would meet you again here. But I shouldn't be surprised, quite the contrary..." The Kiri ANBU leader spoke upon hearing the Konoha ninja.
Minato observed them as they recognized each other by their voices... It seemed they had already encountered one another during the war. After all, these were their real names behind the masks, not their ANBU pseudonyms.
"Yes, and it seems you're still trying to manipulate situations as always. You haven't changed at all, even in times of peace negotiations." The Konoha ANBU leader, Fujira, responded coldly.
"Tsk." Hearing this, Raika clicked his tongue and returned to the Kiri ninjas, while all the ninjas watched their leader, waiting for his signal to attack, and the Konoha ninjas remained prepared to counter any movement that could start a confrontation.
"Do you all really want this? If this happens, the negotiations our leaders are conducting inside the castle might be completely ruined." Fujira spoke in a serious tone.
"You say that after taking down two of ours! Do you think we'll just let this slide?" The Kiri ninja exclaimed while his men finished analyzing the fallen bodies.
"They were severely hit, leader, but they're fine. Just unconscious." The Kiri medical ninja reported after examining his allies.
The Kiri ninja nodded silently, though he continued to look at the two fallen comrades and at the masked Konoha ninja who had taken them down with extreme speed. His eyes locked onto the ANBU wearing a fox mask with yellow markings.
'How did he manage to do that so fast...? I don't remember there being a ninja like this in the Eastern War.' He thought to himself. 'And to think that Konoha still has powerful ninjas like this... Could he be the one they call the Yellow Flash of the Leaf? He's known for his absurd speed and teleportation jutsu, but to personally take down two swordsmen from the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, my comrades...' He couldn't help but think that it was almost unbelievable.
He pushed those thoughts aside and turned his attention back to the Konoha ANBU leader, his old enemy. He gripped his kunai tightly, appearing to prepare for battle, while the Kiri ninjas also shifted their stance, their feet sinking slightly into the snow, ready for an imminent clash.
The Konoha ninjas responded quickly, getting into their fighting stances. They were on the verge of battle.
That was when a firm voice echoed through the area.
"Stop this!"
Everyone present turned toward the voice. From within the forest, samurai began to emerge, walking with rigid and disciplined posture, led by a middle-aged man named Mifune.
"You may not care about this, but the Land of Iron has committed to remaining neutral among the Kages who have gathered here. We will not tolerate a fight between two groups acting like adolescents seeking conflict." The leader of the samurai, Mifune, said, his voice carrying authority.
Silence took over the area for a few moments. The ninjas hesitated, uncertain about their next move.
"They were the ones who took down our ninjas!" The Kiri ninja immediately retorted, trying to justify his indignation.
"Yes, but at the same time, it was your people who started this fight. Do you think we weren't watching? Our sentries are positioned in the castle towers, observing your every move through spyglasses. We saw exactly what happened." The samurai stated firmly.
This seemed to frustrate the Kiri ninjas, who exchanged uncertain glances among themselves. However, the tension in the air remained. It was unclear whether they would still act or retreat.
Finally, the Kiri leader just shook his head and spoke.
"Pick them up, and let's return to the camp. We have nothing more to do here."
He then turned to leave, but before departing, he cast one last glance at the Konoha ninjas, especially at Fujira.
"If the war continues and we meet on the battlefield, I'll make sure to kill as many of you as I can, you bastards!" The man spoke, his tone filled with hatred.
And so, they left the area. The samurai observed the Konoha ninjas, and one of them nodded, indicating that they could now return, before heading back into the forest.
"Looks like it's over... Good." The ANBU leader murmured.
"Leader, can you tell me what that was? All of this seemed highly irrational on their part." Alpha asked aloud, drawing the attention of the forty ninjas who were there, prepared to fight, including Lumen and Wind.
The ANBU sighed, appearing tired.
"We fought against each other during the Eastern War. He is one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but during one of the battles, his wife was killed right in front of him by Konoha ninjas... and by a comrade of mine." The ANBU leader explained, pausing before continuing.
"Since then, he has been seeking revenge, slaughtering every Konoha ninja he encounters. My comrade ended up being killed by him in this relentless pursuit of vengeance, and he managed to avenge his wife. But at the same time, he never stopped. He was constantly looking for reasons to fight against Konoha and manipulated some of the war's decisions to kill more of our village's ninjas. So, I'm not too surprised that they orchestrated this situation, while he himself was willing to destroy the entire Kage negotiation just to fight."
"That bastard killed several of our comrades!" One of the ANBU ninjas said, his voice filled with hatred. He already knew of Raika, likely having faced him on the battlefield and witnessed many Konoha comrades being slaughtered by him.
Minato remained silent. He could feel the dark aura hanging over many of them. Slowly, he was beginning to truly understand how the cycle of hatred worked in this world. It didn't matter if it was Konoha or another nation—revenge could consume anyone. If a Konoha ninja had been in that swordsman's position, would they have acted any differently?
As the ninjas around him vented their anger and hatred, Minato could feel it through his Observation Haki. Something he seemed to be evolving... Though still weak, he was beginning to sense the emotions of those around him more deeply.
Thinking about this, Minato only realized when the ANBU leader was standing over him, directing some words his way.
"Anyway, those two ninjas you took down were Swordsmen of the Mist... I must say, I'm impressed. You managed to defeat them in such a short time." He commented, drawing Minato's attention. "The stories about you seemed a bit exaggerated, but in the end, they're real."
Minato simply nodded, without making any comment.
