Black Naruto: Shadow Moon

The Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Third Kazekage held a tense border negotiation at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers. In order to avoid further conflict, the two sides decided to negotiate the invasion of the Land of Rivers by the Sand Village and the security of the border.

During the meeting, the Third Kazekage insisted that the invasion of the Sand Village was not a provocation, but a reasonable action to "recover lost territory."

The Kingdom of Rivers was once allocated as the territory of the Sand Village during the first Five Kage Summit, and this action is simply to regain this land.

In response to the Fire Country's concerns, the Third Kazekage proposed establishing a military buffer zone at the border between the River Country and the Fire Country to avoid direct contact between the two countries' ninja forces.

"We in the Sand Village have no intention of escalating the conflict," the Third Kazekage said calmly, "We can establish a buffer zone in the area between the River Country and the Fire Country. Neither side will send troops across this area to maintain the security of the border."

Sarutobi Hiruzen made his position clear on this, believing that the rapid invasion of the Sand Village had threatened the security of the Fire Country.

Sarutobi Hiruzen pointed out: "Under the current peaceful situation, the actions of the Sand Village are obviously too extreme. Your ninja forces have come too close to the border of the Land of Fire. In order to restore trust, you must withdraw your troops from the border and establish a buffer zone on at least half of the land of the Land of Rivers to prevent future conflicts."

Sarutobi Hiruzen hopes to maintain the security of the Fire Country by having the Sand Village retreat and designating most of the territory of the River Country as a buffer zone.

However, the Third Kazekage expressed strong opposition to Sarutobi Hiruzen's request.

The Third Kazekage stated that it was impossible for the Sand Village to use such a large area of ​​land as a buffer zone.

He believes that the resources and territory of River Country are vital to the Sand Village, especially the mineral resources therein.

The Third Kazekage made a counter-proposal: "The most we can accept is one-fifth of the land at the border between the River Country and the Fire Country as a buffer zone. This is the biggest compromise we can make."

The two sides engaged in heated arguments over land distribution and border security, but eventually reached a compromise.

After a long negotiation, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Third Kazekage reached a consensus and both sides decided:

The Sand Village has designated one-fifth of its land at the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire as a military buffer zone to avoid direct contact between the ninja forces of both sides.

The mining rights of several important mines in River Country will be handed over to Konoha in exchange for Konoha not interfering with the Sand Village's sovereignty over River Country.

The two sides signed a non-aggression peace treaty, guaranteeing that there would be no military conflict between the Fire Nation and the Wind Nation in the next few years.

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen hoped to avoid the outbreak of war through this negotiation, he knew in his heart that this peace treaty was only a temporary easing of tensions.

The Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to Konoha Village from the border with the peace treaty he successfully signed with the Third Kazekage.

Although there was a fierce confrontation between Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Kazekage at the negotiation table, the two sides finally reached a compromise. Sarutobi Hiruzen now shoulders an important task: to convey confidence in peace to the villagers of Konoha.

After returning to Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to hold an open meeting in the village immediately so that Konoha's ninjas, family heads, and civilians could witness this historic peace agreement.

As Hokage, Sarutobi was well aware of the villagers' anxiety about the current situation, especially the tense situation in the ninja world, which made many people worry that the Third Shinobi World War was about to break out.

In order to calm these panicked emotions, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to take this opportunity to show the results of the negotiations to the village.

Standing in front of the Hokage building of Konoha Village, Sarutobi Hiruzen held up the peace treaty. His voice was deep and powerful, penetrating the gathered villagers.

"This is a non-aggression peace treaty between us and the Sand Village!" he said, with a triumphant confidence in his voice, "Through this negotiation, we have secured the buffer zone of River Country. At the same time, the Sand Village also agreed to hand over the mining rights of several mines in River Country to Konoha. This is not only a victory for Konoha, but also a symbol of lasting peace!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was well aware of the concerns of the villagers of Konoha, especially the older generation of ninjas and families who had experienced the Second Ninja World War. They were all afraid of a new war.

Therefore, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen tried his best to show his optimism and determination.

Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that the success of this negotiation meant that the ninja world would temporarily avoid an all-out war, and that the resolution of the River Country issue would bring stability and development opportunities to Konoha.

"We have avoided a war that could have threatened Konoha. This agreement will ensure peace between Konoha and the Sand Village, and the future situation will be more inclined towards cooperation and win-win." Sarutobi Hiruzen said, trying to convince the villagers that the ninja world was about to usher in an era of peace.

Despite Sarutobi Hiruzen's efforts to appease the villagers, some ninja and clan leaders remained skeptical of the peace treaty.

They secretly worried whether the Sand Village would really abide by the agreement and whether they would take advantage of the current peace to make military preparations.

Some militant families and villagers also believed that Konoha's strength should be defended through tough measures rather than relying on agreements.

Danzo Shimura, who always had a hawkish attitude, secretly scoffed at Sarutobi Hiruzen's behavior, believing that this was tantamount to indulging the enemy.

However, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen firmly believed that the choice he made was not only for the safety of Konoha, but also to enable Konoha Village to gain more stability and development in the turbulent situation in the ninja world.

Uchiha Kagezuki stood on a high place in Konoha Village, looking down at the gradually calming atmosphere in the village.

Ever since Sarutobi Hiruzen announced a peace treaty with the Sand Village, the people in the village have gradually let go of their fear of war and begun to believe that peace will last.

However, Yingyue did not feel relieved at all.

He knew clearly that the conflicts in the ninja world could not be resolved by a piece of agreement, and the shadow of war still loomed over the village, waiting for the opportunity to break out again.

Yingyue's thoughts returned to his past life memories.

Uchiha Kagezuki knew that even if Konoha and the Sand Village had reached a superficial peace agreement at this moment, the so-called peace was only a temporary truce.

Over the next few years, tensions in the ninja world would only intensify, and the Third Ninja World War would eventually break out.

The competition for resources among various countries, the expansion ambitions of the major ninja villages, and the suppressed hatred and dissatisfaction are all quietly accumulating.

Yingyue silently analyzed the current situation.

Although the Third Kazekage of the Sand Village is willing to make concessions - including handing over part of the mining rights of the River Country to Konoha - in exchange for temporary peace, there are more uncontrollable factors hidden behind this.

He knew that the resource scarcity problem faced by the Sand Village would not be fundamentally solved by a temporary agreement, and the barren land of the Wind Country still could not meet the survival needs of the Sand Village.

What's more, the militant factions in the major countries will not stop their expansionist ambitions because of this agreement.

Yingyue could feel that the Third Raikage and Tsuchikage of the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Iwa Village had already been secretly gearing up, waiting for a suitable opportunity to start a larger-scale war.

His memories told him that future conflicts would be far more complicated than the current situation seemed.

"The fundamental problem of the ninja world is not a simple territorial dispute," Yingyue thought calmly, "but the uneven distribution of resources and the dissatisfaction of various countries with the status quo. As long as these contradictions exist, an agreement is only a means to delay the war, not a solution to the problem."

Kagezuki did not intend to rely on the peace agreement reached by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Uchiha Yingyue knew in his heart that as the patriarch of the Uchiha clan, he must be prepared for future wars.

The ninja world will fall into deeper chaos in the next few years, and Konoha will not be immune.

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen declared peace, Shadow Moon's eyes had already looked beyond the brief calm and saw that a storm sweeping across the ninja world was quietly gathering.