After confirming that Iwagakure truly intended to end the standoff, Roshi handed the remaining negotiations over to specialists.
The discussions that followed—patrol boundary adjustments, phased troop withdrawals, and logistical coordination—were tedious but necessary.
None of it required his personal involvement.
So he remained at Konoha's forward camp, quietly waiting for the final agreements to be formalized.
During this time, both he and Jiraiya were briefly recalled.
Roshi also took the opportunity to meet with Shisui, who had been stationed covertly along the frontlines of the Land of Grass.
Their discussion centered on the current situation of the Uchiha clan within Konoha.
More specifically—
The establishment of a police force branch office.
And the appointment of Hyuga Hiashi as vice captain of the police force, with genuine executive authority.
When the topic of power distribution came up, Shisui simply nodded.
The details themselves did not concern him much.
What mattered to him was something far more fundamental.
Whether true reconciliation between the village and the Uchiha clan was truly possible.
"As for the clan…" Shisui said after a moment, "they may not notice anything unusual at first."
"But once the patrol stations begin displaying the police force branch insignia …"
"There will likely be a strong reaction."
Hearing this, Roshi noticed Shisui's hand tighten slightly—before relaxing again.
Shisui spoke seriously.
"After I return, I will pay close attention to the clan's response and report back immediately."
Roshi shook his head.
"That's not the key issue."
Shisui looked up.
"The village's involvement in the police force will gradually deepen from here on," Roshi continued.
"That means when open provocation or resistance appears, …"
His tone was calm but firm.
"…the response will no longer be as restrained as it has been over the past two years."
A brief silence followed.
"This," Roshi said quietly, "is what you truly need to understand."
Although Shisui and Itachi shared similar ideals, their approaches could not have been more different.
One was too gentle.
The other was too absolute.
Because of that, in the current situation, the person who needed to be spoken with in advance was not Itachi—but Shisui.
After hearing Roshi's words, Shisui remained silent for a long time.
Only after several moments did he finally reply in a low voice.
"…I understand."
Roshi rose to his feet and walked over, placing a hand on Shisui's shoulder.
"Don't worry," he said calmly. "As long as it isn't a heinous crime backed by irrefutable evidence, the worst outcome will be reassignment, removal from office… or perhaps a few years of confinement to let them cool down."
With that, he lifted the tent flap and stepped outside.
In the distance, the negotiators' tent was still brightly illuminated. Shadows moved constantly across the canvas walls, their silhouettes swaying as discussions continued deep into the night.
Roshi spent the final days of his fourth year of the Ninja World in just such a scene—stationed on the front lines of the Land of Grass.
A few days into Konoha Year 58, the negotiators from Konoha and Iwagakure finally reached agreement on all terms.
Before the treaty was formally signed, Ōnoki requested another meeting with Roshi.
This time, Deidara did not accompany him.
Neither side raised stone platforms for the meeting. Instead, they chose the open ground between the two opposing camps for one final, informal conversation.
The Third Tsuchikage studied Roshi carefully.
His expression was complicated.
Ever since their previous discussion, he had spent a long time reflecting—about war, about peace, about the concept of order… and about the beliefs he had held for most of his life.
To say he had suddenly understood everything would be an exaggeration.
But to say that nothing had changed would also be false.
"Konoha is not attempting this for the first time," Ōnoki said slowly, some of his usual sharpness absent. "When Lord Hashirama first founded Konoha, he also spoke of alliances."
"There was an incident during that time."
"My teacher—the Second Tsuchikage—and I once traveled to Konoha seeking such an alliance."
A faint pause.
"We nearly died there."
"The one who rejected the alliance… was Uchiha Madara, Konoha's other founder."
Ōnoki continued,
"However, Lord Hashirama used his unmatched power to suppress all opposition and ushered in an era of peace for the ninja world."
His gaze returned to Roshi, searching the young man's calm expression for any trace of reaction.
There was none.
"But that was only… an era."
Roshi replied quietly,
"That was still an era."
Ōnoki paused, then let out a low chuckle.
"Regarding that 'New Generation Joint Combat Exercise' …"
"Iwagakure will participate."
What he did not say aloud was that Iwagakure had no intention of abandoning its own initiatives entirely.
Once they joined the joint event, they would gain insight into its internal structure and scheduling. From there, it would be easy enough to adjust their own activities and avoid direct competition.
Ōnoki knew Roshi understood this unspoken calculation.
