"What… what did you say?!"
"You expect this war to end with a peace treaty… just by returning three of the Seven Ninja Swords that rightfully belong to Kirigakure? Honestly, Konoha, you're dreaming."
Yoru re-sealed the three blades into a scroll, slipped it back into his pouch, and tossed the peace negotiation scroll back at Minato Namikaze with a casual flick.
"If you want peace, show more sincerity—or better yet… pay reparations."
"That's impossible. Konoha isn't the one who lost this war!"
Minato's voice sharpened instinctively.
Aside from certain fallen empires that paid no matter the outcome, reparations have always been the price losers pay to victors. But Konoha hadn't lost this war. In fact, compared to the current state of Kirigakure, they were still leagues ahead in terms of economy, supply lines, logistics, manpower, and elite forces.
So on what grounds should Konoha be paying reparations?
"Then I guess there's nothing left to discuss."
Yoru shrugged. "Thanks for making the long trip from across the sea, Yellow Flash. You know the rules—nations at war don't harm emissaries, so I won't kill you. But I'd keep an eye on your territory. Don't be surprised if a few new ice sculptures show up in the Land of Fire in the next few days."
"You're threatening me?!" Minato growled, his tone darkening. "Don't forget—your body's still marked by my Flying Thunder God seal. If I wanted to, I could bring the Nine-Tails and a Tailed Beast Bomb straight to your village's doorstep."
"Tailed Beast Bomb, huh…"
Yoru rolled the words around in his mouth, then smirked.
"Go ahead and try. We're the Land of Water—lots of islands to spare. I just hope the climate in Konoha is as hot as Sunagakure's. Would be a shame if my ice sculptures didn't melt anytime soon."
The Third Mizukage watched in stunned admiration.
Here they were, sitting in a negotiation with their village in ruins, barely recovering from the Six-Tails rampage, with their own leader still marked by the enemy's teleportation jutsu.
By all rights, they should be the ones begging for peace.
And yet, here was Yoru—openly threatening the strongest village in the shinobi world. The same Konoha that hadn't lost a war since the Warring States era.
It was utterly insane… and somehow, inspiring.
Minato's face twisted with anger. Yoru's brazen attitude, his utter lack of fear, his defiant smirk—all of it made his blood boil.
The way he spoke—like he could attack Konoha at any moment and damn the consequences.
He wasn't bluffing. He wasn't afraid.
After a long pause, Minato exhaled slowly and said, "…If we're both here to talk peace, then we don't need to keep hurling threats at each other, do we?"
"This isn't a negotiation," Yoru said calmly. "Your scroll made that clear. Your Third Hokage wants peace. He sent you to offer it. That means Konoha is the one backing down—not Kirigakure."
His gaze sharpened.
"So if you can't give us what we're asking for, then start preparing your citizens for the grand opening of the Konoha Ice Sculpture Expo."
"You bastard…"
Minato's fists clenched. He had assumed this Yoru was just a ruthless killer, someone obsessed with souls and slaughter.
He hadn't expected him to be this… calculating. This difficult.
Still, continuing the war was out of the question. Not only because of the ongoing conflict with Iwagakure, but also because of a certain prophecy from the Great Toad Sage.
Yuki Yoru—this soul-devouring monster—must not be allowed to roam the battlefield unchecked.
"This is beyond my rank. I'm just a jōnin—I don't have the authority to make that call," Minato finally said, rising from his seat. "I'll report back to the Third Hokage."
"Be my guest," Yoru replied, tone unchanged. "So long as Konoha admits defeat, formally surrenders, and provides adequate compensation, we'll consider peace."
"But don't waste my time stalling. You've seen our situation. We're broke. If you don't bring back something worthwhile…"
He smirked. "Don't be surprised if Kirigakure suddenly turns into a mercenary village."
This guy wasn't acting like a Kage—he was acting like a bandit. A warlord. A tyrant.
Minato's hands trembled with frustration.
"…I'll bring you an answer within a week."
"A week? With your speed, it'd take you a day round trip, including chakra recovery," Yoru said flatly. "But considering Konoha's brain-dead council—the same ones who pushed Sakumo Hatake to suicide, II'll give you some grace."
"Two days. That's all you get."
"If you don't have an answer by then—"
His voice turned cold.
"—we'll see each other on the battlefield."
"You—!"
Minato's fury spiked, but he held it back, barely. He said nothing else as he turned and was escorted out by the ANBU.
"…Well. That was profitable."
Yoru watched Minato vanish into the mist, then unrolled the scroll containing the ninja swords. "Any suggestions on who should get them?"
"The decision is yours," said the Third Mizukage, shaking his head.
The Seven Ninja Swords held immense prestige in the Mist—not just for their power, but their symbolism. Whoever held them wasn't just a skilled shinobi—they were a pillar of the village.
He might still hold the Mizukage title for now, but he knew it was time to pass the torch.
"Honestly, it's a headache," Yoru muttered.
It wasn't the power that troubled him—it was how few elite swordsmen the village had left. They couldn't just hand these blades to any half-decent fighter. That would be a disgrace to the Mist—and a gift to enemy nations if the wielder got killed.
