Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 105
🕑 Added 2024-12-29 20:43:43 +0000 UTCThe Iwa forces retreated.
Faced with their withdrawal, the Konoha ninjas didn't insist on pursuing them to the death. Both sides tacitly withdrew their forces back to their respective camps.
Everyone understood why they were fighting in the first place.
They were the top players in the shinobi world, well-versed in the rules of the game.
Compete, yes, but without breaking the unspoken code.
After that, it was time to clean up the battlefield and prepare for negotiations.
Once again, Masashi dominated the battlefield honor rankings in this campaign.
It couldn't be helped.
He obliterated the Explosion Corps, captured the Tsuchikage's disciple and granddaughter, single-handedly wiped out an Iwa unit, and finally held off the Tsuchikage himself, securing a strategic advantage for Konoha's forces.
When you tallied it all up, his contribution was leagues ahead of anyone else. No one could realistically challenge him for the top spot.
Still, even when you dominated the rankings, the formalities had to be observed.
Although he repeatedly claimed he wouldn't participate in negotiations, in reality, he still had to attend.
He didn't need to speak, as long as he showed up.
So, while the battlefield cleanup was underway, Masashi found himself becoming something of a professional "host" for visitors.
The militant faction members loved to drop by unannounced to chat with him.
Even members of the Sarutobi clan showed up.
All these people had one thing in common: they were part of the militant faction.
It's fair to say that war was where a ninja's value truly shone, and militant faction members tended to harbor one peculiar belief: those who killed impressively on the battlefield were probably also militants.
You couldn't blame them for thinking that way.
Militant ninjas, by definition, were those who seek to prove their value through war.
It didn't necessarily mean they were aggressive or war-hungry.
A ninja could be calm and unassuming in daily life, greeting everyone with a smile, but the moment war was mentioned, they were ready to draw their blade without hesitation. That was a typical militant mindset.
As the saying went: low-key in life, high-profile in action.
Get along well with colleagues, but when it's time to make money, go all in.
Danzō later lost favor with the militants because they realized he wasn't really one of them. He used war as a means to achieve his ideals, but he wasn't interested in showcasing his value through war. In fact, when it suited his goals, he could be even more dovish than Hiruzen.
Hard to imagine, right?
That was why he didn't quite fit in with the militant crowd.
As for the militants seeking to build connections, Masashi played along, responding, "Yes, yes, I'm totally part of the militant faction."
Being part of a faction had its pros and cons, summarized as sharing both wealth and responsibility.
In the past, due to their outsider status, the Uchiha clan wasn't part of the militant faction or the dovish faction—they were just "the antisocial faction."
Quite sad...
But things were different now. The Uchiha clan was finally "in the game."
In this generation, objectively speaking, Masashi and Shisui were the representatives.
However, Shisui's personality made him better suited for the dovish circle, leaving Masashi to join the militant one.
That day, after waking up and realizing no one had come to chat, Masashi decided to visit Deidara and Kurotsuchi.
After all, he'd captured them, and not checking on them even once seemed inappropriate.
Negotiations on the battlefield had yet to begin, and both Konoha and Iwa were still in preparation mode.
For instance, both sides needed to confirm their statements, locate missing personnel, and determine who had been captured and who had been quietly killed.
Iwa had already checked on Deidara and Kurotsuchi and confirmed that they were being held in Konoha's prison camp.
The so-called prison camp was essentially just part of Konoha's base.
There wasn't any deep hatred between Konoha and Iwa, so the prisoners weren't treated harshly.
In fact, many captured Iwa ninjas found the food standards in the Konoha camp to be higher than what they got in their own units.
It was awkward, to say the least.
Many of them were facing Konoha in battle for the first time. Though they didn't say it out loud, they privately thought: If there's a next time, and things aren't going well, we might as well surrender.
Iwa's ninjas only refuse to surrender when fighting Suna.
When Masashi entered the prison camp, some Iwa ninjas immediately recognized him. Their whispers followed his path: "That's him—the one who took on thousands of us."
Walking past one crowded tent after another, he eventually found where Deidara and Kurotsuchi were being held.
Since they were children, Konoha treated them more humanely, providing relatively better living conditions. So, the tent he found was cleaner and less crowded than the others.
When he entered, he saw fewer beds, and the living space was noticeably better than in the larger tents.
He immediately spotted Deidara being pestered by Kurotsuchi.
The future "Bomber Man" wore a serious expression, but Masashi saw right through him—he was deeply stressed out.