And the other man clearly didn't care.
For Konoha, the more villages involved, the greater the momentum behind both the Joint Chūnin Exams and the Joint Combat Exercise.
Of course, Kumogakure would still need to be consulted. The more participants involved, the more the distribution of influence and benefits would have to be renegotiated.
But since Kumogakure had been the one to propose bringing Sunagakure into the arrangement in the first place, they were unlikely to oppose Iwagakure's inclusion.
Roshi nodded.
"In that case, please have Iwagakure send representatives to Konoha at a later date."
"At that time, we will also invite envoys from Kumogakure and Sunagakure. The four villages can then jointly determine the specific rules for the Joint Combat Exercise."
Ōnoki gave a slow nod.
He said nothing further.
After one last, long look at Roshi, the small figure of the Tsuchikage turned and drifted back toward Iwagakure's camp.
Roshi remained standing where he was.
He exhaled softly, a cloud of white mist forming briefly before dissolving into the cold air.
And just like that—
The final loose thread left behind from Konoha Year 57 had finally been tied off.
—
Stepping out of Root's underground base, Kakashi was momentarily blinded by the sunlight.
He narrowed his eyes, allowing them time to adjust to the brightness he had not seen in far too long.
The streets bustled with life.
Voices overlapped, footsteps echoed, and the ordinary noise of the village washed over him—pulling him slowly out of the silent world of documents, dim corridors, and endless shadows he had lived in for months.
Another year already…
The hidden strongholds of Root had all been uncovered.
Because the village had adopted a relatively lenient approach toward former members of the organization, the process of retrieving intelligence had proceeded more smoothly than expected.
Even after Danzo's fall from power, many of Root's research facilities had continued operating in secret locations beyond Konoha's borders—sustained by the wealth, resources, and reputation Danzo had accumulated over decades.
Just as Roshi had predicted when he spoke with Tsunade, most of the personnel within those facilities knew nothing about the political upheaval within the village.
High-level personnel changes were never publicly announced.
As long as funding and supplies continued to arrive on schedule, the "retirement" of an advisor meant little to them.
They believed they were still serving Konoha.
Still part of Konoha.
Even the core members who knew fragments of the truth thought the same.
While taking control of those installations, Kakashi had to admit something.
Compared to the Anbu, the intelligence archives of Root ran far deeper.
Much of it was disorganized, contradictory, or incomplete—but the sheer volume and scope were staggering.
Sorting through personnel files.
Organizing decades of intelligence.
Reassigning surviving agents.
Handling the chaos created after the disappearance of the Curse Seal.
These tasks alone had consumed two full months.
Fortunately, Kakashi had already spent time managing Root before this. Without that experience, the work might have dragged on far longer.
Now he walked aimlessly through the village streets.
The cold winter air brushed against his face, gradually clearing the lingering heaviness that clung to his thoughts.
"Kakashi!"
He instinctively considered ignoring it.
But after spending so long buried in darkness, he hesitated—then changed his mind.
Turning his head, he spotted the source of the voice.
Inside a small dango shop, Might Gai was enthusiastically waving both arms.
Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi sat at the table beside him.
Kakashi stepped inside.
Gai's face instantly lit up.
"Kakashi! You came!"
Kurenai blinked in mild surprise.
"It's rare for you to actually come in when someone calls you."
Asuma leaned back in his chair, an unlit cigarette resting between his lips as he chuckled.
"Yeah. That's a rare sight."
It was rare enough that most ninjas of their generation had stopped trying.
Anyone who had ever attempted to invite Kakashi somewhere knew that rejection was the expected outcome. No one held it against him—but they also stopped making repeated invitations that would inevitably be ignored.
The only exception was Gai.
"It's just…" Kakashi began vaguely.
Explaining root matters was out of the question, and he wasn't particularly interested in discussing his mood either.
So instead, he turned to the shop owner.
"One order of dango."
Gai looked as if he might cry from sheer joy that Kakashi had responded. He immediately grabbed Kakashi by the shoulders and began enthusiastically rambling about things like youth, friendship, and eternal bonds.
Meanwhile, Kurenai glanced out the window.
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"There are more and more foreign ninjas in the village lately."
She tilted her head toward the street, silently prompting the others to look.
Outside, unfamiliar shinobi passed through the village gates one after another.
Two shinobi wearing Kumogakure headbands walked past on the street outside, drawing little attention from the villagers.