"Wait… that's it!"
A thought struck him, and he snapped his fingers.
"You! Bring Mangetsu and Ameyuri to me."
"Yes, Lord Yoru!"
The ANBU vanished. The Third Mizukage raised an eyebrow.
"If I'm not mistaken, both of them already wield swords, don't they? Are you planning to take the blades back?"
"What do I look like, an idiot?" Yoru snorted. "Of course not. I'm not here to cut off my own arms. I just want to make the best use of these swords while we have them. Problem is, there's hardly anyone left who's worthy."
The Third went quiet, awkward and red-faced.
Soon, Hōzuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri arrived.
"Lord Third!"
"Lord Yoru!"
Both greeted them respectfully, their eyes shining with loyalty—especially toward Yoru. Their faith in him bordered on worship.
"Show me your swords," Yoru ordered.
Without hesitation, both immediately drew their personal longsword, Nuibari (Sewing Needle), and the twin swords, Hiramekarei.
Yoru unsealed the scroll from Minato and combined it with his own. With a puff of smoke, all Seven Ninja Swords reappeared before them.
"Is that… Kiba?!"
"And Samehada… Kubikiribōchō?!"
Both Mangetsu and Ameyuri were stunned, then overjoyed.
Last they'd heard, those three swords had been lost during the Battle of Kumamoto, when Fuguki Suikazan and others fell. The weapons were believed to be in Konoha's hands.
They never thought they'd see them again.
"I remember you wanted Kiba, right Ameyuri? And Mangetsu… well, you can use pretty much anything," Yoru said with a grin.
"We'll redistribute the blades soon. But until then, I'm placing space-time seals on all of them, and crafting corresponding summoning scrolls. From now on, these swords are going to be summonable ninja tools."
"So for now, you'll need to give them back temporarily."
"Yes, Lord Yoru!"
"We follow your command!"
They had no objection. The blades were only in their hands because of Yoru to begin with. And his plan made sense—if a wielder died in battle, the weapon could be reclaimed immediately through the summoning seal.
Even the Third Mizukage silently nodded in approval.
Why hadn't he thought of this when he was distributing the ninja swords? ...Ah! It must have been because he was controlled by the Sharingan back then!
Damn those evil Uchiha!
As night fell and fog thickened, hiding the moon, Minato reunited with Uchiha Shisui on a small island just outside the Mist.
Shisui sat beside the fire, blood on his sleeve, and noticed Minato's grim face.
"…Didn't go well?" he asked.
Minato shook his head.
"Kirigakure's situation is strange. I think they just went through a civil conflict. The entire village is covered in ice. Even the Mizukage Tower was destroyed."
"More importantly—Yuki Yoru has taken full control. It won't be long before he officially becomes the Fourth Mizukage."
"But the strange thing is… no one in the village seems unhappy about it. They're not angry. They're not afraid. If anything… they seem relieved."
"That guy… he might actually have their full support."
"What?! Fourth Mizukage? Yuki Yoru?!"
Shisui's eyes widened in disbelief. "Isn't he… like, fourteen?! Kirigakure's gone insane!"
"They've always followed the law of the strongest," Minato muttered. "And make no mistake—he's strong. Stronger than most adults I've fought. His composure, his attitude… he doesn't act his age."
Just remembering Yoru's smug face made Minato grit his teeth.
"And he's greedy. He demanded that Konoha publicly declare defeat and pay war reparations. Otherwise, he said Mist would continue the war."
"What?!"
Shisui froze. "That's insane. We're the ones winning the war! Why would we surrender and pay reparations?! He's delusional!"
"He's gambling on the fact that we're tied up with Iwagakure," Minato said bitterly. "He thinks we can't afford a second front."
"Opportunistic bastard!" Shisui's Sharingan flared in fury.
For a moment, he even considered rushing into the Mist alone and settling things himself.
But no—he couldn't afford to expose his new power. Not yet.
Because of Obito's actions at Higashimatsuyama, the Mangekyō Sharingan and Wood Release had once again caught the attention of the Leaf's higher-ups.
Even during wartime, the Hokage's side had gradually started to become wary of the Uchiha. Everyone was guessing who that masked man with the Mangekyo and Wood Release was.
If Shisui revealed his own Mangekyō, tensions would explode.
"What about your side?" Minato asked.
"Intercepted their message. Not many came from Iwa. Here's their alliance proposal," Shisui replied, handing over a scroll.
"It's sealed with a jutsu—we'll need to decode it back in the village."
Minato nodded in relief.
At least Iwagakure's offer hadn't reached Kirigakure. Otherwise these peace talks would have become even more complicated.
"Let's go. We need to get this information back as quickly as possible!"
"Mhm."
Minato charged up his chakra for Flying Thunder God, while Shisui carried him at full speed.
Once Minato's chakra had mostly recovered, he used the Flying Thunder God again, taking Shisui with him. They finally made it back to the Leaf before dawn, placing the intelligence on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk...
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin