Based on both internal and external relations, and the urgency of the situation, the existence of Akatsuki was indeed one of the primary reasons Hanzo of the Salamander wanted to withdraw from the Third Great Ninja War.
Ensuring that his Hidden Rain Village could maintain absolute suppression over the Land of Rain was, for Hanzo, a far higher priority than seeking profits from the Great War. Besides, as things stood, Hanzo wasn't gaining anything from the war anyway. If his own home wasn't stable, there was no point in fighting a global conflict.
At this stage, the Akatsuki led by Yahiko was gaining momentum in the Land of Rain, but to the Hidden Rain Village, they were still merely a "threat." After all, Akatsuki had shown no intent to attack the village; in fact, Hanzo calling them a "rebellion" wasn't quite accurate—every member still wore an Amegakure forehead protector.
At this moment, Hanzo's desire to eliminate them was still just a concept, not yet a reality.
As for the condition he proposed to Danzo—that Konoha must provide assistance if necessary—it wasn't a certainty. He would likely only seek help from Konoha if he tried to resolve the Akatsuki issue independently and found it impossible. Given Hanzo's cautious nature, this request was nothing more than an insurance policy.
As a result of their conversation, Danzo, that sinister old man, agreed to the condition in principle. His next step would be to report the situation to the Hokage and obtain his official consent.
In truth, even if the Hokage disagreed, Danzo could have agreed to it himself. It would simply have required him to act more covertly. Danzo possessed a force directly under his command—the Root—which he could deploy at will. Doing something behind the Hokage's back was nothing new to him, and he did so without a shred of psychological guilt, firmly believing:
"Everything I do is for the sake of Konoha."
While nominally restricted by the Hokage, the existence of the Root gave Danzo practical autonomy. It was precisely because of the collusion between these two old foxes that a once-virtuous young man would eventually fall, becoming one of the chief culprits seeking to destroy the world.
Hagoromo could not prevent their alliance. Even if he had the power to sabotage the agreement, it likely would have been futile. Nagato's path was being manipulated from the shadows; his descent into darkness was a "mission" of destiny.
Having witnessed the sinister transaction between the two old men from start to finish, Hagoromo remained a mere spectator throughout.
The entire negotiation lasted less than half an hour. Once the basic agreement was reached, Danzo chose to leave the Land of Rain immediately. There would certainly be further contact to iron out the details, but for now, Amegakure's surrender was set in stone.
As for when Hanzo would call upon Konoha—or rather, Danzo—to fulfill their obligation? Only heaven knew.
However, it likely wouldn't be anytime soon. Even if Hanzo wanted to resolve the Akatsuki matter quickly, Danzo wouldn't deploy his forces immediately.
First, if he helped Hanzo too quickly, what if the man reneged? What if he tore up the peace treaty and resumed the war with Konoha? That was a distinct possibility. Hanzo's character was arguably even worse than Danzo's; only a fool would believe a piece of paper could truly bind the moody "Demi-God."
Second, Danzo likely wanted the Land of Rain to remain chaotic for a while longer, using the opportunity to further weaken Amegakure's power. This wasn't cynical guesswork; it was a near-certainty of Danzo's psychological makeup. If Hanzo were to be killed during Amegakure's internal strife... the thought probably gave Danzo a small thrill of excitement.
The squad's withdrawal was even faster than their entry. Once they crossed back into the Land of Fire, the Hagoromo Squad and Danzo's trio quickly parted ways. They each had their own subsequent tasks.
None of the four in Hagoromo's squad were particularly keen on staying near someone as chilling as Danzo. While one had to admit that Danzo's methods—right or wrong—occasionally commanded a certain begrudging respect, he was by no means a person who inspired closeness. He could never become a Hokage like the Third or the Fourth.
Later, the Hagoromo Squad returned to the Iwagakure front and gave a detailed report to Jiraiya. After that, the matter was out of their hands.
Hagoromo had no way of knowing how the village higher-ups discussed the issue, but a month later, news arrived that Konoha and Amegakure had officially achieved peace and signed an alliance treaty.
Peace followed peace.
While this didn't have as massive an impact as forcing Sunagakure's surrender, Konoha had achieved back-to-back victories against the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain. For a moment, it felt like victory in the Third Great Ninja War was within reach. Morale among Konoha shinobi soared, and talk of a "quick victory" became widespread.
But war is never that simple.
To Konoha, Amegakure was somewhat of a "chicken rib"—a nuisance that frequently harassed them but wasn't worth the absolute force required to crush such a small nation. In practice, although peace had been declared, it brought little substantive change to the front lines beyond a psychological boost.
Konoha's strategic layout remained largely unchanged by the Rain's surrender. The intensity of combat against Iwagakure and Kumogakure remained high. In the three-way free-for-all, wins and losses were traded back and forth, and no single side could claim absolute dominance.
However, the Hagoromo Squad was reassigned from a reconnaissance unit back to a combat unit, with their primary opponents being the Kumogakure. Following the two consecutive peace treaties, Kumogakure's offensive against Konoha had suddenly intensified compared to Iwagakure's, forcing Konoha to reinforce the front.
In this environment, the Hagoromo Squad fought for a full year.
During this year, Hagoromo's strength as a shinobi grew rapidly, manifested in the physical development of a growing teenager and an increase in his chakra reserves.
Unfortunately, a year of growth didn't transform Hagoromo's looks from "middle schooler" to "high school heartthrob." He still had a face that looked like it was a 3:7 blend of a prince and a princess. Skin was skin; he couldn't expect his fundamental features to change.
Given Kumogakure's aggressiveness and combat power—which was no weaker than Konoha's—Hagoromo assumed he would remain on this front until the war ended. However, while his squad was on a rest period, he suddenly received an extremely urgent mission.