Chapter 120

In Kirigakure, the Third Mizukage sat silently, reading the latest report. 

When he had first encountered Mochizuki Hui at the Land of Whirlpools, the sudden ambush and a few choice words had forced him to retreat. He had left the battle with a seething frustration and a burning anger in his heart.

After all, he had achieved only half his objectives; the most critical sealing techniques had eluded his grasp. 

In his mind, he had been the most disadvantaged among all the villages.

But now, reading through the details of what had actually transpired, the Third Mizukage began to feel that maybe he had actually been lucky—profited, even.

Yes, he thought, he had come out ahead.

While his forces hadn't secured the powerful sealing techniques, he had successfully withdrawn with the supplies he'd taken from the Land of Whirlpools, returning to the Land of Water with minimal losses among his elite shinobi. 

Compared to the disastrous outcomes for Ōnoki and the others, his village had fared extraordinarily well.

"This Mochizuki Hui... what a terrifyingly formidable youth," the Mizukage murmured to himself. 

"To think that he had such foresight and strength to maneuver all of us as if we were mere pawns." He felt a tinge of respect alongside his lingering anger. 

Though he had been wounded in Hui's ambush, he hadn't fully comprehended just how powerful the boy was, capable of singlehandedly defeating Ōnoki and the others.

It was hard to believe, but facts were facts.

And yet, his mind turned to another question, and his gaze sharpened.

"I wonder how Mochizuki Hui plans to deal with those three... a wrong move, and the entire shinobi world could be at war."

A glint of hope flickered briefly in the future Mizukage's eyes, though it was quickly replaced by caution. 

If war erupted, the three major villages would certainly unite. In such a conflict, Kirigakure's stance would be crucial in tipping the balance.

But then, his thoughts turned to the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and his two formidable jutsu: the Flying Thunder God and the Reanimation Jutsu. 

The reason the Four Great Villages had lost the previous war was because of Tobirama's abilities. Less than a decade had passed since that war, and by all reports, Konoha had rebounded swiftly, growing even stronger than before.

In comparison, while the other villages had also recovered, their rate of growth paled next to Konoha's. 

Despite their numbers, the thought of launching an offensive was not as appealing when considering Konoha's newly increased strength—especially with Mochizuki Hui now among their ranks.

"A true shame... Konoha always manages to produce geniuses," the Mizukage sighed, resigning himself to the thought that even if a new war started, it would accomplish little.

"Well, let's wait and see how Mochizuki Hui handles those three. For now, Kirigakure has already gained its spoils."

Mochizuki Hui was well aware that the Third Mizukage had come out ahead this time, but he wasn't particularly concerned. There was a saying, after all: "Reckoning comes in due time." 

Some matters were simply a question of timing. Once he finished handling the situation at hand, he would eventually turn his attention to Kirigakure as well.

"Hui, those villages have responded," Sarutobi Hiruzen announced, walking up with a stern expression. "They're accusing us of unlawfully detaining their shinobi, infringing on their personal freedoms, and demanding compensation. Otherwise, they say they'll declare war on Konoha!"

Hearing this, Hui raised an eyebrow, then let out a dry laugh.

"Seems they've learned quickly." His tone turned cold as he added, "Tell them that if they don't hand over the reparations within three days, they can collect the corpses of Ōnoki and the others. And as for their threats of war, remind them that while Konoha doesn't seek war, we certainly don't fear it."

Hiruzen, catching the steel in Hui's tone, gave a similar smile. He, too, felt no fear. At this point, Konoha had become emboldened thanks to Hui's triumph in the Land of Whirlpools. 

Should any village make the mistake of declaring war, Konoha's shinobi were more than prepared to fight with everything they had.

Hui's reply reached the other villages quickly, fanning the flames of outrage across their ranks.

"They're completely overconfident—Konoha's bullying has gone too far!"

"Fine, then! Let's fight them! There's no way one village alone can stand against all of us!"

"Just because they have Mochizuki Hui doesn't mean he's the second coming of Hashirama Senju! His arrogance is unacceptable!"

Outrage ran high, and some shinobi were eager to lash out at Konoha. But not everyone was so rash, and several voices urged caution.

"A war isn't that simple. If it came down to it, we're not guaranteed a victory."

"Konoha's prosperity is undeniable; geographically, they've flourished beyond what we could achieve over the last nine years."

"And if we really did go to war, our top fighters—even without Ōnoki and the others—couldn't match Konoha's might. How could we hope to win?"

"Let's negotiate. This time, we've taken a hit, but there's no reason to hand them everything they've asked for."

In the end, the villages decided to negotiate with Hui, reluctantly admitting to themselves that the odds of victory were slim.

Upon receiving the message, Hui merely chuckled. Negotiations were exactly what he had intended all along.

Three days later, representatives from the other villages arrived at Uzushio Village to negotiate. After three more days of intense discussion, they finally reached an agreement.

With that, the incident in the Land of Whirlpools drew to a close.

Hui obtained a wealth of resources from the other villages, including various supplies, scrolls, and most importantly, critical war materials like explosive tags and specialized shinobi tools. 

Losing these would prevent the villages from launching any major offensives for at least two years, as it would take that long to replenish these resources.

In exchange, Hui agreed to drop his demands for certain high-level jutsu from the other villages.

 It was never his intention to claim these jutsu in the first place; they had merely been a bargaining chip to abandon during the negotiations. All in all, the outcome was better than he had expected.

Once the negotiations concluded, Hui released Ōnoki, Ay, and the Third Kazekage. However, each of them left with their chakra sealed by Hui's unique jutsu. These seals would take a year to dissipate, effectively neutralizing their abilities for that time.

The year-long seal was his insurance. Although he was confident that no village would declare war, there was always the chance that someone might act recklessly. With the seals in place, the threat of immediate conflict was diminished.

And why limit it to a year? Hui knew that within that time, his natural energy reserves would fully integrate into his chakra system, further amplifying his power. By then, his strength would have doubled, if not more.

At that point, he would have no need to fear any of the Four Great Villages.

join my patreon for 80+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL