As a member of the Hokage, one dares not be a loyal subject of Konoha!

After a long while, the tense atmosphere in the meeting room slowly returned to normal, and the numb emotions were gradually replaced by joy.

Remembering the deceased can be done later.

Now, it's time to savor the joy of surviving a disaster.

At least they're still alive!

As long as you're alive, life goes on.

"In short, thanks to my tireless efforts, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth have agreed to a truce and will soon send an envoy to Konoha to discuss a peace and alliance."

Seeing the changes in everyone's emotions, Sarutobi smiled slightly and habitually gave himself credit.

Without him.

Anyway, no one knows that the other side proposed the peace talks first. What's wrong with him just changing the subject and highlighting his own efforts?

"There's another piece of good news."

The Third Hokage waved to the door, calling in his old buddy, the great contributor who had long been kicked out of the high-level meetings.

Danzo Shimura!

When they saw him appear, everyone's expression turned grim.

Everyone knows why Konoha is having such a difficult time in this war!

If Danzo hadn't intervened, how could Kumogakure have allowed so many of their people to die in this war?

But Danzo is Danzo after all.

Even though everyone was looking at him with resentment, he stood there unmoved, his face still calm and his heart still pounding, and he even tidied his makeup.

"After my arduous journey to the Land of Lightning, I have received definite news that the Raikage and Tsuchikage have agreed to reduce the war reparations related to this peace talks to a level that is sufficient for Konoha to bear."

"Furthermore, they promised that after the peace talks, Konoha, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure would become allies and would not refuse Konoha's invitations to the Chunin Exams in the future."

This means they've given us both substance and appearance!

It was Danzo himself who fought for it!

As everyone knows, every village has its own pride. Just like in the original story, it's not that just because Konoha holds the Chunin Exams, they will definitely come to participate. Coming is a sign of respect, acknowledging the authority of the exam. Even he himself didn't expect the Tsuchikage and Raikage to give him so much face.

Once the alliance is established, the three parties will jointly hold the Chunin Exams. The scale of the exams will likely be unprecedented. When people talk about it, won't the person who made this happen gain prestige?

"You've worked hard. Danzo deserves great credit this time, so..."

Sarutobi picked up the conversation, clearly satisfied with Danzo's performance.

But just as he was about to move on to the next topic, discussing how to receive the delegation in a way that would showcase the grandeur of Konoha's number one ninja village, an untimely voice arrived.

"I have a question for the Hokage."

Following everyone's gaze, people saw the person who had spoken.

Hyuga Himaru, the current head of the Hyuga clan!

This is a remarkable clan. At the beginning of the war, they were able to hold off the Hidden Cloud Village single-handedly. It is even rumored that the chasm that still exists today was just a casual strike from them, making them truly powerful.

To their surprise, the Hyuga clan behaved rather moderately in the subsequent war, and they were rarely seen active in the village. They became reclusive and did not go out much, which was completely different from the high-profile and arrogant Uchiha clan.

"Chief Richeng, please speak."

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and calmly stared at the other party. As the Hokage, he was quite dissatisfied with this subordinate who interrupted him, but he couldn't do anything about it.

He vowed that once he found an opportunity to target the Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan, who loved to show off, he would not hold back!

But thinking is one thing, doing is another. For now, he must play the role of a highly respected Hokage.

"Now that the war is over, I would like to know who the victors and the vanquished were?"

Hinata Hijiro's tactical lean back.

"From what you and Lord Danzo were saying just now, are you admitting that Konoha is the loser? And you're even planning to pay them compensation?"

Yup!

Why should we pay compensation to the other party?

The brutal war has claimed the lives of many of them. If they were to admit defeat now, wouldn't their brothers and sisters have died in vain?

They were disgusted by the war, did not want it to continue, and wanted to seize this opportunity to negotiate.

To be suddenly the defeated party and have to compensate the other side is incredibly frustrating.

"There are no winners in this war; everyone is a loser. I am merely facilitating peace talks. I do not see anything wrong with paying a price to quell the war."

Sarutobi's expression darkened slightly as he delivered the prepared statement.

Moreover, that's what he thinks, and he doesn't see anything wrong with it.

"According to Chief Hyuga, is it that I shouldn't facilitate peace talks and should continue the war? That a victor must be decided? Who will be responsible for the deaths then? Or does Chief Hyuga intend to personally lead the Hyuga clan to fight to the bitter end for Konoha?"

As expected of a third-generation leader, his sharp wit and incisiveness in internal affairs skyrocketed, instantly turning the tables and even winning the approval of many people with his words.

The war cannot continue. Thinking about it carefully, Naruto's words seem to be correct.

but.

"sure."

The clan leader directly agrees, but if I agree, do you dare to go crazy with the clan leader?