The tent also housed other Iwa ninjas, most of them young and inexperienced.
They looked at Masashi with unease.
Deidara noticed him too. He grabbed Kurotsuchi's hand, climbed off the bed, and approached Masashi.
"Masashi, is the war over?"
"Yes, it's over," Masashi replied, glancing at the anxious Kurotsuchi before adding, "I've met with the Third Tsuchikage. He's quite concerned about you two."
"You're joking, Masashi," Deidara said, covering Kurotsuchi's mouth to keep her from speaking. "The Tsuchikage is our sensei. He wouldn't waste time thinking about an unremarkable student like me."
Playing humble now? "There's no need to be so defensive," Masashi said with a smile. "I'm not a bad guy, after all. I wouldn't lie to kids—that much is true most of the time."
He glanced around.
"How's the living environment here?"
"It's fine," Deidara replied dryly.
"Good. Behave yourselves, and you'll be able to go home soon."
Without waiting for a response, and leaving Deidara visibly confused, Masashi turned and left.
On the way back, he took another good look at the prison camp.
Konoha's ninja had done a good job maintaining and monitoring the camp, ensuring basic hygiene and living standards.
That was ideal. The less bad blood between Konoha and Iwa, the better.
Iwa posed no real threat to Konoha. Occasional lessons were sufficient—both sides could get what they wanted and move on.
Konoha's real rival wasn't Iwa.
The real challenge was Kumo.
After all, the Two-Tails jinchūriki was still locked up in Konoha. After this battle, Kumo would likely have to abandon their ambitions.
Once the Kumo issue was resolved, it would be time to deal with Kiri.
If both were handled properly, the shinobi world could look forward to a decade of peace.
Hopefully, the clans in Kiri wouldn't be foolish enough to rebel against the Mizukage at the slightest provocation.
If they did, he'd have to switch to Plan B.
---
There was no shortage of strange happenings in the world.
A few days after Masashi visited the prisoner-of-war camp, both Iwa and Konoha—thanks to Suna—decided to withdraw their troops earlier than planned.
The trigger for this decision was a sudden movement by Suna.
The Kage of the Mines—no, the Kazekage—began mobilizing troops under the pretense of being Konoha's ally.
It was obvious: they wanted to exploit the fact that Konoha hadn't yet withdrawn, using it as an opportunity to deal a blow to Iwa.
No one knew why Suna chose this moment to make a move, but Iwa and Konoha, without any prior communication, reached a unanimous decision: withdraw their troops.
As for whether Suna would have any objections, the people of Konoha already had their excuse prepared.
Military commanders on the ground have the authority to act independently. If Hiashi ordered a withdrawal, how could the Hokage's office have known in advance?
Hiashi had an even better justification: We've finished our part of the battle. Why wouldn't we leave?
To solidify this arrangement, both sides exchanged some prisoners before the withdrawal.
By "some," it meant the particularly valuable ones would be kept back for formal negotiations later.
Unfortunately for Iwa, they didn't have any high-value prisoners in their hands, while Konoha had captured more than its share.
Ōnoki's face was as dark as storm clouds when he left.
As for Deidara and Kurotsuchi, they didn't even have expressions left to show.
Masashi could understand how the two kids felt.
It was like everyone else got to clock out, while you're still stuck at the office, typing away at the keyboard.
But as valuable prisoners, they had to accompany the Konoha forces back to Konoha. Until negotiations between Konoha and Iwa were finalized, they could treat it as an all-expenses-paid "vacation."
As for escaping? Not a chance.
The victorious Konoha forces were in high spirits on their return journey.
This war hadn't lasted long—less than three months.
Most people were thrilled about peace finally arriving. It meant they could go back to the relatively easier life of taking missions.
Masashi walked alongside members of his clan. Trailing behind were Deidara and Kurotsuchi.
As his "spoils of war," the two kids would be placed under the supervision of the Police Force once they arrived in the village.
This wasn't something Masashi—or the Uchiha clan as a whole—had specifically volunteered for. It was just that all tasks of this nature now fell under the jurisdiction of the Police Force.
With the Uchiha, Hyūga, and Inuzuka clans running the Police Force, escaping from under their collective watch was absolutely impossible.
So the Hokage's office assigned this task to the Police Force.
Rather than bother someone else, he decided to personally handle escorting the two kids back.
And how would he carry them? Simple—one in each hand.
