End of the rain war

Danzo quickly concluded his telepathic meeting with his subordinates. While he appeared calm on the surface, turmoil raged within him.

Based on the recent intelligence provided by his subordinates, Root was now a target, and all signs pointed towards Kirigakure being the hidden hand behind the scenes.

"If it's Kirigakure, then it won't be easy to continue exploiting the financial resources of the Land of Waves. At sea, these individuals who have lived overseas for a long time still hold significant influence."

Danzo's mood darkened as he considered the implications.

The root had been facing financial difficulties recently due to a certain noble from the Land of Fire, who had been secretly funding ROOT, being assassinated in his bedroom. Subsequently, evidence of corruption and treason had been uncovered, and ROOT's handling of the matter had been characteristic of Danzo's ruthlessness.

Upon learning of the nobleman's death, Danzo's priority had been to sever ties with the nobleman and eliminate anyone in ROOT who had contact with him. ROOT's investigations, conducted in collaboration with the Sandaime and Daimyo, had uncovered evidence of the nobleman's collusion with ROOT.

Danzo's merciless approach had led to a backlash from other nobles within the Land of Fire who had been secretly supporting the root. Many of these nobles had drastically reduced or completely cut off their financial support to ROOT, instead redirecting their backing to other influential forces within Konoha.

Initially, Danzo had underestimated the importance of money, assuming that the loyalty of ROOT members to Konoha wouldn't waver over mere financial difficulties. However, the consequences had proven him wrong.

The loss of financial support had resulted in a sharp reduction in salaries and benefits for ROOT members, causing morale to plummet. Many peripheral members who hadn't been subjected to the cursed seal had defected, and even those who remained had lost their enthusiasm.

Even among the core members of ROOT, enthusiasm had dwindled, and complaints against Danzo had grown.

In response, Danzo had intensified efforts to seize wealth from merchants controlled by his rivals, aiming to bring more merchants under ROOT's control to ease the financial pressure from the Land of Fire's nobles.

However, their new initiative to secure additional sources of funding had not yet yielded results. Reports indicated that the goods belonging to the few merchants under his influence in the Land of Fire had been seized by pirates, resulting in significant losses and casualties.

With the two main sources of funding for ROOT severely compromised, ROOT's financial stability had been greatly disrupted, and the welfare of its members had further deteriorated.

As a result, a chain reaction ensued, with more ROOT members defecting, further diminishing their enthusiasm and severely damaging the overall strength and efficiency of ROOT.

Clearly, the behemoth lurking in the shadows of ROOT was not as obedient as Danzo had imagined. It couldn't function effectively without sufficient financial resources. While lofty beliefs might serve as a bond of connection within ROOT, it ultimately boiled down to a collection of interests.

Inside ROOT, numerous opportunists and even ambitious individuals operated in more than one faction. When a major internal crisis, such as a shortage of resources, emerged, the hungry behemoth was bound to descend into chaos or even split.

Danzo, as the leader of ROOT, was acutely aware of the seriousness of the current internal issues within the organization. He decisively dispatched his loyal subordinates to quell internal discord and sent agents to hunt down traitors to deter those contemplating defection. Additionally, he expedited progress on the new capital development plan.

Lately, Danzo had dedicated nearly all his attention to addressing ROOT's internal problems, leaving him with no time or energy to engage in conspiracies and deceit, setting traps to frame others. ROOT was his stronghold in Konoha, and if he lost control over it, his life would be in jeopardy.

Nonetheless, even amidst his busy schedule, Danzo didn't relax his surveillance over the Uchiha clan and Kirito.

Regarding the Uchiha clan, there were no signs of abnormal behavior, and everything appeared as usual. However, monitoring Kirito had become more challenging after the loss of Yamanaka Yun, the core operative placed in the hospital. Danzo couldn't observe Kirito's every move as closely as before.

This predicament worsened following Yamanaka Yun's disparition.

"Could it be that Yun Yamanaka has sensed something, prompting him to betray me at this time?" Danzo muttered under his breath.

In the plan he had orchestrated, Yamanaka Yun was the primary executor of Kirito's assassination. Unexpectedly, the lead actor had suddenly turned against him, causing the subsequent plot to assassinate Kirito to crumble before it began.

Yamanaka Yun's betrayal not only weakened Danzo's surveillance power within the hospital but also exacerbated internal issues within ROOT.

Not all ROOT members were solely loyal to Danzo; he only controlled a portion of the core members and used them to command those under their authority. The power structure within ROOT was complex, with numerous individuals pursuing their own interests.

With Yamanaka Yun's departure, the power balance within ROOT had shifted. The members in the hospital had been cultivated by Yamanaka Yun and followed his orders, making it difficult for Danzo to ascertain their true identities.

To regain surveillance power within the hospital, Danzo would likely need ROOT members originally developed by hiruzen to approach him voluntarily.

However, ANBU forces continued to operate within the hospital, and since Ciyun Senju, Kirito's sensei, had become the captain of the hospital's guard team, investigations into the shadowy organization had not waned. Any attempts to make contact with Danzo would be suicidal.

Danzo was deeply concerned about the current state of affairs. He hadn't anticipated Yamanaka Yun's betrayal or the subsequent challenges to his control within ROOT.

He couldn't help but wonder if Kirito had played a role in Yamanaka Yun's betrayal. Initially, it had seemed that Kirito was the primary beneficiary of the situation. However, Danzo quickly dismissed this notion.

Kirito's current power was substantial, but he lacked a capable intelligence force to uncover Yamanaka Yun's actions. Danzo knew that it was improbable for Kirito to have discovered the top-secret information regarding Yamanaka Yun's plans.

Danzo held firm to the belief that Kirito couldn't have been responsible for Yamanaka Yun's betrayal. If not Kirito, then who?

Danzo suspected that some within ROOT had unreasonable ambitions, believing that he was unworthy to remain as the organization's leader and aspiring to take his place.

"Who could it be? It seems I'll need to find an opportunity to leave and meet with my 'loyal' subordinates to check if their curse marks are still intact."

Danzo took a sip of hot tea, maintaining a composed demeanor while deep in thought.

Ultimately, his attention shifted to a piece of recent information sent by his old classmate, koharu's. It contained the final decision made by the Third Generation conserning the surrender of Ame.

"Foolish hiruzen, you'll regret this," Danzo muttered, a smile creeping onto his face after reading the contents of the message.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the 33rd year of Konoha, Ame formally surrendered to Konoha, but when the additional surrender conditions were revealed, it caused an immediate uproar.

Internationally, leaders from various ninja villages quickly realized Konoha's vulnerability and sent ninjas to infiltrate the Land of Fire to gather intelligence on Konoha's current state. Villages like Iwa and Kumo, in particular, stationed large numbers of ninja near the Land of Fire's borders to exert pressure on Konoha, preventing them from diverting too many troops to support the Wind Country battlefield. They aimed to watch from the sidelines and reap the benefits.

Within Konoha, most of the initial joy over the victory disappeared, replaced by a sense of shame. No one proudly spoke of Konoha's triumph over ame when meeting outsiders. A wave of militant ninjas and villagers converged on the Hokage Building to protest, demanding that the Third Generation reject ame's surrender and resume the war in the Land of Rain.

Faced with these fervent protests from militant ninjas, the Third Hokage and the two Hokage consultants found themselves overwhelmed. They urgently contacted clan leaders and representatives of civilian ninjas, requesting their help in persuading the radical militant factions to reconsider.

The clan leaders, understanding the bigger picture, reluctantly supported the Third Hokage, even if they disagreed with his decisions. They knew that if they didn't support him this time, it would likely harm their own clan's ninja during the next Konoha-Sand war.

With the backing of various ninja clans, the Third Hokage managed to quell the dissenting voices from the militant faction in the village.

The war between Konoha and ame was officially over.

However, the unrest triggered by the Third Generation's appeasement policy continued to simmer in Konoha Village, and the voices of dissatisfaction with the Third Hokage not only didn't diminish but grew louder.

One week after the Land of Rain War ended, at Nawaki's house, Kirito and Nawaki were having lunch together in the living room.

"I really can't fathom what the Third Hokage was thinking when he accepted Ame's outrageous surrender terms. If I were Hokage, I would never have accepted such terms..."

During the meal, Nawaki expressed his strong displeasure with the Third Hokage's decision to accept Ame's surrender, his face filled with indignation.

Kirito listened patiently to Nawaki's comments but refrained from sharing his own opinion.

He shared Nawaki's disappointment in the Third Generation's appeasement policy. In his view, peace achieved through compromise was unlikely to endure and would only invite contempt from others. Kirito believed that ame would eventually collapse if Konoha maintained its resistance, and the peace achieved would be more lasting.

He understood the Third Generation's predicament and the pressure he faced as Hokage. He realized he was not in a position to dictate the Third Hokage's choices.

Nevertheless, the Third Hokage's decision had significantly damaged his reputation in Konoha, particularly among the young, energetic, and passionate ninjas who admired strength. Disappointment with the Third Hokage could lead these young ninjas to seek allegiance with a foreign power. Kirito couldn't help but wonder if the Third Hokage had considered this hidden danger.

"Many young ninjas are disillusioned with the Third Hokage, and they may seek strong foreign leaders to follow. In the original storyline, Danzo's ROOT organization grew rapidly under these circumstances. Do you think the Third Generation is aware of this potential threat?" Kirito thought to himself.

"Hey, Kirito, are you even listening to me?"

Suddenly, Nawaki's irritated voice brought him back to the conversation.

"Ah, I'm listening. Please continue; I'm all ears," Kirito replied, a bit absent-minded.

"Hmph, you guy must not have listened just now, but forget it, you don't want to be Hokage anyway, so it is impossible for you to understand the grief that I, the future Hokage, feel now. I really want to grow up as soon as possible, have the strength of a Jonin, and then go Defeat those bastards Amegakure and Sunagakure on the battlefield."

Nawaki stared at Kirito with his mouth puffed up, and said with dissatisfaction.

As he said that, he turned his grief and anger into appetite, quickly wiped out the food on the dinner table, and then left proudly under Kirito's blinded eyes.

He will continue to hone his strength on the training ground next.

"This idiot, I hope he won't be used as a weapon by someone with a bad heart. If he speaks out against the third hokage, it will be bad for him and the senju Clan after all."

When Nawaki left, Kirito regained his calm expression and sighed secretly.

Then he picked up a bell on the table and shook it.

Soon, a maid came in from the outside, and she said respectfully to Kirito: "Master Kirito, please tell me." 

"Please bring another table of food." Kirito said with a pleasant face. 

Here is the corrected text:

"Yes, I'll have someone prepare it right away."

The maid replied promptly and quickly retreated to arrange for a new meal for Kirito.

"It seems that having great strength is the quickest way to earn the respect of others."

Kirito couldn't help but feel a bit emotional when he noticed the maid's newfound respect towards him.

Ever since his ability to easily defeat the Jōnin became known, the villagers' attitudes towards him had drastically changed. No one treated him as a child anymore, and their attitudes shifted from caring or contemptuous to respect and awe.

This change had its pros and cons for him. On the downside, he felt somewhat distant from his peers. Many friends who used to play ninja games with him now hesitated to greet or talk to him casually. Even when conversing, they were more reserved than before.

In essence, his ability to relate to peers had become much more challenging.

Another major downside was that he could no longer enjoy the days when he could pretend to be innocent and receive discounts from the local shopkeepers. Those days were now gone.

However, there were significant advantages as well. The most significant was that older ninjas no longer saw him as a child but as a fellow ninja. Lower-ranking ninjas began treating him with equality and respect, while even the higher-ranking ones treated him as an equal and paid careful attention to his words.

This change in attitude became more evident after he officially became a medical ninja.

As he demonstrated Jōnin-level skills, his status as a child was no longer a detriment in Konoha but rather a bonus. Many ninjas within the village already recognized his potential and believed he might quickly realize it. Within three to five years, he could potentially become a Shadow-level powerhouse.

Therefore, forging early friendships with him was advantageous, devoid of drawbacks.

For instance, when it came to the recent situation of the Third Hokage accepting the rain's surrender conditions without demanding reparations, which prompted numerous militant ninjas to protest, Kirito realized that this change in attitude was highly beneficial.

He had subtly expressed his dissatisfaction with the Third Hokage's appeasement policies to some patients during his medical visits, and as a result, many civilian ninjas from the militant faction approached him on their own. Without realizing it, he had become a trusted figure among many combat-oriented ninjas in the village.