If his family had that kind of guts, pigs could fly!

Chief Hyuga nodded calmly, "As long as none of you here object, I am ready to lead the Hyuga clan to fight to the very end and determine a victor."

"Brother! Don't be impulsive!"

Thinking that Hyuga Hiroki had gone mad, Fugaku quickly shook his head at him, cursing inwardly and thinking that Hiroki was even more extreme than him, an Uchiha.

"Forget it, Chief Richeng, the war was finally over."

“Yes, Chief Hyuga, we know that the Hyuga clan is incredibly brave, but there’s no need for us to continue sacrificing ourselves.”

"It's just some compensation, there's no need to get so worked up."

"The village can't withstand any more turmoil. Chief Richeng, you must prioritize the greater good."

"."

Sure enough.

The surrounding area was filled with voices of persuasion, while the Third Hokage's face was ashen. He wanted to agree in public and let Hyuga go to his death, but the problem was not so simple. He had to consider whether doing so would provoke Iwagakure and Kumogakure again.

He couldn't reignite the war that was almost extinguished unless he explicitly told the Tsuchikage and Raikage that it was the Hyuga's own decision, that Konoha wouldn't provide support, and that they should just wipe them out.

There's even a possibility of a worse outcome. What if, after he agrees, the Hyuga clan defectes and attacks Konoha instead? Since the Hyuga clan's territory is on the outermost edge, there won't be enough time to control their families. And if they also manage to seduce the Uchiha, how can the war even be fought? The only reason Konoha still has some leverage in negotiations is because these two clans still have some strength.

Simply put, the Third Hokage felt that Hinata Hiroki knew this all along, which is why he stood up and acted arrogantly. What was frustrating was that he had no points to refute it, which made him feel very stifled.

That's ridiculous! Hiruzen Hyuga is just putting on an act. He'll suffer the injustice and blame for three generations! He'll have to live up to everyone else's reputation!

There were constant voices of advice and persuasion from those around him.

As for Hyuga Hiromasa, he simply stared at this once-greatest ninja village. Honestly, he didn't have all the dramatic ideas the Third Hokage had told him. He was merely mocking Sarutobi, repeatedly slapping him in the face, and observing everyone's reactions.

But that's the truth.

The war had already traumatized them, and even if they accepted their defeat, they didn't want to experience that cruel hell again.

This is somewhat related to the saying "a bad soldier makes a bad army, and a bad general makes a bad army." Most people who have experienced war are like this. In reality, Kumogakure and Iwagakure were also pretty much unable to fight. However, Konoha ultimately lacked the courage to fight and take risks.

In fact, Hinata understood all of this, and he knew that mentioning this matter would be met with opposition from others.

He wasn't like what Fugaku said, that he had lost his mind or become extreme or anything.

Considering the future timeline in the original work and a certain opportunity that will come soon, he has some things he needs to say in advance to tell everyone that the Hyuga clan has the courage to challenge an entire village!

He is not the same person he was a year ago, nor is Hinata the same Hinata he was a year ago. Now that he has the power to overturn the table, he doesn't mind being a little more high-profile.

"In that case, Hyuga will not contribute a single penny of the compensation."

Standing up, Chief Richeng walked step by step toward the door, but just before leaving, he turned a corner and came to the old village chief.

He reached out, straightened the old village chief's collar, dusted off his shoulders, and then leisurely stated his position.

"Konoha lost, but the Hyuga clan didn't. Is my understanding correct?"

The behavior of everyone in the meeting room today made Hinata Hisei see things clearly. They had long lost the spirit of the so-called number one ninja village. They would rather choose to prolong their lives in defeat. This is a village on the verge of collapse.

At this moment, Hinata Hima was actually somewhat disappointed, but the outcome was still uncertain, and there was no need to rush.

The person in front of me deserves great credit for how the number one ninja village has become like this.

and so.

"If three generations remain silent, I will take that as your agreement."

There was a pause.

"Also, Hokage, please take care of your health. As the strongest Hokage, the future of Konoha depends entirely on you."

Patting the old man's face, completely unconcerned by his furious expression, Chief Richeng chuckled and turned to leave.

Live well, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

With you, Konoha is truly blessed.

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Chapter 94 Forced to Show Off, Terrifying Eye-Rolling Pressure!

Konoha.

Inside the conference room of the Hokage Building.

Countless people paid their respects to the departing clan chief Richeng.

Surprisingly, apart from Hiruzen Sarutobi, no one else seemed to have any ill feelings towards Hinata Hyuga.

They even expressed understanding for Hinata Himo's thoughts.

As I said before, the ninja world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social interactions.

During the war, the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan fully demonstrated what a strategic-level bloodline limit truly is.