With the wind whistling in his ears, he leapt from tree to tree, holding the two small "packages."
Around him, countless Konoha ninja were doing the same.
It was a spectacular sight.
Deidara looked around, taking in the scenery so different from the Land of Earth.
Once they entered the Land of Fire, everything was green. This lush, verdant land was the kind of environment the people of the Land of Earth had always envied.
No matter which direction he looked, all he could see were seemingly endless green vests.
"Konoha's not so bad," came a voice from beside him.
Deidara turned his head. The speaker was a woman.
Although she wore a Konoha ninja's green vest, it was clear she wasn't originally from the Land of Fire.
"Is the rumor true?" Deidara suddenly asked. "That Suna betrayed you."
"That doesn't matter," the woman replied.
"You're not like a kid at all, are you?" Masashi glanced down at him. "Can't you act a bit more like a child? A genius who attracts too much attention doesn't live long."
"I'm not a genius," Deidara retorted. "But you're the real genius here, aren't you? And you seem to be doing just fine."
Next to them, Pakura burst out laughing.
Masashi gave her a look.
"Pakura, do you want to carry one of them?"
"Sure, give me the girl." Pakura pointed to Kurotsuchi, who was dangling from Masashi's other hand. "I've been meaning to say it—your carrying style is absolutely ridiculous."
Masashi handed Kurotsuchi over to her.
Pakura cheerfully took the girl and leapt ahead. She seemed to enjoy teasing him more and more these days.
That wouldn't do.
He was the one who teased others, not the other way around. He'd have to find a way to put her in her place...
"How long will I stay in Konoha?" Deidara asked.
"That depends on when your teacher officially signs an agreement with Konoha," Masashi replied. "Since it involves two villages, the Hokage has to handle it personally. There's no avoiding this trip to Konoha."
"If I weren't my teacher's student, would I have been killed back then?"
"You're more valuable than you realize," Masashi said, studying the boy. "But would you have surrendered?"
Deidara fell into thought at Masashi's question.
If Kurotsuchi hadn't been there, he might have surrendered immediately. That big jutsu was clearly unbeatable.
But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say it now.
"If you'd surrendered, you wouldn't have died," Masashi answered his question. "You're more valuable than the others."
Honestly, he might have been tempted to recruit Deidara, if the boy hadn't been Ōnoki's disciple,
In Akatsuki, Deidara wasn't exactly the most well-rounded ninja, but he managed to do amazing things with a bunch of clay.
A talent like that would be a huge win if recruited.
The rest of the journey passed quietly.
Eager to return to the village and report to Minato, Masashi used the Flying Thunder God as soon as they entered Konoha's territory.
This was rough for Deidara. By the time they arrived at the Hokage's office, he was completely disoriented.
"Masashi-sama, we'll take custody from here," a Police Force officer said as they arrived.
"Treat them well. They're diplomatic assets, not criminals," Masashi instructed as he handed over the dazed Deidara and explained the situation.
He instructed them to escort Deidara to the Police Force headquarters first.
Then he entered the Hokage's office.
On the third-floor corridor, he bumped into Fugaku, who was just leaving the office.
"Fugaku-sama," Masashi greeted him. "Is the Hokage busy right now?"
"Back already? The Fourth just finished a meeting." Fugaku glanced at him. "Did you use the Flying Thunder God? What's the rush?"
"Something suddenly came to mind."
"What is it?"
"About Kiri. You know, the matter with the Fourth Mizukage." Masashi reminded him. "The village hasn't sent an envoy yet, has it? I just realized that if we delay any longer, things might escalate on that end."
"Actually, we were just discussing that," Fugaku nodded. "Oh, and since you're back, there's something else you should know. A shinobi named Momochi Zabuza failed in his assassination attempt on the Mizukage and has fled to the Land of Fire."
"What?!" Masashi was stunned.
Did no one tell you to calm down?
Kiri ninjas truly lacked common sense.
"Kiri has officially requested assistance from the village to capture Zabuza. If we're unwilling, they're asking for permission to pursue him through our territory."
"Dream on."
"Exactly. That's out of the question." Fugaku nodded. "This will likely fall on your shoulders again."
Just as he finished speaking, the door behind him opened.
Koharu and Homura stepped out.
Seeing Masashi, the two elder advisors nodded at him before leaving.
They didn't say a word.
"Masashi?" Minato's head poked out from the office. "Perfect timing! You and Fugaku come back in for a moment—we'll hold a quick follow-up meeting."