While Kurenai and the others were watching the scene outside, Kakashi's plate was already empty.
By the time Kurenai turned back toward the table, all that remained was a lone bamboo skewer.
Kurenai Yuhi looked at the empty plate and sighed helplessly.
"…You really haven't changed. You still eat incredibly fast."
"Hahaha!"
Asuma burst into laughter, pointing at Kakashi's face, which remained hidden behind his mask.
"And you don't even take it off when you drink tea."
Kakashi calmly held his teacup, as if the comment meant nothing.
"What's the occasion?" he asked casually. "What brought all of you together today?"
Kurenai lifted her own cup, gently blowing across the surface of the hot tea.
"Friends don't need a special reason to gather."
Before Kakashi could reply—
"I'm going to be a jonin instructor!"
Gai suddenly announced at full volume.
"It's finally my turn to pass on the flames of youth!"
"Congratulations," Kakashi replied lazily.
"Ever since last year," Kurenai continued thoughtfully, "the students at the Ninja Academy have supposedly been working extremely hard."
She glanced at Gai, then looked toward Kakashi.
"Did something change at the academy?"
"There's someone remarkable who reorganized quite a few things at the academy last year," Kakashi replied.
Asuma immediately chimed in.
"They're preparing for that joint training exercise, right? I heard even Iwagakure agreed to participate."
He clicked his tongue.
"Those guys might be even more troublesome than Kumogakure."
Earth Release.
Among the five basic nature transformations, it was perhaps the most adaptable—and the most difficult to counter.
Unlike Fire, Lightning it didn't rely heavily on generating the element itself.
And unlike Water Release, it wasn't severely limited by environmental conditions.
Earth was everywhere.
Which meant Earth Release shinobi almost always fought with the advantage of terrain.
Defense. Trapping enemies. Reshaping the battlefield. Direct assaults.
Its applications were endless.
For shinobi below the rank of jonin, dealing with skilled Earth Release users was often extremely difficult.
"As for that problem," Kakashi said calmly after taking another sip of tea, "let the person who actually needs to worry about it handle it."
After all—
"He's the one pushing all of this forward."
Meanwhile, the very person Kakashi had casually labeled as "the one who needs to worry" was unknowingly handing a brand-new problem to Itachi.
They stood in the experimental forest behind the Senju estate.
Winter sunlight filtered through the sparse branches above, scattering pale patches of light across the ground covered with fallen leaves.
Roshi was crouched near the soil, carefully tending to what appeared to be a withered brown branch.
Yet beneath its dry exterior, faint vitality pulsed.
"The Ninja Academy's graduation process can be moved forward slightly," Roshi said without looking up.
His fingers brushed the dirt away from the base of the branch.
"I've already calculated the timeline. Uchiha Izumi should be able to make it in time for the Joint Training Exercise."
Itachi frowned slightly.
"Izumi… isn't particularly skilled in combat."
"That's why I'm giving you a break for a while," Roshi replied.
He gently pressed the branch deeper into the soft earth, his movements precise and meticulous.
"Shisui has already returned, so we're not short on manpower for the moment."
He glanced briefly at Itachi.
"Go train Izumi. Focus on shuriken techniques and taijutsu."
"Yes. Understood."
After agreeing, Itachi watched as Roshi finished planting the branch and began carving a sealing formula into the soil beside it.
"For you, Senpai… is cultivating these plants an essential step?" Itachi asked softly.
He looked around at the surrounding plants—strange species that remained standing even in the cold of winter.
"Just like leaving those three Sharingan behind," Roshi replied calmly.
"This is one of those steps where the final outcome is uncertain."
"But it's something that must still be attempted."
He finished inscribing the sealing formula.
"Though compared to that matter… planting trees has already proven surprisingly effective."
Itachi watched him silently for a moment.
"Is this related to the Sunagakure plan?"
"Mm."
Sunagakure had already sent a response.
They hoped Roshi could provide seeds first so they could attempt planting them on their own.
As for the full-scale land transformation plan itself—
They were interested.
But also wary.
"And besides," Roshi added quietly, "this matter is personally important to me as well."
Itachi fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"What exactly do you need me to do, Senpai?"
"During your break, if you have time," Roshi said, standing up and brushing the dirt from his hands, "go through the scrolls and notes preserved by the Uchiha clan."
He looked at Itachi.
"Your clan has left behind quite a few… interesting things."
Then he repeated calmly,
"Quite a few interesting things."
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