"Let's head back." Then, the ANBU leader ordered. "I want you all to keep an eye on this area. We don't know if the Kiri ninjas will truly give up or try something later. We must prepare for the worst."
All the ninjas nodded and began leaving the riverbank, returning to their positions at the camp.
It was night when Minato sat in front of the campfire, eating a stew prepared by the ANBU camp. Beside him, Mikoto sat calmly.
"I thought you were going to cook today." She murmured.
Minato just shook his head.
"Not today." He replied simply.
"I couldn't talk to you earlier because of my shift in front of the castle, but I heard about what happened near the river. They say you took down two Swordsmen of the Mist in an instant..." Mikoto commented, watching him closely. "But you seem kind of lost in thought. You don't usually get shaken by many things..." She murmured, her tone filled with concern.
"I'm not shaken." Minato replied. "I'm just thoughtful."
He spoke while Hanabi remained silent on the other side. Both she and Mikoto were a little confused about what Minato was thinking.
In the end, Mikoto just stayed silent beside him and ate, while Minato continued looking at the fire, feeling its warmth. Around them, several groups were scattered throughout the camp, talking amidst the cold night and warming themselves by other fires.
Minato was reflecting on everything he had seen and heard. The cycle of hatred in the ninja world was something that was becoming clearer to him. Not that he believed he could change something so quickly. He wasn't like Naruto, who declared he would transform the world. After all, Minato himself had already acted driven by hatred. He had killed countless ninjas out of anger, for witnessing his comrades fall around him.
Still, it was something worth thinking about.
Would the world need an enemy so great, a threat to the very planet, for people to stop seeing each other only as enemies, as instruments of revenge or personal satisfaction?
He asked himself: 'Would I forgive those who killed my comrades?'
If someone killed Mikoto, Hanabi, Kushina, and Tsuna... Would he forgive them?
If they killed another of his acquaintances—Madame Gorete, Might Duy, Hatake Kakashi, Hatake Sakumo, Nawaki, Tsunade... Could he forgive?
The answer was clear. No.
He would never forgive.
Maybe that was why he was so deep in thought. If the day ever truly came when the path that the Sage of the Six Paths so deeply dreamed of became reality... If people truly came to understand each other and leave hatred behind... Would that be possible? Or was it just a utopia that would never exist?
Minato continued staring at the fire, his gaze distant. Deep down, he imagined that, at that very moment, inside the castle, those old men were still arguing with the same hatred he had seen in the ninjas that afternoon.
At the same time, a loud bang echoed through the meeting room.
The sound of the Raikage's hand slamming forcefully on the table reverberated through the space. His gaze was serious, fixed on the Hokage.
And it wasn't just him.
The other Kages—the Tsuchikage, the Mizukage, and the Kazekage—were also looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi with the same heavy expression.
"This is our demand, Hokage." The Raikage declared, his voice filled with fury. "If you truly want peace, Konoha's military and economic power must be reduced. It's clear that we are at a disadvantage. If you seek a balance of power, then we want guarantees. Otherwise, we will continue the war and handle it personally, without ending this meeting on good terms."
All the other Kages, except for the Hokage, nodded in agreement with the Raikage's words.
Hiruzen remained silent for a moment. His gaze stayed firm as he analyzed the situation.
"You want what? That we hand over our Bijuu?" He finally questioned, his voice cold and calculated. "That will not be negotiated."
After all, he knew well what they wanted—the control of the Kyuubi to weaken Konoha.
The Raikage took a deep breath before answering:
"It doesn't have to be the Bijuu." He said, his tone less explosive but still filled with tension. "We can reach a different agreement. The Kyuubi hasn't acted directly in this war, but Konoha still possesses extremely powerful ninjas. What we want is the death of one of them."
The room fell silent.
Then, the Raikage concluded:
"Our price for peace is this: we want the head of one or two of your greatest ninjas. It could be one of the Legendary Sannin, Hatake Sakumo, or Minato Namikaze."
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 229 - What does it mean to be a ninja? What does a village represent?
Chapter 234 - Minato and Tsunade's Plans.
Chapter 244 - Sage Mode.
Chapter 253 - It's Time to Begin the Plans.
-----------------------------
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!
I hope each chapter has provided incredible moments. If you like my work and would like to support the continuation of this fanfic, consider becoming a patron with plans starting at $2!. As a token of gratitude, I offer access to more than 210 extra chapters with 7 active fanfics at the same time, along with other exclusive benefits on my profile, such as images and significant decisions for the stories.
Even if you are not a patron, I am making chapters available a few hours earlier here, so become a free member on the platform!
🌟 RaccoonLeague | Patreon🌟
Visit our Patreon for more: https://www.patreon.com/RaccoonLeague
Extra Content Already Available:
🏴☠️ One Piece - I Am a Different Luffy!: 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic!: 30 extra chapters!
🌀 Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI!: 30 extra chapters!
🗡️ The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! 30 extra chapters!
⚡ Harry Potter - Shadow Monarch! 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: DragonBorn! 30 extra chapters!
Except for One Piece with daily chapters and DragonBorn once a week, all fanfics are updated 3 times a week, there's just a pause in updating in the week, only to create drafts for the week's chapters.
In addition to the extra chapters, daily chapters are posted and 25 chapters per week!
Your support is very important and makes all the difference in keeping these stories alive.
Thank you very much for being part of this journey! I hope you continue to enjoy the story and that it brings even more joy to your life!
Visit our Patreon for more!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