Yagami entered Hatake Sakumo's tent to find Sakumo and Mitokado Homura seated behind the desk. A quick glance revealed the uneasy expressions of the surrounding tactical advisors; it seemed the conversation between the two had been far from pleasant.
'We've already won,' Yagami thought. 'Why the friction?'
Homura's voice still carried a trace of irritation. "Fox, take an ANBU squad and accompany me to the negotiations."
"Understood, Lord Homura."
Homura, along with four assistants, Yagami, and the Flower Deer squad, departed from the temporary camp. Occasionally, Yagami felt a twinge of guilt for his favoritism; he treated the White Sheep and Flower Deer squads exceptionally well while the Hippo and Yak squads received only standard treatment.
Though he never targeted the latter two, he inherently trusted White Sheep and Fallow Deer for the missions that truly mattered.
On the road, Homura asked, "Fox, this conflict will likely produce three or four new Jonin. Do you have any recommendations?"
Yagami immediately understood the source of the conflict between Homura and Sakumo. Normally, a decisive victory would be cause for celebration, not for Homura to make things difficult.
Sakumo must have pushed too hard for promotions. Sakumo had immense merit, but he failed to realize that great achievement doesn't always necessitate a public reward.
"Lord Homura, I recommend White Sheep for promotion," Yagami said.
White Sheep's Parasitic Insect Jutsu was growing increasingly formidable, especially after mastering the Cross Seal. He could now fuel a massive swarm in a short burst.
A larger swarm meant more mutations and greater diversity—the core of Aburame clan cultivation was isolating superior traits to breed even stronger insects. Sometimes an Aburame ninja hit their personal limit, only for a lucky mutation in their hive to grant them a second wind.
Seeing Homura look toward him, Yagami quickly added:
"White Sheep is an Aburame named Aburame Kinka. He has completed three S-rank missions to date, meeting the technical requirements for Jonin. He is still in his growth phase; I believe his future potential is immense."
Homura nodded repeatedly. "Far better than Shinma or Hyuga Tokuma whom Sakumo recommended. The Shimura clan lost two Jonin in the Land of Grass, and a Special Jonin from their clan is waiting for promotion from this conflict in the Land of Steam.
We will grant one spot to the ANBU as well. Since the ANBU has been streamlined into four divisions, having squad leaders at the Jonin level is reasonable. As for Sakumo... he recommended two. It's hard to reject both. We'll likely approve one and deny the other."
Yagami realized this was a win. On the surface, Sakumo only got one of his two picks, but for all intents and purposes, White Sheep was also one of Sakumo's men.
Upon arriving at a city in the Land of Moon, samurai led them into a deep, sprawling estate. A local noble had offered his residence as the neutral ground for the talks.
The architecture was characteristic of the highlands, with courtyards rising in tiers so that the rear of the house sat half a level higher than the front. Though nobles lived in constant fear of shinobi assassination, their standard of living was undeniably luxurious—acting as a local king in a town like this wasn't a bad life.
Inside the grand hall, Homura and Yagami sat on cushions. Behind them, the assistants and the Flower Deer squad stood at attention. Across from them sat the Hidden Cloud Village consultant, Umoi, and the Raikage's assistant, Tutai.
Tutai's combat strength was average; Yagami had no need for his Rubber Wall bloodline, so he shifted his gaze to Umoi. This tall, thin middle-aged man was a Lightning Style master and a trusted advisor to the Third Raikage.
Yagami wondered if Umoi excelled at the Lightning Body Flicker; with the upcoming move against Root, he desperately needed to bolster his "White Ghost" persona.
Umoi slammed a fist onto the floor, causing the wood to splinter and crack. "Mitokado Homura! Your Hidden Leaf Village has gone too far!"
Yagami pressed a hand to the floor, channeling Earth Style chakra to reinforce the structure. The floorboards within two meters of Homura remained perfectly intact.
Homura nodded in satisfaction. "Oh? And how exactly has the Hidden Leaf gone too far?"
"The war ended, yet the Hidden Leaf sent the White Fang to ambush the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, at the docks! Then you sent Orochimaru to infiltrate the Hidden Cloud, resulting in the death of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B! And now," Umoi glared at Fox, "you have killed the head of the Storm Style clan, Garui! Are you trying to start a war without a declaration? Do you wish to ignite the Third Great Ninja War?"
Facing Umoi's explosive temper, Homura remained unruffled.
"Don't be so hasty. You Cloud ninja are always in such a rush. Let's take this point by point. Garui died on the battlefield because his strength was insufficient. You and I are ninja; do we expect our villages to seek vengeance for a fair death in combat? Don't be foolish, Umoi."
"You!" Umoi fumed, but found no counter-argument.
Homura continued, "As for the two Jinchuriki incidents, perhaps you should reflect on your own actions. Cloud spies have never given up on the Hidden Leaf's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, nearly kidnapping them once before. Consider those incidents as retaliation—at best, we are even."
Tutai's breathing grew heavy. He remembered the attempted abduction. Cloud spies in the Hidden Leaf had noticed internal friction between the village and the Senju clan and tried to exploit the chaos.
They had nearly succeeded until a classmate of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki appeared and defeated them. Namikaze Minato.
That was the first time that name had appeared in the Raikage's office.
Homura spoke again. "We heard you had mastered the Perfect Jinchuriki. The Hidden Leaf didn't believe it, so we came to test it. Now that the test is over, it's clear you were just boasting to save face. If you knew this would happen, why spread such lies in the first place?"
Umoi stopped shouting. His voice dropped to a low, menacing growl.
"It seems you fail to realize that you are the ones provoking war! Just wait. The Hidden Cloud will not swallow this insult. For the deaths of Blue B and Garui, the Hidden Leaf will pay a price!"
Homura's aura flared, his voice instantly drowning out Umoi's.
"The Hidden Leaf has never feared war. If you want the Third Great Ninja War to start only a year after the second, so be it. If you want war, the Hidden Leaf will give you war!"
Yagami was surprised. Was Homura truly this aggressive?
Tutai spoke up from the side. "Homura, let's just exchange the armistice. I know you're bluffing. The Hidden Leaf lost over four thousand ninja in the Second Great Ninja War. Does your village even have ten thousand ninja left? Do you really want to start a third war now?
If the Hidden Leaf loses another two thousand, how will the six of you—ambitious 'protectors' who fled the Land of Lightning like beaten dogs after the Second Hokage died and rushed home to seize power—how will you continue to hold power?"
Yagami saw Homura's face turn pale.
Amidst a flurry of hostile and heated verbal barbs, Mitokado Homura and Umoi exchanged the signed armistice agreements. Neither side demanded reparations. After two months of fighting, the conflict ended with nothing to show for it but a pile of bodies.